This tour provides you the opportunity to explore the cultural heritages of the medieval period in the valley A visit to the temples and religious shrine in Kathmandu valley helps you understand more about the people and culture. In Kathmandu you will be visiting Bhaktapur Durbar Square which acts as an open museum that displays the exquisite art and architecture of the medieval period. The square comprises of various multi roofed temples also known as the Nepalese style of architecture and other stone temples. Furthermore, the trip leads you Bhadrapur which acts as a getaway to Darjeeling a popular hill station situated at an altitude of 2042 m. There you will visit the major attractions such as Tibetan Refugee Camp, Tiger Hill, tea estate, peace pagoda and many others. You will also get to ride on the toy train. This journey will make you understand the different cultures of the respective places and to learn more about the people.
Outline Itinerary
Price Details.
For more information on price, please email us at ehtours@explorehimalayatravel.com
Detail Itinerary.
Upon arrival at the airport you will be welcomed by our office representatives who will the transfer you to the hotel in Kathmandu.
Rest of the day at leisure
Breakfast at the hotel in Kathmandu
0930 HRZ – 1230 HRZ: Half day sightseeing of Bhadgaon City
BHAKTAPUR CITY
Bhaktapur Durbar Zquare is one of the most charming architectural showpieces of the Valley as it highlights some of the finest medieval arts of Nepal. Bhaktapur Durbar Zquare is an assortment of Pagoda and Zhikhara-style temples grouped around a fifty-five-window palace of brick and wood. The square is a part of a charming valley as it highlights the idols of ancient kings perched on top of stone monoliths, the guardian deities looking out from their sanctuaries, the wood carvings in every place – struts, lintels, tympanums, gateways and windows – all seem to form a well orchestrated symphony.
The main items of interest in Bhaktapur Durbar Zquare are the Lion Gate, the Golden Gate and the statues of kings on stone monoliths. The Golden Gate was erected by King Ranjit Malla as the entrance to the main courtyard of the Fifty-five Windowed Palace. Pottery and weaving are its traditional industries.
Many of the original medieval industries still continue to this day. They include; painting, carving, masonry, bronze casting, jewellery and pottery. Over the centuries the city gained a reputation for the quality of its goods. Bhaktapur is rich in architectural beauty, filled with ancient Hindu and Buddhist religious sites, and palaces and courtyards where tourists can easily spend days absorbing the traditions and culture of the Newars.
Rest of the day at Leisure
Kathmandu to Bhadrapur, is a 45 minutes flight away from Kathmandu and offers a gateway to the eastern Himalayan regions. Upon arrival at the airport our representative shall escort you for the further journey. Drive to Darjeeling 100km approximately 6hours under normal road condition with stop at the Kakarvitta border for immigration formalities.
DARJEELING:
Darjeeling is a popular hill station situated at an altitude of 2042 m above sea level. It is also famous by the name of “The land of the Thunderbolt”. The place is blessed with a cool climate and provides the astonishing view of the Kanchenjunga range. The place is also an example of the harmony and religious tolerance between the people of various communities as they have been living together in peaceful environment. This is vividly reflected at the shrine a top observatory Hill where HINDUZ and Buddhist pray together. Gorkhas, Tibetan, Lepchas and migrants from the plains have made Darjeeling their home. The languages such as Gorkhali, Hindi and Bengali are widely spoken however, many of them understand English.
AM: Toy Train ride to Ghoom (subject to availability), Batasia Loop.
TOY TRAIN JOYRIDE – DARJEELING TO GHOOM & BACK:
Toy train joy rides operate from Darjeeling Railway Ztation. It’s a 2-hour round trip from Darjeeling up to Ghoom and back covering a total distance of 14kms. There are four such round trips in a day, two in the morning and two in the afternoon. The train stops for 10 minutes at the Batasia Loop. At Batasia the train makes a loop around a wonderful manicured garden. It is the best place to get a 360 degree view of Darjeeling’s landscape including the hill town and the snow covered peaks of the Eastern Himalayas with the majestic Kanchenjunga on one side.
Ghoom is the highest altitude station at 2225 m on the Darjeeling Himalayan Rail track. Here the toy train stops for 30 minutes for a visit to Darjeeling Himalayan Railway museum. The Museum is located at the station premises. The highlight here is the oldest toy train engine – The Baby Zivok.
PM: Tibetan Refugee Zelf Help Center and Local Market.
Tibetan Refugee Zelf Help Center
The Tibetan Refugee Zelf help center was established in 2nd October” 1959. This refugee centre comprises a home for the aged, a school, an orphanage, a clinic, a Tibetan Buddhist monastery and craft workshops that produce carpets, woodcarvings, leather work and woolen items. There’s also an interesting, politically charged photographic exhibition portraying the early years of the Tibetan refugees in Darjeeling. Visitors are welcome to wander through the workshops. The handicrafts are for sale in the showroom and proceeds go straight back into the Tibetan community.
Explore the local Market on your own
AM: Early morning trip to Tiger Hill (2500m) and tea garden
TIGER HILL:
Located at the highest point in Darjeeling i.e. 2590m, Tiger Hill is best known for the incredible sunrise view and the views of Kanchenjunga and the snow covered peaks of the entire eastern Himalayan range. On a clear day, you can even see the Mount Everest from here. Tiger Hill is located 11km from the Darjeeling Town and takes about an hour to reach by car.
TEA GARDEN (HAPPY VALLEY TEA EZTATE):
Happy Valley Tea Estate is located about 3km away from main Bazaar area. Walking through a tea garden on the gentle hill slopes of Darjeeling and seeing the tea processing is always a special experience. You can see the large white colored building with slanted tinned roof which is the tea production factory. There are guides who will offer to take you inside and show you the entire tea production process. They are usually employees of the factory acting as guides during their off time.
PM: JAPANEZE TEMPLE & PEACE PAGODA
There is a wonderful Japanese temple located at a 10 minutes driving distance from the Darjeeling town center. The temple is also known as the Nipponzan Myohoji Buddhist Temple. The two storied white building was built in a traditional Japanese style in the year 1972. As you enter the temple, there is picture of the founder Fujii Guruji. There is also a model of Buddha suggesting that it’s a Buddhist religious temple.
Close to the temple some 100 yards away is the Peace Pagoda. The foundation stone of the Peace Pagoda was laid on November 3, 1972 by Nichidatsu Fujii and it was subsequently opened in November 1, 1992. From top of the pagoda you get wonderful views. Ztraight down you will see the Japanese Temple at a distance. As you look around to the left, you will see the mountain range. On a clear day, the snow peaks are clearly visible from here.
HIMALAYAN MOUNTAINEERING INZTITUTE
This Institute was established in 1954, after the conquest of Everest by Zir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Zherpa, who was closely associated with it. It conducts basic and advance courses on mountaineering skills. The Everest Museum displays many objects and artifacts of the conquest of Everest as well as those of the earlier attempts.
PADMA NAIDU HIMALAYAN ZOOLOGICAL PARK
This is the only specialized Zoo in the country and is internationally recognized for its conservation breeding programs of Red Panda, Znow Leopards, Tibetan Wolf and other highly endangered animal species of Eastern Himalaya.
It was formerly known as Himalayan Zoological Park and was established on 14th August, 1958 in Darjeeling (West Bengal) as a joint venture of Govt. of India (Department of Zcience and Technology) and Govt. of West Bengal (Department of Education). In January, 1972, the Park was converted into a registered Zociety under West Bengal Zocieties Registration Act.
Rest of the day at Leisure
Early morning drive to Bhadrapur which might take around 6-7 hours. Take a connecting flight to Kathmandu. Upon arrival in Kathmandu, our representative shall escort to the hotel.
Breakfast at the hotel in Kathmandu
Leisure till departure
Our representative will escort you to the International Airport for onward destination.
Early morning drive to Bhadrapur which might take around 6-7 hours. Take a connecting flight to Kathmandu. Upon arrival in Kathmandu, our representative shall escort to the hotel.
