Highlights of Nepal

We will be happy to help with flights into Nepal if you wish, and on your arrival our local representative will greet you and transfer you to your hotel in the centre of Kathmandu. We normally use the Shanker Hotel, which is built around a former royal palace and located in large quiet gardens close to the main touristic area of Thamel.

Overnight:

Shanker Hotel

Extras and options:

International Flights. Various hotel upgrades available.

You start today with an easy walking tour from your hotel, finding your way through the narrow city streets to Durbar Square. Our guides change the route everytime for this tour, and it will take in various corner temples and stupas and allow you to see all kinds of tiny shops and workshops. In the impressive Durbar Square, your guide will explain some Nepalese history as you walk through the many Hindu temples and the old Royal Palace.

After a break for lunch at a rooftop restaurant, you head by car to the edge of the city and walk up to Swayambhunath Stupa. Sitting on a hill overlooking the city, you’ll get great views of the Kathmandu Valley and enjoy watching the many monkeys which make this holy place their home. After returning to Kathmandu the rest of the day is free.

Overnight:

Shanker Hotel

Extras and options:

Everest mountain viewing flight

Meals included:

Breakfast

There is the option early this morning for a spectacular mountain viewing flight up around Everest.

After breakfast, you start with a tour of the ancient centre of Patan. Separated from Kathmandu by the Bagwati River, Patan hosts a huge number of Buddhist and Hindhu stupas and temples, and is a feast of traditional stone and wooden architecture. After a tour and some time to explore Patan’s Durbar Square, you leave the Kathmandu Valley and head for the old Newari trading town of Bandipur.

Situated on a ridge with some great mountain views, Bandipur has been fairly untouched, the centre is traffic free, and many of its buildings have been protected. You spend the night here in a traditionally restored guesthouse on the main street. This has shared bathrooms, small rooms and low ceilings, but bags of character, good food, and great views from its terrace. There is a more modern resort option on the outskirts of the village if you prefer.

Overnight:

The Old Inn

Extras and options:

Everest mountain flight

Meals included:

Breakfast

This morning you have an easy walk around the area surrounding the village, exploring some tiny villages and learning about the local agriculture and way of life. Nepal’s largest cave, the Siddha Gufa, can also be visited (ideally on the way to Gorkha – make sure you have a torch!).

Your next stop is the small hillside town of Gorkha, where you can climb up to the Gorkha Durbar perched on the top of the hill. This is a steep hours walk, rewarded by good views and an interesting exploration of the Durbar – a combination of a fort, temple and palace.

You leave Gorkha and drive on to Pokhara this afternoon. Your accommodation at the Fishtail Lodge is right next to the lake, with great views of the Annapurnas from the lush gardens and grounds, and within walking distance of the main restaurants and shops.

Overnight:

Fishtail Lodge

Extras and options:

Upgrade to Tiger Mountain Lodge

Meals included:

Breakfast

We leave the whole of today free for you to do as you wish. Your guide and vehicle are at your service if you would like to make use of them. Options available today include a walk up to the nearby hilltop peaks of Sarangkot or the Peace Pagoda for great views of the Annapurna range; a rowing boat trip on the lake; easy cycling tours to nearby caves and waterfalls and a visit to the Tibetan refugee camp.

You can also extend the tour here to include a short trek. The Annapurna foothills are a great place for relatively low altitude trekking, and we can arrange circular trekking routes lasting anything from 2 days to 2 or more weeks.

Overnight:

Fishtail Lodge

Extras and options:

Various trekking extensions available.

Meals included:

Breakfast

The drive to Chitwan today takes around 5 hours, and you may stop several times en-route. We can also extend this journey by adding in a 2 day/1 night white water rafting trip on the beautiful Seti River.On arrival in Chitwan, you transfer to your lodge located right inside the park (or in the village of Sauraha just outside the park entrance if you prefer).

You will have time for a first safari activity around dusk. This could be a village walk, or a first foray into the park itself.

Overnight:

Temple Tiger

Extras and options:

White water rafting extensions. Tiger Tops wildlife lodge upgrades.

Meals included:

Breakfast and dinner

These two full days in Chitwan will be fairly full with activities in and around the park, but you’ll still have some free time to yourselves as well, particularly in the middle of the day when wildlife viewing is not so productive.

A highlight of your park activities is a morning elephant back ride into the park in search of the rare, Indian one horned rhino. Travelling on the back of an elephant can be the best way to approach wildlife, especially rhino, as your human smell is obscured by the familiar smell of the elephants themselves. This means that the animals you search for are much more relaxed in your presence giving you better opportunities to study them.

You also take an easy open canoe ride down the Rapti River, where you have the opportunity to observe the many bird species native to Nepal. You should also see many of the 160 species of migratory birds which visit Chitwan seasonally. You may also see Gharial crocodiles sunning themselves on the riverbanks.

You will also explore and learn about the forests in a half-day jungle walk where you should see spotted deer and antelope and hopefully spot some rhino. Experienced local guides point out the various species, their habitats and behaviour, on all of your journeys into the park.

Another excursion takes you further into the park, this time travelling by jeep. The greater distances you are able to cover with the jeeps allow you to see more different habitats and visit the crocodile-breeding centre, located deep inside the park (Note - jeep safaris are not available from all lodges).

You will also make a tour of a local village where you can gain insights into the daily life of the people of this Terai region. Your lodge may also arrange a cultural program one evening for you to attend, and you can visit the nearby Elephant breeding centre and enjoy watching or joining in with the domestic elephant's bathing times.

Your time in the lodge here is fairly flexible, and you can adjust the activities you do based on your particular interests, the weather, and wildlife viewing opportunities at that time of year.

Overnight:

Temple Tiger

Meals included:

Breakfast, lunch and dinner

You have time for a final safari activity into the park this morning, before you transfer out to the main road and the airport for the short flight to Kathmandu.

On arrival back in Kathmandu, you drive out to the rim of the valley, climbing up to the small town of Dhulikhel. Here you will spend the next two nights in the beautiful ridge top surroundings of the Dhulikhel Mountain Resort.

Overnight:

Dhulikhel Mountain Resort

Meals included:

Breakfast

If the weather is clear, you can enjoy some spectacular long distance mountain views this morning. After breakfast, your day is then free to relax in the peaceful surroundings of the hotel, or to take one of a range of optional excursions in the nearby area. These include a variety of short or full day walks through the surrounding hills and forest or visits to nearby interesting temples and villages. We can either build these into your itinerary before you go, or you can decide what you’d like to do while you are there.

Overnight:

Dhulikhel Mountain Resort

Extras and options:

Various local excursions available

Meals included:

Breakfast

You leave the peace and tranquillity of Dhulikhel this morning and head back towards Kathmandu where your first stop is at the ancient centre of Bhaktapur. You have a guided tour of the temples and stupas here, and also some free time to explore the narrow streets. Thankfully free of cars and vehicles, this is a great opportunity to study some of the valley’s beautiful brick and carved wooden architecture.

After leaving Bhaktapur, you visit two important religious pilgrimage sites. The Buddhist stupa at Boudhanath is huge, and surrounded by monasteries and strings of colourful, fluttering prayer flags. Nearby, is Pashupatinath, the most important Hindu temple in Nepal. Although non-Hindus are not allowed inside the temple itself, you can see into the temple complex from the holy riverbanks where there are bathing and cremation ghats. From here we drive you back to your hotel in Kathmandu.

As a final treat, we include a special traditional Nepalese dinner at the stylish Bhojan Griha restaurant.

Overnight:

Shanker Hotel

Meals included:

Breakfast and dinner

Your time is free today until we pick you up from your hotel and transfer you to the airport for your flight home.

Extras and options:

International flights

Meals included:

Breakfast