Golden circle is designed and introduced by the LBN to provide as much of Nepal as possible in a short span of time. For those having time constraints but willing to explore more in a limited time, this trip offers the best of everything and every place you visit. Starting off in the Kathmandu Valley with the enthralling visits to some of the popular World Heritage Sites, this tour truly tantalizes you as you go on with it.
Pokhara
Drive west some 200 kilometers to the west of the Kathmandu Valley to explore Pokhara. This beautiful lake city isnever to be missed while you are here in Nepal as the natural beauty and the serenity of placid Phewa, Begnas and Rupa Lakes beckon you for an ultimate indulgence. The Fish Tail silhouette upon the Phewa Lake, beaming majestic mountain ranges, lush green scenic landscape, Devi’s Fall, Seti Gorge, Mahendra Cave, Sarangkot, paragliding and hospitable people of Pokhara will be a true souvenir in your minds when you go back home with the sweet memories.
Bandipur view from Daman Lumbini
Lumbini, historically a top priority on this tour is the most rewarding stop as you are half the way through with this trip. The birth-place of Lord Buddha, where the relics of the centuries-old Shakya Palace reflect an awe-inspiring history and where the remnants of ancient civilization take you back in time, Lumbini will no doubt leave a life-time impression on your lives. And as you step your foot on the ground where one of the most revered luminaries of the world, Buddha was once associated with, you will definitely feel the visit well worth all that efforts.
Chitwan
Drive about three hours and lose yourselves in the wilderness of Chitwan National Park. You can choose to live right into the heart of the jungle or at around the edge of the Conservation area, known as Sauraha that houses quite a few numbers of cozy accommodations. This place is usually vibrant with tourists, both domestic and international. Early next morning, you will be arranged for an elephant ride that will take you right into the core of the jungle that allows you an opportunity to see wild animals. Yes, the Bengal tigers too, if lucky enough.
Itinerary:
Day 01: As you arrive at the Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, someone from our office will pick you up and transfer you to a hotel. Rest or you can get out for a leisurely stroll in the evening after freshening up.
Day 02: After breakfast, our English speaking guide will welcome you at the hotel lobby and take you for a sight-seeing tour for the day.
- Phase 1 -You will start from the Swayambhunath Stupa (A Buddhist temple) which is some five kilometers west of the Kathmandu city center. Humorously, this temple is also called Monkey Temple because of the numbers of the monkeys in the adjoining forests.
- Phase 2 – Then you will proceed to the main attraction of the Kathmandu Valley, Durbar Square which is also a world heritage site. Beautiful carving, medieval art and temples are the main specialties of this place. There is also a “living goddess” in the vicinity. Living goddess or Kumari literally means a Virgin Girl symbolizing goddess.
- Phase 3 – As you finish the tour of the Durbar Square, depending upon the time you took to take the tour, you can either stop for lunch at a restaurant in Kathmandu or in Patan, your next venue for the day.
- Phase 4 – After the Durbar Square of Kathmandu, you will proceed to Lalitpur or more commonly known as Patan. It’s a different administrative district from Kathmandu and separated by the holy Bagmati River, some 4/5 kilometers from the Kathmandu city center. Lalitpur serves as a city of Arts coupled with vivid cultural and religious importance. The city is rich in its arts and crafts. Monuments, temples from the 16th and 17th centuries are in abundance. The city actually emits an aura of an old medieval town even now. The sculptures and crafts are notably beautiful and somewhat different from that of Kathmandu as this small city was once ruled by different rulers (Malla kings) in the past, hence the difference. Just like Kathmandu, this Durbar Square has also been enlisted in the world heritage sites. Golden temple is another site to visit while in Patan. Patan Industrial area, some 15 minutes drive from the Square offers arts and crafts as souvenirs of this humble town.
- Phase 5 – This is going to be your first day experience of the Kathmandu Valley tour with the Kathmandu and Patan cities. As you finish the tour of Patan, you will proceed back to your hotel for the night stay.
Day 03:
- Phase 1 – The next morning, you will be met by our guide at the hotel lobby and he will board you on your vehicle towards Bouddhanath to the north-east of the city center. Bouddhanath is a Buddhist temple situated in the area called Bouddha, conceived by the name of the temple itself and largely inhabited by followers of Buddhism, especially Tibetan refugees. The dome-like Stupa is popular among Buddhists and probably one of the largest in South Asia. Adjacent, you will find many stalls and shops selling antiques and precious stones as you encircle the holy Buddhist shrine.
- Phase 2 – Drive back about 20 minutes towards the greatest Hindu pilgrimage of Nepal and you will be coming face to face with the giant temple of gilded roof and a golden pinnacle of Pashupatinath. Here, you will witness some cremations taking place along the banks of the holy Bagmati River. As the Hindu customs mandate Hindus are cremated along the banks of the rivers they consider holy. Sadhus all the way from India and various parts of Nepal flock the Pashupati area. You can loiter around the premises and take pictures while people from different walk of life carry out their individual activities.
- Phase 3 – After you observe the Pashupati area you can either stop for lunch or directly head towards Bhaktapur, some 16 kilometers south east, about 40-minute drive. Bhaktapur, another world heritage site and the ancient city that still sustains old ways of the past has a lot to offer. The old style houses, squares in the neighborhood where people still carry out their social events, old sculptures and ancient monuments make this town even more worth visiting. Like the other two durbar squares in Kathmandu and Patan, Bhaktapur also has its Durbar Square where a popular Hollywood movie Little Buddha was shot. There is no limit how much time one can spend here in this town, but as you take your lunch and load your cameras with this beautiful town, it will probably be the time to bid a good-bye to this lovely town.
- Phase 4 – After wrapping up your Bhaktapur tour, now you will be heading towards Nagarkot, one of the famous hill stations of Nepal. This hilly resort, ideal and famous amid hikers and bikers, at the height of 2,300 meters and some 32 kilometers east of Kathmandu, but only 7/8 kilometers from Bhaktapur, is also a popular destination to observe sunrise and sunset especially between October and March. The place is windy throughout the year but in winter, it’s much chillier than Kathmandu valley because of its height. This hilly resort also offers a spectacular landscape full of terraced lands and typical Nepalese villages all around and a beautiful view of Lhotse, Everest, Cho Oyu, Makalu and Manaslu at the backdrop. Anyway, you will have a splendid time with those panoramic views right from your hotel windows.
Day 04
- Phase 1 – This day in particular, you will make it a point to get up early in the morning so as not to miss the rising sun which is spectacular as it rises through the peaks of the Himalayan range. You will really want to savor the moment for the rest of your life and also click some unforgettable pictures while sun is still beaming through the Majestic peaks.
- Phase 2 – After breakfast, you will proceed towards Bandipur (1030m), a small village town to the west of the Kathmandu Valley. This small historic Newari town of Bandipur is along the Highway between Pokhara and Kathmandu (about 160 kilometers from Kathmandu) and sits atop a hill. Newars from Bhaktapur of the Kathmandu Valley came two hundred years ago to settle in this once originally Magar village with their art and culture that are still reflected in their buildings, woodwork and brickwork. And this may be the only town in Nepal where vehicles are not allowed into a certain areas of the Bazaar so as to keep the environment intact.Bandipur can be an ideal sojourn especially traveling to Pokhara or Palpa via that route from Kathmandu and elsewhere. Small pagoda style Bindhebasini Temple can be observed in the middle of the bazaar. Siddha Cave, discovered only in 1987, is one of the largest of all the other caves found here in this area with religious significance. Silk thread carpets and textiles are main products of Bandipur where you can also observe a small silk farm adjacent to the bazaar.
Day 05:
- Phase 1 – After breakfast, you will be heading towards, Begnas Lake which is some forty kilometers west towards Pokhara. There are several restaurants serving Indian, authentic Nepali and continental food on the way where you can stop and take your time over lunch as the drive will be pretty smooth and unhurried as this destination is not very far from this point.
- Phase 2 – As you reach Begnas Lake you can spend the day either by boating across the lake, fishing or taking a small jaunt nearby the resort that you will stay in overnight. This place is very tranquil and ideal especially if you seek solace from the buzzing life-style. You can really lose yourselves in the environment, at least for that day and night.
Day 06: Like any other day, you will have a hearty breakfast and row your way out of the Lake resort and proceed to Pokhara. As mentioned above, this beautiful lake city will come to you as a reward as you discover more about the city. Pokhara, trying to catch up with the modern time teems with restaurants and bars, not to mention some night life. Rowing in the Phewa Lake at the edge of the city up against the morning sun is just another activity you can take. You can hire a boat on an hourly basis at a nominal price. While rowing, you can also stop to pay a visit to the temple of Talbarahi Mandir (temple of Talbarahi Goddess) which is almost in the middle of the lake.
Day 07: This day too, you will continue your journey after breakfast towards Lumbini, some 5/6 hours drive from Pokhara. The road to Lumbini from Pokhara can be quite breathtaking at times as the road winds up and down the hills and ultimately reaches to Lumbini via Butwal, a small trade center of the west. You will find some good places to stop for lunch on the way while you also indulge in the beautiful sceneries all around you. Once you reach Lumbini, you can directly check into your hotel. The next morning, you can take a tour of Lumbini and the adjacent areas. Remnants of Buddha’s palace, the pond where Buddha’s mother took bath after giving birth, Ashoka Pillar, the eternal flame and monasteries in their own respective styles built by several countries in honor of Lord Buddha are the main highlights of Lumbini. After the tour, overnight stay at the hotel.
Day 08: Early morning, depart for Chitwan National Park (932 sq. km) about 3 hours drive. This park is protected where diverse wildlife and exotic bird species are conserved and is also recognized by UNESCO as Natural Heritage Site. Safari lodges inside the park provide package programs including elephant ride, four wheel drive, guided jungle walk, canoe ride and lots of other activities. Tigers are hard to spot, but not impossible. Positively, a recent survey shows the numbers of tigers have increased due to the protection of the National Park, from 91 in 2008/9 to 212 in the Chitwan district which is quite encouraging. Overnight at Sauraha.
Day 09: This day, you can indulge in as many activities as you can choose. It entirely depends on your choice and will. Take an elephant ride and take pictures of passing wild animals. Cup your ears to the tunes of birds, or simply sit back and watch rhinos graze over meadows. Take a canoe ride and watch crocodiles up close. Or you can just lie down along the bank of Rapti River, in deep contemplation. Choice is yours. Overnight at hotel.
Day 10: Early morning you will be heading towards one more hill station, Daman. While going to Daman you will be going towards Kathmandu from a complete different route than the one you did while going to Pokhara. That’s how it makes one big circle, which we have named a Golden Circle. Daman (2400m) is an ideal place to clearly view the wide Himalayan range that encompasses peaks like the Mount Everest, Annapurna, Manaslu, Ganesh Himal, Langtang, Dorje Lakpa, Gauri Shankar, Cho Oyu etc. There is a view tower equipped with a telescope to facilitate the viewing. Overnight at the hotel in the wilderness.
Day 11: After breakfast, head towards Kathmandu, some 80 kms and about 4 hours drive. The road meanders down and uphill until you reach Kathmandu. Sceneries throughout the way are spectacular and breathtaking both. As you reach Kathmandu, you will have plenty of time left for shopping and hang-out. Overnight at hotel.
Day 12: According to your flight schedule, you will check out your hotel and be transferred to the airport to fly back home with sweet memories. End of service!
Note: If you need more time to take a rest and explore more of Kathmandu Valley, we can extend the tour by one day if that is in anyway compatible with your trip plan. Please let us know.