Why stop halfway
Doing the whole trip in one day means seven or eight hours or more in a vehicle, much of it on winding roads, and arriving in the heat of the plains tired. Splitting it gives you two comfortable half-days of travel and a chance to see a hill town that most people pass straight through.
Tansen also sits at around 1,350 m, so it is usually cooler than the Terai. Spending a night up here before dropping to Lumbini can make the change in temperature easier, particularly from April onwards.
One night or two
One night works if you mainly want to rest. Leave Pokhara in the morning, arrive in the afternoon, enjoy dinner and a quiet evening, then set off for Lumbini after breakfast. You will reach Lumbini around midday.
Two nights gives you a full day without travel. Use the morning for Tansen's old bazaar or Shreenagar Hill and the afternoon for doing very little. Our Tansen and Palpa guide lists places worth a walk.
Timing each leg
Start each day early. The Pokhara leg involves a long stretch of winding highway and a crossing of the Kali Gandaki valley, while the Lumbini leg descends to Butwal before crossing the flat plains. Roadworks are common, and in the monsoon, landslides can hold up traffic for hours, so build in some slack.
If you are flying home from Gautam Buddha International Airport in Bhairahawa, it is close to Lumbini, so you can end the trip there without going back the way you came.
Staying at Bulbul
Bulbul Farm Retreat is in Bartung, on the Bartung–Tansen Road, with a double room, gardens and home-cooked food. Send an enquiry with your dates and the hosts will confirm availability and price.