Nepal Highlights Tour covers Kathmandu valley, Chitwan National Park, Pokhara, and famous hill station Nagarkot. In reality this is almost everything in Nepal for a short holiday to understand the whole of Nepal. The tour is a good combination of culture, nature, adventure and leisure.
Kathmandu Valley – once used to be the center of business and trade between India and China – is in the crossroads of ancient civilization. There are hundreds of shrines and monuments in this tiny valley ( 636 Sq km ). Majority of them are from Hindu and Buddhist belief. Moreover, 7 of these monuments are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Various dynasties ruled the valley throughout the history. The Licchavi, Malla Dynasty and Shah Dynasty are some notables. The art, architecture, and cultural heritages living in the city now are from these dynasties. The King Prithvi Narayan Shah of Gorkha Kingdom conquered Kathmandu valley in 1768 and ruled from Kathmandu. During the Nepal Highlights Tour, you witness the beautiful palaces, temples, shrines and other cultural heritages built in these era.
Chitwan National Park (CNP) is the first National Park of Nepal established in 1973. Later in 1984 the park acquired the status of World Heritage site by the UNESCO. It is about 172 kms from Kathmandu. The National park covers an area of 932 sq km and is a part of Tiger Conservation Unit ( TCU ) of Chitwan – Parsa – Valmiki. Furthermore, the park is accessible with easy connections to Kathmandu ( by air and road ), Pokhara, Lumbini and other parts of the country.
Chitwan National Park is popular for its rich flora and fauna. It is home to more than 700 species of wildlife including at least 43 mammals. Bird watching is also a great activity in the park.
Pokhara, located some 200 km west of Kathmandu is the most beautiful city of Nepal. The town hosts the most stunning view of the Himalayan peaks. It include Dhaulagiri range, Annapurna range, Machhapuchhre or fishtail, and Manaslu range. Likewise, Pokhara is also known for the Fewa and Begnas lake. The most popular activity in Pokhara is to drive/hike to Sarangkot for the sunrise view of the Himalayan peaks, boating in these lake. Similarly visiting Tibetan refugee center ( since 1959 some 25000 Tibetan people are residing in Nepal as refugee ), and International mountain museum are other attractions. Despite these attractions, Pokhara is the gateway to Annapurna region trek as well. Annapurna Base camp trek, Mardi Himal trek, Ghorepani trek, Ghandruk trek with various peak climbing programs start from Pokhara.
Day 01 & 02: Arrive Kathmandu ( 1, 350 m. / 4429 ft ) – Transfer to your Hotel
Depart your sweet home for lifetime adventure in the Himalayas and Nepal.
Arrive to Kathmandu international airport – the only international airport in Nepal. You may proceed for visa if you have not obtained in your home country.
Requirements for Visa: Two passport sized photographs and USD 40 for one month visa.
Upon completion of immigration formality, you will proceed to claim your baggage and then to arrival terminal. There is only one arrival terminal at the airport.
Once you reach the meeting and reception area, meet with our representative and then drive to your hotel.
It is about 20 -30 minutes drive to your Hotel. You will be amazed with hustle and bustle of the city management at first !
Based on your arrival time either participate in short tour of the Kathmandu City and Basantapur Durbar Square ( 18th century palace complex square) or stroll around the Hotel, do final shopping and relax before your great trek begins . Overnight stay in the Hotel in Kathmandu.
Day 03: Kathmandu to Chitwan National Park ( Drive or Fly to Bharatpur )
6.30 am : Breakfast in the hotel and then drive to Chitwan National park.
It is about 5 hours drive in a beautiful winding highway along the Trishuli river which is very popular for the rafting.
For the platinum service plan, we fly from Kathmandu to Bharatpur and then drive to our Hotel. We can fly in the afternoon, at about 11 – 12 hrs.
At 2.00 – 3.00 pm Arrive the lodge, upon arrival check in to your Lodge / Resort. You may participate in briefing about the itinerary and programs available in the National Park for the next day or at leisure.
Enjoy delicious dinner mostly buffet style and O/N stay in the Lodge / Resort.
Day 04: Enjoy full day in Chitwan National Park doing various itinerary
Your day start in the park with early wake up call.
You then join various programs such as Elephant Back Safari in the jungle for about 2 hours to see various games including One horn Rhinos, Sloth Bear, Wild Boar, Monkeys, Leopard, Royal Bengal Tiger ( if you are lucky enough).
You enjoy the Canoe ride along the Rapti river to see two rare species of crocodile ( Marsh Mugger and fish eating Gharial) . Bird Watching is good option during this trip.
You visit the Tharu village and walk around Elephant breeding centre to play with young elephants.
Breakfast in the morning, Tea / Coffee, Lunch and Dinner are provided in a schedule managed by the Hotel. Overnight stay in the resort / lodge.
Day 05: Drive Chitwan to Pokhara
6-9 am : Some left itinerary in the park. The activity can be any out of Canoe ride, Bird watching or tharu village exploration that was not covered the previous day.
Breakfast in the Lodge, and the drive to Pokhara.
The drive is about 4 hours and the distance of drive is comparatively shorter and the road is more comfortable. Arrive Pokhara and transfer to your hotel in the later afternoon.
Pokhara, situated 200 Km west of Kathmandu is one of the most popular tourist destination in Nepal. Three mountain peaks ( over 8,000 m) Mt. Dhaulagiri ( 8,168 m. / 26.794 ft.) , Mt. Manasalu ( 8,156 m. / 26,758 ft.) and Mt. Annapurna I ( 8,091 m. / 26,545 ft.) out of the ten highest mountain peaks of the world are situated in this region ( 30 miles linear distance from Pokhara). Pokhara offers a beautiful view of the Himalayan peaks as the elevation rises sharply from 1,000 m to 7,500 m. within 30 Km distance. The city is equipped with many attractions such as Fewa Lake, Begnas Lake, Rupa Lake, Mahendra Cave, Chamere Cave, Devi’s Fall, Gupteshwor Mahadev Cave, International Mountain Museum, Sarangkot and World Peace Stupa etc.
Overnight stay in the Hotel in Lakeside.
Day 06: Sarangkot Tour for Sunrise – Tour of Pokhara City
Early morning in a predawn we drive about 20 minutes to the base of Sarangkot and walk another 20 to 30 minutes uphill to this amazing hill station of Sarangkot. During your walking uphill when it is visible you can enjoy beautiful view of Fewa Lake and world peace stupa. Upon arrival in the top of Sarangkot top witness and enjoy sunrise view over the Himalayas. The major peaks you will see from here are Machhapuchhre ( 6,993 m./ 22,943 ft ), Annapurna I ( 8,091 m./ 26,545 ft.), Annapurna South ( 7,219 m./ 23, 684 ), Hiunchuli ( 6434 m./ 21,108 ft.), Dhaulagiri – The world’s 7th highest mountain ( 8,168 m / 26,798 ft), Tukuche Peak ( 6,012 m / 19,724 ft) with other smaller peaks.
Return back to Hotel, have breakfast and tour around the city in Pokhara.
In the afternoon visit various places of Pokhara including Caves, Various temples, Museums and others.
The tour in Pokhara includes Devi’s fall, Gupteshwar cave, International Mountain Museum, Tibetan refugee camp etc.
The highlight of the tour will be International Mountain museum which collects vast information on the Himalayan life, culture, early climbing history and more about all mountains.
Overnight stay in the hotel in Pokhara
Day 07: Pokhara – Kathmandu ( Drive or Fly ) – Nagarkot
6.30 am: Drive to Kathmandu in the morning. It is about 6-7 hours drive by a tourist luxury coach or car / van.
For Platinum Service plan you will fly from Pokhara to Kathmandu which is scenic half an hour flight. ( the service of flight is included for Platinum Service Package, Gold option pay extra to fly back ).
Arrive Kathmandu in the afternoon and drive to Nagarkot or Dhulikhel.
Nagarkot situated at an elevation of 2,170 m / 7,119 ft is the most scenic place around Kathmandu for the sunrise and Himalayan peaks. Langtang range and other eastern Himalayan peaks are so impressive from Nagarkot. It offers beautiful view of Kathmandu valley as well.
Day 08:Drive back to Kathmandu – Tour of Kathmandu City and Shopping
Enjoy the breakfast of Sunrise and Himalayan Peaks with Egg !
After breakfast we drive back to Kathmandu and enjoy the tour of the Kathmandu city that includes Pashupatinath Temple, Boudhanath Stupa and Kathmandu Durbar Square.
Pashupatinath Temple is our next destination, which is the most prominent Hindu temple dedicated to lord Shiva ( God of destruction according to Hindu philosophy) . It is taken as one of the holy abode of Shiva among 275 on the continent. The present temple was erected in 17th century, though the history of site goes back to many centuries. Cremation in the bank of river Bagmati amazes you along with various shrines, temples, stories related to Hinduism.
We then visit Boudhanath Stupa, the most famous and the holiest stupa in Nepal and biggest in terms of its expansion and height. Present sky high stupa was erected and renovated in 18th century. It is located in ancient trade route between Nepal and Tibet. With influx of Tibetan refugees in 1959, the area is home to many Gompas ( monasteries ) which follows tibetan Buddhism.
At last, we visit Kathmandu Durbar Square is our first destination which used to be a royal palace complex square of Nepal’s Malla and Shah King’s. They rule in Kathmandu from the palace from 14th Century till 18th Century. The palace complex is completely decorated with artistic temples, shrines , statues etc. Whole palace square reflects the opulence of Malla era and little from Shah dynasty. Most popular in the square is 9 storey royal palace complex built by King Prithvi Narayan Shah in mid 18th century. King Prithvi Narayan Shah was the king of Gorkha and triumphed over Kathmandu kingdom after many attempts in 1768 A.D. Living Goddess “ KUMARI “ and beautifully crafted and decorated palace where she lives during her tenure is another attraction. Kumari is young girl ( prepubescent ) worshipped in Kathmandu valley as manifestation of goddess Durga ( a divine female energy) . You can have a glance of Goddess Kumari while she appears in the window of her palace upon request. Huge black Bhairab statue of 6th century, mask of white Bhairava, Shiva temple, Vishnu temple, Taleju temple, various courtyards are others to see and explore in the square.
During the day tour, you can enjoy shopping of Nepalese handicrafts together with sightseeing . You find Silk Carpets, Tibetan rugs/ Carpets, Pashmina Shawls, Thanka Paintings, Statues, Handicrafts, Jewellery, Gurkha Knife, Garments and other various items either in a narrow street of Thamel or other shopping areas.
Overnight stay in the Hotel in Kathmandu. In the evening, enjoy farewell Nepali dinner with cultural dance.
Day 09 & 10: Departure to your Home country – Arrive Sweet Home
Sadly, your holiday in Nepal come to an end. We transfer you to the International Airport or other point of departure for onward journey back to your home. You will have now fond memories of the Himalayas, happy and smiling people from Nepal and lifetime holiday experience with you to bring back your home back to share with your families and friends.
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I travelled with 9 other people from Bali to Nepal to do special prayers at selected holy places in Nepal. We wanted to get more deeply connected with Shiva/Shakti energy. We believe that with Shiva’s blessings our lives are more in harmony with our karma and Moksha is the reachable promise. We loved to be in Nepal and experience the power and beauty of Himalayas. The person who made our stay there very smooth and unforgettable is Dipak Bastakoti. We are forever grateful to him and hope to come back to Nepal very soon.
Putu Ana Anandi, Bali Indonesia| Email: putumacy@gmail.comThis was my first visit to Nepal and it was the most enjoyable and fun of my life.
Nepal is gorgeous with its natural scenery and environment. Despite the proximity to India, the culture in Nepal is different from that of India, which was an eye opener for me. Our itinerary was quite packed with travels to Kathmandu, Nagarkot, Pokhara and Chitwan.
In each of these places, we covered some of the key sights, as arranged by our tour agency Trek2himalayas.com. Our travel coordinator for this trip, Mr. Dipak was nice and friendly and helped to ensure that our visit was comfortable. I would recommend contacting Mr. Dipak for custom-made and personalized bookings to Nepal, ensuring that your stay becomes a memorable visit.
Sathya Krishnan, Singapore| Visited Year: Februaty 2012It’s always been my dream to visit Nepal and experience its scenic beauty and rich culture. Finally, my dream came true, when my friend and I embarked on an exciting 6-days trip to discover Nepal. I was blown away by the picturesque beauty of the snow-capped mountains in Nepal. The culture was also very unique and I discovered many interesting facts about the country.
Our travel coordinator, Mr Dipak from Trek2himalayas.com / DJ’s Tourism Services was very friendly and caring as he took us through the trip to ensure that we were comfortable while enlightening us about Nepal. He was also very flexible in allowing us to customize our trip to include all the the must-see attractions within our schedule. As such, our itinerary was rather packed with visits to Kathmandu, Nagarkot, Sarangot, Pokhara and Chitwan. It was indeed an unforgettable experience for me.
I would highly recommend engaging the services of Mr Dipak to plan your holiday to Nepal. I can’t wait to revisit Nepal, probably to hike to the Base Camp the next time round. From our amazing trip in Nepal, we have concluded that Nepal is truly paradise on earth and we two friends had most memorable trip of life.