Buddhist Circuit Tour 10 Days

Day 01: Arrival in Kathmandu

The first view of Nepal from the window of your plane could be a lifetime memorable view as the clear wide and white range of the Himalayas shines straight in front of your eyes. The ecstatic beauty is so rare that you won’t be able to blink your eyes. Welcome to Nepal; large heaven within this small planet Earth. On your arrival at Kathmandu International Airport, one of our representatives will pick up you and escort you to the hotel as well as help you check in at the hotel. After your refreshment, you will be briefed about the next day's trip.

Day 02: Sightseeing of Swyambhu Stupa, Kapan Monastery, and Boudhanath Stupa

Today, after breakfast, you will be introduced to a tour guide who will take you sightseeing in historically and religiously important places. Your first visit will be to Swyambhu Stupa. Laying at the hilltop is one of the ancient religious complexes of Kathmandu Valley. As populated by several monkeys, the stupa is also named the Monkey Temple. Your next destination will be Kapan Monastery, which lies on the northern side of Kathmandu. Explore the biggest Stupa in the world, which resembles like Tibet with colorful outlets encircling the stupa that sell Tibetan products and Buddhist religious materials. After spending a peaceful time at Boudha Stupa, you will retrace back to the hotel for rest. Overnight at Hotel.

Day 03: Sightseeing of Pashupatinath temple (Cave of Naropa and Tilopa at Suryaghat), drive to Namobuddha and back to Dhulikhel

Meet the guide in a hotel for your today’s activities. Your first destination will be Pashupatinath Temple, which is the biggest and the holiest Hindu Shrine in Nepal devoted to Lord Shiva. Witness the Hindu cremation process at the bank of the Holy Bagmati River at Pashupatinath Temple Square and visit the sacred caves where the holiest Naropa and Tilopa spend their valuable time in meditation before traveling to Tibet.  Now, you will move to the next sacred destination Namobuddha. It is approximately 40 km away from Boudhanath Stupa and is the most important pilgrimage site for Buddhists where Lord Buddha fed Tigress and her cub cutting part of his body in his past life. Today’s visit will end with check-in at Hotel in Dhulikhel, another interesting destination. Enjoy the landscape and spend overnight at the lodge.

Day 04: Drive back to Kathmandu via sightseeing tour in Patan Durbar Square and Pharping Monastery and cave

Enjoy the sunrise view and get ready for another interesting and important pilgrimage site. The first visit will be to Patan. It is a city with fabulous art and craftsmanship. The heritage site houses so many beautifully constructed ancient monuments and sacred shrines. Explore Hiranya Varna Maha Bihara, Rudra Verna Maha Bishara, Ashokan Stupa, Achheswor Maha Bihara, temples of Macchendranath and Minnath as well as durbar square. Spending valuable time, you will drive for your next interesting destination Pharping. This is one of the most peaceful and sacred destinations where Guru Padmasambhava attained the state of enlightenment. In the late afternoon, you will retrace back to the Kathmandu hotel for refreshments and an overnight stay.

Day 05: Drive to Lumbini via a visit to Ramagrama and visit Birth Place of Siddhartha Gautam Buddha, Monasteries, and Museum

Today is the most important day as you will have a long drive to Lumbini. Driving along the highway towards low land Terai belt. On the way to Lumbini, you will visit Ramagrama, a sacred destination where one out of eight urns of Lord Buddha was placed. Circumambulate the dome hill and retrace your journey toward Lumbini. Here, you can have a short brief about the Birth Place of Siddhartha Gautam Buddha, the monasteries area, and the museum. Visit museums, monasteries built by different countries, the Mayadevi pond, the Ashokan Pillar, marker stones, and stupas of different centuries. You will end the tour with check-in at the Hotel.

Day 06: Sightseeing of Kudan, Sagrahawa, Niglihawa, Gotihawa, araurakot and Kapilvastu, twin stupa and back to Lumbini

Wake up and get ready for a whole day tour. Today, you will visit Kapilvastu, where, Lord Buddha spent his childhood as a prince. It is the palace area of King Sudodhana. You can encounter the eastern gate, western gate, ford, ponds, industrial area, twin stupas, and the central palace. Then, you will be taken to Sagrahawa, Niglihawa, Ghotihawa, arourakot, and Kudan. Niglihawa and Ghotihawa are the places where another two Ashokan Pillars lie defining the places of Kanakmuni Buddha and Kurukchanda Buddha as well. Kudan is a place where King Sudoddhana met Lord Buddha for the first time after he receives cosmic enlightenment.

Day 07: Drive to Pokhara via Palpa Tansen, Visit Peace Stupa

Today will be another interesting part of your journey. You will drive after breakfast towards Palpa. Visit Rani Mahal of Palpa, the biggest vessel “Karuwa”, and retrace your journey towards Pokhara. If time allows, you can visit Pokhara City including World Peace Pagoda, Davi’s Fall, and caves. You can spend your evening boating at Fewa Lake.

Day 08: Drive back to Kathmandu

Get ready for the drive back to Kathmandu after breakfast. On arriving in Kathmandu, you will be transferred to the hotel. In the evening, we will offer you a farewell dinner at an authentic restaurant. You can share your experience, and feedback with us and give us a chance to make your evening a wonderful time. Overnight at Hotel.

Day 09: Departure Day

Our tour officer will pick you up from your hotel three hours before your departure time. You will be escorted in a private vehicle to the airport for your final departure. Have a safe flight home.

Visa Information

All visitors are required to arrange a visa to enter Nepal. A Nepalese visa can be easily obtained upon arrival on arrival in Kathmandu at the airport or Nepalese embassy abroad. But nationals from Afghanistan, Iraq, Cameroon, Ghana, Somalia, Swaziland, Palestine, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Ethiopia, and Liberia cannot secure the Nepalese Visa upon arrival. The Visa can also be secured at the entry points at Nepalese borders. A valid passport for at least six months and a recent digital photo (size: 1.5" x 1.5") will be required and you can obtain visas for Nepal from the Nepalese Consulate in your country or upon arrival at Kathmandu Airport. Nepalese visas cost USD 25 for 15 days and USD 40 for 30 days to date.

Official Papers

Some of the required official documents are your valid passport, 4 extra passport-sized photographs (for trekking permits), travel insurance, airline tickets, and luggage tags. Visas can be obtained upon entry into Nepal.

Weather Information

The weather in the mountains is pretty difficult to predict.  Nights are generally cooler and days are warm.  Months of winter (January and February) are a bit colder but the days can be quite beautiful and warm if the sun is out. It snows during January, February, and December in the Himalayan areas.

Best time to travel

Nepal offers diversified geographical regions and so the climatic condition differs from the Himalayas to the plains. The climate varies as per the season. Nepal generally offers 4 seasons amongst which autumn and spring are the two most favorable ones for visiting Nepal. It is always wise to know about the weather and climatic condition of the place you visit. The best time to travel depends on your destination, activities, and season of travel. Our destination specialists will recommend certain travel times after learning more about your preferences. The favorable months for trekking and climbing are usually September – November, and February – April. The monsoon season is from June – August.

Physical Fitness

Even though physical fitness plays an important role in trekking you don’t have to be a super athlete or a marathon runner to trek in Nepal.  Many people of good fitness for their age can complete the trek. You can prepare yourself beforehand by doing some yoga which will prepare you for your breathing as you will be going to a higher altitude. Running or hiking on hills, or going for a long walk will also help you. And if you live in an urban area running up the stairs of a tall building will also work better in keeping you fit for trekking. Though these preparations aren’t strictly compulsory, you can do well even when the preparations you do aren’t rigorous like that of some ultra-athletic person. Do these things at a moderate pace for two months or even less.  And you are set to complete any trekking to Nepal.

Travel Insurance

Doing insurance while trekking in Nepal is not compulsory but will surely help you a lot if you do one, as it covers any comprehensive expenses possible to acquire due to medical issues or accidents. Your travel insurance must protect air ambulance, treatment charges, rescue and evacuation, product cancellation and refundable charges, flight delays, and cancellations. We suggest you bring your travel insurance certificate or send us to scan copy and it must be issued from your homeland. We do not arrange or sell insurance so you can find your local travel insurance for this.

Vaccination for Nepal

All travelers should consult with their physician or update on vaccination requirements before travel. (Your doctor or health-care provider will determine what you will need, depending on factors such as your health and immunization history, areas of the country you will be visiting, and planned activities) For traveling to Nepal; we recommend you take vaccination of Polio, Tetanus, Typhoid, Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Rabies, etc, it is not really must but recommended.

Booking Process

While you chose which trip you wanted to go with, contact us at our head office in Thamel Marg, Kathmandu Nepal by email or phone, email is a more easy and clear option, as soon as we get your email or call we will process your booking. We need a 20% booking amount to confirm your booking, the payment can be made through Bank transfer, Credit card payment (Master/Visa card), or online money transfers also Money Gram, Western Unions, or others. After we get the 20% amount we will confirm your booking and you will get the official booking and payment receipt. The final balance for the tour will be paid upon arrival in Kathmandu.

Safety Guidelines

• Do proper research about the company that you are planning to trek with and make sure they are a legally registered travel agency.
• You should be well acquainted with travel health and travel insurance before traveling.
• Have an idea about the climate, geography, temperature, and environment of Nepal before starting your trip.
• Using credit cards instead of cash is a wiser idea.
• The majority of the Nepalese people are nicer but there are a few scammers you will come meet on your way and need to avoid, for example, ‘holy men’ who will try to plant a tika (a red paste denoting a blessing) on your forehead demanding payment for it on streets.
• Be careful while buying medicinal herbs as some may be illegal for you t take home and also be aware of duplicate products.
• Never get involved in doing drugs, trafficking, and sexual relations with children as there is a strict rule for these cases, and might get yourself into a big problem.
• Take copies of your passport, visa, air ticket, and trekking permits and keep them separately from the originals.
• Prepare yourself for altitude sickness and be familiar with its symptoms so that you can follow the guidelines for safe acclimatization.

Where is Nepal?

Nepal is a landlocked country located in the Southern part of Asia sharing the border with China from the north and India from the south, east, and west. It is especially known for its multi-cultural, multi-racial, multi-linguistic, and multi-ethnic diversity in unity. It is a small country with many world's most beautiful mountain ranges, art, culture, and wildlife, no wonder it is a paradise for trekkers from all around the world. Kathmandu, the capital city of Nepal is also known for its unique culture and heritage which directly grabs the attention and takes you to the time of old civilization from the 12th century.

What is Nepal known for?     

Nepal is mostly known for Mt.Everest, the highest peak in the world. It is also known as the birthplace of Lord Buddha, who was the pioneer of the Buddhist religion. Eight of the fourteen eight-thousanders are located in the country, either in whole or shared across a border with China or India. Besides that, it is also known as a multi-ethnic, multiracial, multicultural, multi-religious, and multilingual country. Overall, Nepal is known for its hospitality as there is a saying in Sanskrit  “Atithi Debo Bhaba”. (Guest are god).

How can I obtain a Visa?

All visitors are required to arrange a visa to enter Nepal. A Nepalese visa can be easily obtained upon arrival on arrival in Kathmandu at the airport or Nepalese embassy abroad. But nationals from Afghanistan, Iraq, Cameroon, Ghana, Somalia, Swaziland, Palestine, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Ethiopia, and Liberia cannot secure the Nepalese Visa upon arrival. The Visa can also be secured at the entry point at Nepalese borders. A valid passport for at least six months, a recent digital photo (size: 1.5" x 1.5") will be required, and the following fees either in USD dollars cash or the equivalent local currency:

Is the country politically safe and stable?

Nepal is one of the newly democratic countries in the world with many active political parties, ideas, ideologies, and leaders. Now Nepal has a communist government elected with 2/3 of the majority so, now it has a fully stable government it does not affect the daily life of the residents and the tourist. Life moves on, as usual, unperturbed.

When Is The Best Time To Travel?

Nepal offers diversified geographical regions and so the climatic condition differs from the Himalayas to the plains. The climate varies as per the season. Nepal generally offers 4 seasons amongst which autumn and spring are the two most favorable ones for visiting Nepal. It is always wise to know about the weather and climatic condition of the place you visit. The best time to travel depends on your destination, activities, and season of travel. Our destination specialists will recommend certain travel times after learning more about your preferences. The favorable months for trekking and climbing are usually September – November, and February – April. The monsoon season is from June – August.

What kind of weather (how cold does it get) can we expect during trekking?

The weather in the mountains is pretty difficult to predict. Nights are generally cooler and days are warm. Months of winter (January and February) are a bit colder but the days can be quite beautiful and warm if the sun is out. It snows during January, February, and December in the Himalayan areas.

Are Vaccinations Required?

Immunizations are not required to visit Nepal. (Exception: if you are traveling from an area infected with Yellow Fever, you must have a certificate.) Depending on the season and region of travel, certain vaccinations and/ or medications are suggested and we will recommend preventative measures. We do encourage all travelers to be current on routine immunizations. Also, we recommend the vaccines for polio, Diphtheria, Tetanus, typhoid, yellow fever, hepatitis A/B, Influenza (Flu), Japanese encephalitis, and Tuberculosis. Meantime, it is better to consult your professional doctor about your travel and he/s might recommend you properly. You can also take the suggestion of local travelers who have traveled to Nepal before and know more about the required precautions. Please note that the protection that can be gained from vaccines varies from 50% to almost 100%. So remember that even if you have taken a vaccine you might still get the disease, although you will have greatly reduced your chances of getting ill.

How fit do I need to be for the trek?

You don’t have to be a super athletic person but despite the ages should be moderately fit. We recommend running, hiking to hills, and long walks as preparation.

Are ATM booths easily available?

Yes, ATM booths are easily available around the major city area where you can use both credit and debit cards. But there are only a few ATM booths on the way to your trek, so you should withdraw your cash before the trek.

What type of food to expect during the trek? 

Nepal is rich in cultural diversity. Meal habits of the Nepalese vary with ethnicity and geographical differences. Normally, the local has a habit of taking milk/black tea in the morning, before noon taking lunch after mid-day taking light snacks such as Khaja and having Dinner in the evening. The lunch and dinner comprise Dhido (short of porridge), Dal, Bhat, Tarkari, and Achar (Lentil, Rice, Curry, and Pickles). However, you can have a choice of Indian/Continental/Italian/ Chinese food even in some trekking regions.

Is the drinking water safe while trekking? 

Drinking water should be treated by boiling and water purification by medicine or with filtered. We suggest carrying a water purifier while trekking to be on the safe side.

Is there any tourist police in Nepal?

Of course, there is a tourist police located near the Nepal Tourism Development Board's Office. Also, there are complaint counters at the airport, Basantapur Durbar Square, Thamel, and so many other places. Tourist police are specially trained in English and have detailed local knowledge to assist tourists. For security and travel-related assistance, you can reach any of the officers by telephone at 4-247041, 4-4268969 from 11 am to 5 pm.

Is Nepal safe? Is a woman traveling alone safe with your company?

Nepal is safe for travelers. Firstly, Nepal is considered one of the most peaceful countries in the world (chances are it's safer here than in your home country). Secondly, while you're on one of our trips, we take personal responsibility for your well-being, a responsibility we commit very seriously.

What about Time in Nepal?

Nepal is +5 hours 45 minutes ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT: +0545). For example, when it is noon in Kathmandu, the standard time in London is 6.15 am, 4.15 am in Sydney, 1.15 am in New York, and 10.15 pm the previous night in San Francisco. The strange 15-minute difference is said to be a reflection of the exact time at the summit of Mt. Gaurishankar.

Travel Insurance

Doing insurance while trekking in Nepal is not compulsory but will surely help you a lot if you do one, as it covers any comprehensive expenses possible to acquire due to medical issues or accidents. Your travel insurance must protect air ambulance, treatment charges, rescue and evacuation, product cancellation and refundable charges, flight delays, and cancellations. We suggest you bring your travel insurance certificate or send us to scan copy and it must be issued from your homeland. We do not arrange or sell insurance so we suggest you do some research on the company and do the travel insurance.