FAM Trips

Arrive in Kathmandu on your own. 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).  

Join the group over dinner. The restaurant also entertains the guests by Nepali folklore dancing.

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

Our first stop will be at Boudhanath Stupa - the largest Buddhist monument of Nepal. This stupa is also the holiest Buddhist temple outside Tibet. There are several live monasteries associated with different Buddhist schools. The area is primarily dominantly Tibetan due to the presence of Tibetan refugees and reminds of small Barkhor Square of Lhasa.

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 includes the 5-storied Nyatapola Temple that survived two significant 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 Ganges. The main temple sanctum is for the Hindu worships and non-Hindus are not allowed inside, but we can watch the temple and rituals here from the other 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 wraps up the rituals of the day.

The balance of the day is at leisure.

We have an early start today to avoid traffic. Today, we drive to Chitwan National Park( 100 miles, 6 hours). On the way, we stop for a cable car trip to the temple of Goddess Manakamana. Thousands of locals visit the temple with offerings and make wishes!

We should arrive at our jungle resort around mid-noon. After lunch, we embark on a game drive to the forest. Jeep safari is operated during the dry season only and may cancel due to insufficient participants. In that case, alternative elephant back safari or jungle trek will be the alternative activity. Most commonly spotted animals are one-horned rhinos, deer, wild boar, and monkeys. The rhinos were once almost extinct in the early 70s!  We will always be on the lookout for less frequently seen animals such as bears, leopards, and Bengal tigers. Although the tiger population is believed to be about 100 in the park, it's a territorial animal, and due to thick vegetation, chances of seeing one is sporadic!

In the evening, attend an informative slide show on Chitwan’s flora and fauna, history of the park and the conservation efforts, conducted by the in-house naturalist who is usually a local with the wealth of knowledge on Chitwan National Park

After breakfast at your hotel, your nature guide will take you on a boating trip down the Rapti River. We will catch sights of sunbathing crocodiles and aquatic birds such as kingfisher, storks, egrets, etc.

After lunch, we will go on elephant back safari in the park.

In the evening, enjoy the cultural program that features folklore singing and dancing by Tharu troupe. Tharus are the original inhabitants of Chitwan and are believed to have immune against Malaria! 

The activities order may change depending on the park regulations and availability of the safaris.

If you have interests in birds, you can go for an hour-long birding tour before breakfast. After breakfast, we leave for Pokhara ( 90 miles, 5 hours).

You will have time to settle into your room before you go for the exploration of local attractions.

Visit the International Mountain Museum. The museum has an impressive collection of old high-altitude mountaineering equipment and its evolution over the decades, document and chronicle the past and present development of mountaineering activities in the world in general and to preserve the saga of the momentous feats in the history of mountaineering in the Himalayan peaks in particular.

Now, visit the Bindhyabasini Temple - the center of religious activities in the old bazaar. The temple is dedicated to the Goddess Bhagawati - a manifestation of Shakti.

This morning, we will go for the sunrise tour of Sarangkot. Situated at an altitude of 1592m (5,221 ft,), Sarangkot offers spectacular sunrise and Himalayan panorama view on a bright weather morning, and it's only 30 minutes' drive away from the lakeside.

Your guide and driver will pick you up at your hotel usually one hour before sunrise time. A short hike from the parking brings you to the top of the ridge from where you will witness the magnificent sunrise and enchanting views of the Himalayan peaks and ranges of Machhapuchhre (Fish Tail), Dhaulagiri and Annapurna.

Retrace your drive back to the hotel for breakfast, and then your guide and driver will take you for sightseeing.

First, visit Lake Fewa and enjoy boating. Lake Fewa is the second largest lake of Nepal, Rara Lake in far-west Nepal being the largest one. We visit the island temple of Goddess Barahi - a beautiful two-storied temple.

Optional: Hike the Peace Stupa
We cross the lake by boat, and then we begin our hike. It takes about 2-3 hours from the lake shore to get to the top of the ridge where lies the giant World Peace Stupa, looming over the lake. On a clear weather day, we will again enjoy breath-taking views of the mountain and the valley. If you are not interested in hiking, we can go by car.

Depending on available time and your interest, we can visit other attractions of Pokhara.

A leisurely morning breakfast, we will leave for Kathmandu. It's going to be a long day drive ( six or seven hours on reasonable road condition.

If you wish, you can take a flight back to Kathmandu for an additional $135 ( airport transfers inclusive). 

You have free time in Kathmandu for your interests.

After breakfast, your guide and driver will transfer you to the airport for flight back o your next destination.