Escape to Nepal

Upon arrival at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, Luxury Travel guests will be greeted with flowers by our local attendant. From the airport he will take them to the selected hotel. After checking in and settling into your room, enjoy an afternoon city tour with a local guide from Kathmandu Tours Nepal. The first place we will take guests to is

Kathmandu Durbar Square (Basantapur Darbar Kshetra), which opens in front of the old royal palace of the Kingdom of Kathmandu and is one of three Durbar Squares in the Kathmandu Valley in Nepal, all of which are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. During the massive earthquake of 2015, many buildings in the square were severely damaged or collapsed, and its spectacular architecture, showcasing the extraordinary skills of Newari artists and craftsmen, is still being rebuilt. It is believed that the oldest royal palaces in this place were built already during the Lićchavi kingdom in the XNUMXrd century. The current palaces and temples were rebuilt many times and there are no traces left from this oldest period. However, names such as Gunapo and Gupo, which refer to palaces in the square in early scriptures, suggest that the palaces were built by Gunakamadeva, a king ruling in the late tenth century. When the city of Kathmandu gained independence under King Ratna Malla in the XNUMXth century, the palaces in the square became royal palaces for the kings of the Malla dynasty and later the Shah dynasty. Along with the palaces, the square is surrounded by courtyards and temples. The square is also known as Hanuman Dhoka Durbar Square - after the statue of Hanuman, the monkey devotee of the god Ram, standing at the entrance to the palace. The Hanuman Dhoka palace complex rises above the square - a royal residence until the XNUMXth century. Important ceremonies, such as the coronation of the Nepalese monarch, took place here. The palace is decorated with richly carved wooden windows and panels. It houses the King Tribhuwan Memorial Museum and the Mahendra Museum.

At the southern end of Durbar Square there is one of the most unique attractions in Nepal, Kumari Chok. In this gilded cage you can see Raj Kumari, a girl chosen in an ancient, mystical selection process to become the human incarnation of the Hindu mother goddess, Durga. She appears and is worshiped during religious holidays - at other times she can be seen by paying a fee to her guardians. This cult is criticized because the girl is chosen at the age of about 3 and remains closed until her first menstruation - to such an extent that her feet cannot touch the ground during this time. Until recently, this child was deprived not only of the opportunity to interact with other children, but also of education. Currently, she is assigned private teachers, and after leaving the service as an incarnation of the goddess, she receives a life pension from the government.

Guests will visit the Swayambhu Nath Stupa, which watches over the Kathmandu Valley atop a hill on its western side, just three kilometers west of the city center. The stupa is one of the most sacred Buddhist sites in Nepal. According to legend, the original lake filled the valley and a lotus bloomed in its center. Bodhisattva Manjusri saw the lake and the lotus of Swayambhu in a vision and came here to worship him. He realized that people could live in the valley and cut a gorge in Chovar through which water flowed from the lake. The lotus turned into a hill and its flower became a stupa. In the evening, guests will return to the hotel for dinner and overnight stay in Kathmandu.

After breakfast at the hotel, guests are invited to a full-day guided tour. We will visit Patan, Bhaktaphur, Bodnath and Pashupati Nath

The first place that guests will visit is Patan, also once called the Beautiful City - Lalitpur. The medieval urban layout with historic houses rising above narrow streets, Buddhist stupas dating back to the 3rd century BC, a royal palace from the 9th-17th centuries, numerous Hindu temples from the 15th-17th centuries and the so-called golden monastery founded in the 12th century. The center of Patan - Patan Durbar Square - is one of the three main squares in the Kathmandu Valley, located opposite the royal palace. Newari temples and houses rise around the square. It is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Bhaktapur Durbar Square is located in the city of Bhaktapur, located 13 km east of Kathmandu. The complex consists of four squares - Durbar Square proper, Taumadhi Square, Dattatreya Square and Ceramics Square. This entire complex, along with the surrounding palaces and temples, is called Bhaktapur Durbar Square and has been included on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The most important monuments located here are Pachpanna Jhyale Durbar - the Palace of 55 Windows, built by King Bhupatindra Malla and his son Ranjit Malla in 1754; Nyatapola temple - the largest and highest pagoda, whose five floors symbolize the five basic elements; gates - the Golden Gate leading to the courtyard of the Palace of 55 Windows, and the Lions Gate.

Then they will go to the Boudha Nath Buddhist temple towering over the horizon. It is a huge stupa located on the outskirts of Kathmandu, approximately 11 km from the city center. Boudha Nath is one of the largest spherical stupas in Nepal and the world. It lies on the ancient trade route from Tibet that leads to the Kathmandu Valley through the village of Sankhu through the Boudha Stodo to the ancient and smaller Chā-bahī stupa called the Charumati Stupa. For centuries, Tibetan traders have rested and prayed at Boudha Nath. When a wave of refugees arrived from Tibet in the 50s, many settled in the Boudhanath area. They believe that the remains of the 27th Buddha - Kassapa Buddha - are buried inside. Refugees built over 50 gompas - Tibetan monasteries - around the stupa. Since 1979, the Boudha Stupa has been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

From Boudha Nath - the holiest place in Buddhism, guests will go to the Pashupati Nath temple complex, which is the holiest pilgrimage site for Hindus in Nepal. Pashupati Nath is a famous complex of nearly 500 Hindu temples, rising on the banks of the Bagmati River about 5 kilometers northeast of Kathmandu. The temple serves as the seat of Nepal's national deity, Lord Pashupatinath, and was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1979. The complex is a vast collection of temples, ashrams, paintings and inscriptions built over the centuries along the banks of the sacred Bagmati River. The main festival at the temple is Maha Shivaratri, during which over 800 devotees visit the complex. Entrance to the most sacred, inner square is allowed only to followers of Buddhism and Hinduism living in Nepal. Other guests can visit the hundreds of other temples in the complex.

For dinner and overnight, guests return to the hotel.

After breakfast, a representative of our office will take the guests to Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, from where they will fly home.