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, proceed Nagarkot, enroute enjoying for a full day tour of the Kathmandu Valley.

Visit 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.

Continue on to the village of Boudha, site of the Boudhanath Stupa 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 and 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.

Boudhanath has always been linked to Tibetan Buddhism. Apart from the local Tibetans and Nepalis there's a sizeable community of foreign Buddhist students, which contributes to occasional bitchy factional tensions between the different schools (apparently the lessons on nonattachment aren't going so well…).  A major trade route coming from Lhasa went through Sankhu & Bodhnath and was the entry point for Tibetan traders. One can easily imagine the traders giving thanks for their successful journey across the Himalaya, or praying for a safe return. People (including mountaineers and Sherpas) still come here to pray here before undertaking a journey in the Himalaya.

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.

Then we move on to Bhaktapur city, the cultural city of Nepal. Bhaktapur, also known as Bhadgaon was once the capital of Nepal from the 9^th to the 14^th centuries. During your tour, you will see the 55 window 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 and monumental squares, and the side streets are peppered with shrines, wells and water tanks.

The lack of traffic makes walking through Bhaktapur a pleasure and certainly more enjoyable than walking in Kathmandu. The town's cultural life is also vibrant, with centuries-old traditions of craftsmanship and strong communities of potters, woodcarvers and 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 and women pounding grain - there's plenty to see.

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

Drive on to 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.

Wake up at dawn to enjoy the magnificent sunrise taking place outside. You will be able to see see the middle range of the Himalayas: Langtang Himal, Ganesh Himal, Dorje Lakhpa, Phurbi Chyachu, Gaurishanker, Shishapangma. On a clear day one can see the Manaslu, Buddha Himal, Ganesh Himal & Annapurna Ranges.

After breakfast, leave for Chitwan National Park following the Trishuli River.

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.

The wildlife is unpredictable and sightings every time. Two whole days in the park is really the minimum for wildlife spotting.

Check-in on arrival.

After lunch around 02.00 pm, meet the Ranger & embark on an afternoon game drive, perched on an elephant.

Return to the lodge.

Early morning, enjoy either another elephant safari or a canoe ride along the river.

Later, depart for Pokhara.

Imagine a perfect triangular mountain, capped by snow and 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 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 and 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 and there are some fascinating caves, waterfalls and Tibetan villages in the surrounding hills.

For the adventurous, Pokhara offers a slew of adventure activities, from trekking and microlight flights to river rafting and 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.

Early morning, depart for Kathmandu enroute visiting the ancient city of Patan founded in the 3^rd century and known as the City of the Arts.

The city is separated from Kathmandu by the Bagmati River and is the second-largest town in the valley. It has historically been known by its Sanskrit name Lalitpur (City of Beauty) and its Newari name, Yala. Emperor Ashoka built separate stupas for the monks and nuns here and one can still see the four Ashok Stupas in the 4 cardinal directions of Patan.

Visit their Durbar Square and the golden temple, Hiranya Varna Mahabharata, and Kumbheswor Temple.

Continue on to Kathmandu.

Check-in on arrival.

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

 .

***        End of Services      ***