Nepal Discoverer Tour - 12 days

Arrival at Tribhuvan International Airport, Kathmandu. After clearance of customs and luggage’s, exist from the Airport Departure lounge and as soon as you exist you can see number of peoples outside holding a placard. Among them one of the representative of Nature Trail Travels & Tours, Trekking & Expedition will be holing a placard with your name in it. So, closely look at them. He will then transfer you to your respective hotels. Or else, you can visit our office and after full description about your trip, you will be driven to your hotel. Overnight at hotel.

After breakfast, get on with today’s sightseeing tour which includes: Pashupatinath Temple and Boudhanath Stupa. After sightseeing tour, drive to Nagarkot which is about 1½ hours’ drive from Kathmandu. On the way, visit the ancient city of Bhaktapur. Bhaktapur Durbar square is listed at World Heritage Site. It is one of the most charming Architectural showpieces of the valley as it highlights the ancient arts of Nepal. As you walk in, you will feel a sense of inner harmony. Bhaktapur Durbar Square is a collection of pagoda and Shikhara – style temples grouped around a fifty-five-window palace of brick and wood. The Square contains innumerable temples and other architectural showpieces like the Lion Gate, the statue of King Bhupatindra Malla, the Picture Gallery, the Golden Gate, the palaces of 55 windows, the Batsala temple and the bell of barking dog etc.

After the sightseeing tour, continue on to Nagarkot hill which is 35 kilometers from Kathmandu on the eastern rim of the valley. Nagarkot is the nearest hill station from Kathmandu which offers a great mountain view. On a clear weather, views extend all the way from Mt. Dhaulagiri in the west, past Mt. Everest to Kanchenjunga in the west. While the mountains are relatively distant compared to the intimate view you will experience. Nagarkot is also a famous destination for sunset and sunrise view. On this day, you can enjoy sunset view in the evening. Overnight stay at Nagarkot.

On the following day, wake up early and walk to the tower to see the sunrise view. On a clear day, you can see the ranges of Gosainkunda, Ganesh Himal, Mt. Manaslu and the Annapurna Mountains. The sun’s rays first begin to light up the sky, turning the snowcapped peaks from grey to pink before the rising sun turns the snow a most brilliant white. The scene is absolutely breathtaking.

Get back to the hotel for breakfast and commence hike towards Changunarayan Temple, the oldest temple of Nepal. This trip offers a fantastic combination of scenery, culture and heritage. You will be amazed to see just how much the local villages along the trail remain unchanged and still exhibit their traditional countryside lifestyle even though they are so close to the city on your day hike in Changunarayan. This trail passes through Brahmin and Tamang villages. Watch the people as they farm the terraced farms that hang on the sides of the hill overlooking the Kathmandu Valley. On clear days, there are great views of the Himalayas along this trail. The trek is about 3 to 4 hours to the smallest and least visited of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Changu Narayan. Here discover a wonderful little Newari village where they still do wood and stone carvings like they have done over the centuries. Changu Narayan, because of its location receives the least amount of visitors of the World Heritage Sites, yet is a real gem. The oldest temple in the valley is atop the hill in the village. There is an opportunity to experience Newari food for lunch in Changu Narayan (not included in price of tour). The people of the village are very friendly and accommodating, demonstrating true Newari hospitality. At noon, drive towards Patan Durbar Square, another sites which is listed in UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Particularly for its tradition of arts and crafts, this city is best known for its rich cultural heritage. It is also known as the city of festivals and feasts, fine ancient art, making of metallic and stone carvings.

After breakfast, drive to Gorkha the old capital, which offers spectacular mountain views. The drive is around 878 kilometers from Kathmandu. Enroute, an optional white water rafting trip can be done in Trishuli River. Gorkha district lies in western region of Nepal. It became part of Nepal when King Prithvi Narayan Shah of Gorkha (also known as Gurkha) unified the country 250 years ago.

We will explore the surrounding hills and fascinating local villages with day-walk from Gorkha. The excellent Himalayan views are breathtaking. Following are the places, we will visit during our sightseeing tour.

Gorkha Durbar

This historical palace is situated on the top of the fortified hill above the township,  about one hour’s walk uphill from the bus station. On the west side of palace is the temple of Goddess Gorakhkali. There is also a famous cave sheltering the statue of Gorakhnath Baba (sage). It is believed that the name of Gorkha was derived from the name of this sage, whose blessings inspired King Prithvi Narayan Shah for the unification of Nepal. From the top of the hill above Gorkha palace and from a saddle east of the bazaar, the  view of Manaslu and Himalchuli is spectacular.

Upallokot

It is situated at a 20 minute walking distance from Gorkha palace. There is a viewing platform at an altitude of 1520 meters in Upallokot from where the spectacular view of Gorkha palace and the sliver shining snow-fed peaks can be enjoyed.

Drive to Pokhara, another beautiful town and a center of tourist attraction. Pokhara is a striking scenic lake town where nature is amplified with the views of majestic peaks, sparkling water lakes with boating and canoeing thrills will add on a greater value to your photographic tour. Witnessing some natural wonders of nature in waterfalls and gorges and magical dawns that light up the sky and the snowy Himalayan spires in hues of the rising sun and capturing these magical vistas and wonderful landscapes in your camera will obviously fulfill the expectations of an ideal Nature tour. Upon arrival, you will be transferred to the respective hotel where you get refreshed and proceed for an hour boat ride in Phewa Lake and visit Tal Barahi Temple, a famous temple dedicated to Goddess Kali.

Early in the morning we will drive to Sarangkot hill for viewing sunrise and stunning snowcapped mountain ranges. There’s a non-descript village just before the view point. The village is located on Sarangkot mountain at an altitude of 1600m and is renowned for its panoramic Himalayan view: Dhaulagiri, Annapurna and Manaslu as well as down on the city of Pokhara and Phewa lake. In recent years, Sarangkot has become a hotspot for Paragliding, Zip-flyer, Ultra-light, Bungee jump etc. While you are in Sarangkot, you can enjoy these activities. After sunrise view, we proceed for the sightseeing tour of some famous places of Pokhara; Davi’s fall, Gupteswor cave, Mahendra Cave, Bats Cave, Bindhyabasini Temple, Barahi Temple and Seti George.

Davi’s fall is a waterfall. On 31 July 1961, a Swiss couple Davi went swimming but the woman drowned in a pit because of the overflow. Her body was recovered 3 days later in river Phusre with great effort. Her father wished to name it “Davi’s falls” after her. Its Nepali name is Patale Chango, which means “underworld waterfall”. The waterfall during the monsoon season provides you with a natural effect.

Gupteswor Cave is a city shrine dedicated to Lord Shiva. It is a world-famous pilgrim site. It is a limestone cave discovered some time ago and has a number of scenic spots around. The main attraction is the gigantic Shiva Linga which is said to be increasing in size. Gupteswor cave is special for the underground water. It is really worth seeing. It is a natural cave with Stalagmites. One has to reach the end to view the superb scene. The shrine is called “Gupteswor” which means the “Hidden God”. It is so named because it was lying hidden in the cave for a very long period. People suffering from incurable diseases come here to worship the God and remain here for months in the hope of getting cured.

Mahendra Cave is a cave located close to the Seti River. It is a rare example of a cave system in Nepal containing stalagmites and stalactites. A statue of Hindu lord Shiva can be found inside the cave. The cave gets its name from former King, Mahendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev. This cave was discovered in the late 1950s by young shepherds of Pokhara. Since then it has remained one of the most visited places in Pokhara. The canal is completely dark with continuously dripping water overhead. The cave is full of limestone, which falls to the ground and continuously forms electrical sparks. Due to the darkness, artificial lighting is provided inside the cave.

Bat Cave, which is also known as the natural habitat of bats, is also worth of visiting, and is, located a ten-minute walk away from Mahendra Cave. It is 150 m long and 25 ft. high. The main entrance of this cave is quite narrow but the inner part is wide enough. The main specialty of this cave is that there are more than 15 thousand bats of different species. Images of elephant tusks, gods, and goddesses can be observed in the inner walls of the cave.

Bindhyabasini temple is the center of religious activity situated in the small hill-lock in between the main old bazaar and Bagar area at an elevation of 3000 feet above sea level. It is one of the oldest temples in the Pokhara valley and has an immense cultural value dedicated to Goddess Bhagawati. This temple is considered as one of the main and foremost Shaktipiths of western Nepal. It is heard to have been expressed that one can materialize the wishes whatever one wishes by worshiping the Devi. Built in a Shikhar Shailee (Shikhar style) the temple has an Idol of Bhagawati having 8 Bhujas (hands).

Seti George is also known as Seti Khola, where “Seti” means “White” and “Khola” means “River”. This is the holiest river of western Nepal, which is fed by snow of Machapuchare and Annapurna mountains. It rises from the base of the Annapurna massive, and passes through the limestone gorge of beautiful Pokhara valley and Damauli to join the Trishuli River near Devghat. It makes more excitement for those who look down to the Seti George from the top of the cliff. It is also famous for rafting and has unspoiled greenish jungle scenery, excellent bird watching site, local cultural heritage and beautiful clean beaches, many small and undemanding rapids. This is one of the additional sites that makes natural environment of Nepal more beautiful. White water running down this George makes you click random shots.

After sightseeing tour of these famous places of Pokhara, transfer to the hotel for overnight stay.

On the following day, we drive to Chitwan after having our breakfast at hotel. We travel overland towards Royal Chitwan National Park via Prithvi Highway. You will enjoy the views of enormous plains of the Terai region while driving towards Chitwan. Chitwan National Park is declared as World Heritage Site under the category of Natural Sites by UNESCO. Chitwan is one of Asia’s best wildlife – viewing spots and the place to don your safari togs, clamber atop a lumbering elephant and head into the dawn mist in search of rhinos and tiger. 8% of the world bird species, rare mammals including one horned rhinoceros and the Bengal tiger makes it exclusive. Once reaching your destination, you will be briefed about the elephant activities and Jungle Safari. You can later enjoy the sunset in Rapti River, elephant back safari and stroll around the Tharu villages. Once the night falls down, we entertain you with cultural performances (Tharu stick dance, peacock dance) including bonfire before getting in bed.

With a wakeup call along with tea or coffee, we have the great time to witness the wildlife and click some amazing pictures at its best in Royal Chitwan National Park. This includes Elephant Safari, Canoeing, visit to elephant breeding center and cultural show. Sal forest, open grassland and riverine jungle will accompany you during elephant safari. The ride is far from smooth. We’ll be traveling through dense elephant grass that can grow up to 18-20 ft. in height and is the favorite habitat for rhinoceros and other animals. The elevated vantage point is a great advantage and provides a good safety margin in case a Bengal tiger shows up. After doing elephant safari, your delicious breakfasts will be waiting for you. We will then head to the grasslands and forests near the Narayani River. In later afternoon, a traditional dug-out canoe takes you on a silent trip down the Rapti River to view aquatic birds and the crocodile along the river banks. We then head towards the elephant breeding center to see them being raised to re-populate their dwindling numbers and disperse them over various regions where they have a chance for survival, to see these majestic animals and understand how they live and what they do. You can click cute pictures of newly born calf.  We will also go to the observation tower, then later in the evening head back to the resort for dinner. We hope that this day will be the finest day for those who loves to explore wildlife.

Wake up call early in the morning and proceed for Nature walk and bird watching. Don’t forget to bring your camera as you will have a marvelous opportunity to click various species of birds today. Among those, some of these birds are migrating birds, which have flown thousands of miles and sheltered in this national park. Our guides will help you identify some species of birds, plants and other wildlife that you may encounter. Getting back to the hotel, we take breakfast and then drive to Kathmandu.

Depature to homeland.