Tour 7 : Kathmandu- Pokhara - Lumbini- Chitwan Trip features Trip duration: 10 Days 9 Nights

Nepal possesses diverse landscape and the people having different cultural background dwells there. This is the reason why there is significance in visiting different places .The Kathmandu valley consists of three main cities of great historic and cultural interest Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Lalitpur(Patan). As much as seven world heritage sites are situated in this valley. A second face of Nepal is Pokhara Valley ,one of the most picturesque spots of Nepal, which is situated 200 kilometres west of Kathmandu Valley. Pokhara is connected by air as well as or by road from Kathmandu. Pokhara offers magnificent views of mountains combined with distinct culture. Lumbini, located . Lumbini is a small town and a famous Buddhists Pilgrimage. Siddhartha Gautama, the Lord Buddha, born in 623 B.C. and could both walk and talk at that time, was born in the fascinating city of Lumbini, now a famous Pilgrimage centre. It is believed that Buddha himself has identified four places of future pilgrimage in the Parinibbana Sutta, namely, the sites of his birth, enlightenment, first discourse and death. All of these events occurred in open under the trees. Nowadays Lumbini is placed on the UNESCO world heritage list. Another place of visit which is also listed on the UNESCO world heritage list is Chitwan. Chitwan is situated 120 kilometre south-west of Kathmandu which is famous for both nature and culture totally different impression from Kathmandu Valley. Chitwan National Park is the main attraction of this place having a wide range of wildlife-the rare great one horned rhinoceros, several species of deer, sloth bear, leopard, wild boar, fresh water dolphin, crocodile, more than 350 species of birds and the tiger. When joining this tour you will visit these places along with the local villages.

Itinerary

Day1: Arrival in Kathmandu. Overnight in Kathmandu.

Day2: Sightseeing in Kathmandu: Swayambhunath Stupa, Kathmandu Durbar Square, Pashupatinath Temple, Boudhhanath Stupa. Overnight in Kathmandu.

Day3: Drive / Fly to Pokhara. Nepalese Dinner. Overnight in Pokhara.

Day4: Pokhara: Mountainrange ride, Lake Fewa, Waterfall. Overnight in Pokhara.

Day5: Drive to Tansen Palpa. Sightseeing in Palpa. Overnight in Palpa.

Day6: Sightseeing and Drive to Bhairawa. Overnight in Bhairawa.

Day7: Drive to Lumbini; Birthplace of Lord Gautama Buddha. Visit to Mayadevi Temple dedicated to Lord Gautama's Mother and other Holy places of Buddhism. Short briefing on Buddhism. Overnight in Lumbini

Day8: Drive to Chitwan. Elephant Safari. overnight in Chitwan.

Day9: Jungle Activities in Chitwan. Overnight in Chitwan.

Day10: Drive to Kathmandu. Afternoon Free Programme Day. Dinner with Tribal Dance.

Costs: Starting from €359,-

Highlights: • Bouddha Stupa • Swayambhu Stupa • Kathmandu Durbar Square • Pashupati Temple • Scenic Pokhara • Annapurna Range • Tansen Palpa & Bhairawa • Lumbini • Chitwan National Park • Elephant Back Safari • Canoe Trip

Detailed Itinerary: Day One - Arrival

On the first day you will be picked up by our driver and your personal guide at your hotel. He will explain about the things in Nepal and about our eight days trip in Kathmandu, Chitwan and Pokhara. So that you will have an overview of the whole tour package. Might you arrive early in the morning, than it is possible to organise a programme during you first day. This is optional however.

Day Two - Kathmandu After breakfast our morning excursion begins in Kathmandu valley. You will be taken to Swayambhunath first. This monastery/temple has an incomparable atmosphere. It is situated amid a beautiful natural scenario on the top of the hill surrounded by several other hills. The whole Kathmandu can be viewed quite clearly from the top of the hill.

After that you will be taken to Kathmandu Durbar Square, Pashupatinath Temple, and Boudhhanath Stupa. The reason behind choosing these places is that the visitors will have a good impression about the Nepalese arts, culture and their daily life.

In Pashupatinath temple the visitors will observe different ceremonies and the ways of worshipping. The most interesting scene here is the cremation place on the edge of the river and next to the temple. The visitors can see how the funeral takes place according to Hindu Culture.

Kathmandu Durbar square provides the visitor with great Newari architecture. The durbar square is a place of living history in the heart of modernising Kathmandu.

The last place we will visit is Bauddhanath Stupa, here the visitor gets to see the Tibetan Community and a traditional Buddhist temple Complex. In the evening we will head back to Thamel, where you will overnight at a 3 star hotel.

Day Three – Transfer to Pokhara

After breakfast, there will be some free time to look around in Thamel, the heart of tourism in Kathmandu. Later in the morning we will commence our trip to Pokhara. You will have a scenic mountainside drive of approximately 5 till 6 hours. On the way there will be plenty of time to stop in local villages and to take a look around. It is always possible to request a stop as a sight which may seem interesting to you. In the evening we have arranged a traditional Nepalese dinner with a cocktail night after. This night we will stay in Pokhara.

Day Four - Pokhara After an early breakfast our journey continues with a valley sightseeing tour by private vehicle to the Annapurna range, the most spectacular sight in Pokhara. Especially in the early morning the views are breathtaking. You can see the exotic natural scenarios of eight majestic mountains right in front of your nose. Everyone in Pokhara wakes up early to greet the mountains during sunrise. The reflection of sunlight from a mountain is always a breathtaking site. You will never forget the sight of the fishtail mountain standing right before your eyes saying "Good Morning".

Following our morning ride we will head to Devi's waterfall, located two kilometres from central Pokhara City. The water fall directly goes into a deep and narrow canal with no ends. It is believed that this deadly waterfall took the life of a tourist named David, who fell down into the cannel and was never found, and hence the name David waterfall, named in his memory by the people of Pokhara.

After that we will head to the Fewa Lake which is 1.5 kilometre long, the second largest lake in Nepal, offers an excellent view of the mountains and their reflections on the lake. You will also enjoy boating on the lake. At last we will head to The Seti Gandaki, a river which flows right through the city; it runs completely underground at many places.

For our dear guests that are not claustrophobic it is possible to pay a visit to bat's cave. This very narrow cave is worth visiting for its bats and its narrow exit. This day we will overnight in Pokhara.

Day Five – Tansen Palpa

We will be driven to Tansen which is located at an elevation of 1310 meters It is a pleasant place to visit during any season of the year. On this day we will visit the hill of Srinagar, half an hour's walk up Tansen Bazaar at an elevation of 1524 m. This is a rare vantage point to view the contrasting manifestation of nature. An incredibly long panorama of the mountains encompassing Kanjiroba, Dhaulagiri, Annapurna and Langtang Himal are visible from here on one hand, while on the other the plains of Mardi valley and the bigger Terai can also be seen from the same point. This night we will overnight in Palpa.

Day Six - Bhairawa

On this day ,after breakfast you will visit some of the most beautiful places on and around the Kali Gandaki River such as Ranighat Palace and Ramdi Ghat the dense and serene woody slopes of Rambhapani and Satyawati Lake. We will also visit a surrounding village which has a unique culture and distinct language known as Magar tribes. After this you will be driven to Bhairahawa, where we will overnight.

Day Seven - Lumbini

On this day you will visit Lumbini which is the birthplace of Lord Buddha. It is situated 230 km away from Kathmandu in Rubandehi District of Southern Terai (lowland), at an altitude of 600 ft. above sea level. Lumbini, respected by all Buddhists. In 1998, Lumbini was declared as the Fountain of world peace and the pilgrimage for all the peace loving people of the world. Some important places that we will visit during this trip are:

The Lumbini Garden : This is the site marked by a certain stone pillar erected by the Indian Emperor Ashoka at about 245 B.C. The most important discovery in this place is a stone marked to suggest the exact birthplace of Buddha.

Mayadevi Temple : This temple, dedicated to the mother of lord Buddha- Mayadevi, was excavated a few years ago. Many sculptures and carving in which the figures and designs are only slightly projecting from their background are seen here.

Pushkarni pond : This is the pond where Mayadevi is said to have had a bath before giving birth to Buddha.

Ramagram : It is believed to be the maternal home of Buddha. This is where you can see the biggest stupa, with important relics. It is

said that it was built around 600

Day Eight – Chitwan National Park

After breakfast in our hotel in Lumbini we will depart and start our trip to Chitwan. This will take us approximately 3 hours. Upon arrival in Chitwan there will be a short briefing on the programme and facilities. After check in and lunch in the hotel we will start our programme in Chitwan with an Elephant-back safari into the Chitwan National Park: Guests will ride on an elephant to explore the jungle and wildlife. With some luck you will be able to see the one-horned rhinoceros, several types of deer, monkeys, wild boar, bison, sloth bear, leopard and, if you are very lucky you might even spot the Royal Bengal Tiger. This exciting ride lasts for 2-3 hours. After this impressive safari we will head back to our hotel in Chitwan where another tasty Nepalese dinner is served.

Day Nine – Chitwan National Park

After breakfast we will proceed for a Dugout canoe trip inside the National Park. Floating down the Rapti River by dugout canoe is the best way to discover the habitat of crocodiles on the riverbanks. It is also a relaxing and better way to watch the different kind of birds and wildlife species when they come to the bank of the river to drink water. After our canoe trip we will visit the Elephant breeding centre which is inside the jungle 10 minutes walking from the canoeing place.

After all these natural activities it is time to reward also the culturally interested and thus we will visit some Tharu villages which are situated next to the Park in the beautiful natural surroundings. Tharu people are the indigenous people of the Terai (lowlands). Tharu people have large extended joint families who live under one roof with about 25 to 120 people. They have a unique culture, tradition and language. They use mostly the local agro-based or forest based materials for

At the end of this active day it is time to relax out body and mind. What better way to do that than to have a sunset view on the riverbank .You can lay on the comfortable wooden chairs with a drink and wait for the sunset view. The place is open till 9 o'clock in the evening. Of course during this entire day your guide will accompany you to explain things in details and answer any questions you may have. Today we will overnight in Chitwan.

Day Ten – Transfer to Kathmandu

After breakfast we will drive back to Kathmandu. The way to Kathmandu from Kathmandu has exotic scenes with the series of hills on the way. Although it's only 120 kilometres in distance, the ride will still take around 6 hours. On the way you will have breathtaking views of the Trishuli River. The river flows in between the hills and we'll on a wide road at the edge of the river. During your ride the hills appear with their tinned roof houses glistering far away on the top which will lure the visitors. The bus will stop in Malekhu, the local market. After a 6 hours drive, crossing all hills and curving ways, the ride will end in the valley and completely differ from Chitwan.

After arriving in Kathmandu you will have free time for shopping or do as you wish. In the evening we have organised a farwell dinner for you. Overnight in a hotel in Kathmandu.

Map of the tour: