Day 02 : Kathmandu

You are not yet done with the Kathmandu tour. So, make sure to have a good breakfast as you will be going for sightseeing. Your first visit will be to Swayambhunath, perhaps the most glorious stupa in the world and one of the holiest Buddhist sites in Nepal. The establishment is linked to the creation of Kathmandu valley out of a primordial lake. The whole area around the stupa is an array of small chaityas and monasteries. Once you are done with the stupa, your next plan is for better sightseeing of Kathmandu city, known as Kantipur, the capital of the King of Nepal. You will visit the temples of the living Goddess who acknowledge the greetings of devotees from the balcony of her temple residence. 

Day 03 : Kathmandu – Pokhara

Today, you will drive to Pokhara, a very scenic drive lasting for above six hours through the beautiful riverbanks and gorges. Pokhara is an enchanting city nestled in a tranquil valley on Phewa lake and it is the starting point for many of Nepal’s most popular trekking and rafting trips. Here the serenity of Phewa lake and the magnificent Mt. Fishtail rising behind it, creates an ambience of peace and magic. The valley surrounding Pokhara is home to thick forests, gushing rivers and emerald lakes and world famous view of the Himalayas. The major attractions of Pokhara are; Pehwa Lake, Barahi Temple, Devid’s fall, Bindabasini Temple and Seti Gorge. Even if you are not a nature lover, you will surely love the place here. With the content in mind, you will spend the night here at one of the Pokhara hotels.

Day 05 : Chitwan National Park- Go deeper into the nature

Today is the fifth day in Nepal and the day is all booked for jungle activities; including jungle walk, elephant ride and visit to villages. Chitwan National Park is the most famous park in Nepal as it offers 450 species of birds including four species of deer, leopard, sloth bear, wild boar and many other faunal species. The park is well known for one horned Rhinoceros and it also offers shelter to Royal Bengal Tigers. If you really dreamed of exploring the wild, this is the perfect opportunity. The overnight will be here at Chitwan.

Day 07 : Kathmandu- The heart of Nepal

We are back again in Kathmandu. Today, you will be visiting a few of the famous and important religious structures located around the city. The first site visit will be to Boudhanath stupa. This stupa stands with four pairs of eyes in the four cardinal directions watching over righteous behavior and human prosperity. It was built by King Man Deva on advice of Goddess Mani Yogini. Situated on the octagonal base inset with prayer wheels. This shrine is ringed by houses of Lamas or Buddhist priests.

Then we will visit Pashupatinath Temple, considered as one of the holiest Hindu temples dedicated to Lord Shiva. Situated amidst lush green natural settings on the bank of the sacred Bagmati river, the temple built in Pagoda style has gilted roof and richly carved silver door.

The visit for the day will be at Bhaktapur City. The place is also known as Bhadgaon, this place is the home of medieval art and architecture. Bhaktapur was founded in the 9th century and is shaped like a conch shell. If you visit Durbar square, you will see a range of temples overlooking the palace of 55 windows and Nyatapola temple built by King Bhupindra Malla. This ends your week-long tour within Nepal. Tomorrow, you will be moving to another destination- Himalayan Bhutan Tour. Till then, enjoy the night in Kathmandu while you are still in Nepal.

Day 09 : Paro- Exploring Bhutan

A flight to Bhutan is one of the most spectacular of all mountain flights in the Himalayas. One can see Mt. Everest, Kanchenjunga, Makalu and other highly elevated peaks in Bhutan such as mt. Jomolhari and mt. Jichu Drake. Unlike other countries in Asia, Bhutan has moderate climate. You are expected to be welcomed with cool, clean and fresh air as you step out of the plane at Paro International Airport. On arrival, you will be warmly received by the guides after you are done with the immigration and customs formalities. You will be escorted to your hotel. By evening, you can take a stroll around Paro town and get yourself familiar with the Bhutanese way of living. It would be better to take a good rest as the next day’s journey will be full of adventure and excitement.

Today, you need to wake up a bit early because you will be going on a hike to Paro Taktshang, famously known as the Tiger’s Nest. The name was derived based on the mythical story of Guru Rinpoche who came to the site riding on a tigress. The visit to Taktshang will be the highlight of the day. The ascending journey is a bit exhausting, but once you reach the top, you will surely love the view and mountain experience.

After having scrumptious lunch, you descend down and visit Ta Dzong (watch tower above Paro Dzong that now stands as a National museum). The museum has a collection of ancient Bhutanese art and artifacts, war weapons and the country’s exquisite postage stamps. After that, walk down the trail to visit Rinpung Dzong aka Paro Dzong. The Dzong is situated at commanding height, overlooking Paro valley. Towards evening, you will visit a traditional farmhouse. This will provide you an authentic Bhutanese lifestyle experience. Grab this chance to mingle with the locals. This brings an end to your first Bhutan Himalayan tour.

Day 13 : Thimphu – Phuentsholing (179 km, 6 hours)

Today, after breakfast you will drive to Phuentsholing. Make a quick enroute visit to Simtokha Dzong, the oldest fortress of the Kingdom built in 1629, which now houses the School for Buddhist studies. The drive towards Phuntsholing is very pleasant with numerous scenic spots enroute. Don’t forget to charge your camera batteries.

Just before arriving at Phuentsholing, visit Kharbandi Goemba, the monastery built in 1967. It houses the large and fascinating statues of Sakyamuni(Buddha) Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal and Guru Rinpoche. Phuntsholing is one of the warmest places in Bhutan and you will experience that the atmosphere gets warmer as you approach the town.