A homestay tour is arguably the most pleasant and efficient way into a culture and tradition at subtle to a tangible level. It’s an affectionate way into people’s hearts from a different country, different culture. Unless we closely know them without any reservation in our hearts, we sort of always have an uncanny alien feeling towards the people of another nation. In fact, we are the same at the deepest level of our being. We all seek love, respect, and peace. The homestay tour will help you discover this at cultural as well as individual level. What’s more, the people of Nepal are well-known for their simplicity, kindness, cheerfulness, and gratitude.
The homestay will be your souvenir for a lifetime. In addition to it, you will also have a monastery stay. Nothing can be more beautiful, spiritual, and aesthetic during a tour like this. It is the closest way you can participate and peek into Buddhist spiritual and religious practices and rituals. You will follow their schedule as long as you stay.
Besides this, the purpose of this tour is to discover and learn the country’s historical, religious, cultural, and wider social aspects. It’s all fun. It’s all awe. Your tour will begin with a welcome dinner in a Magar family in Kapan, Kathmandu. Thereafter, the next day and the following, you will visit several historical and cultural monuments and sites inside as well as outside the valley. Swoyambhunath stupa, Boudhanath stupa, Pashupatinath temple, and Changunarayan temple are some of the major temples and stupas inside the valley. Besides, there are a good number of historical sites in culturally rich Patan and Bhaktapur.
Also, you will travel to Nagarkot, one of the most popular hill stations, which will reward you with a panoramic view of 33 different mountain peaks of different regions, including the Mt. Shisapangma of Tibet.
On top of all this, you will take a scenic flight to Pokhara, particularly a tourist town. Once you land there, you will further make a short drive to Milanchowk. From there, you will trek to Astham to observe and experience a unique culture with a homestay in Adhikari Family Home. Above all, Devi’s fall, Gupteshwori Cave, World Peace Stupa, Fewa Lake and the like hold the real splendor of Pokhara. It only increases with your visit to Sarangkot, a hill station, from where you can view different mountain peaks of Annapurna and Dhaulagiri ranges.
Day 01: Arrival in Kathmandu
Day 02: Visit Swoyambunath & Patan
Day 03: Drive Kathmandu to Bhaktapur via Thimi
Day 04: Drive Bhaktapur to Nagarkot
Day 05: Trek Nagarkot to Thali & drive to Kathmandu: visit Pashupatinath & Boudhanath
Day 06: Flight Kathmandu to Pokhara & trek to Astham
Day 07: Trek Astham to Milanchock & drive to Sedi Bagar: visit Devi’s fall / Cave & World peace stupa
Day 08: Visit Sarangkot
Day 09: Drive Pokhara to Kathmandu
Day 10: Departure
Day 01: Arrive in Kathmandu airport and you will be transferred to Magar family home in Kapan by one of our representatives. Traditional Nepali dinner (Daal Bhat) with Magar family as welcome dinner.
Overnight: Magar Family Home, Kapan
Day 02: Visit Swoyambhunath and Patan: Start our tour with the magnificent Swoyambhunath which is 30 minutes drive from Kapan. Then we drive to one of the oldest cities of Kathmandu valley which is called Patan to witness its incredible architecture from medieval period.
Swoyambhunath is one of the oldest stupas of the Kathmandu Valley. It is situated on one of the highest hills in the valley. It watches over the Valley from the top of a hillock on its western side just three kilometers west of the city center. The stupa is one of the holiest Buddhist sites in Nepal and its establishment is linked to the creation of the Kathmandu Valley out of a primordial lake. Swayambhu is also known as Samhengu and is recognized as a World Heritage Site. It is also one of the oldest and most glorious Buddhist shrines in the world which is said to be two thousand years. The four sides of the stupa are painted with the eyes of Lord Buddha.
Patan- the second largest town in the valley is situated to the south of Kathmandu. Patan's great building boom took place under the Mallas in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries. Numerous temples of widely diverse styles, as well as many Buddhist monasteries, are scattered around the fascinating town. Patan is famous for its crafts and metal works which are wonderful souvenirs.
Overnight: Magar Family Home, Kapan
Day 03: Drive Kathmandu to Bhaktapur via Thimi: we drive to the oldest part of the Kathmandu valley, a quick stop at old Thimi and observe some traditional farming and old alleys of Thimi village. Then finally we drive to ancient city called Bhaktapur. This fascinating city reminds you the true culture and living style of medieval period.
Bhaktapur- Located about 20 km east of Kathmandu in the Kathmandu Valley, Bhaktapur is known as the 'City of Devotees', the 'City of Culture', the 'Living Heritage', and 'Nepal's Cultural Gem'. It is one of the 3 royal cities in the Kathmandu Valley. We visit four different squares in this city: Durbar Square (palace square), Tamaudi Square (public square), Pottery Square and Dattatrey Square.
Overnight: Hotel
Day 04: Drive Bhaktapur to Nagarkot: an exciting drive for an hour on winding road takes us to Nagarkot. It is a great place to escape from Kathmandu’s hustle bustle.
Nagarkot – One of the most popular hill station / viewpoints close to Kathmandu valley. The reward for Nagarkot trip is panoramic view of 33 different mountain peaks of different regions including Mt. Shisapangma of Tibet.
Overnight: Hotel
Day 05: Trek Nagarkot to Thali via Changunarayan and drive to Kathmandu: on our way back from Nagarkot, we hike down to Changunarayan. After visiting Changunarayan temple we continue our hike down to Thali. The hike in total would be about 4 hours. We go through several Tamang and Newari traditional villages enjoying the view of Kathmandu and Bhaktapur cities down in the valley. Then, catch our vehicle and drive back to Kathmandu where we visit Bouddhanath and Pashupatinath. In the afternoon, we participate in Buddhist Puja Ceremony at Bairoling Monastery.
Changunarayan - is a fascinating place where you can see oldest Manu script found in Nepali history and some magnificent temples.
Pashupatinath Temple is one of the holiest pilgrimage destinations for all the Hindus of the world. The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva, one of the trinity and the guardian (patron) deity of Nepal. This is one of the oldest temples, situated on the banks of the Holy Bagmati River. It is a double–roofed golden temple with four triple silver doorways. Pashupatinath covers an area of 281 hectares, which is one of the biggest temple complexes in Nepal.
Bouddhanath Stupa lies about 6 km east of downtown Kathmandu and it is the largest stupa in the Valley and one of the largest in the world. It presents one of the most fascinating specimens of stupa design with hundreds of prayer wheels and 108 small images of Buddha all around. Just like Swoyambhunath, this stupa has four sides with the watchful eyes of Lord Buddha. All the Buddhists throng to this stupa to take part in the sacred rituals during the Buddhist festivals.
Overnight: Bairoling Monastery, Tinchuli
Day 06: Flight Kathmandu to Pokhara (820m) and trek to Astham: a scenic flight to Pokhara for about 30 minutes then a short drive to Milanchock where we start our trek to Astham, Adhikari family home. While we are in Astham, we can observe and experience real culture and living style of typical Nepali family of country side.
Overnight: Adhikari Family Home, Astham
Day 07: Trek Astham to Milanchock and drive to Sedi Bagar and visit Devi's fall, Gupteswori Cave and World Peace Stupa: hike back to Milanchock then drive for an hour to Sedi Bagar. In the late morning, we start our sightseeing visiting Devi’s fall, Guptesori Cave and World peace stupa; which offers you the best view of the Pokhara city and Fewa Lake.
Overnight: Thapa Family Home, Sedi Bagar
Driving Time: 1 Hour
Day 08: Visit Sarangkot (1592m): early morning drive takes us to a hill station, Sarangkot. It’s about 1 hour drive on winding uphill road and 1 more hour trek to the top. You can trek back if you are up for a couple hours trek on downhill. The view from Sarangkot is superb. Several different peaks of the Annapurna and Dhaulagiri ranges, including the two highest peaks in the world,-Annapurna I (8091m) and Dhaulagiri (8167m) can be seen.
Overnight: Thapa Family Home, Sedi Bagar
Day 09: Drive Pokhara to Kathmandu: a scenic drive back to Kathmandu for about 6 hours.
Overnight: Magar Family Home, Kapan
Day 10: Transfer to the airport and departure
NOTE: The price of the tour will be adjusted according to the group size.
Climate:
From the eternal snow of the high peaks to the extensive tropical lowlands, Nepal has a wide variety of climates.
Spring: March to late May: In this season, Kathmandu is in full bloom, lots of different types of flowers can be seen at this time of the year. Temperature is mild, end of the cold winter and approaching warm and hot summer. Temperatures vary between 10 ° C to 28 ° C but can rise up to 30 ° C. Between 2000 and 3000m, temperature rarely drop below 0 ° C. However, few frosts or snowfalls are possible in March above 4000 m.
The summer/monsoon period - It interrupts the majority of trekking from late June to late August. Some of the trekking regions "trans-Himalayan", Dolpo and Mustang, however, remain protected from monsoon prevailing rest of the country. They are the only channels available in Nepal in the summer.
Autumn: mid September – mid December - Perfect temperature and weather for trekking. Brings cooler days, but clear skies. Above 3000 m altitude, temperatures can drop to -10 ° C at night.
In winter: mid-December - mid-February - Nights are generally cold, dry climate, Above 3000m, temperature drop down to 0 ° C to - 15 ° C at night, the days are often sunny.
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