Kathmandu and Pokhara if you only have a week

A 7–10 day planner for first-timers: what to skip, flight vs road, and what will not fit.

A week is enough for a first look at Nepal if you stay honest about distance. Two or three nights in Kathmandu, a flight or a long road day to Pokhara, and two or three nights lakeside is the shape that works. Trying to add Everest, a jungle safari, and Lumbini in the same week is how people only see airports. In Kathmandu, pick a few places: one old city (Kathmandu, Patan, or Bhaktapur), Swayambhu or Boudha, and a meal that is not in a tourist courtyard. You will not finish the UNESCO list. That is fine. Pokhara is the reset. Phewa Lake, a sunrise viewpoint if your knees allow, and an optional tandem paraglide if the weather is kind. The tourist strip is easy; the lake is why you came. Fly Kathmandu–Pokhara if you have fewer than nine days. The road is a story, not a shortcut. Keep the last night near the international airport or accept that a dawn departure means a 3 a.m. taxi.