Lumbini, Pokhara, and Chitwan

Itinerary

1. 1
   Day 1

   Arrival in Kathmandu

   Arrival at Kathmandu international airport, where you are received and transferred to the hotel. Check in with a warm welcome drink, followed by a briefing of the entire package by the tour officer. Overnight at the hotel.

2. 2
   Day 2

   Kathmandu Durbar Square and Swayambhunath

   Breakfast at 0700 and a walking tour from 0900 to Kathmandu Durbar Square, taking in the Vishnu Temple, Akash Bhairav, Kal Bhairav, Swet Bhairav, the Virgin Goddess Kumari, Ganesh Mandir, Nasal Chowk, Hanuman Dhoka, and Gaddhi Baithak.

   After lunch, at 1300, visit Swayambhunath Stupa. The stupa is said to have risen spontaneously from a lotus seed planted on the lake by Vipaswi Buddha of a past eon as Dharmadhatu, the flame of wisdom. Back to the hotel.

3. 3
   Day 3

   Fly to Bhairawa, transfer to Lumbini

   Flight to Bhairawa and drive on to the Lumbini Garden, the birthplace of Siddhartha Gautam, Lord Buddha. As the Buddha himself noted, it is one of the four places that a practitioner of the Dharma should visit in order to pay homage to him. Check in at the hotel.

   After lunch, visit the significant monuments in the Sacred Garden: the Mayadevi Temple, the Ashoka Pillar, and the wider field of stupas and monasteries built by Buddhist nations from across the world. In the evening, an offering of lights to Lord Shakyamuni Buddha. Overnight at the hotel.

4. 4
   Day 4

   Lumbini: morning meditation and the monastic zone

   Morning meditation in the garden. There is the option to observe meditation courses offered by the international monasteries, or to attend a session at the Dhamma Janani Vipassana centre in the east Monastic Zone in Lumbini. This must be booked in advance and carries an additional cost.

   Return to the hotel after the meditation.

5. 5
   Day 5

   Fly to Pokhara

   After breakfast, drive to Bhairawa airport for the flight to Pokhara, then transfer to the hotel. A half-day visit follows to the Peace Pagoda and the Pundikot Shiva temple. Walk along Phewa Lake in the evening. Overnight at the hotel.

6. 6
   Day 6

   Sarankot sunrise and Phewa Lake

   An early start for the sunrise tour from Sarankot, where the full snow range comes into view: Fishtail, Annapurna 1, 2, and 3, Dhaulagiri, Manaslu, Himchuli, and Mardi Himal. Return to the hotel for breakfast.

   A one-hour boat ride follows on Phewa Lake. The rest of the day is free for individual activities. Overnight at the hotel.

7. 7
   Day 7

   Fly to Bharatpur, transfer to Chitwan

   After breakfast, transfer to the airport for the flight to Bharatpur and onward into Chitwan National Park. You are received by the lodge representative and check in with a warm welcome drink.

   A briefing by the naturalist sets out the full jungle programme: jungle safari by jeep or elephant, the elephant breeding centre, the crocodile farm, a canoe ride on the Rapti river, bird watching, and the native Tharu culture with its stick dance.

8. 8
   Day 8

   Chitwan National Park

   A full day of jungle activities within the park and its surroundings. The one-horned rhino and Royal Bengal tiger are the most sought-after sightings; the bird life in the park is exceptional throughout the year.

9. 9
   Day 9

   Fly back to Kathmandu

   After breakfast, transfer to Bharatpur airport and fly back to Kathmandu. Airport pickup and transfer to the hotel. The rest of the day is free for individual activities and shopping. Overnight at the hotel.

10. 10
    Day 10

    Pashupatinath and Boudhanath

    At 0830, visit Pashupatinath, the small Benares of Nepal with its ghats and its many Hindu ascetics, the sadhus. The pagoda-shaped roof is made of gold and silver. On the banks of the Bagmati, the body is dipped three times into the river before cremation, so that the cycle of reincarnation may be brought to an end. Climb the hill to the temple of Gorakhnath, then descend to the Guheswari Temple.

    Drive on to Boudhanath, sometimes called Mini Tibet, where the first stupa was built after AD 600 when the Tibetan king Songtsen Gampo converted to Buddhism. Back to the hotel.

11. 11
    Day 11

    Departure

    After breakfast, free time until the transfer to the airport for onward travel.

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