Welcome to Enchanting Journeys

Welcome to Nepal, a country of spectacular geography & rich cultural diversity. After you exit in the Arrival Hall at Terminal? - Kathmandu Tribhuvan International Airport, subsequent to customs & immigration, you will be met by The Journeys representative who will ensure your comfort & transfer you to the hotel. He / she will provide assistance during Check-in & also discuss the program for the next few days.

For many people, stepping off a plane into Kathmandu is an exhilarating shock - the sights, sounds and smells can quickly lead to sensory overload. Whether it is buzzing around the crazy polluted traffic in a taxi, trundling down the narrow winding streets of the old town in a rickshaw, marvelling at Durbar Square or dodging the tiger balm sellers and trekking touts in Thamel, Kathmandu can be an intoxicating, amazing and exhausting place. As the largest (and pretty much the only) city in the country, Kathmandu also feels like another developing-world city rushing into a modern era of concrete and traffic pollution.

Take a walk in the backstreets, however, and the capital's amazing cultural and artistic heritage reveals itself in hidden temples overflowing with marigolds, courtyards full of drying chillis and rice, and tiny hobbit-sized workshops largely unchanged since the Middle Ages. Kathmandu has been a traveler’s mecca since the 1960s but these days you are less likely to see a tie-dyed hippy in search of enlightenment than a well-heeled Gore-Tex-clad tourist in search of a good espresso. As many as 30 different languages & dialects are spoken among the many ethnic groups.

Check-in at the hotel.

Morning, meet the Tour-guide at 09.00 am & proceed for a 6 hour tour of the fascinating & sprawling city of Kathmandu.

Visit Durbar Square with its splendid array of Hindu Temples & the old Royal Palace.

Move on to the great Buddhist temple of Swayambhunath, which is located on a hill overlooking Kathmandu & gives a spectacular view of the city. It is one of the most popular & instantly recognisable symbols of Nepal and is affectionately known as the 'Monkey Temple', after the large troop of handsome monkeys that guards the hill and amuses visitors & devotees with tricks (including sliding gracefully down the banisters of the main stairway to the temple). It is particularly striking in the early evening when the city is illuminated & the site is also very attractive under the soft glow of moonlight.

Legends relate that the Kathmandu Valley was once a lake (geologists agree on this point) and that the hill on which Swayambhunath stands was 'self-arisen' (swayambhu), much like a lotus leaf risen from the muddy waters of the lake. It is also said that Emperor Ashoka paid a visit to the site over 2000 years ago.

An inscription indicates that King Manadeva ordered work done here in AD 460 and certainly by the 13^th century, it was an important Buddhist centre. In 1346 Mughal invaders from Bengal broke open the stupa in the search for gold. King Pratap Malla added the stairway in the 17^th century.

You will also have plenty time to check out the numerous little gift shops that line the mazelike streets.

Return to the hotel.

Balance of the day at leisure.

Morning, meet the Tour-guide at 08.00 am & embark on a full day 8 hour excursion to visit the towns of Patan & Bhaktapur.

You will drive across the Bagmati River to nearby town of Patan, the second largest town in the valley historically known by its Sanskrit name Lalitpur (City of Beauty) & its Newari name, Yala.

Spend time here, exploring Durbar Square, which has a fabulous concentration of Buddhist temples, with a far greater concentration of architecture per square metre than in Kathmandu or Bhaktapur. Moreover, more than 600 stupas & 185 bahals are scattered throughout the fascinating backstreets.

After lunch, drive out to the ancient city of Bhaktapur, - the cultural city of Nepal.

See the many squares & temples, with stunning wooden architecture as well as exploring the narrow winding lanes which bustle with life.

Also known as Bhadgaon, it was once the capital of Nepal from the 9^th to 14^th centuries. During your tour, you will see the 55 windowed palaces, Royal Bath, Taleju Temple, Datratra Square and Pottery Square. Bhaktapur, also known as Bhadgaon (pronounced bud-gown and meaning 'City of Rice') in Nepali, or Khwopa (City of Devotees) in Newari, is the third major town of the valley.

Traffic free, the traditionally intact town is also in many ways the most timeless. The cobblestone streets link a string of temples, courtyards & monumental squares, and the side streets are peppered with shrines, wells & water tanks. The lack of traffic makes walking through Bhaktapur a pleasure & certainly more enjoyable than walking in Kathmandu.

The town's cultural life is also vibrant, with centuries-old traditions of craftsmanship & strong communities of potters, woodcarvers & weavers. Look for rice laid out to dry in the sun, people collecting water or washing under the communal taps, dyed yarns hung out to dry, children's games, fascinating shops & women pounding grain - there's plenty to see.

Perhaps most entrancing of all is Bhaktapur's effortless blending of the modern & medieval, thanks largely to the German-funded Bhaktapur Development Project, which restored buildings, paved dirt streets and established sewerage & wastewater management facilities in the 1970s.

You will also have plenty time to check out the numerous little gift shops that line the mazelike streets.

Return to the hotel.

Early morning by 06.00 am, leave for Chitwan National Park, driving though the beautiful landscape of Nepal with views of snow-capped mountains, picturesque forests & farmland and pass by raging rivers & colourful towns and villages. The drive is leisurely with plenty of stops available to look around, and you can try some local snacks & refreshments.

Chitwan National Park has long been regarded as Nepal’s third biggest attraction after trekking & the Kathmandu Valley. This huge & beautiful nature reserve protects 932 sq km of sal forest, water marshes & rippling grassland. The park is one of the last refuges of the endangered one-horned Indian rhino & is home to a few Royal Bengal Tigers, sizeable populations of leopards & rare Gangetic dolphins.  It is the most famous park in Nepal offering over 450 species of birds & four species of deer, leopard, sloth bear, & wild boar along with many other species of wildlife.

Lately, the tourist numbers have reduced due to political problems. On one level, the wildlife has probably benefited from the reduced visitor numbers - it is a lot easier to sight when you don't have an elephant-load of tourists shouting & scaring off your prey.  However, poaching has increased significantly since the Nepali army stopped patrolling the park, and the rhino population has been hit particularly badly.

Careless development has undermined some of the safari atmosphere at the nearby town Sauraha where you will stay, but the setting is still impressive - perched beside a wide, slow-flowing river with a wall of dense jungle looming tantalisingly on the far bank. An incredible range of jungle activities can be arranged & the surrounding countryside is a peaceful patchwork of rice fields and Tharu villages.

Check-in on arrival by late afternoon.

Morning, around 08.00 am, meet the Ranger & embark on a game drive, perched on an elephant in search of the rare, Indian one horned rhino.

Travelling on the back of an elephant can be the best way to approach wildlife, especially rhino, as your human smell is obscured by the familiar smell of the elephants themselves. This means that the animals you search for are much more relaxed in your presence giving you better opportunities to study them.

Return to the lodge & relax.

After lunch around 02.00 pm, meet the Ranger & embark on another game drive.

Return to the lodge.

The lodge will also arrange a cultural program one evening for you to attend & perhaps, join in the dancing (not compulsory!).

Full day at leisure for independent exploration or perhaps opt for one of the many options available (we will be happy to offer suggestions & make arrangements). You may want to go for another elephant safari or a canoe ride along the river (not included).

Early morning, depart for Pokhara.

Imagine a perfect triangular mountain, capped by snow & buffeted by the icy winds of the Himalaya. Imagine a millpond calm lake, perfectly reflecting the snowy peaks. Now imagine a village on the lakeshore, thronged by travellers & reverberating to the sound of 'om mani padme hum' from a hundred shops selling prayer flags, carpets, masks, singing bowls and CDs of Buddhist mantras. That's Pokhara.

Nepal’s second largest city, Pokhara is the end point for the famous Annapurna Circuit trek and the starting point for a dozen more treks through the mountains of the Annapurna Range, including the perennially popular Jomsom Trek and the equally dramatic (but less busy) trek to the Annapurna Sanctuary. It's unashamedly touristy, in the Thamel mould, but the setting is spectacular - the perfect pyramid of Mt Machhapuchhare looms high above Pokhara, reflected in the placid waters of Phewa Tal.

For many travellers, Pokhara represents a last chance to stock up on creature comforts before hitting the mountain trails. For others, it's a place to enjoy a steak dinner & cold beer after weeks of daal bhaat in the hills. Even if you aren't a dedicated trekker, there's plenty here to keep you busy. Pokhara has numerous museums & there are some fascinating caves, waterfalls & Tibetan villages in the surrounding hills.

For the adventurous, Pokhara offers a slew of adventure activities, from trekking & microlight flights to river rafting & jungle safaris. Paragliding from Sarangkot has to be one of the most thrilling experiences in the subcontinent. Alternatively, bring a good book and spend your days reading in a café overlooking languorous Phewa Tal.

Check in on arrival.

Morning, meet the Tour-guide at 08.30 am & proceed for a full day 8 hour sightseeing tour of the city & surroundings.

Visit Bindyabasini Temple dedicated to Kali. It is the believed that when Parbati was arriving from Indian Bindhyanchal Parbat, on the way to Kailash; she rested overnight here.

Continue on to the Hemia Monastery, a Tibetan Monastery built by the Tibetan community that has been residing in Nepal since they fled their country in 1949.

Afternoon, proceed for a visit to Davis waterfalls, a Tibetan refugee camp at Chhorepatan (near the falls) and Gupteswor Cave.

Return to the hotel.

Full day at leisure for independent exploration or perhaps opt for one of the many options available (we will be happy to offer suggestions & make arrangements).  Overnight.  B 

Early morning, depart for Bandipur - a once prosperous Newari trading town considered a national treasure.

Draped like a silk scarf along a high ridge above Dumre, the town is a living museum of Newari culture. People here seem to live centuries apart from the rest of the country and more than 70% of the buildings are traditional Newari houses, with carved wooden windows and overhanging slate roofs. It is hard to believe that somewhere so delightful has managed to escape the ravages of tourist development.

Bandipur remains very much a living community - as you wander around the narrow streets, you'll see farmers tending market gardens, women carrying baskets of freshly cut fodder, children stacking cobs of corn on wooden stakes, and goats, buffaloes and chickens wandering around as if they owned the place.

Bandipur was originally part of the Magar kingdom of Tanahun, ruled from nearby Palpa (Tansen), but Newari traders flooded in after the conquest of the valley by Prithvi Narayan Shah. The town became a major stop on the trade route between India & Tibet and traders invested their profits in temples, slab-paved roads and towering brick shop-houses.

Check-in on arrival.

Morning, depart for the village of Nagarkot.

Nagarkot is a vista of villages & mountains & has a reputation as the top spot for enjoying Himalayan views from the comfort of your hotel balcony. Nagarkot on an outstanding hilltop, surrounded by thickly forested hills of pine trees, is famous for breathtaking mountain scenery & the most impressive Himalayan views of sunrise & sunset.

Check-in on arrival.

At dawn, from your lodge, see the sun rise over the distant Himalayas.

You can see all the way to Kanchenjunga in the east, past the tiny (from here!) peak of Mt. Everest, to Dhaulgiri in the west. A couple of kilometres walk from the village there is a lookout tower, which affords an even more spectacular full 3600 panorama. Stunning clear views are all but guaranteed & it is well worth the effort to rise at dawn.

After breakfast, you will depart for Kathmandu, enjoying a short walk & then driving. Enroute stop at Boudhnath & Pashupatinath.

Walk downhill from Nagarkot, striking off up through some pine forest & then following a ridge which brings you down through tiny Chhetri villages with wonderful views on either side, to the beautiful Changu Narayan Temple.

From this temple at the end of the ridge, you descend to the valley floor and the Manohara River, which you leave to pass the old Gokarna Safari Park to reach Boudhnath with its strings of colourful, fluttering prayer flags.

Boudhnath Stupa was built in the 5^th century by King Mandev and regarded as an important pilgrimage sites for the Vajrayana sect of Buddhism. This stupa is supposed to be the Physical Stupa (sanctifying the physical bone of Kasyap Budhha). This stupa, one of the world's largest, has influenced & is based on the octagonal mandala. It is the religious centre for Nepal’s considerable population of Tibetan exiles, and the side streets are full of maroon-robed Tibetan (and foreign) monks, gleaming monastery roofs and shopfronts full of Tibetan texts and yak butter. This is one of the few places in the world where Tibetan culture is accessible, vibrant and unfettered.

Prayer services are held in the surrounding gompas and, as the sun sets, the community turns out to circumambulate the stupa - a ritual that combines religious observance with social event. It's a wonderful feeling to be swept around by the centrifugal force of faith - remember to walk around the stupa in a clockwise direction.

Another short walk takes you to Pashupatinath Temple dating back to between the 1^st & 3^rd centuries A.D, considered one of the most important Hindu pilgrimage sights in the world. The temple, located the bank of the Bagmati River is dedicated to Lord Shiva, one can still see cremation ceremonies taking place here. Pashupatinath Temple is supposed to be second abode of Lord Shiva after Mt. Kailash and draws devotees and sadhus (wandering Hindu holy men) from all over India.

Shiva is the destroyer and creator of the Hindu pantheon and is best known in his 'terrible' forms, particularly in Nepal  as the cruel and destructive Bhairab, but he also has peaceful incarnations including those of Mahadev and Pashupati, the lord of the beasts. As the shepherd of both animals and humans, Pashupati shows Shiva's most pleasant and creative side. Pashupati is considered to have a special concern for Nepal and, accordingly, he features in all official messages from the king. Before commencing an important journey, the king will always pay a visit to Pashupatinath to seek the god's blessing. Many of the temple buildings are closed to non-Hindus.

Although non-Hindus are not allowed inside the temple itself, you can see into the temple complex from the holy riverbanks where there are bathing and cremation ghats.

From Pashupatinath, you would be driven to Kathmandu.

Check-in on arrival.

Balance of the day at leisure for independent exploration (we would be happy to offer suggestions). Overnight.   B

Full day at leisure.

Or, you may want to spend more time exploring Kathmandu & its surroundings; there are plenty of things to see & do, and great souvenir opportunities or perhaps opt for one of the many options available (we will be happy to offer suggestions & make arrangements). A mountain flight up to view Mount Everest would be an appropriate finale.  

Evening, you would enjoy a special traditional Nepalese dinner at the stylish Bhojan Griha restaurant.

Finally, the experience comes to an end and it is time to say good-bye.

Check-out of the hotel by 12:00 noon (if the departure time is later in the evening, you are allowed to use the hotel facilities and leave the luggage at the Bell Desk). 

In time, you will be met by a Journeys Rep, who will ensure your comfort & transfer you to Terminal? - Teheran Imam Khomeini International Airport for the flight back home.  B

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