Inspiration for your own tailor-made trip
Kathmandu - Bhaktapur - Nagarkot - Namo Buddha
100% customisable for you
Your adventure into the heart of Nepalese culture and nature starts today with a 13-hour flight to the capital of Kathmandu. Head to the airport, whizz through security and enjoy some down time in the airport lounge as you await departure. Most flights to Nepal depart in the evening and include a brief layover in a major airport hub, so you’ll spend tonight travelling and touchdown tomorrow.
Rise and shine in a completely different part of the world as you prepare to land in the mountainous lands of Nepal. An English-speaking staff member will be waiting to greet you and help you through arrival formalities before leading you to your onward private transfer into the city centre. Your home for the next four nights is a peaceful and well-designed hotel, just a stone’s throw from Boudhanath, a major sanctuary listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Spend the rest of today slowly settling into your new surroundings. We recommend making the most of the hotel’s facilities, which include a restaurant, pool, spa and meditation area. You’ll also have the opportunity to meet with and share a cocktail with a member of our local Concierge team to discuss your plans here.
Your first full day in the culturally dense Kathmandu is centred around private visits to two of the city’s most important sites: Durbar Square and Swayambunath. The first is one of three of its kind in the Kathmandu Valley, each home to a collection of royal palaces and Hindu temples. The most popular sites include Kasthamandap, a Shivaite temple founded in the 16th century, and Hanuman Dhoka, a palatial and devotional complex from the 16th and 17th centuries. It’s also here that you can catch a glimpse of Nepal’s most prominent living goddess, the Kumari, wistfully looking out the window of her home, Kumari Chok. This young girl is believed to embody the goddess Durga until she draws blood, at which point she rejoins society as a mortal and a new goddess is selected.
Your next stop today is Swayambhunath, an ancient stupa high in the Kathmandu Valley. It’s one of the most ancient and captivating holy shrines in the valley, dating back to at least the fifth century. On each side of the main stupa is a pair of all-seeing eyes and a third eye that signifies the wisdom to look within. Round off your day in true Nepalese fashion with a meeting with a Buddhist monk from a local monastery. This is a great opportunity to learn more about the life of a monk and to ask any burning questions, with your English-speaking guide acting as a handy translator.
On today’s agenda: private visits to Pashupatinath temple and the Bodnath stupa, followed by a cooking class. Your first stop is Pashupatinath, a beautiful riverside temple complex and, unusually, an important pilgrimage site for both Hindus and Buddhists alike. Take your time weaving in and out of temples, stupas and pagodas, listening to the fascinating tales that have taken place here. Make sure to watch for Sadhus, colourfully dressed men with artfully painted faces who have renounced everyday life and almost all worldly possessions.
Continue on to the monumental Boudhanath stupa, which dates back to the 14th century. Representing the elements of the Buddhist cosmos – earth, water, fire, air, ether – this sacred site spurred the founding of many local Tibetan monasteries. It’s one of the world’s biggest stupas, and makes for a fascinating stroll in the presence of pilgrims and monks. Do make sure to circumnavigate the stupa clockwise, with the stupa on your right, as this is an ancient expression of respect.
When your legs start to tire, head into the home of a local English-speaking family for a Nepalese cooking class. Get comfortable at the family table as you prepare ingredients while learning more about Nepalese cuisine and culture. Your hard work will pay off once dinner is served and you get to feast on a delicious home-cooked meal.
Remember the palatial Durbar square you visited on your first day in Kathmandu? Well, today, you’ll have the chance to see another of the country’s three squares of its kind as you embark on a private tour to Patan, Nepal’s third city. Affectionately nicknamed Lalitpur, meaning ‘the wonderful place’, in reference to its high concentration of temples, shrines, monuments, beautiful architecture and skilled artisans, you’ll have more than 130 pagodas and 55 temples to ogle at. We particularly recommend taking time to explore the palace, which overlooks the square; the splendid Krishna Mandir, a 17th-century shikara?style temple (a style more common to India) and the temple of Bhimsen, which is dedicated to the god of trade among the Newars (people of the Kathmandu Valley). Patan is also renowned for its Buddhist sanctuaries, including Hiranya Varna Mahavihar (‘the Golden Temple’) and Minnath Mandir, a traditional Buddhist monastery. Both date back to at least the 16th century and are dedicated to the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara, the earthly embodiment of the virtue of compassion.
The rest of the afternoon is spent back in Kathmandu and is yours to spend at leisure. You can continue exploring at your own pace or simply enjoy some downtime back at the hotel. For those with energy left in the tank, a further guided tour of Kathmandu with a friendly local can be arranged.
It’s time to switch gears today as you journey out of the capital and into rural Nepal. After a hearty breakfast, you’ll be met by an experienced driver-guide, who’ll lead you on a sightseeing adventure through the Kathmandu Valley. Your first stop is the traditional Newar village of Thimi, an ancient stopover for merchants on the old trade route between Kathmandu and Bhaktapur. It’s also a popular destination for Hindu devotees: the municipal goddess Balkumari is worshipped here, as well as Lakshmi, Kali, Shiva, Ganesh and a whole host of other deities across multiple sanctuaries.
Continue on to Bhaktapur, a beautifully designed city that acted as the nation’s capital until the 18th century. The city displays ancient urban planning in all its might: homes, temples and monasteries are developed around a square peppered with wells. It is also here that you can visit the third of the nation’s UNESCO-listed Durbar squares, which offers the same kind of palatial architecture as those in Kathmandu and Patan. A little to the north of Bhaktapur is Changu Narayan, one of the oldest temples in the country. The two-tiered structure was an important milestone in ancient Nepalese architecture. Make sure to stop off here with your knowledgeable driver/guide before continuing on the day’s mini road trip.
Your final destination is the scenic village of Nagarkot, which sits on the rim of the Kathmandu Valley at an elevation of 7,200ft. Hang up your hat for two nights in a contemporary hotel and settle in for a delicious evening and good night’s sleep ahead of a hiking adventure tomorrow.
Make sure to fuel up at breakfast as the best part of today will be spent hiking in the picturesque hills surrounding Nagarkot. Your guide is an experienced English-speaking hiker who knows the trails like the back of their hand. Today’s hike is just under eight miles and requires no technical difficulty, just a basic fitness level. The trail is a great introduction to life in the lower-lying Nepalese mountains, as you pass through traditional villages that seem totally untouched by the modern world. At every twist and turn, your eyes will be greeted with new natural wonders, including local flora and sweeping views out to some of the highest peaks in the Himalayas. Head back to the hotel for a delicious meal and a restful evening, which, if you choose, can include a course of rejuvenating spa treatments.
It’s time to hit the road again on a private drive to Namo Buddha, a sacred Buddhist pilgrimage site located an hour from Nagarkot. Hang your hat for the next two nights in a charming cottage typical of the Kathmandu Valley. These properties were built by local craftsmen, who are considered the custodians of the region’s centuries-old architectural traditions. Spend the rest of today settling into your new hotel, which mixes tradition and comfort with complete skill. Take a stroll in the surrounding gardens, dine at the on-site restaurant and take a trip to the soothing spa. You’ll also have the opportunity to experience a typical Nepalese yoga class with a local yogi.
Rise and shine in the heart of the Namo Buddha hills and get ready for a thirty-minute hike to the Tibetan monastery of Thrangu Tashi Yangtse. This picture-perfect site is surrounded by beautiful gardens overlooking the mighty Himalayan ranges. Start your guided meditation experience by learning about the principles of this ancient Buddhist practice in the serene gardens, before heading to the inner space to begin the ultimate meditation session.
The afternoon is all about savouring your final slice of Nepal’s natural blessings with a hike between Namo Buddha and Dulikhel. The walk is fairly gentle and takes around three to four hours to complete. In the company of a skilled English-speaking guide, wind your way through traditional villages, temples and viewpoints across the Himalayas. Arriving in Old Dulikhel, with its quaint streets, temples and old merchant houses, is a worthy reward at the end of the hike.
Sadly the time has come to bid Nepal a warm farewell and embark on the journey home. After one last delicious breakfast at the hotel this morning, you’ll be collected and driven back through the winding Kathmandu valley to the capital’s international airport. Flight time back to the UK is around 13 hours, including a layover in a major airport hub. Most flights depart in the early afternoon, so you’ll spend the rest of today on board and touchdown on home turf later this evening.
Everything in this itinerary is entirely customisable, down to the smallest details. Here are some more suggestions of what could be included
Each of our trips is entirely tailor-made with originality, quality and cultural immersion in mind. Our team of destination specialists will craft itineraries based on your tastes, using their first-hand knowledge and the help of our in-country team of Concierges and guides. All trips are accompanied by a wide range of additional services, including a 24-hour helpline, the Original Travel app, fast-track airport services and much more.
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