Ethnic Experience Tour

Itinerary

• 01Namaste, welcome to Nepal Your arrival at Kathmandu airport where you will be met by an AIT representative and transfer to your hotel. In the late afternoon, your driver will take you to our office for a briefing.
  
  Meals: ****
  
• 02Sightseeing of Kathmandu & food safari Culture and food are on the program today! Cuisine is culture; it is part of the customs, history and traditions of a people. You will alternate between visits to monuments, local markets and sampling the favorite snacks of local people.
  
  Today, a guide who will introduce you not only to the history of the monuments but also the city’s past will accompany you.
  
  Visit Pashupatinath Temple, the most important Hindu temple in Nepal consecrated to Lord Shiva. The original core dates back to the 6th century AD and is known for its architecture in the shape of a pagoda. This place, also known as Little Benares, is located along the Bagmati River; here every day funeral ceremonies take place with the corpses being burned on pyres before the scattering of the ashes on the Bagmati River.
  Afterwards visit the huge Boudhanath Stupa, the most important Buddhist cultural center in Kathmandu since numerous refugees from Tibet have stopped there, creating more than 50 Gompas (Tibetan monasteries). Since 1979, Boudhanath has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
  
  In the afternoon, visit another important Buddhist center, the stupa of Swayambhunath, known as the monkey temple because of the high number of monkeys living inside. This ancient religious complex is located atop a hill to the west in the Kathmandu Valley, and from here there are beautiful views of the city and the valley that surrounds it.
  
  Meals: Breakfast
  
  
• 03Pokhara, the city of lakes Depart by car for Pokhara (around 6 hours) crossing the valley traversed by the Trisuli River. The valley of Pokhara is one of the most picturesque places in Nepal, and its beauty is enhanced by the enchanting lakes that originate from Annapurna.
  
  Visit Devi’s fall, a waterfall about 150 meters long, but part flows in an underground tunnel. After forming the waterfall and passing through the tunnel, the water flows into an adjacent cave, the Gupteshwor Mahadev . The cave is accessed by walking down an impressive flight of steps that is decorated with statues of Hindu gods, particularly Lord Ganesh who is the God who brings good luck. You will meet many Hindu worshippers who visit the cave, as it houses a shrine with a rock shaped by water and time that represents Lord Shiva.
  
  At sunset, go for a walk on the shores of Lake Phewa, the lakeside atmosphere is able to inspire inner peace and serenity. The reflections and colors of the many wooden boats moored along Its shores produce a distinctive ambience.You can take a boat and visit the Vahar Mandir temple, which is located on an island in the middle of the lake. This temple is the most revered in the city.
  
  Meals: Breakfast
  
• 04Boat ride to Shanti Stupa & trek to Bhumdi (1520 m) We begin with a boat ride across Phewa Lake to reach the starting point of the trek. The trail climbs a short distance to the Shanti Stupa (also known as the Peace Pagoda), built in 1973 by a group of Japanese Buddhists. Continuing from the Shanti Stupa, the trail takes us down through the forest and then steeply up and through the village of Lukum Swara. Most of the inhabitants of this area are ethnic Gurung and Brahman, and we will have the opportunity to observe their rural lifestyle. Today's excursion ends at Bumdi village.
  
  4 hours walk
  
  Overnight stay: homestay
  Meals: breakfast- lunch & dinner
• 05 Trek from Bhumdi to Panchase Bhanjyang (2030m) Trekking through lush forests with beautiful views of Mount Machhapuchhre (6993m), Annapurna range, Hiunchuli (6441m) on our way to Panchase Bhanjyang. We pass Chisapani, Thame Danda and several other small villages as we cross several small streams to reach our destination. We make a steep climb to reach Panchase Bhanjyang. 
  
  5 hours walk
  
  Overnight stay: homestay
  Meals: breakfast- lunch & dinner
• 06 Trek from Panchase Bhanjyang to Chitre (1400m) We walk uphill through dense forests to the top of Panchase Ridge (2517m), which is the highest point of our trek. From the top of the ridge, we can agape the spectacular view of the Annapurna range, the Dhaulagiri range and Mount Machhapuchhre (6993m) along with the Pokhara Valley and Kusma Bazaar. We then descend to Chitre. 
  
  5 hours walk
  
  Overnight stay: homestay
  Meals: breakfast- lunch & dinner
• 07Trek from Chitre to Nayapul (1070 m) & return to Pokhara For the last day of our trek in this area, we leave Chitre through alpine forests, reaching the small village of Thamarjung where we will have lunch. Enjoying the beautiful view of Mount Machhapuchhre (6993m), the Annapurna range and the Dhaulagiri range, we will hike for a couple of hours to reach Nayapul. From Nayapul, a car will drive us to Pokhara (1 hour).
  
  4 hours walk
  
  Meals: Breakfast
• 08Drive to Chitwan National Park Depart for Chitwan, in southern Nepal, close to India (6 hours). Visit the village of the Tharu people. The Tharu are an indigenous people of the Terai. They have a distinct architectural style and they make only buildings from the natural materials found in the region: thatch, wood and mud. Although to this day most Tharu people are Hindus, some vestiges of their tribal religion are still present.
  
  Enjoy the Tharu Stick Dance, a melodious tribal dance performed by men and women to the rhythm of Drums and sticks to keep rhinos and wild animals away from their farms.
  
  Meals: Breakfast - lunch & dinner
  
• 09Canoe & Safari We leave for a canoe ride. This is the best way to discover crocodiles on the edge of the river. It is also a relaxing way to observe the different species of birds, as well as the wildlife that come to the river banks to drink water. More than 450 species of exotic birds are present and make Chitwan an uncountable place for bird watching in Asia. Our experienced guides will take you to the best points in the park.
  
  Off the canoe we will venture, by jeep, into the tropical forest for a unique view of the Chitwan jungle that is home to at least 43 species of mammals and 45 species of amphibians and reptiles. Elephants and Indian rhinos are the largest species found in the park, but there are also other herbivores, gaur, sambar, the chital deer, porcupine deer, Sumatran sirau, quadricorn antelope and wild boar. These animals are hunted by three large predators, leopards, wild dogs, and tigers and by carrion eaters such as striped hyenas.
  
  We ask you to absolutely avoid elephant back rides, which represent real mistreatment of these extraordinary animals.
  
  Late afternoon, rather than visiting the Elephant Breeding Center, a center owned by the state where elephants, kept on the chain, are bred and trained to work, we will take you to the NGO Stand Up for Elephants. SU4E aims to improve the lives of captive elephants in Nepal and help their mahouts within the community in which they work.
  
  Meals: Breakfast - lunch & dinner
  
• 10Drive to Kathmandu We will return to Kathmandu by car and the rest of the day will be at leisure for final shopping.
  
  Options: If you want to do more than taste Nepali food, you can participate in a cooking course classes by an NGO who will prepare traditional Nepalese dishes and at the same time fund the training of women in the hospitality industry.
  For fair shopping, we can recommend some places where women make all products here in Nepal and all profits are reinvested in women’s community projects.
  
  Meals: Breakfast
  
• 11Bhaktapur – Patan. Drive to Bhaktapur, an ancient Newari city located east of the Kathmandu Valley. It was founded in the 12th century by the Malla dynasty and, from the 16th century, it became an important transit center for caravans on the route between India and Tibet. Today, the site has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Magnificent is the Durbar Square where the 55- window palace is located. The whole historical part is in the Newari style and is dotted with several pagoda temples. For film lovers, Bakhtapur was one of the
  main locations for the film Bernardo Bertolucci’s film “Little Buddha” with Keanu Reeves. You will find the streets and temples seen in the film.
  
  Patan is also an ancient capital of Nepal. If today it was more or less swallowed by its neighbor Kathmandu, it was, a few centuries ago, a royal city where the Buddhist teaching was particularly important. From an architectural point of view, the city really preserves a particular atmosphere, with many temples and statues quite impressive.
  
  Meals: Breakfast.
  
• 12Goodbye Transfer to the airport and end of our services.
  
  Meals: Breakfast