Nepal Sightseeing Tour

Detail Itinerary

Day 01Kathmandu/ Arrival in Kathmandu airport (1335 m)The tour guide or/and our airport representative holding AUTHENTIC ADVENTURES sign-board and group name-list will greet you at the Tribhuvan International Airport, Kathmandu and transfer you to the Hotel on our private vehicle which takes about 20 minutes from airport.

Day 02Kathmandu sightseeing: Kathmandu Durbar Square/Monkey Temple/Patan Durbar SquareToday, we will visit three spots in Kathmandu valley of historical, cultural and religious importance which are also the UNESCO Wolrd Heritage Sites. In the evening, after the sightseeing, we will explore the buzzing streets of Thamel before going for dinner at a lovely Restaurant - Kathmandu Durbar Square: Basantapur Palace (12th century/made of a single tree)/Kumari Ghar (The house of living goddess)/Taleju Temple/Palace Museum/Kal Bhairav/Swet Bhairav (Fierce forms of Lord Shiva) - Swoyambhunath (Monkey) Temple/ Buddhist Monasteries Swoyambhunath is an ancient religious complex atop a hill about 5 KM west of Thamel. It is famous as Monkey Temple as there are hundreds of holy monkeys living in the forest near-by and often coming around the temples to amuse the visitors. This place is believed to have self-existed and it’s hill top location provide great view down the city and also the Himalaya in a clear day. There are a few interesting monasteries which we can visit while circling the Stupa. -Patan Durbar Square/Krishna temple/Bhimsen temple/ Kumari Ghar (personal audience with Patan Kumari-The living goddess of Patan) Patan is famous for its temples, fine arts/metal works/stone and wood carvings. We can witness local artists working on their workshops. Patan used to be separate kingdom from Kathmandu and Bhaktapur and different kings ruled this ancient city.

Day 03Drive to Bandipur/(143 KM/4:30 hrs) / Exploration of Hill villageAfter an early breakfast, we take a nice and scenic drive to Bandipur, a hill top settlement of Newari Ethnic people. Upon arriving in Bandipur (1030m), we check in to a nice hotel and take our lunch. Then we take a short break and we stroll around the traditional Newari village and surrounding areas and enjoy the beauty of local lifestyles, tradition and cultural atmosphere. We also enjoy close range Himalayan views of Annapurna and Manaslu.

Day 04Drive to Pokhara/(80 KM/2:00 hrs) /Cycling/Boating/Davi’s Falls/Cave/Tibetan Refugee Camp/Peace PagodaShort drive to Pokhara and go cycling along the lake for about an hour and get back for exciting boating experience on Fewa Lake. We then stop for lunch then drive to Davi’s Falls, Gupteshwor Cave, Tibetan refugee settlement and to Peace Pagoda for sunset. Peace pagoda is located atop a hill above Fewa Lake and the views from there is really great – the lake, city and mountains.

Day 05Pokhara Sightseeing: Sarangkot/Bindhebasini/Old Pokhara/Museum+++ paragliding/ultra-light flight/zip fly etc. (Optional for interested people) Early morning drive to Sarangkot hill (9 KM/ 40 min) for sunrise then we get back to the hotel, take our breakfast and visit International Mountain Museum, Bindhebasini Temple and Old Pokhara. Later, we take an evening stroll along the lakeside and enjoy diner with beautiful lake view.

Day 06Drive to Lumbini (199 KM/ 6:00 hrs)/Peace Stupa/Mayadevi Temple/Marker stone/Asokan Pillar/MonasteriesWe take early breakfast and take on interesting drive to Lumbini – the birth place of Lord Buddha. Upon arriving Lumbini, we visit some of the interesting and historically important spots including the bath pond, where Mayadevi-the mother took bath before giving birth to prince Siddhartha (Lord Buddha), marker stone- exact spot where lord Buddha was born and Asokan Pillar, that Mouryan Emperor Ashoka erected in 3rd century BC to symbolize that the Buddha was born here.

Day 07Drive to Sauraha, Chitwan National Park (157 KM/4:00 hrs) -Tharu village excursion/Elephant breeding center/Tharu culture showWe take on a scenic drive with beautiful landscape/lowland Terai/big flat fields of rice,sugarcane,wheat etc. We totally enjoy the day with wildlife feeling and observing Tharu ethnic peoples lifestyle and culture. Later in the evening, we go to observe the cultural singing and dancing program of Tharu people.

Day 08Morning activities in Chitwan/nature walk/bird watching/Drive to Daman (129 KM/4:00 hrs/ 2320 m)We will have some more jungle/wildlife activities like bird watching or elephant back safari in the morning. We will depart Chitwan NP around the afternoon and head towards beautiful hill resort in Daman. Daman has probably the finest view of the Himalayas extending from Dhaulagiri in the west to Everest in the east. We stay at a nice resort near by the view tower and we take short strolls around if time permits.

Day 09Drive back to Kathmandu then to Nagarkot (2195 m)We drive back to Kathmandu and then drive to Nagarkot for overnight stay. Nagarkot is located atop a hilly region amidst dense greenery and beautiful views of terraced farmland and typical villages down the valley. If the weather favors, we will have an excellent wide range views over the snow capped Himalayas.

Day 10Sunrise/Hike to Changu Narayan (for interested parties)/Bhaktapur/drive back to Kathmandu/shopping excursion etc.We take a short drive to view tower for an amazing sunrise. After getting back to the resort, we need to take a short drive back to a junction named Telkot, we then prepare for the hike to historic temple of Changu Narayan (2:00 hrs). People not interested to hike can drive to Changu Narayan (45 min) and we can meet there. After exploring the oldest temple of Kathmandu valley (4th century- Lichhavi era) we then drive back to Kathmandu hotel through Bhaktapur and after some refreshments, we take on shopping excursion in many colorful shops in and around Thamel before going for a wonderful farewell dinner at one of the authentic Nepalese restaurants in Kathmandu with its famous cultural and musical show.

Day 11Budhanilkantha/Kopan Monsatery/Boudhnath/Pashupatinath/Airport/Farewell After breakfast, we pack our luggages then get on the bus for last days sightseeing in Kathmandu city. Today, we will visit Budhanilkantha Temple and Kopan Monastery. If time permits, we also visit UNESCO World Heritage sites; Boudhnath and Pashupatinath Temple.

- Budhanilkantha Temple
Budhanilkantha Temple located at the base of Shivapuri hill about 10 Km north from Kathmandu. Budhanilkantha (7th century)– statue of Lord Vishnu sleeping on snake bed on water.Then we drive to Kopan monastery – famous center for Tibetan Buddhism and meditation courses.
-Boudhnath Stupa/Monasteries/Thangka school
Boudhnath stupa is the biggest stupa of Nepal which is believed to be built in 6th century with a Kasyapa Buddha bone buried in it. Walking around the stupa clock-wise and turning the prayer wheels around it add merit to good Karma and bring good luck and prosperity.
- Pashupatinath Temple(biggest Hindu Temple)/Hindu funeral/Holy Sadhus
Pashupatinath Temple is the biggest and most important Hindu temple in Nepal and everyday thousands of pilgrims visit this holy site. Hindus believe that if they are cremated by the temple/river they will go to heaven.
At last, we drive to the airport for farewell and departure.