Visas & entry
Most US, UK, EU, Australian and many other passport holders can obtain a Nepal tourist visa on arrival at Kathmandu airport or land borders (commonly 15/30/90 days; bring a passport valid for at least six months, a photo and payment, and verify current fees/rules with Nepal Immigration). Indian citizens do not need a visa; a small number of nationalities must arrange one in advance.
Getting in
- Kathmandu — Tribhuvan International Airport: The real international gateway for Gandaki. From Kathmandu, take a tourist bus, private car or domestic flight to Pokhara; use Kathmandu-side roadheads rather than Pokhara for Manaslu/Tsum access.
- Pokhara International Airport: Gandaki’s practical regional air gateway, mainly reached by domestic flight from Kathmandu. Pokhara is the all-purpose base for lake country, Annapurna foothill treks, permits, gear and onward transport.
- Jomsom Airport: A weather-sensitive domestic hop from Pokhara for Lower Mustang. It saves a long rough road journey but cancellations are common, so never connect it tightly to an international departure.
- Dumre / Prithvi Highway: The road junction used for Bandipur: get off the Kathmandu–Pokhara bus corridor here, then take the final uphill local transfer. It is a stopover, not an airport-style gateway.
- Besisahar: The usual road gateway for the Annapurna Circuit and Manang side. Jeeps continue higher up the Marsyangdi Valley, but using them to rush upward is a bad acclimatization plan.
Getting around
Treat Pokhara as the transport and recovery base, not as a day-trip launchpad for all of Gandaki. Tourist buses and local buses cover the Kathmandu–Pokhara highway and major hill-town links cheaply but slowly; private cars and jeeps buy flexibility, not immunity from landslides or delays. Treks are still the sensible way to reach Annapurna high country, while Mustang and Manang increasingly involve rough jeep roads; Pokhara–Jomsom flights are quick but weather-sensitive.
Money
Nepal uses the Nepalese rupee (NPR). Cards work at better Pokhara hotels, restaurants and agencies, but cash is essential in hill towns, trail lodges and Mustang; withdraw in Kathmandu or Pokhara rather than relying on mountain ATMs. Tipping is not automatic in restaurants, but guides, porters and drivers reasonably expect it after multi-day trips.
Daily budget · NPR (Nepalese rupees). Per person per day, excluding international flights; assumes two people sharing rooms where applicable.
- Value
- Value: NPR 5,000–8,000 in Pokhara/hill towns; NPR 6,000–10,000 on standard teahouse treks, before guide and permits.
- Mid-range
- NPR 10,000–18,000 in Pokhara/hill towns; NPR 11,000–18,000 on standard teahouse treks, plus a share of guide costs.
- High-end
- NPR 25,000–50,000+ in Pokhara/hill towns; NPR 30,000–70,000+ for trekking with private logistics, guide/porter and occasional domestic flights.
- Pokhara and Bandipur are inexpensive if you use good local guesthouses and buses; the cost jump comes from private cars, resort hotels and adventure activities, not basic accommodation.
- On Annapurna trails, budget meals as seriously as beds: cheap rooms often assume you eat every meal at the lodge. At altitude, food, hot showers, charging, Wi-Fi, bottled drinks and snacks all become progressively pricier.
- A guide or porter is a major variable, especially for solo travelers. Share a guide where regulations and route logistics permit; do not economize by rushing acclimatization or skipping qualified support on high routes.
- Upper Mustang is a separate budget category: its restricted-area permit alone is US$500 for the first 10 days, then US$50 per extra day, before conservation fees, guide, agency, vehicle and lodging.
- Manaslu/Tsum also needs permit-driven agency logistics, a licensed guide and conservation fees; it is not a low-cost alternative to Annapurna.
- Mustang transport is the other budget trap. Jomsom flights are weather-sensitive, while private 4WDs and jeep legs add up quickly. Build spare days rather than paying for a brittle, tightly timed itinerary.
Eating well
- In mountain lodges, the inexpensive room often assumes you will eat all meals there; price the day around food, not the bed.
- Order dinner early at busy high-altitude stops: kitchens get backed up and popular lodges can run short of preferred items.
- Budget extra for hot showers, charging, Wi‑Fi, bottled drinks and snacks as you go higher; alcohol and imported food are especially poor value.
- Sleep in Marpha rather than treating it as a quick photo stop if you want time for its Thakali cooking, apples and local drinks.
- Build buffer nights in Pokhara before flights out of Nepal. Mountain roads, Pokhara–Jomsom flights and monsoon travel routinely break optimistic schedules.
- Pokhara works for 3–5 days of lakes, short walks and logistics; Manang, Jomsom, Upper Mustang and Manaslu are separate journeys with full transfer days.
- For Upper Mustang and Manaslu/Tsum, use a registered trekking agency: restricted-area permits and licensed-guide arrangements are not optional details to sort out at a trailhead.
- Do not race upward by jeep. Manang, Tilicho, Thorong La, Mustang and high Annapurna routes demand acclimatization; altitude illness is a reason to descend, not push on.
- On treks, a cheap room often assumes you will eat at that lodge. Food, hot showers, charging, Wi-Fi and bottled drinks become markedly more expensive with altitude.
- Carry small NPR notes, a headlamp, water treatment and enough cash before leaving Pokhara. Trail-side card acceptance and ATM access are unreliable.
Entry rules change — verify visa requirements for your passport before booking this region.
Season by season
December–February
Pokhara and the low hills have clear, pleasant days and cold nights, while high Annapurna, Manang and Manaslu can be snowy, severely cold and subject to pass closures.
Pokhara and Phewa LakeBandipur and Gorkhalow-elevation walksquieter hotels
High-altitude lodges may be limited, Thorong La and other passes can close, and Lower Mustang is sunny but cold and notably windy.
March–May
Warm days, rhododendron blooms and generally reliable trekking weather make the Annapurna foothills, Manang and Manaslu attractive, though late-spring haze softens distant views and afternoon storms can disrupt flights and paragliding.
Poon Hill and GhandrukMardi HimalAnnapurna Base CampManang and Manaslu trekking
This is a busy, pricier trekking season, especially around Easter and peak spring weeks; keep weather flexibility for mountain flights and paragliding.
June–August
Monsoon brings heavy rain on the Pokhara side, cloud-covered mountains, leeches, landslides, slow roads and weather-sensitive flight cancellations, while Upper Mustang remains much drier in the Himalayan rain shadow.
Upper MustangLo Manthang culturerain-shadow trekkinglush Pokhara for travelers unconcerned by views
Do not choose this season for a schedule-sensitive Annapurna, Manaslu or low-hill road trip; even Mustang access crosses wetter approaches unless flights operate.
September–November
After the rains, skies are usually clearest, temperatures are comfortable and mountain visibility is at its annual best across Pokhara, Annapurna and Manaslu.
first visitsAnnapurna Base CampPoon Hill and Mardi HimalAnnapurna Circuit and Manaslu
October–November is the busiest trekking period: book a licensed guide and key high-route lodges early, especially for Annapurna Base Camp and constrained high stops.
Events worth planning around
Tiji (Tenchi) Festival · Usually late May or June, following the Tibetan lunar calendar; published 2027 working dates are June 1–3, but reconfirm locally. · Lo Manthang, Upper Mustang
This three-day masked-dance ritual makes Upper Mustang unusually compelling but sharply reduces availability of beds, guides, vehicles and flights. Build the trip around the festival and keep at least two spare travel days.
What to eat
Eat Gandaki by moving from Pokhara’s broad, traveler-friendly restaurant scene into Thakali food and apple country in the Kali Gandaki valley. On treks, lodge kitchens set the menu and economics: eat where you sleep, order early, and expect choice and value to shrink as altitude rises.
A proper Thakali meal in the Kali Gandaki valleyMustang apples and dried apple productsLocal apple spirits in Lower MustangTeahouse meals on Annapurna and Manaslu routes
Pokhara / Lakeside: The region’s widest choice of restaurants and cuisines · Practical pre- and post-trek meals; do not mistake the largely tourist-oriented strip for a local-food destination
Lower Mustang — Marpha, Tukuche and the Kali Gandaki valley: Thakali meals · Apples and dried fruit · Local apple spirits
Annapurna and Manaslu teahouse trails: Lodge-cooked trekking meals · Simple, increasingly expensive food as supplies are carried higher