Highlights of India Nepal

We drive to Jaipur through the authentic villages. Before we reach Jaipur, we visit Amer Fort, a first time introduction for you to Rajput architecture. Overnight hotel in Jaipur.

Before, we set out for Agra , we will take sightseeing tours in Jaipur: Jaipur is the capital city of Rajasthan and is also famous by the name “Pink City” because of the pink sandstone of which city wall and palaces and most of the houses have been built. You would love to visit the Wind Palace or Hawa Mahal. Queens would watch the street life down through the checkered windows of the palace in olden times. Visit the observatory, a curious collection of sculptures but in fact, each construction has specific purpose, such as measuring the positions of stars, altitudes, calculating and forecasting the eclipses. You will also visit the City Palace where still resides the present Maharaja of Jaipur. The palace houses a museum, which has collection of art, carpets, enamel ware, costumes and textiles of former Maharajas, weapons etc. In the afternoon, we drive to Agra and overnight hotel

After breakfast, we set out for day’s cultural excursion. You might have been already excited to see Taj Mahal- one of the world’s 7 wonders. Taj Mahal is so beautiful that no poets can describe its beauty with words. You can just feel it. Emperor Shahanjanha of 17th century built this tomb to cherish the memory of his beloved wife- Mumtaj Mahal. There after you will visit the Agra Fort, Sikandara etc. Overnight hotel in Agra.

Today we have to set out early for a long drive to Khajuraho. We have a stop for the lunch at Orcha, a well-preserved city on an island in Betwa River. We will also visit there the Orcha Fort and some temples. Again we board on bus for a long drive to Khajuraho. Overnight hotel in Khajuraho.

For many centuries, a small village in central India. In 1838 a British Engineer, Captain T.S. Burt, visited the area and discovered an amazing and extraordinary group of temples built between the 10th and 14th centuries. There is a belief that there were 80 temples built in and around Khajuraho, out of which only 20 exist today in fairly good repair. According to the text, the temple symbolizes the universe and must be built to face the four cardinal directions. Several theories have been laid to explain why the artists have decorated the temples with such erotic figures. One of them is that the explicit scenes of lovemaking and rather acrobatic type of sexual positions were a form teaching, a way to train people in the art of love as specified in the famous Kama Sutra texts. Overnight hotel in Khajuraho.

Allahabad is situated at the confluence of India’s three holy rivers namely- Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati. However, Saraswati is a Mystic River and invisible. Allahabad is the place where, Bramha-the creator of the universe has himself performed a sacrifice here. This is also the hometown of Nehru- the first pri-minister of independent India. If time permits, you can still visit his residence- The Ananda Bhawan. Overnight hotel.

Today, we will drive to the “eternal city” of India- Varanasi or Benaras. This is one of the most celebrated pilgrimage sites of India. Situated on the banks of the Ganges, Varanasi has been the center of learning Hindu religion and civilization for over 2000 years. Along the banks of Ganges, you will find several ghats for bathing proposes. You can also see the dead bodies being cremated on the bank. You will visit the Golden Temple, the great mosque of Aurangzeb, Durga Temple etc. Overnight hotel.

In the morning you visit the Ghats on wooden boats for an hour. Then you will have a long drive to India- Nepal boarder called Sunauli. After some immigration formalities, we drive further two kilometers to Bhairahawa. Overnight hotel.

In the morning, we visit the site of Lord Buddha’s birthplace- Lumbini. The sacred spot is marked with a pillar by Emperor Ahoka (259 BC). There are ruins of monasteries, some newly built Stupas and temples to see around. Then you will drive to Chitwan National Park. In the afternoon, you will take an elephant back safari in the wilderness of Chitwan Park. Dinner and overnight in bungalow or tent.

This morning, you will go for a short bird watching tour in the forest of Chitwan Park. Then you will proceed onwards to Kathmandu. You will drive along the Trishuli River gradually gaining the altitudes from 150 of Chitwan till 1300m of Kathmandu Valley, through the roadside Bazaars, terraced fields and steep hills in the right Overnight hotel in Kathmandu.

Today after the breakfast, you will go for cultural excursion of the valley. You will visit Pashupatinath Temple on the bank of sacred Bagmati River where you can see cremation going almost 24 hours a day, Bodhnath Stupa- the biggest stupa in the world, Swayambhunath Stupa which is 2000 years old and Kathmandu Durbar Square area where you will visit the medieval Malla Palace, Kumari Temple (The temple of Living Goddess of Nepal), Kasthamandap Temple and Freak Street- a paradise of the hippies in the 60s and 70s. Overnight hotel in Kathmandu.

After breakfast, we drive to Bhaktapur, one of the three independent principalities of medieval Kathmandu valley. Bhaktapur is the youngest and the smallest, but has preserved its ancient look and originality. The “Golden Gate” at the entrance of famous Palace of 55 Windows is the masterpiece metal work in the valley. There is a five-storied temple Nyatapola, which remained undamaged even on the devastating earthquake of 1936. You would love to see intricate woodcarvings in the windows, balcony and doors in the houses and monastic complex. After the tour of Bhakatapur, you will drive to Nagarkot at 2000m. Overnight hotel in Nagarkot.

In the morning you will be amazed to see the romantic sunrise view over the Himalayas. A wide range of majestic Himalayas from Mt. Everest to Langtang is right at your front. Then you will drive to another Malla principality of Medieval Kathmandu Valley. You will visit the main courtyard of the palace, visit the Golden Temple-a Buddhist monastery, Krishna Temple and many more. You can visit Patan Industrial State to see the arts and crafts of Patan. You would also love to see how Tibetan women weave exotic carpets with their skillful hands at Tibetan Refugee Camp. Then you will drive back to Kathmandu. Overnight hotel.

Note: Instead of Chitwan National Park, you can go to Pokhara form Lumbini on day 10. At Pokhara, you will have splendid view of Annapurna massif and Fish Tail. Besides