The India-Nepal border crossing — Sunauli on the Indian side, Belahiya on the Nepal side, 3km south of Siddharthanagar (Bhairahawa). Entry and exit point for the whole trip.
Gateway to the Annapurna range, and the base for the Tilicho Lake trek — reached overland from the Sunauli border.
One of the highest lakes in the world, in the Annapurna Circuit — the trek done from Pokhara before flying on to Kathmandu.
Reached by air from Pokhara — the capital, with an Everest mountain-flight (viewing the peak from the plane) fitted in before continuing on toward Lumbini.
The birthplace of Gautama Buddha — reached by flying from Kathmandu to Siddharthanagar (Bhairahawa) airport, then a local taxi. Paired with nearby Kapilavastu before exiting back through Sunauli.
The ancient site (Tilaurakot) linked to the Buddha's early life — visited alongside Lumbini on the same day, before the final crossing back into India at Sunauli.
Escaped a ~40°C Indian summer for Nepal — Pokhara first, then a multi-day trek up to Tilicho Lake in the Annapurna region, then Lumbini, before returning to India around June/July 2024.
Confirmed: stayed at Kwabahal Boutique Hostel in Kathmandu (14 June), then flew domestically twice via Yeti Airlines and once via Shree Airlines — almost certainly Kathmandu→Pokhara and the onward hop toward the Jomsom/Annapurna trekking region, the standard gateway for a Tilicho Lake approach. Also enrolled in Yeti Airlines' Skyclub loyalty program along the way.
Pokhara itself included a stop at Pumdikot, a hilltop viewpoint (1,500m) in Kaski District with a wide view of the Annapurna range from the north — plus real waterfall stops along the way, all confirmed 4–15 June 2024.
October–November or March–May is the two prime trekking windows — clear skies, stable high-altitude weather. This trek ran in June, right at the edge of monsoon season — a genuinely riskier window for a trek up to 4,920m, worth knowing if attempting the same route.
| Day | Route | Altitude |
|---|---|---|
| T-9 | Besisahar → Dharapani | 1,960 m |
| T-8 | Dharapani → Chame | 2,710 m |
| T-7 | Chame → Manang | 3,519 m |
| T-6 / D-2 | Manang → Siri Kharka | 4,060 m |
| T-5 / D-1 | Siri Kharka → Tilicho Base Camp | 4,140 m |
| D-0 | Tilicho Lake — accomplished | 4,920 m |
Documented along the way: the floral diversity changing with altitude, careful attention to diet at elevation, and a return to Pokhara to recover afterward.
Beyond the trek: Bhaktapur Durbar Square, Swayambhunath (the Monkey Temple, atop its hill), and a close-up Everest view from a Kathmandu Valley vantage point. A side loop through Dahachowk and Indrathan took in Indra Daha, a Naag temple, Manokamana Temple, and Kalupande.
Lumbini — Buddha's birthplace — got a proper multi-part visit ("Discovering Buddha's Hometown"), centered on the Mayadevi Temple (a UNESCO World Heritage Site). A related stop at Gorakhnath Temple happened across the border in Gorakhpur, India.
One confirmed fare so far: NPR 3,900 (~$29) for the Shree Airlines domestic leg, paid 13 June 2024.
That the easiest border on this entire site led to the hardest week. No visa, no passport even required — just an Aadhar card — and on the other side of that: six days climbing from Besisahar to 4,920 meters at Tilicho Lake, the highest point reached anywhere on this trip. Nowhere else does the gap between "how hard was it to get in" and "how hard was it once you were there" stretch as wide as it does here.
An Aadhar card is enough — a genuinely rare simplicity worth knowing if you're used to visa admin everywhere else.
October–November or March–May are the stable windows; this trek ran right at the edge of monsoon risk.
Daily capacity on these routes is limited.