Nepal
Pashupatinath and Muktinath
The pilgrimage for everyone Kailash will not take.
- Duration
- 7 days · 6 nights
- Destination
- Nepal
- Price
- Costed to your dates
The journey
Pashupatinath, Budhanilkantha and Muktinath — a Shakti Peeth, a Vishnu shrine and one of the 108 Divya Desams, in a week. This is the trip we suggest most often, because it reaches genuinely high Himalayan ground at 3,710 m without asking anyone to walk 42 km at 5,600 m.
Before you book
- Official access
- Pashupatinath's inner sanctum is open to Hindus only, and that is the temple's rule, not ours — non-Hindu members of a group can see it from the far bank of the Bagmati. Muktinath is open to all, free, open queue. No paid priority darshan exists at either and nobody can sell you one.
- Physical grade
- Moderate. Muktinath is roughly 200 m of walking and about 80 steps from the jeep drop to the shrine, at 3,710 m — short, but the altitude makes it feel longer. Pony available for the final stretch. Pashupatinath involves steps and uneven stone.
- Senior & access fit
- Good, and this is deliberately the answer for a family whose parents want Himalayan darshan but cannot do Char Dham or Kailash. The Jomsom flight removes the two worst road days. The 3,710 m at Muktinath still warrants a word with a doctor for anyone with a cardiac or respiratory condition.
- Meals & observance
- Pure vegetarian throughout and easy in Nepal. No-onion-garlic satvik arranged at Kathmandu and Pokhara on request; at Jomsom the kitchen is small and the menu fixed, so we ask in advance or bring it.
- When it runs
- March–June and September–November. Closed to us in the July–August monsoon, when Jomsom flights rarely operate, and in deep winter when Muktinath snows in.
What stands out
- Muktinath at 3,710 m — the 108 waterspouts and the eternal flame
- Flown to Jomsom rather than driven, which turns two brutal road days into twenty minutes
- Janakpur can be added as a two-night extension
Day by day
How the 7 days actually run.
- Day 01
Kathmandu
Arrive, transfer, evening aarti at Pashupatinath from the far bank.
- Day 02
Kathmandu
Pashupatinath properly in the morning, then Budhanilkantha, Guhyeshwari and Boudhanath.
- Day 03
Pokhara
Fly or drive to Pokhara. Evening on Phewa lake; Tal Barahi temple on its island.
Pokhara
- Day 04
Pokhara
Sarangkot at dawn for the Annapurna range, then Bindhyabasini and the Davis Falls.
- Day 05
Jomsom and Muktinath
Early flight to Jomsom, then jeep up to Muktinath — 3,710 m, the 108 dharas and the Jwala Mai flame. Overnight Jomsom.
- Day 06
Jomsom → Pokhara
Morning flight back down the Kali Gandaki gorge. Afternoon free at Pokhara.
Pokhara
- Day 07
Departure
Fly to Kathmandu and connect, or overnight added on request.
Kathmandu
2 nightsDay 1: Arrival
Kathmandu
Arrive, transfer, evening aarti at Pashupatinath from the far bank.
Pashupatinath
Day 2: Sightseeing
Kathmandu
Pashupatinath properly in the morning, then Budhanilkantha, Guhyeshwari and Boudhanath.
Pashupatinath · Budhanilkantha · Boudhanath
Pokhara
2 nightsDay 3: Transfer
Pokhara
Fly or drive to Pokhara. Evening on Phewa lake; Tal Barahi temple on its island.
Phewa Lake
Day 4: Sightseeing
Pokhara
Sarangkot at dawn for the Annapurna range, then Bindhyabasini and the Davis Falls.
Sarangkot
Jomsom
1 nightDay 5: Flight
Jomsom and Muktinath
Early flight to Jomsom, then jeep up to Muktinath — 3,710 m, the 108 dharas and the Jwala Mai flame. Overnight Jomsom.
Jomsom · Muktinath
Kathmandu
1 nightDay 6: Flight
Jomsom → Pokhara
Morning flight back down the Kali Gandaki gorge. Afternoon free at Pokhara.
Day 7: Departure
Departure
Fly to Kathmandu and connect, or overnight added on request.
What's included
- 6 nights accommodation on twin share
- Daily breakfast and dinner
- Pokhara–Jomsom–Pokhara flights
- Jeep transfer from Jomsom to Muktinath and back
- Private vehicle with driver at Kathmandu and Pokhara
- A local guide at Kathmandu and at Muktinath
- All temple-town transfers as named
What's not
- Flights to and from Kathmandu
- Pony or palki on the short final ascent at Muktinath
- Any additional night caused by weather closing the Jomsom airstrip
- Travel insurance
- Meals not named in the itinerary
- Personal expenses, offerings and tips
- Anything not listed under Inclusions
- Per person · twin share
- Pricing on request — costed to your dates and group size
- JOMSOM FLIGHTS ARE WEATHER-DEPENDENT and fly in a morning window only. A cancellation means either a day's wait or a long jeep road, and the cost of an extra night is yours. We build the itinerary so one lost day does not lose Muktinath.
- Indian nationals do not need a visa for Nepal, but do need photo ID — voter card or passport. An Aadhaar card alone is not accepted at the airport.
- Temple access, queue length and timing on the day are decided by the temple and its administration — never by us. We apply through official channels for whatever is genuinely bookable, and we tell you before you travel if it has not come through.
Tell us your dates — we'll send the exact price.
Tell us when and who is travelling, and we price this exact route for your dates. A specialist replies within 4 working hours.
Make it yours
Change anything you like.
This is a starting point, not a fixed product. Different dates, a better room, an extra island, one grandparent who can't manage stairs — say so and we rebuild it around you.