Treasures of the Three Himalayan Kingdoms: Discover Tibet, Nepal & Bhutan

A traditional welcome awaits us at Tribhuvan International Airport Kathmandu.

After negotiating immigration we travel through the heart of Kathmandu to our hotel. The sights and sounds of the cities are sure to grab your attention as you make your way to your hotel.

Enjoy a welcome meal together this evening to meet the rest of the tour group and your Big Journey Company Tour Director.

This morning, we head out after breakfast for a sightseeing tour of Kathamndu, Nepal's capital city, visiting Swayambhunath and Kathmandu Durbar Square.

Said to be around 2000 years old, Swayambunath Buddhist Stupa sits atop a hillock 2km west of Kathmandu, overlooking the valley. The oldest written reference to the stupa dates from the 5th century, but it could have existed much earlier. Moreover, a legend has it that the stupa evolved spontaneously at the time of the Kathmandu valley’s creation. Swayambhunath is famously known as the ‘Monkey Temple’ owing to the presence of a large number of monkeys around the area.

From here we make our way to Kathmandu Durbar Square, with its array of temples, courtyards, monuments and the ancient palaces of the former Nepali Royals. Chief attractions here include Hanuman Dhoka Royal Palace, the magnificent Taleju Temple towering more than 40 meters high; Kumari Ghar, the residence of the Living Goddess, Kumari; the temple of Ashok Vinayak dedicated to lord Ganesh, the elephant headed deity, and Kal Bhairav, the God of Wrath. There is also the giant pagoda of ‘Kasthamandap’, a structure which is said to have been built out of a single tree. The name of the capital ‘Kathmandu’ is said to be actually derived from ‘Kasthamandap’.

After our sightseeing, we return to the hotel for an evening to get ready for our welcome dinner. 

Today we head on a cultural exploration of Kathamandu and Nepal's interesting mix of influences.

Our first stop will be Pashupatinath Temple, dating back to 400 A.D. One of the oldest temples dedicated to Lord Shiva - the superior god of Hindu mythology, it is situated a short drive east of Kathmandu amidst a lush green natural setting on the bank of the sacred Bagmati River. Built in a two storey Pagoda design with gilded roof and richly carved silver doors, it houses the sacred linga or phallic symbol of Lord Shiva.

Pashupatinath is the centre of annual pilgrimage on the day of ‘Maha Shivaratri’ that falls in the month of February/March. It is for the Hindus what Mecca is for the Muslims. You will also be able to see the cremation grounds that lie on the banks of Bagmati River behind the temple.

From here, we make our way to Boudhanath, one of the oldest and the biggest Buddhist monuments ever built in Nepal! Boudhanath is a spherical stupa structure imposing at a height of 36m, with three massive Mandala style platforms. The stupa with four pairs of eyes at the four cardinal directions is believed to be keeping watch for righteous behavior and human prosperity. Built on an octagonal base inset with 108 prayer wheels, the shrine is ringed by a settlement of Tibetan refugees who entered Nepal in the 1950s who have fashioned the area into a ‘Mini-Tibet’ ever since.

Our last stop for the day, Bhaktapur is the home of medieval art and architecture and also known as the 'city of devotees'. Founded in the 9th Century AD, it is shaped like a conch shell. The city is at the height of 4,600 ft. above sea level. Here, you will visit the Durbar Square with the Palace of 55 Windows built by King Bhupatindra Malla. The famous five-storied Nyatapol temple on the terraces of which stands a pair of figures - two goddesses, two strong men, two elephants, two lions and two griffins is the tallest temple in the valley and was also built by King Bhupatindra Malla. It is one of the best examples of Pagoda styled temples in Nepal.

Today we will explore the outlying villages of Patan, Bungamati and Khokana.

Located 5 km southeast of Kathmandu, Patan city is popularly known as ‘the city of artisans’ accommodates a magnificent square housing the palace buildings of the then royals, artistic courtyards and graceful pagoda temples – a display of Newari architecture that had reached its pinnacle during the reign of the Malla kings. It is filled with wood and stone carvings, metal statues, and ornate architecture, including dozens of Buddhist and Hindu temples, and over 1200 monuments.

Bungamati, a classical medieval village lies across the Bagamati River from Chobar. Its pedestrian-only street is great place to pass time as we walk gently though the town. Many locals work as woodcarvers and there are numerous craft workshops and showrooms around village.

The last stop of the day is the charming town of Khokana, which was sadly badly damaged by the 1934 earthquake. The locals here are mainly farmers and you will notice people weaving hay mats, stuffing cases with cotton, farmers baling straw, tailors stitching and women spinning wools and winnowing rice. 

We return from the villages to the hustle and bustle of Kathmandu for an evening at leisure

Today we head out the city to visit Chandragiri Hills and Kirtipur.

Hindu devotees believe that the all-powerful Bhaleshwor Mahadev fulfills the wishes of all who come to pay homage to him at Chandragiri Hill. A pilgrimage trip to the hilltop is a way of securing a ticket to the Shivaloka in the afterlife. 

It is believed that Satidevi, Lord Shiva’s consort, gave up her life by jumping in a fire pyre at her father Daksha Prajapati’s yagna (sacred fire ritual) after he insulted her husband Shiva in front of scores of gods and goddesses invited to the religious ceremony. An enraged Shiva then carried her dead body on his back, walking across the world like a madman, not taking note of Satidevi’s decaying body. It is written in Himvatakhanda that Bhaleshwor Mahadev appeared at the spot where Satidevi’s ‘Bhala’, or forehead, fell off from her dead body and a temple was erected on the site. 

We take a cable car to reach Chandragiri Hills’ top station. The 2.5 km long cable car ensures a smooth and safe journey, all the while giving you an up-close view of the untainted wilderness.

After descending, we make our way to Kirtipur, situated on a ridge 8 km southwest of Kathmandu. The ancient Newar township - with its brick-paved streets lined with typical red brick houses and tiled roofs, and temple squares - is a natural fortress. The Chilamchu Stupa and the temple of Bagh Bhairav are major attractions here. Here we can experience authentic Newari culture, the indigenous culture of the Kathmandu Valley. Walk along its narrow lanes to observe the life of the people who have lived for many generations per age-old traditions and beliefs. Once we finish the above sightseeing, we drive back to the hotel.

This morning we check out of our hotel and make our way to Kathmandu Airport for our flight to the next of the three Himalayan Kingdoms - Tibet!

Upon arrival at Gongar Airport, we will be met and drive to Lhasa.

Lhasa is rightly one of the most featured and dreamt-about cities in the world. Not only due to its remoteness, its high altitude at 3,650 meters (11,975 feet) meaning limited accessibility, but also because of its impressive heritage of over a thousand years of cultural and spiritual history that has helped to create the romantic and mysterious Tibetan religion.

Differing from the inland cities and other places in Tibet, Lhasa is unique with an allure all of its own. In the Tibetan language, Lhasa means the Holy Land or the Buddha Land. It is the center of Tibet's politics, economy and culture. The splendor and grandeur of the Potala Palace in Lhasa remains a world-famous symbol of the enigmatic power of politics and religion in this region.

We will check into our hotel where the rest of the day is at leisure. 

After breakfast, we head out to explore Lhasa's most famous monuments. 

Our first stop will be Potala Palace. The Potala, one of the most famous architectural works of the world, sits on top of the Red Hill in Lhasa. In the 7th century, after the Tibetan King SongtsenGampo's married Princess Wencheng of the Tang Court, the Palace was built to provide the Tibetan court with a place of worship and meditation. In the mid-17th century, it was re-built by the 5th Dalai Lama to its present size, and became the Winter Palace of the Dalai Lamas.

From here we make our way to Jokhang Temple. Situated in the center of the old section of Lhasa called Barkhor, it was built in the mid-7th century A. D. It was later extended by successive rulers, and has now become a gigantic architecture complex, a four storied Temple with splendid golden roofs. Its architecture features art from the Tang Dynasty but also assimilated many features from both Nepalese and Indian Buddhist Temples. The murals in the temple depict the life stories of historic and religious characters and houses many historical relics and statues. Jokhang is Tibet’s spiritual center, and the holiest destination for Tibetan Buddhist pilgrims. It houses a statue of Shakyamuni when he was 12 years old.

The circular Barkhor Street around the temple has many shops, and street vendors intermingle with devotees walking clockwise around the Jokhang. An evening walk (Kora) around the Jokhang Temple together with the Tibetan pilgrims is an experience of a lifetime! 

Our first visit today will be Sera Monastery, one of the 'great three' Gelukpa university monasteries of Tibet,  founded in 1419, by JamchenChojey (SakyaYeshe), a disciple of TsongKhapa. Whilst it housed more than 5,000 monks in 1959, today it houses a few hundred Buddhist monks.

After the Chinese invasion of Tibet and the destruction of the majority of Tibet's monasteries, Sera monastery was reformed in Bylakuppe, India, near Mysore. As none of the monks of the NgagpaDratsang (Tantric College) survived the invasion, only the Sera Mey College and Sera Jey College were reformed in India. 

We then make our way to Drepung Monastery. Situated at the foot of the GamboUtse Mountain, Drepung Monastery is known as the most important monastery of Gelugpa in Tibetan Buddhism, another of the 'Three Great Monasteries' along with Sera and Ganden Monastery. Covering an area of 250,000 square meters, it held 7,700 monks in total and possessed 141 fazendas and 540 pastures in its heyday! Seen from afar, its grand, white construction gives the monastery the appearance of a heap of rice. As such, it was given the name 'Drepung Monastery' which, in Tibetan, means Monastery of Collecting-Rice.

Our final stop for the day is Norbulingkha, the Summer Palace of the Dalai Lamas. Just a short drive from Lhasa, in the low-lying surrounding hills. In the palace there are many splendid murals painted by a Fourteenth Dalai Lama's painter depicting Tibetan officials, Sakyamuni preaching under a Bodhi tree and Tibetan history.

This morning, it is sadly time to check out of our hotel and bid farewell to Tibet, as we make our way to the airport and board our flight back to Kathmandu. 

We will be met upon arrival and transferred to our hotel in the city, where the rest of the day is at leisure. 

After breakfast at the hotel, we transfer to Kathmandu airport for our flight to Paro, in Bhutan.

This flight is a befitting introduction to the spectacular beauty of Bhutan. In clear weather, magnificent views of the world’s highest peaks give way to the lush green Paro Valley as we land. Your first impression of Bhutan will be the cool, clean fresh air as you step out of the plane. After clearing customs and visa control we head to Thimphu, the capital city of Bhutan.

Thimphu has a population of about 100,000. This capital city is made up of just three lines of shops and is the only capital in the world without traffic lights.

The Takin Reserve, in Mothithang is on our itinerary for this afternoon. Here we take a quick stroll to a viewing area where you can capture sights of the takin, the national animal of Bhutan. The Takin, sometimes called the goat with attitude, is listed by international conservation agencies as a vulnerable species and it is a very rare animal found only in this region of Asia. This animal has been chosen as the national animal of Bhutan for its uniqueness and it association with the country’s national religious history and mythology. If we're lucky, we may also see a few sambar and barking deer.

As evening falls we will visit the Trashichhodzong, the beautiful medieval fortress and monastery that is Bhutan’s administrative and religious centre. This building houses most of the government's offices and also the King's Throne Room.

We relax into our hotel this evening as we begin our Bhutan adventure.

We begin our day today with a visit to the Memorial Chorten, with its golden spires shining in the sun, tinkling bells and an endless procession of elderly people circling around it. This beautiful monument was erected by the royal grandmother in memory of her son, the third king Jigme Dorje Wangchuck.

Later we will make a stop at the Centenary Park, where the 45m tall Walking Buddha resides and where we can visit the Folk Heritage Museum. This museum is dedicated to connecting visitors to the Bhutanese rural past. The principal exhibit is the museum building itself, a restored three-storey traditional rammed mud and timber house. Here you will have an opportunity to witness people preparing local dishes, giving you an insight to the Bhutanese way of cooking.

We also visit Drupthop Lhakhang Nunnery, one of the few surviving nunneries in Bhutan, before heading to Kuensel Phodrang, where the Buddha Dordena statue resides and you takes in a bird's eye view of Thimphu city.

Onward, we will visit Kuensel Phodrang, where the Buddha Dordena resides, it is said to be one of the largest Buddhas in the world, standing at 169 feet / 51.5 meters. From here you can see Thimphu city from a bird’s eye view.

This evening, enjoy a walk up and down the high street lined with little shops of all descriptions. There is always a colorful gathering passing from ubiquitous monks to Bhutanese businessmen and nomadic farmers that come to trade supplies. You can also visit the newly opened Craft Bazaar, which is the Royal Government of Bhutan’s initiative to promote local craftsmanship, these stalls carry only Bhutanese authentic arts and crafts.

We make an early start today from Thimpu to begin our drive to Punakha.

Later we will drive towards Wangdiphiodrang. En route we will visit the Simthokha Dzong, a historic fortress built in 1629 by Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal, the man who unified Bhutan. The fortress now houses a language school, where scholars study both Dzongkha (the national language) and English.

We continue into the countryside towards the Punakha valley, the winter capital of Bhutan. The drive ascends gradually to the Dochula Pass at over 10,300ft, with magnificent vistas of the Himalayan range. The Dochula Monastery, also known as the Druk Wangyal Khangzang Chortens, is a tribute to the service and leadership of His Majesty the King. The design inspired by the Queen is a unique cluster of 108 Chortens seen from all directions.

The descent to Punakha is vibrant and colorful, with the fluttering prayer flags adding to a rich topography dotted by terrace farming and rivers flowing through. 

Later, we traverse the Punakha countryside walking through paddy fields to the Pana Village to see the 'Chimi Lhakhang’ built by the great Lama Drukpa Kinley in 1400 to subdue local demons. The temple is a popular pilgrimage point for all Bhutanese and is specially revered by women for its fertility powers.

Our final visit today is to the historic Punakha Dzong, also built by Shabdrung Nawang in 1637, and lies sprawled at the confluence of the Phochu (male) and Mochu (female) rivers.

We depart this morning and make our way overland to Paro.

Our first stop in Paro will be at the National Museum. Originally located in the 17th Century watchtower of the Paro Dzong, earthquakes have caused severe damage to the main building of the museum and so exhibits are now shown in the new wing.

Here we will see a fine collection of old thangka paintings and textiles, ancient weapons, and Bhutanese artifacts. The museum is considered a temple due to the religious objects it houses.

We also visit the Paro Dzong, the "Fortress of a Heap of Jewels" which is without doubt one of the kingdom’s finest examples of traditional Bhutanese architecture. Once great catapults here flung stones at invading the Tibetans. Today the dzong houses a monastic school and has two hundred resident monks.

The rest of the day will be spent at your leisure. You may wish to take a walk down Paro’s main street, straight and windswept with its occasional idlers leaning against the storefronts. This is another opportunity to interact with the local people at your own pace and to explore the local area.

After breakfast, we take a short drive to Ramthanka for a hike to view one of the most revered pilgrimage sites of the Buddhist world - the Taktshang Lhakhang, popularly known as the Tiger’s Nest Monastery.

Today's trek offers spectacular views of this sacred monastery, perched precariously on a sheer rock face 3,000ft above the valley floor.

After around 2hrs walking, the cafeteria serves as our midway point and has wonderful views of the Tiger’s Nest. From here it’s about another 1-2 hour’s trek through stunning landscape scenery to reach the monastery.

The trek to the Tiger's Nest is approx 4 miles round trip in which you ascend to 10,232 feet in elevation - there are many steps up to reach the monestary. On average, it takes 4-5hrs for the round trip hike, plus an extra hour touring the monastery.

We will stop once more at the cafeteria for lunch during our descent to Ramthanka.

On our way back to Paro, we will visit the nearby Kyichu Lakhang, one of the oldest and most sacred shrines of the Kingdom dating back to 7th century. Composed of two temples, the first temple was built by Tibetan King, Songtsen Gampo in the 7th century and in 1968, H.M. Ashi Kesang, the Queen Mother of Bhutan, built the second temple in same original pattern

Today we bid a fond farewell to the majesty of Bhutan and fly back to Nepal on the first leg of our journey home.

On arrival back in Nepal, there will be time to take in one last excursion, to visit Bhaktapur, ‘the City of Devotees’. Bhaktapur is located 12km east of Kathmandu and is the smallest city in the valley. Its main square is famous for the 15th century Palace of 55 Carved Windows, as well the Lion Gate and the stone temple of Vatsala Devi and the Bell of Barking Dogs from 1737 whose sounding announced the beginning and end of a daily curfew.

We return to Kathmandu for some time at leisure before our farewell dinner together, to round off this most spectacular of adventures in style.

Today we all say goodbye to our time in the Himalayan Kingdoms with many new, cherished memories of an experience of a lifetime.

We will be transferred to the airport in time for flights for our onward journy home.