Nepal is the land of beautiful temples, majestic mountains, and pristine lakes. Nepal boasts eight of the world's tallest mountains and the world's oldest Hindu and Buddhist sites. While Kathmandu Valley is made of three ancient cities filled with enchanting medieval palaces, pagodas, temples, statues, and stupas, the rest of the kingdom offers unparalleled adventure options with an abundance of flora and fauna. Although modernization has set in, the quintessence of ancient Nepal remains amongst its people.

Welcome to Nepal! On arrival in Kathmandu, Nepal’s capital city, you are met at the airport and transferred to the hotel. 

After breakfast, we will start our sightseeing by visiting Kathmandu; the largest city of Nepal is the political as well as the cultural capital of the country. Like any big city, Kathmandu has rapidly expanded over the last decade but despite the hustle and bustle of the city, its people have remained as friendly as ever.

Durbar Square: ‘Durbar’ means ‘palace’, and takes its name from the old Royal Palace. This is the centre of the old city, and there are several interesting temples including Kasthamandap, and the House of Wood, which give the city its name. The Kathmandu Durbar Square is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Temple of the Living Goddess: Kathmandu is blessed by a living goddess. The Kumari Devi is the most important of several living goddesses in Nepal. She is seen on the temple’s balcony regularly. A mere sight of her is considered very auspicious by throngs of devotees who seek her blessings. 

After visiting Kathmandu City, we visit the vegetable & spice market in Ason and see its many courtyards and bustling bazaars.

We will take a walk through the street lined with cloth shops which will lead us to the stone-paved plaza of Makhan. We will get to see the Taleju temple towers over a row of handicraft shops. As we walk further, we’ll be able to spot the junction of Indrachowk with the temple of Akash Bhairav, occupying one side of that area. After passing several shops overflowing with brass utensils, arrive at the stone-paved market square of Ason, where the Annapurna temple presides over the motley of spice, grain, and oil shops. After a few minutes of walking distance, we will arrive in Kamalachhi where one can see bicycles and garment stores. Then you finally reach Rani Pokhari, the large pond at Jamal beside the clock tower (Ghanta Ghar).

From Jamal, we will transfer to Swyambhunath Stupa. 

Swayambhunath Stupa is a UNESCO WORLD Heritage Site. This ancient stupa is the most sacred Buddhist shrines in Nepal. Legend has it that when Kathmandu Valley was a lake 2000 years ago, a single lotus flower grew at the centre of the lake. When Saint Manjushree, the Bodhisattva drained the lake with a single slash of his sword, the lotus settled on top of a hill and magically turned into a stupa. Hence, Swayambhunath is also known as a Self-Created stupa. 

We continue our tour with the program cooking demonstration in Dhakwa house to experience the cooking method of traditional Nepalese food.

Later sightseeing tour of Patan city

Patan also known as Lalitpur, the city of artisans is a paradise of fine arts and one of the three cities in the Kathmandu Valley. Located 15 minutes southeast of Kathmandu City, Patan is best known for its rich cultural heritage. It is home to the valley’s finest craftsmen who have preserved such ancient techniques as the repousse and lost wax process used to produce exquisite sculptures. The city retains much of its old charm with its narrow streets, brick houses, and a multitude of well-preserved Hindu temples, Buddhist monasteries (vihara), and monuments. The predominant sound in Patan is that of the tinkering of craftsmen bent over the statuettes they are shaping. As in Kathmandu, Hinduism and Buddhism have co-existed here for ages, influencing each other, and the religious harmony is exemplary.

The city of Patan offers visitors the chance to see an abundance of exquisite works of religious art and architecture. Patan is enclosed within four stupas, built in the 3rd century AD by Emperor Ashoka. Each stupa is symbolic of the Buddhist Wheel of Righteousness (‘Dharma Chakra’). In the heart of Patan, amidst the Patan marketplace lays the Patan Durbar Square, an area filled with ancient palaces, pagoda temples, stone baths, Hindu and Buddhist statues, engravings, and bronze cravings. The Palace of the Malla Kings is one of the highlights of Patan. The palace complex lays the stone temple of Lord Krishna, which was built in the 16th century A.D. The Royal Bath (known as 'Tushahity') is another showpiece of fine stone and bronze carving in the palace complex.

Patan Durbar Square is one of seven monument zones in the Kathmandu Valley that together have been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Also located in the square is the Patan Museum, formerly a Malla palace, which houses bronze statues and religious objects, some dating back to the 11th century.

Transfer back to the hotel after sightseeing.

Overnight at Hotel [B/-/-]

Today, set out to explore other sites in Kathmandu Valley and around.

After having breakfast at the hotel, transfer to Boudhanath. This will take a short drive of around 5- 6 minutes (if traffic allows).

Boudhanath Stupa is one of the most imposing landmarks of Kathmandu and is a centre of Tibetan Buddhism. The stupa is built on a massive three-level mandala-style platform and is 36 meters (118 feet) in height. The base of the stupa is adorned with 108 small images of the Dhyani Amitabha Buddha and is inset with prayer wheels. Thousands of pilgrims circle the stupa in a clockwise direction each day spinning the prayer wheels. It is said that each spin of a prayer wheel is the equivalent of reciting the mantra. The stupa’s massive mandala makes it one of the largest spherical stupas in Nepal. The ancient stupa is one of the largest in the world. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Stupa is on the ancient trade route from Tibet that enters the Kathmandu Valley by the village of Sankhu in the northeast corner. Tibetan merchants have rested and offered prayers here for many centuries. When refugees entered Nepal from Tibet in the 1950s, many decided to live around Boudhanath. The Stupa is said to entomb the remains of a Buddhist sage, perhaps parts of the Buddha’s body (bones, teeth), or sacred texts and other ceremonial objects.

After visiting the largest spherical stupa in Nepal, transfer to Pashupatinath Temple. It will take around a 4-5 min drive from Boudhanath.

The magnificent Pashupatinath temple with its astonishing architectural beauty is situated on the bank of the sacred Bagmati River. Dedicated to the Hindu God of Destruction, Lord Shiva, this temple is regarded as the most sacred of all Lord Shiva temples. Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the temple comprises a richly ornamented pagoda that houses the sacred linga, or phallic symbol of Lord Shiva.

Every year thousands of pilgrims from all over the world come to pay homage to this temple. Non-Hindu visitors are strictly prohibited from entering the temple however; they are permitted to view the temple from the east banks of the River Bagmati.

Pashupatinath is also Nepal's most renowned Hindu cremation site. In the Hindu Culture, after a person is dead, his/her body is wrapped in cloth, placed on bamboo litter, and brought to the cremation site where the eldest son in the family burns the body. The ashes from the dead body are collected and swept into the River Bagmati which eventually joins the Holy Ganges. Arya Ghat is of special importance because it is where the members of the royal family were cremated. The main cremation site is Bhasmeshvar Ghat, which is the most-used cremation site in the Kathmandu Valley. 

Bhaktapur: Perched on a hill at an altitude of 1,401 m, Bhaktapur or Bhadgaon, literally the ‘City of Devotees’ is a major tourist destination that takes visitors back in time. Bhaktapur lies 12 km east of Kathmandu city on the Arniko Highway that leads to the Chinese border. Bhaktapur is still untouched by rapid urbanization and has managed to retain its brick-paved roads, charming red brick houses, and a way of life that goes back to medieval times. This ancient city is also famous for pottery and woodcarving amply displayed on the squares and windows respectively. 

The extraordinary Bhaktapur Durbar Square is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and its monuments reflect the glory days of the Malla Dynasty.

Among the three durbar squares, the Bhaktapur Durbar Square is by far the most elegant with its large open space facing south. The extraordinary Durbar Square with its extraordinary monuments reflects the glory days of the Malla dynasty when art and architecture thrived in the three cities of the valley.

Walking around the pottery square and witnessing the craftsmanship of locals creating clay pots from clay soil represents a treasured legacy that still survives in the ancient city of Bhaktapur.

Later in the evening, we have the Farewell dinner followed by a cultural program in a Nepalese local restaurant. 

Overnight at Hotel [B/-/-] 

Transfer to the airport for your flight onwards. 

[B/-/-]