Nepal and Tibet 12 Days Tour

Boudhanath Stupa - Boudhanath Stupa is one of the oldest monument in Kathmandu valley and one of the first monuments with a written history. One of the biggest pilgrimages for Tibetans the area around this stupa is also known as the little Tibet in Kathmandu. This was listed in the UNESCO’s world heritage site list in 1979 A.D.

Pashupatinath Temple - Pashupatinath temple is the most important shrine for Hindus in Kathmandu. Although non-Hindus are not allowed inside the temple premises, the cremation that takes place around thePashupatinathh temple area is interesting for foreigners. Listed as a UNESCO world heritage site in 1979 this area has a lot of Sadhus/Hindu holy men who are center of attraction for many foreigners. Make sure you want to pay them if you take their pictures as they ask for money for being photographed.

Kathmandu Durbar Square - Kathmandu Durbar Square lies in the center of the Kathmandu valley and has some of the most interesting monuments in Nepal. The Kasthamandap, the building from which Kathmandu derived its name, the Kumari Ghar, the House of the Living goddess Kumari, the Taleju temple and the most interesting the Hanuman Dhoka Palace, now a museum are some of the interesting buildings in Kathmandu Durbar Square. Besides that, the program of different kinds and gathering of people from all over Nepal makes it a lively place and the best place to understand Nepal.

Swayambhunath Stupa - Swayambhunath stupa is also referred to as the ‘Monkey temple’ and is one of the 7 UNESCO world heritage sites of Kathmandu. Situated on a hilltop about 4 Km from the city center this stupa is one of the oldest monument in Kathmandu and comes from the Vajrayana sect of Mahayana Buddhism. With a pair of eyes in each direction, this place is a spiritual center for the locals and tourist visiting this area. The hilltop also offers the scenic view of the Kathmandu valley and the Himalayas.

Khokana and Bungmati - These two Newar Villages are located in the outskirts of the Patan District and are proposed as Tentative UNESCO heritage sites by the Nepal government. Khokana has the temple of Rudryaini and is also famous for the Mustard oil production. Bungmati, 20 minutes walk from Khokana through paddy fields is full of old Newari houses and architecture. These twin villages are one of the best places to experience Nepal’s age-old heritages and to observe the daily life of the People. You will feel like walking in the 18th century Europe as you go through these streets.

After a warm breakfast at the hotel, we start the 7 hours/200km drive to Pokhara. We will make a few stops on the way as there are lots of places to capture photographs. We will follow the Trishuli River, one of the best rivers for amateur rafting until Mugling and then onwards go in the opposite direction of the Marshayngdi River for a while. Besides the small and simple villages, the Prithvi Highway also offers a nice view of mountains, most notably from Khairini and onwards. If the weather is clear you can see the Ganesh Himal, Langtang Lirung, Manaslu and Annapurna as soon as you start going down from Kathmandu. In the evening stroll around the lake side or depending on the time you reach Pokhara for a boating trip in the Phewa Lake.

Your city guide will come to receive you after breakfast and drive towards the Davis fall, named after a Swiss coupled washed away by the waterfall in 1961. Then cross the road and go to the Gupteshwor cave with a self-created statue of Lord Shiva and the view of Davis fall coming down from the other side. 5 minutes walk from the Gupteshwor cave is the Tibetan refugee camp where you can see Tibetan refugees doing different kinds of work for livelihood such as making carpets, making jewelry with semi-precious stones and selling things to tourist. After spending some time to understand Tibet and its political conditions in the area we head towards the Bindabasani temple and the Seti river gorge.

The drive from Pokhara to Chitwan is a scenic drive of 6 hours. The change in the vegetation and lifestyle of the people is very significant. We will reach Chitwan for Lunch on this day. After a brief rest, we take a walk through the village of the Tharu people, one of the famous indigenous groups in Nepal. They are famous for their resistance against Malaria, also for the huts they live in and the unique culture they have which they brought with them from Rajasthan in India from where they migrated. After a brief walk in the village to understand better we will come back to the hotel to see the Tharu dance program, which is a collection of many different dances that are performed by Tharu in different festivals.

Yes, you are in the periphery of the Chitwan national park, The best habitat for tropical animals and plants in Nepal. This is an exciting day ahead of you. After breakfast in the morning, we drive for a while from your jungle camp and go for the canoeing in the Budi Rapti river. The canoeing lasts for maximum 40 minutes and during those 40 minutes, you see at least 20 species of birds and 2 species of crocodiles basking in the sun. There are chances to see the one-horned rhino and other wild animals. After the canoeing, we go to the elephant breeding center where female elephants are kept for breeding. You might also see few small naughty ones coming to play with the visitors. We drive to the elephant bathing place in Sauaraha. You can participate in the elephant bathing if you want. It cost you 2-3 dollars for a shower on top of an elephant. We head back to the hotel for lunch and rest for a while. At around 3 pm we will go for the elephant ride inside the Chitwan national park which lasts for 2 hours. There you can see many animals including one-horned rhino, 4 species of deer, monkeys and many more.

Free time around Thamel in the evening.

After a 2 and half hours flight we will arrive at Gongar Airport and half an hour drive from there we will reach Lhasa, the capital city of Tibet. In the evening we will stroll around the old city to experience the local life style and monuments of Lhasa.

After breakfast, we will visit the Potala Palace, the Palace of the Dalai Lama. This architectural masterpiece is the symbol of unity of the Tibetans. This palace was built by King Soongtsan Gampo, who was married to Princess Wen Cheng Tang in 641 A.D. It has got 999 houses built on Hongshan Hill with a red building on top. It is one of the grandest Palaces in the world to date.

After lunch, we will drive towards the Jokhang Temple, the most sacred temple for Tibetan Buddhists. After spending some time at the Jokhang temple we will walk through the Barkhor Street, a traditional old street in Lhasa.

We will start the sightseeing today from Norbulingka - the summer palace of the Dalai Lama, located along the Kyichu River and two kilometers west of the Potala Palace. This Palace has a huge garden covering 360,000 square meters, making it the biggest man-made garden in Tibet. It has got 374 rooms. The second site is Drepung Monastery, made by Chojey Tashi Palden in the 14th Century. It had four departments, of which Loseling, or "The Hermitage of the Radiant Mind," was the largest, housing more than three-quarters of Drepung's ten to fifteen thousand monks. Now it is one of Tibet’s premier monastic educational institutions.

The last site for today is Sera Monastery, built in 1419; this grand Monastery was home to more than 5,000 monks and five monastic colleges. Although much less active now, with only several hundred monks currently in residence, one of the most interesting times to visit the monastery is in the afternoon when monks, after finishing their morning scripture classes, can be seen debating in the courtyard.

We will drive to Gongar Airport and then board our flight from Lhasa to Kathmandu. Depending on your flight timing we can arrange for sightseeing. In the evening we will go for a cultural program with typical Nepali dinner to review your trip to Nepal and Tibet.

Final departure.