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Kathmandu Valley Tour


4 days 3 nights

Code NP-KV3

Category Nepal Classic Tours

  • Group Size 2-16
  • Difficulty Level 1
  • Rating Popular
  • Highest Altitude 4297 ft.
  • Trip Starts From Kathmandu
  • Trip Ends At Kathmandu
  • Type Classic Circuits
  • Season This trip can be taken throughout the year
  • Destination Kathmandu Bhaktapur Patan
Dates & Prices
Please, contact us for the price and the dates for this trip

Overview

You are already in India or Tibet or Bhutan and have only a few days to spare and want to get the feel of Nepal quickly? Then this is the trip for you. Kathmandu, the capital city of Nepal, is only 50 minutes by flight from Bhutan, 1 hour 15 minutes from Delhi and 1 hour 3 minutes from Lhasa, Tibet.

Kathmandu valley contains three cities - Kathmandu, Patan, and Bhaktapur. In the medieval time, these cities used to be independent principalities, ruled by Malla kings. These kings not only maintained the rivalry and fought fierce battles but also competed in arts and architecture that we can witness in the palaces, temples, and monasteries of the three cities.

In this trip, you will visit the Durbar Squares with the former palaces and clustered temples with intricate wood carving and stone sculptures, watch the Hindu and Buddhist rituals and rites in the temples and monasteries, see the artisans at work, walk through the narrow lanes between the private dwellings and visit the traditional markets.

Detailed Itinerary

Day 01~Arrive in Kathmandu

You can obtain a Nepal visa upon arrival. Bring one passport picture and US$ 25 cash to pay in visa fee. After clearing immigration and custom, meet your guide and driver at the arrival gate.

After introductions, your guide and driver will transfer you to your hotel in the city (35 minutes). After wash up and change, with your guide and driver, proceed for sightseeing. 

First, visit Swayambhunath Stupa - the 2000-year-old Buddhist monument situated atop a hillock on the western fringe of the city. The monument is associated with the evolution of the Kathmandu valley. The monument complex includes the stupa, an array of small shrines, temples, and monasteries. Swayambhunath is a popular pilgrimage destination for Buddhist as well as Hindu followers, and we will have an opportunity to watch the rituals performed by them.

The stupa complex also offers a panoramic view of the valley and perhaps Himalayan mountains on a clear weather day.

From here, we descend and drive to the Kathmandu Durbar Square in the heart of the city. Several of the temples and palace complex here are devastated by the last earthquake, but we are still able to see many other structures here. We will visit the Kumari House, among other temples. The house has rich wood carving at its door, windows, and balconies but more importantly, this is the residence of Kumari - the living goddess of Nepal! We will request for the glimpse of the goddess who briefly appears in the balcony for the audience if she is available.

We will take leisurely walk through the streets of Indrachowk and Ason -the traditional business hub and end up in Thamel - the popular tourist destination for budget accommodations, restaurants, and handicraft stores.

In the evening, you are invited to a Nepali welcome dinner in a typical Nepali restaurant. The restaurant also entertains the guests by Nepali folklore dancing.

Overnight at the hotel.

Meals : Dinner
Day 02~Visit Boudhanath Stupa, Bhaktapur City and Pashupatinath Temple

After breakfast, meet your guide at your hotel lobby and proceed for sightseeing.

Our first stop will be at Boudhanath Stupa, which is the largest Buddhist monument of Nepal. This stupa is also the holiest Buddhist temple outside Tibet. There are several active monasteries associated with different Buddhist schools. Tibetan refugees primarily dominate the area and remind of small Barkhor Square.

Next, we proceed to Bhaktapur, about 10 miles northeast of Kathmandu. Bhaktapur is the smallest of the three medieval principalities but the best-preserved one. With stone-paved streets, medieval-looking houses and temples, the city look like an open-air museum. We visit the durbar square with the former palace complex. Other attractions of Bhaktapur include the 5-storied Nyatapola Temple that survived two large earthquakes, Duttratray square with Duttratray Temple and Pujarimath Complex. Stroll through the narrow cobbled lanes between the private dwellings and also visit the potter's square. We stop by the workshops of local carvers and painters and appreciate their skills of generations-old arts.

Our final stop of the day will be at Pashupatinath Temple - the holiest Hindu temple of Nepal. The temple lies by the sacred Bagmati River - one of the tributaries of the holy Ganges. The main temple sanctum is reserved for the Hindu worships and non-Hindus are not allowed inside, but we can watch the temple and rituals here from another side of the river. The river also has some pyres for Hindu cremation services. If we wait till late, we can watch the Hindu arati ceremony with oil lamps that wrap up the rituals of the day.

Overnight at hotel in Kathmandu.

Meals : Breakfast
Day 03~Visit Patan and Godavari Botanical Garden

After breakfast, off to Patan - officially Lalitpur, this means the city of Arts and Crafts! Like Kathmandu and Bhaktapur - Patan also has a durbar square with the former palace and an array of temples. Both the palace and the temples exhibit here the most exquisite wood carving on its struts, plinths, and balconies!

We stroll through the stone-paved alleys with arts and craft workshops and traditional shops lined up on either side. Visit the Golden Temple - a Buddhist monastery of Newari Buddhist and 5-storied Kumbheswara Temple, among others.

From here, we travel about 2.5 half miles south to visit Godavari - the green and natural part of the valley. The road passes through Harisiddhi - a traditional Newari town. Time permitting, we will stop here and visit Balkumari Temple. Beyond the city, the way becomes quieter as it climbs up ending at the Godavari. We visit the Botanical Garden, the temple at Naudhara, and the shrine of Bishanku Narayan, hidden in a gorgeously rural side-valley. 

From here, we retrace our drive to the hotel in the city.

Overnight at the hotel.

Meals : Breakfast
Day 04~Depart Kathmandu

After breakfast, check out of the hotel. Your guide and driver will transfer you to the airport in time for a flight to your next destination.

 

Meals : Breakfast

Trip Map

Trip Info

Trip Includes

  • Accommodation on double occupancy basis.
  • One welcome dinner and three breakfasts at your hotel.
  • English speaking local tour guide.
  • Private air-conditioned vehicle with driver.
  • Sightseeing admission tickets.

Trip Does Not Include

  • Drinks, tipping, laundry, phone, and other expenses of personal nature.
  • Nepal visa ($25).
  • Airfares.
  • Extra expenses due to nature and unforeseen events.
  • Travel insurance.

Passport & Visa

Make sure, remaining validity of your passport is minimum six months when you return from the trip. And that you also have minimum one blank visa page for Nepal visa sticker. You also need some space for arrival and departure seals.

You can obtain a Nepal visa from any Nepali embassy or consulates abroad or wait until you arrive at Kathmandu airport. If you plan to obtain Nepal visa upon arrival, please, bring one passport picture and US$ 25 cash to pay in visa fee. They do not accept other forms of payments.

Trip Difficulty Level, Road, and Transport

This is motor vehicle based cultural sightseeing. Anyone with a normal health condition can take this trip. We do not have any risk of altitude on this trip. Sightseeing involves some walking and climbing the stairways. We provide well-conditioned vehicles: Sedan car or SUVs or vans, depending on the group size.

Accommodations

We provide a choice of accommodations from 3-star in the budget category, 4-star in the first class, and 5-star in the deluxe category. You will have a private bathroom with running hot and cold water.

Meals.

The tour cost includes daily breakfast at your hotel and one welcome dinner in a typical Nepali restaurant. All the hotels do have onsite restaurants and also a few in walking distance. Please, budget $10-15 for a meal, depending on the choice of your restaurant.

Guides

Our guides are college-educated locals, proficient in English, and trained and licensed by local tourism authorities. Most importantly, they are friendly and committed to delivering the best services. Guide and driver is not the same person.

Best time for this trip

You can undertake this trip throughout the year, but October and November are the best months when temperatures are mild, skies are clear, and we have clear visibility. The second best season is from March through early May. Temperatures are still mild, and we have rhododendrons and other wildflowers in bloom during this season.

Booking

US$ 300 is requested, along with a completed booking form. You can put the deposit on your credit card or send a check. Balance payment is due 90 days before the arrival date. Balance payment on credit card attracts an additional 3.5% fee. If you book the trip within 90 days before the arrival date, we request full payment at the time of booking.

Cancellation and refund

We must receive a cancellation request in written form. A cancellation fee of the land cost will be as below.

  • Ninety days prior departure: Administrative fee US$ 150 per person.
  • Sixty-Eighty-nine day's prior departure: US$ 250 or 25% of the land cost whichever is higher.
  • Forty-five days to Fifty-nine days prior departure: US$ 450 or 50% of the land cost whichever is higher.
  • Thirty days to Forty-four days prior departure: US$ 600 or 75% of the land cost whichever is higher.
  • Less than Thirty days: 100%.

Accomodation

holy himalayaA: Holy Himalaya or similar 2*

maya manorB: Maya Manor Boutique Hotel*

yaknyetiC: Yak & Yeti Hotel  5*

Add Ons

Everest View Flight

US$ 215

Mountain Flight

Buddha Air and other major domestic airlines of Nepal operate one hour daily mountain flight over the Himalayas - a wonderful opportunity to view Mount Everest and other majestic peaks without venturing into a laborious trekking. Of the fourteen peaks higher than 8000 meters, eight are in Nepal. Although there is no denying that walking up and down the hills for a close up view of the Himalaya is very much worth the effort, this we have to confess is not for everyone, due to the physical and time requirements. Buddha Air’s Everest Experience is meant especially for those who don’t want to leave Nepal without touching the sacred and majestic Himalaya. To get the best of the weather conditions in the mountains where strong winds start blowing gathering clouds and raising snow plumes which block the view as the day progresses ahead, mountain flights take place early in the morning. Mountain flight is something you don’t want to miss while you are traveling in Nepal.

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 1 612 869 8502

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