Nepal Discovery

Tour description

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.