Inspiration for your own tailor-made trip
Kathmandu - Dulikhel
100% customisable for you
Your adventure into the heart and soul of Nepal begins today. Head to the airport, whizz through security and enjoy some down time in the airport lounge with some nibbles and refreshments as you await departure. Most flights to Kathmandu depart in the evening and take around 13 hours, including a brief layover in a major airport hub, so you’ll spend tonight onboard and touch down on Nepalese soil tomorrow morning.
Rise and shine to beautiful views across the Kathmandu valley and the surrounding Himalayan mountains as you prepare to land. An English-speaking member of staff 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 the next three nights is a characterful yet luxurious hotel in the heart of the upscale Battisputali neighbourhood. Spend the rest of today relaxing and enjoying the facilities at the hotel, which include a quality restaurant, exquisite spa, pool and gym.
Your first full day in captivating Kathamndu is centred around a private tour with a friendly local guide. This is one of our favourite ways to discover a new place, as you have the opportunity to get off the tourist trail and see the city through the lens of a local. The walk is relaxed and based around you, which means you can be totally spontaneous. Whether you’re a shopaholic, historian, artisan, foodie, art-lover or a bit of everything, your guide will skilfully tailor this Kathmandu outing to suit your every desire. This is also a great time to get your fill of any tips and recommendations that can guide the rest of your time in Nepal.
It wouldn’t be right to leave the capital without experiencing some of the city’s most iconic sites, so today we’ve arranged private visits to Pashupatinath temple, the Bodnath stupa and Bhaktapur. During the day, you’ll also have the opportunity to visit a Thangka school, which specialises in teaching religious motifs pained on cotton or silk scrolls.
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 keep an eye out 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 is one of the world’s biggest stupas and is fascinating to stroll around 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.
This afternoon, your driver-guide will lead you to the Bhakatur, 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. 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 and even displays the oldest inscription in Nepal on a fifth-century pillar.
After a good few days of cultural immersion in the capital, switch things up today as you travel into the heart of the Himalayan foothills to the charming hillside village of Dulikhel. The drive takes about an hour and passes through the beautiful rural scenery of the Kathmandu Valley. On arrival, settle in for a three-night stay in a luxurious destination-hotel set in the hillside and overlooking the stunning peaks of the surrounding Himalayas. Everything here is designed to balance luxury and simplicity, with well-designed interiors, meditation terraces, Ayurvedic practitioners, a traditional spa and an excellent restaurant. The rest of today is yours to spend as you please. You could head out for a stroll around the village and take the pulse of life in the hills, or simply kick back, relax and enjoy the heavenly environment of your new home.
The next two days are yours to spend at your own pace. You can fill your days with hikes in the nearby hills and cultural sightseeing in the village, or simply take the time to relax and rejuvenate from the comfort of your mountain retreat. Our team, alongside the clued-up hotel staff, can recommend a range of trails suitable for you. The surrounding area is home to plenty of good hiking options, many of which wind through enchanting forests and rural farms and provide good views of the snow-capped peaks in the distance. Old Dulikhel is full of charms, with its terracotta streets, old-world merchant houses and picturesque temples.
To further aid your R&R, our team can arrange various wellness treatments for you to enjoy at the hotel’s spa as and when you please, including a massage, body scrub, a session of shirodhara (forehead massage) and a session of pada avayanga (a massage of the legs, ankles and feet). You can also opt to head to the grand nearby monastery of Thrangu Tashi Yangtse for a guided meditation session.
Sadly your time in Nepal had to come to an end at some point and today is that day. After one last delicious breakfast at the hotel, you’ll be collected by a private driver and transferred 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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Our team of destination experts will get to know you and your unique requirements for your holiday
We work with you to build an ultra-personalised holiday itinerary with your choice of accommodation, experiences and activities
All of our holidays include little extras designed to make a big difference to your trip, from fast-tracking you through airport check-in and security to our network of local Concierges
