Nepal Triangle Tour

On arrival at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, you are met by our representative and transferred to your hotel for check in and a welcome drink. After freshening up, go to Pashupatinath Temple on the banks of the Bagmati River, one of the holiest Shiva shrines, for the evening aarti with fire lamps and chanting on the ghats. The temple entrance fee is paid directly. Return to the hotel for the night.

After breakfast, spend the day at the World Heritage sites of the Kathmandu Valley. Begin at Jala Narayan Temple in Budhanilkantha, where a 5th century statue of Vishnu reclines on a bed of serpent coils in a water tank. Continue to Swayambhunath, the hilltop stupa known as the Monkey Temple, reached by 365 steps and offering views across the valley. Visit Kathmandu Durbar Square, the old royal palace complex and home of the Kumari, the Living Goddess. End the day at Boudhanath Stupa, one of the largest stupas in the world and the centre of Tibetan Buddhism in Nepal, where pilgrims and monks walk the circular kora. Monument entrance fees are paid directly.

After breakfast, drive to Pokhara along the Prithvi Highway, passing the Trishuli gorge and terraced hillsides. On the way, take the cable car, about 10 minutes each way, up to Manakamana Temple, a hilltop pilgrimage site dedicated to Goddess Bhagwati. Opened in 1997, it was Nepal's first cable car. The cable car tickets are paid directly. Continue to Pokhara, Nepal's second city and the gateway to the Annapurna range, and in the evening walk along the Lakeside market with its shops, cafés and lake view restaurants.

Drive before dawn to Sarangkot, at about 1,600 metres, for sunrise over Annapurna I, Machapuchare and Dhaulagiri, weather permitting, then return to the hotel for breakfast. In the afternoon, visit Bindabasini Temple, the oldest shrine in Pokhara, and Davis Falls, where the water plunges into a deep gorge and disappears underground. Continue to Gupteshwor Mahadev Cave, a sacred cave shrine dedicated to Shiva, and the Seti River Gorge viewpoint, where the river runs through a narrow canyon up to 30 metres deep. Finish with a boat ride on Phewa Lake to the island temple of Tal Barahi. The boat ride fee is paid directly.

After breakfast, drive south from the hills into the subtropical Terai plains of Chitwan. Check in at your jungle resort, where lunch is served. In the afternoon, take a guided walk through a traditional Tharu village to see their hand painted mud houses and farming way of life. Watch the sunset over the Rapti River, and in the evening attend a cultural show featuring the traditional Tharu stick dance.

Spend a full day in Chitwan National Park, Nepal's first national park and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, home to one horned rhinos, Bengal tigers, gharial crocodiles, elephants and more than 500 bird species. In the morning, take a canoe ride on the Rapti River to look for crocodiles and river birds, visit the Elephant Breeding Centre and set out on a guided jungle walk with a naturalist. After lunch and rest, go on an elephant or jeep safari into the sal forest and grassland in search of rhino, deer and other wildlife. The national park entry fee is included, and the charges for the type of safari chosen may vary.

After breakfast, drive back to Kathmandu through the Terai and the mid hills. On arrival, check in at the hotel. The rest of the day is free for shopping in Thamel, Kathmandu's busy market for trekking gear, thangka paintings, pashmina, singing bowls and souvenirs. A dinner at a Nepali restaurant with a cultural show can be arranged on your own.

After breakfast, the morning is free for a last visit or souvenir shopping. At the appropriate time before your flight, our representative transfers you to Tribhuvan International Airport for your onward journey, and the tour concludes.