The Forgotten Indigenous People Trail

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: ****
  
• 02 Sightseeing 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
  
• 03Departure for Dhunge 5 hours Depart by car for Dhunghe via Mudhe. We will stay, for a while, on the famous Friendship Highway that directly connects Kathmandu to Lhasa, the capital of Tibet.
  
  Overnight stay: Homestay
  Meals: breakfast - lunch & dinner
  
• 04Trek to Thulo Sailing & Khola Kharka 4 hours (3126 m) Start the trek from Dhunge Bazaar, it is quite steep in the dense forest. This dense forest is colored from February to May during rhododendron bloom. As soon as you leave the forest, you reach a huge pasture with several small hills. The village of Khola kharka is located nearby.
  
  Overnight stay: Homestay
  Meals: breakfast - lunch & dinner
  
• 05Trek to Surkey 5 hours (1850 m) Early in the morning, we hike to Thulo Sailung to watch the sunrise over the Himalayas. As we return to the lodge, we will explore Gaurighat Cave, Buddha's Gate and Godavari Cave. During the July/August full moon, locals celebrate the annual shaman festival in which more than a hundred shamans from the villages participate. After breakfast, we follow a downhill trail over farms, rhododendron forests, Sherpa and Dalit villages, also visit the Buddhist monastery at Raj Veer and view the beautiful waterfall before reaching Surkey, a Newari village.
  
  Overnight stay: Homestay
  Meals: breakfast - lunch & dinner
  
• 06Trek to Doramba 4 hours (2054 m) The trek begins just after finishing a delicious, organic mountain breakfast and then descends on foot over farmland, forest and villages. The trail to Doramba passes through Tinghare and the village of Deurali. In the evening, we will witness the traditional musical performance of the Tamang people and also the prayer of the monks.
  
  Overnight stay: Homestay
  Meals: breakfast - lunch & dinner
  
• 07Trek to Galba & Khanda Devi 5 hours (1986 m) Today, we begin our journey by ascending to a Hindu shrine from where we can have a beautiful view of the mountains and hills of the Mahabharata below. We continue downhill through a local slate mine and a forested area to Galpa Bazaar. Once we reach Khanda Devi, we go to visit the Temple located at the top à 1985 m surrounded by Mani walls. The temple is dedicated to the goddess Khanda Dev.
  
  Overnight stay: Homestay
  Meals: breakfast - lunch & dinner
  
• 08Trek to Dongme 4 hours (1980 m) Today, we trek to Hiledevi / Dongme through a densely forested trail filled with pine trees, where we may encounter various birds and animals and the massive rock that is adorned with an image of Lord Shiva, before arriving at the Yolmo village of Dongme.
  
  Overnight stay: Tea House or Homestay
  Meals: breakfast - lunch & dinner
  
• 09Trek to Lubughat 4 hours (820 m) We trek early in the morning via the recently renovated eco-trail to the top of Sunapati Hill to enjoy the sunrise view. Then, we descend to Lubughat village located on the bank of the Sun Koshi River.
  
  Overnight stay: Homestay
  Meals: breakfast - lunch & dinner
  
• 10Trek to Nepalthok and drive to Dhulikhel (1.30 hour) We walk for 45 minutes through the valley to reach Nepalthok where our car will wait for us to drop us at Dhulikhel ,also called "Queen of the Hills." Dhulikhel is an authentic Newari town, with a traditional square overlooked by several temples and a life beyond the tourist vocation. The old part of town is worth exploring. The main square is dominated by a three-roofed Hari Siddhi Temple and a three-tiered Vishnu Temple in front of which are two statues of Garuda in devotional posture, made in different heights and styles. To the northwest of the square stand the modern Gita Temple and Bhagwati Temple, a three-tiered Newari-style building.
  
  Meals : Breakfast
  
• 11Drive to Kathmandu & fly to Pokhara Drive to Kathmandu's airport and fly to the city of lakes.
  
  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
  
• 12Visit of Pokhara Depart at dawn for Sarangkot to see the sunrise over the Himalayas.
  
  Pokhara’s proximity to the Tibetan Plateau has made the city a place of refuge for numerous Tibetans who have come from the neighboring province. A district, located not far from the center, was built to accommodate them under the best conditions. Most of these people make a living from handicrafts such as weaving sheep wool carpet or carving religious objects. Another point of interest will be to visit one of the monasteries dedicated to Buddhist monks.
  
  Visit the Mountain Museum, which tells the history of the climbing of the main Himalayan peaks, from Everest to K2.
  
  At sunset, visit the Shanti Pagoda ( Stupa of Peace).The white stupa, of considerable size, was built by Buddhist monks. The temple is situated on the top of the hill that offers spectacular views of the Annapurna range, the city of Pokhara and Lake Phewa. Return to Pokhara and the rest of the day will be free.
  
  Meals: Breakfast
  
• 13 Bandipur Drive to Bandipur, an ancient Newari town perched on the hills of the Himalayas. It is a mixture of history, architecture, incredible views, impressive caves and unspoiled landscapes. From here, we have a panoramic view of the Annapurna range, up to the peaks of Dhaulagiri, Manaslu and Langtang.
  
  Meals: Breakfast.
  
• 14Drive to Kathmandu Bandipur is an open-air museum of Newari culture, a beautifully preserved village. Its winding streets. The winding streets are lined with traditional Newari houses. After the visit of this small wonder, drive to Kathmandu and spend the rest of the day at your leisure.
  
  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
  
  
  
• 15Goodbye Transfer to the airport and end of our services.
  
  Meals: Breakfast