Nepal Reflection Tour | 9 Days in Nepal

The trip of a lifetime begins as your plane touches down at Tribhuvan International Airport. Once you have collected your bags and received your Nepali visa, you are now out in the alpine air. Meet your guide as he takes you to your hotel. If time permits, enjoy a journey to the little, but an amazing village of Kirtipur above the Bagmati River. This village features ancient architecture as well as a beautiful temple on top of the high hill where you can look and see the snowcapped peaks as well as the gorge of the Bagmati River as it leaves the Kathmandu Valley. Return to your hotel for orientation along with a cultural program in the evening with traditional Nepali foods and dance.

The Kathmandu Valley contains seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The morning begins with a tour of Kathmandu Durbar Square. It is home to the old Royal Palace along with the Kumari Palace, where the living goddess actually lives. She is often seen waving to devotees from her balcony. Due to the earthquake of 2015, the Kathmandu Durbar Square suffered a great loss where many temples were destroyed, but there are still some beautiful temples here that date back hundreds of years and feature a variety of architecture that connects to different royal dynasties.

The second stop is Swayambhunath stupa, one of the most popular as well as scared of the Buddhist religious sites. This is really a series of temples, stupas, and monasteries with a fabulous view of the Kathmandu Valley. It is also known as Monkey Temple because it is home to hundreds of rhesus monkeys that entertain visitors as well as try to steal your food. Swayambhunath dates back over the 2000 year.

The final site to visit today is Patan’s Durbar Square. Patan is known as the city of art because here the ancient Newari people produced some of their finest carvings in wood and stone. There is the old royal palace from the days when this was its own kingdom before the unification of Nepal in 1769. The temples here are very compact and unique. Visit the Patan Museum to see fine examples of the art produced centuries ago.  All three places visited today are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Return to your hotel for the evening.

Rise early and after breakfast take a wonderful journey south to Chitwan National Park where you will enter Nepal’s jungles. We cross the high hills that surround the Kathmandu Valley and then descend into the Trisuli River Valley. The river is world famous as a white-water rafting river as it snakes its way southward from Tibet, rushing to India to join with the sacred Ganges River. We arrive at Chitwan National Park where we check into our hotel. Tour the elephant breeding grounds before dinner, then enjoy a cultural program where you will see traditional dancing by the Tharu people who have called the Terai home for centuries.

Rise refreshed as you listen to the sounds of the jungle. After breakfast, its time for an elephant safari as you board our elephant for a journey deep into the jungles to look for the elusive Royal Bengal Tiger along with the rare Indian One-Horned Rhino. Tigers are often hard to find, but rhinos are more common in Chitwan as you see plenty of deer and other wildlife.

Following lunch, it’s time for a canoe trip down the Rapti River. Look for crocodiles sunning themselves. There are two varieties along the river, including the endangered Gharial with its long snout studded with teeth. The Gharial is a fish eater with large eyes. Chitwan is home to hundreds of species of birds as well as many types of mammals that come down to the water to drink.

Relax in the evening at your resort before enjoying another wonderful night of sleep.

Everyone’s favorite place in Nepal in Pokhara, the fabulous lakeside city in the heart of the Annapurna Mountain Range.  Home to Annapurna I, the 10^th highest peak in the world, Pokhara is a true delight. The journey today is to the north along the Trisuli River until coming to Mugling where the road forks. We will go left, following the Marsyangdi River west through valleys as the Annapurna’s come into view.

Arrive in time for a boat ride on Phewa Lake where we can visit the sacred Hindu Temple on the only island in the lake. There will be time to explore Lakeside, a popular location with its unique shops. We will spend two nights in Pokhara.

Morning comes early as we make our way to the top of Sarangkot Hill to witness the famous Himalayan sunrise over the Annapurna’s. This spot is world-renown for its amazing sunrise as you stand in the early morning watching as the first rays of the effulgent sun shoot its red rays high in the skies, turning the snowcapped peaks red. Finally, as the sun rises, the peaks turn a dazzling white.

Return to your hotel for breakfast, and then it’s off to see the sights of Pokhara. They include the incredible Devi Falls where the river rushes into a steep, box canyon before disappearing underground.  Our journey will take us to the top of the hill where the Buddhist Peace Pagoda looks over the mountains, lake, and city of Pokhara for a spectacular view.

We will explore along the lake to reach the Tibetan Refugee Camp and then tour several interesting temples and monasteries. There’s always plenty to do in Pokhara. In the evening, enjoy dinner as well as further exploring Lakeside location with its nightclubs and entertainment.

It’s time to leave Pokhara as we journey back to Kathmandu, following our footsteps back up to the top of the pass that leads into the fabled city.  We arrive in the afternoon and check into our hotel to rest.

Today we experience three more of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites that the Kathmandu Valley has to offer. The first one we reach is Boudhanath, the largest Buddhist Stupa in Asia. Rising to a height of 36 meters, this white domed stupa is an amazing sight to behold. Circumambulate around it as you visit a Tibetan monastery. Spin a prayer wheel and watch the prayer flags flutter in the ever-present breeze.

Close-by is a second UNESCO World Heritage Site: Pashupatinath. This is the most sacred Hindu holy site in all of Nepal and one of the most sacred places in all of Hinduism. There are nearly 500 temples along the banks of the holy Bagmati River. Watch yogis (Hindu holy men) as they teach as well as see the ghats where the dead are cremated with their ashes mingled with the sacred waters of the Bagmati River.

In the afternoon, we explore the ancient city of Bhaktapur. Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Bhaktapur is known as the City of Devotees. It was once its own kingdom and the 55 Window Royal Palace is now a museum. There are two squares of temples, including the tallest Hindu temple in all of Nepal. The streets are narrow and craftsmen still produce their wares as they have done for centuries.

In the evening, enjoy a farewell dinner before retiring for bed.

It’s time to leave the magical land of Nepal after nine wonderful days. You will travel by private vehicle back to the airport to journey to your next destination. Before leaving, be sure to ask about returning to this magical land. Nepal has, even more, to offer for future visits or you can extend your visit from that same day (additional charges are applied).