Nestled amongst the peaks of the great Himalayan mountains, Nepal is a country blessed with an abundance of natural beauty and colourful history. Staying in comfortable and character-full hotels & lodges, without any strenuous activities, this tour lets you discover ancient city streets and architecture, enjoy stunning mountain views, walk through tiny rural villages, verdant farmland and forests filled with wildlife, and see some of Nepal’s most famous and holiest temples and Stupas.
You start your tour in Kathmandu, a city like no other in the world. Mazy streets conceal Hindu Temples and Buddhist Stupas along with a multitude of enticing shops and restaurants. During your first stay in the city, we include an introductory walking tour to Durbar Square and a drive to enjoy the views from the hilltop Swayambunath stupa. You will also make trips out the nearby ancient centre of Bhaktapur and walk through the Tilkot Forest Reserve to the crumbling Changu Narayan temple.
From Kathmandu you travel through the heart of Nepal passing through beautiful mountain and lowland scenery, and picturesque towns and villages before arriving at Chitwan National Park.
One of Asia’s most famous national parks, the forest & grassland landscape is home to many birds and animals including the majestic Indian elephant and the ever-elusive Bengal tiger. The park is most famous however for its population of the rare one-horned rhinoceros. We include various activities in the park, including a gentle canoe ride down the Rapti River, a jungle walk or jeep safari and an early morning elephant ride, as well as a local village walk.
Next stop is Lumbini, the birth-place of Siddhartha Gautama, better known as the Lord Buddha. Lumbini is an important pilgrimage site for followers of the Buddhist religion who come here to visit the Mayadevi Temple, which is believed to have been constructed on the precise location of where the Buddha was born. After a night in Lumbini and visits to some of the temples and monasteries, we leave the lowlands behind and head back into the foothills of the Himalayas for a beautiful drive to Pokhara. This lakeside town affords magnificent views of the snow-capped peaks of the mighty Annapurna mountain range. There is plenty to keep you busy in and around the town, inluding short walks, caves, boat rides and nearby excursions.
From Pokhara you head for the hilltop town of Gorkha where we can climb up to the Gorkha Durba, an interesting and imposing fort/palace/temple complext. We finish the day at another hilltop village, Bandipur, which is an ancient trading centre and is set amongst wonderful mountain scenery. You have some time here to explore this charming, traditional hill town, including a stroll around the bazaar.
Leaving Bandipur we drive back to the Kathmandu valley and head to a beautiful and relaxing hotel on the rim of the Kathmandu valley at Dhulikhel. After a night in Dhulikhel you can savour the spectacular mountain scenery as the sun rises over the snow-capped peaks. You have a free day to relax here in the beautiful hotel surroundings, or to do some day trips or walks in the surrounding valleys. Finally it is back to Kathmandu to visit the important Hindu pilgrimage temple of Pasupatinath, and the hugh Buddhist Boudhanath stupa. Your last afternoon is free to explore Kathmandu some more and perhaps do some final souvenir shopping. On your final evening you will enjoy the traditional taste of Nepal at the famous and stylish Bhojan Griha restaurant.
The tour stays in comfortable and character-full hotels, and extra options to try some rafting, do a mountain flight to view Everest, or visit Bardia National Park are available. You can join one of our small-group departures, do the tour yourselves privately, or use it as a base for a tailor-made itinerary.
Itinerary
We greet you at the airport and transfer you to your hotel in the centre of Kathmandu, where our Encounters Travel rep welcomes you, helps you settle in, and explains the agenda for the rest of your tour.
OVERNIGHT: Kathmandu hotel
MEALS: None
EXTRAS: Single room supplement (NPSGCN)
Extra day in Kathmandu - pre-tour
The first part of the morning will be dedicated to a pre-tour briefing and introduction to your local tour leader. After this we arrange for you to taken on a guided tour of the fascinating, sprawling city of Kathmandu. We start by walking from the tourist centre of Thamel, through winding streets and past corner temples and stupas, to Durbar Square with its splendid array of Hindu Temples and the old Royal Palace. Next, we climb up the many steps leading to the Swayambhunath Stupa, which sits upon a hill overlooking Kathmandu and gives a spectacular view out over the city. In the evening you have an opportunity to try one of the many restaurants and bars, and soak up the unique atmosphere that makes Kathmandu a magnet for travellers from all over the world.
OVERNIGHT: Kathmandu hotel
MEALS: Breakfast
EXTRAS: Everest Mountain Flight
Kathmandu - full day city tour
This morning we drive you out to the ancient centre of Bhaktapur for a tour of the many squares and temples, seeing stunning wooden architecture as well as exploring the narrow winding lanes which bustle with life and have remained relatively unchanged for centuries. We then drive up to the beautiful Tilkot Forest Reserve where we start an easy walk downhill through pine forests and tiny Chhetri villages with wonderful views to either side, to the beautiful Changu Narayan Temple (approx. 2 1/2 hours easy walking).
OVERNIGHT: Kathmandu hotel
MEALS: Breakfast
EXTRAS: Chitwan Safari Package - standard lodge
Today we take you away from the bustle of the Kathmandu valley and drive across Nepal in a private vehicle to Chitwan National Park (approx. 6 hours). The journey gives you a chance to experience the varied and beautiful landscape of Nepal as we see views of snowcapped mountains and lush green jungles and pass by raging rivers and colourful towns and villages.
We arrive at the lodge, which is located just outside the park boundaries, in the late afternoon. You are at Chitwan National Park for two nights and during this time you have an exciting itinerary in and around the park. Once settled into your lodge, you can eat, drink and relax and take in some of the spectacular settings that surround you. You can also do an early evening walk around the local villages and learn about rural Nepali life here.
OVERNIGHT: Chitwan lodge
MEALS: Breakfast, Dinner
EXTRAS: Chitwan Safari Package - standard lodge
We include a full range of safari activites today including a log canoe trip 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. One highlight while on the river is the chance to watch the spectacular skill of ospreys fishing. You may also see Gharial crocodiles sunning themselves on the riverbanks.
After the canoe ride you will explore and learn about the forests in a jungle walk or jeep safari where you should see spotted deer and antelope, monkeys 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.
OVERNIGHT: Chitwan lodge
MEALS: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
EXTRAS: None
We include morning you will hopefully enjoy a beautiful sunrise over the river behind the lodge. You will take a morning elephant back ride into the park in search again 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. After returning from the elephants, we drive to Lumbini (approx. 3 hours) , birthplace of Buddha and arguably the most significant historical site in Nepal. On arrival we arrange for you to be taken on a guided tour, visiting The Maya Devi Mandir, Ashoka Pillar, a number of important monastries and the Sacred Garden where the Buddha was reputedly born.
OVERNIGHT: Lumbini hotel
MEALS: Breakfast
EXTRAS: Day hike to Sarangkot and Naudanda
WWe leave the lowland Terai today and head back into the Himalayan foothills as we drive via the hilltop village of Tansen and on to Pokhara (approx. 6 hours). Set in a broad fertile valley, Pokhara is the gateway to most of Nepal's rafting and trekking destinations. The town itself is dominated by stunning views of the Annapurna range, particularly of the sacred Machhapuchhare. The Lakeside area (around Phewa Lake) is enchanting and busy with travellers in the evenings, and has many good restaurants to enjoy.
OVERNIGHT: Pokhara hotel
MEALS: Breakfast
EXTRAS: Pokhara to Kathmandu flight with Bhaktapur
Our tour today takes in visits to the World Peace Pagoda, Daryalling Monastery and the Tibetan refugee camp on the edge of town, before visiting Devi Falls and the attached caves on the way back to Pokhara.
OVERNIGHT: Pokhara hotel
MEALS: Breakfast
EXTRAS: None
Your day is free today to relax and enjoy Pokhara. There are many activities on offer, including day walks, cycle tours, boat rides and nearby excursions, all set to the beautiful mountain backdrop of the Annapurnas. If you are feeling energetic, the early morning views from the top of the nearby hill of Sarangkot are well worth the walk.
OVERNIGHT: Pokhara hotel
MEALS: Breakfast
EXTRAS: None
This morning you start your drive back towards Kathmandu. On the way you stop to visit the Gorkha Durbar - a hill top fortress, palace and temple complex flamboyant in design and reflective of Gorka's central place in Nepal's history as the ancesteral home of the Nepalese royal family. We then travel onto Bandipur, a once prosperous Newari trading town, where the afternoon is free to enjoy an easy walk through the local terraced farmland and rural villages to enjoy the wonderful vistas and quiet charm that envelopes this little-visited, and typical hill village. There is an interesting bazaar around which to wander and excursions into the surrounding countryside are also worthwhile.
OVERNIGHT: Bhandipur hotel
MEALS: Breakfast, Dinner
EXTRAS: None
After a little more time at Bandipur, we drive you back to the Kathmandu Valley giving you another chance to take in the beautiful scenery that makes Nepal such a popular country to visit. You should arrive in the village of Dhulikhel, which sits on a ridge at the north-eastern edge of the Kathmandu Valley, by mid-afternoon. Stunning clear views are all but guaranteed between November and March and it is well worth the effort to get up early tomorrow morning to see the sun rise over the distant Himalayas including the tiny (from here !) peak of Everest.
OVERNIGHT: Dhulikhel hotel
MEALS: Breakfast
EXTRAS: None
After an early rise to enjoy the sunrise views, we have breakfast and the day is then free for you to relax in the beautiful garden setting of the hotel, or to enjoy some short or more demanding walks in the surrounding countryside. We can also offer a tour of the nearby historic Newari towns of Kirtipur, Chobar and Pharping if you wish.
OVERNIGHT: Dhulikhel hotel
MEALS: Breakfast
EXTRAS: None
After breakfast, we return by private vehicle to Kathmandu. Along the way we visit 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. We also visit the huge buddhist stupa of Boudhanath before arriving back at our hotel. The afternoon is free for you to explore Kathmandu further, and perhaps do some final souvenir shopping.
In the evening you will enjoy a special traditional Nepalese dinner at the stylish Bhojan Griha restaurant.
OVERNIGHT: Kathmandu hotel
MEALS: Breakfast
EXTRAS: None
Your tour ends after breakfast and, if required, we transfer you to the airport for your flight home.
OVERNIGHT: N/A
MEALS: Breakfast
EXTRAS: None