Nepal Family Holiday Trip III – Kathmandu, Pokhara & Chitwan

As you fly into Kathmandu, you'll have beautiful views over the valley, the snow capped mountain peaks in Himalaya, and of the terraced fields below. As per your arrival time, our representative will be at the airport to receive you and transfer you to your booked hotel.

Pashupatinath Temple

Situated 5 kilometers east of Kathmandu City, Pashupatinath temple is one of the holiest temples dedicated to Lord Shiva. Situated amidst a lush green natural setting on the bank of the sacred Bagmati river, the temple built in pagoda style has jilted roof and richly carved silver doors. Visitors will be permitted to view the temple from the east bank of Bagmati River, entrance in the temple being strictly forbidden to all non Hindus. Pashupatinath is the centre of annual pilgrimage on the day of shivaratri which falls in the month of February/March. Behind the temple are the cremation grounds.

Boudhanath Stupa

This Stupa, 8 kilometers east of Kathmandu City, is one of the biggest in the world of its kind. It stands with four pairs of eyes in the four cardinal direction keeping watch for righteous behaviour and human prosperity. This Buddhis Stupa was built by King Man Deva at the advice of the Goddess Mani Jogini. It is built on an octagonal base inset with prayer wheels. The shrine is ringed by houses of Lamas or Buddhist priest.

Patan is the nicest old royal place of the Kathmandu valley. Among three major cities of the valley first human settlement was in Patan. This city also is known as Lalitpur(City of fine arts). The meaning of Patan is flat land. According to the history here was not the stable king. Sometimes it would be under Kathmandu and some time under Bhaktapur. The icons of Narashimha(half human half lion) and the Hanuman(monkey god) is located at the entrance gate. Krishna Temple( made out of stones with 21 pinnacles), pagoda temples, main palace with Keshav Narayan Chok, art museum, 5th century public tap known as manga Hiti, five stored temple( Kumbheshwor) and golden temple(mini monkey temple with some Bihar) and oldest Buddhist stupas around Patan are the main attractions of Patan city. There are many artists who make the icons of the Hindu and Buddhist deities. Krishna Janmashtami festival and some other Newari festivals are nice to see in Patan.

From Kathmandu, you will take an early morning flight to the lake-side city of Pokhara. The flight takes about 30 minutes and upon your arrival there, you will be first taken to your hotel for your check-in. Rest of the time you will visit Phewa Lake and enjoy boating around there.

Boating at Fewa Lake: You will be boating on the tranquil Phewa Lake. Situated at an altitude of 800 meters, the Phewa is the second largest lake in Nepal. With the Barahi Island Temple in the middle of the lake, it is the most important religious place in Pokhara. Built almost in the middle of the Phewa Lake, this two-storied pagoda is dedicated to the female force Shakti. Thereflection of Mount Machhapuchhre and the Annapurna can also be seen in its serene waters. The thick pine forest on the adjoining southern slopes of the lake is also quite haunting.

Early morning you will drive to Sarangkot to view the magnificent view of the Annapurna range, Machhepuchhre, Himchuli, Manaslu and many others. After spending couple of hours in nSarangkot you will get back to Hotel for Breakfast. After some rest you will have sightseeing around Pokhara.

The places for Sightseeing Tour in Pokhara

World Peace Pagoda:World Peace Pagoda, a massive Buddhist stupa is situated on the top of a hill on the southern shore of Phewa Lake. Besides being a impressive sight in itself, the shrine is a great vantage point which offers the spectacular views of the Annapurna range, Phewa Lake, and the Pokhara city. The stupa is rich in Buddhist architecture and arts and its bright white colour adds extra beauty and soothing feelings to the heart. Shanti literally means Peace in Nepal thus names ‘Shanti Stupa’ in Nepalese language.

Mountain Museum:More than seventy thousand domestic and international tourists visit International Mountain Museum (IMM) every year. IMM records, documents and exhibits the past and present developments related to mountain and mountaineering around the world. The museum contains three main exhibition halls: Hall of Great Himalayas, Hall of Fame and Hall of World Mountains.Inside the museum, there are exhibits on famous peaks, descriptions of famous mountaineers, the culture and lifestyle of mountain people, flora and fauna including geology, in an attempt to represent the traditional culture and values of the Nepalese people

Davis Fall:The Davis fall on the other hand, is perhaps one of the most famous waterfalls in the country. It is also called “the Patale Chhango” and is located in the southern flank of the Pokhara valley. The waterfall has water collapsing and falling through many gorges in the rocks below leaping along many rocky portals while doing so.

Gupteshwor Cave:The revered Gupteshwor Cave is situated 2 kilometers away from the Pokhara airport. The entrance to the cave is right across from Davis fall and it is almost 3 km long. With some big hall-sized rooms and some passages, exploring the cave is also sometimes an adventure where you have to crawl on all four. This cave holds special value to the Hindus since a phallic symbol of Lord Shiva is preserved here in the same condition as when it was discovered.

After breakfast at hotel, you will be driven to Phedi where the trek begins towards Pothana. The trail ascends through forests of rhododendron, magnolia, oak, sandalwood, and pine until you reach the village called Dhampus. This is an authentic Gurung village, which gives you an opportunity to look at the magnificent views of the Annapurna ranges, as well as notable peaks like Lamjung Himal.

From Dhampus, the trail continues to ascend along a stone-paved path through more forests and mossy trees (keep an eye out for orchids). Once you get to the small village of Pothana,you’ll find a range of trekker facilities including shops, teahouses, and eateries. Relax and enjoy the magnificent mountain views.

Set out for the larger Gurung village of Ghandruk. The early part of the trek is a gradual ascent for almost an hour until you get to Deurali, which passes through lush forests with splendid views of the Annapurna ranges, Manaslu, and Mardi Himal.

Leaving Deurali, you'll begin a steep trek downwards to reach Tolkha, a beautiful ethnic Gurung village. To reach the next destination, Landruk, another ethnic village, the trail is a more gradual descent passing through terraces and few settlements.

From here, continue a steeper descent that moves downwards to the Modi Khola river. You'll cross an iron bridge leading you to a steep uphill that finally reaches Ghandruk with spectacular panoramas of the Himalayas. You'll stay overnight in this trekker hub with its many lodges, eateries, and shops to stock up on sundry items. Take some time to visit the Gurung museum, a tiny exhibit in an old traditional house made of stone slabs where you can learn about the history and the local way of life.

Leaving Ghandruk you descend to a stream and water driven mill. After short walks, you find trail junction. You follow the path to Birethanti dropping at first on a staircase, then passing through high above the river on a stone paved trail. After crossing a stream at Chane you continue to Kimche (1640m). Then you follow the ridge downhill to join the Modi Khola at Syauli Bazaar (1140m). From here the walking is flat. The path follows the river valley through a birch forest and rice terraces. Soon after you reach at Birethanti (1000m) and from it’s a 30 minutes’ walk to Nayapul. From Nayapul you take a 1-hour drive to Pokhara.

After breakfast at hotel in Pokhara, you will begin your journey to Chitwan. The route will present you superb views of lush green hills, rivers, waterfalls, and dense forests. It will take us approximately five hours to reach Chitwan. Upon reaching Chitwan we will take a short jungle excursion and get back to the hotel for the overnight stay.

The National Chitwan Park is widely acknowledged as one of the best national parks in Asia, it lies in the Terai region of southern Nepal. Diverse combination of nature is found here in Royal National Chitwan Park providing a perfect habitat of wildlife. It harbors many globally threatened species including the Royal Bengal Tiger, great one-horned Rhino, Gharial crocodile, Asian Elephant, Sloth bear, Leopard etc.

During your stay in National Chitwan Park you are going to come through various nature and cultural program such as:

Canoe Trip: You can enjoy canoe trip on either The Rapti River or The Budhi Rapti River which border the National Park. You can see two types of crocodiles, the Gharial and Mugger basking on the river bank.

Bird Watching: For the bird watchers, it is Paradise Island with over 450 species of exotic birds of domestic as well as migratory birds. Many are threatened, e.g. the Great pied hornbill, Bengal Florican, Peregrine falcon, lesser adjutant storks, etc. A bird watching trip will be a memorable experience.

Jungle Drive: A tour by four wheel drive in the less distributed areas of the park to track the rarer species. You will visit Ox-bow Lake and museum of historic interest relating to the park. However during this period we will visit 20,000 areas which afford a varied experience of birds and mammals.

Nature Walk: Our experienced naturalists will accompany you to the more specialized habitats. This is the ideal opportunity to explore and experience at closer quarters and beauty of the flora and fauna. The authority of the naturalist must be closely observed to obviate any risks from wildlife attacks.

Elephant Breeding Centre: This is the first Elephant breeding centre in Asia. You can see baby elephants socializing with their parents and other babies. This centre is government owned and its purpose is to raise the young elephants, and to train them to convey tourist around the region.

Village tour: Excursion in Tharu village will grant you an exhilarating experience. Tharus are the indigenous inhabitant of the Terai. We offer guided cultural tours to meet the people and experience their traditional self-sufficient way of life.

Cultural Program: In the evening you will get an opportunity to be a part of Tharu folk dance. The drummers and symbolic stick dancers perform traditional movements and invite guests to join them in this rhythmic display. Such cultural shows performed by Tharus will be an unforgettable experience. The Tharus in traditional colorful costumes, unique in their disparity with the common mode of dress all over Nepal, are sure to captivate you.

Elephant Bathing: Your guide will take you to the specific place where you can observe elephant bathing.

Crocodile Walk: One more option is to go for crocodile walk. It gies through grassland and forest along the bank of Rapti/Narayani river.

Today, you will depart Chitwan and fly back to Kathmandu. After your arrival in Kathmandu you will be transferred to the hotel. YOu have the afternoon and the evening to stroll along the streets of kathmandu for some last-minute shipping. In the evening, there will be organized a  Farewell dinner in a typical Nepalese restaurant with Nepali folk music and dance. 

As per your flight time you will be transferred to the airport for your flight back home or any other destinations. The airport check-in is 3 hours prior to the departure time and the hotel checkout time is 12 PM.

Or inform us if you want to stay longer for short tours such as Jungle Safari at National Parks, Mountain Biking, Rafting, a Tibet tour, a Tour to Bhutan or India Tour. We will be happy to assist you.