9 Day Highlights of Nepal

Our 9-day tour offers a carefully selected tableau that highlights the very best of Nepal. We will see and experience the wide diversity of cultural and scenic attractions that makes our country so special. From the teeming bustling markets in Kathmandu to the tranquil beauty of lakeside Pokhara, from a gritty jungle wildlife safari in Chitwan National Park to a visit with Tibetan artisans in Patan, our adventures will produce memories that will last our lifetime. In addition, there is an option at the start of the second day to take an early morning mountain flight that will afford breathtaking views of the snow-capped Himalayan mountains including a close pass over Mount Everest.

Kathmandu offers an exotic mix of visual images, sounds, and smells. It is a city of teeming markets, narrow alleys and numerous religious shrines and monuments. Our guides know Kathmandu well and will lead us to the very best attractions and vantage points this city offers. The cacophony of sounds and images may at times overwhelm but invariably the visitor will become enthralled. Especially as we wind through the narrow streets, hearing the tinkling of bells and the bartering of merchants and their customers, it will be easy to think we have traveled back by time machine to an earlier era.

Pokhara is Nepal’s second-largest city though at times it is easy to forget one is in a city at all. Nestled around a tranquil lake and surrounded by the mighty peaks of the Annapurna range of the Himalayan Mountains, numerous options abound for outdoor adventures (including canoeing, sailing, paragliding, zip flying or plain quiet contemplation.

Ensconced in our comfortable private van, we will travel on a winding highway between these two cities, we will feel the sense of the quiet rhythm of rural life as we pass through small villages, delighting all the while in the continuous views of lush vegetation and rushing rivers.

Chitwan National Park is a national treasure that many tourists often overlook. Its grounds offer refuge to several hundred species of birds. We will walk on certain trails and paddle in canoes to observe the diffuse wildlife. If we are fortunate, we will see the rare freshwater (river) Gangetic dolphin. No trip to Chitwan is complete without a visit to the renowned elephant breeding and wildlife rehabilitation center.

Visiting a Tibetan Refugee Centre in Patan (Nepal’s third-largest city) will allow us the opportunity to meet Tibetan artisans and purchase a variety of authentic handicrafts and highly sought-after hand-woven carpets directly from the artisans who make them.

No visit to Nepal would be complete without time to contemplate and better understand the rich mosaic of religious shrines that reflect the blending of Buddhist and Hindu heritage.  During our journey, we will visit the UNESCO World Heritage recognized Kathmandu Valley and learns about the fusion of religion and culture that helps make Nepal so special.