Kathmandu, Chitwan & Pokhara by Road: Two Nights in the Jungle, 7 Nights

You are met at Kathmandu airport by the operator's representative and transferred to your hotel. Kathmandu is the capital, and the valley around it is the cultural heart of Nepal. The rest of the day is free. Meals included today: none.

This morning is for the Hindu and Buddhist heart of the valley. You visit Pashupatinath, the temple complex on the banks of the Bagmati river that has been on the UNESCO list since 1979, and then Boudhanath, the great stupa that is the holiest Buddhist shrine in Nepal. You continue to Patan, also called Lalitpur, whose Durbar Square holds a very dense collection of temples, then to Swayambhunath, the golden-spired stupa on a hill above the valley with its painted eyes of the Buddha, and finally to the Budhanilkantha temple, where a large reclining statue of Vishnu lies in an open-air pool. The sightseeing runs for a maximum of eight hours from the time the vehicle reports at your hotel. Meals included today: breakfast.

You drive to Chitwan, 180 km and about five hours from Kathmandu, to one of Asia's premier wildlife reserves. On the way you can choose, at extra cost and paid for directly, a rafting stretch on the river or the Manakamana cable car ride up to the temple. You spend the night at your hotel at Chitwan. Meals included today: breakfast, lunch and dinner.

The day is for jungle observation in Chitwan National Park, with the safari in the jungle as the highlight. The programme also lists canoeing, a nature walk and bird watching, walks through the forest with naturalists, and the folk dances of the Terai. One jeep safari and one boat safari are included, on a shared basis, with the park entrance and national park fees. Meals included today: breakfast, lunch and dinner.

You drive to Pokhara, 180 km and about four hours from Chitwan. Pokhara lies at about 2,350 feet, and on a clear day the Annapurna and Dhaulagiri ranges rise a short distance to the north. The rest of the day is free. Meals included today: breakfast.

The day starts with an excursion to Sarangkot, a viewpoint 13 km from Lakeside at about 1,592 metres, reached in 45 to 60 minutes by car and best known for sunrise; on a clear day Dhaulagiri is visible in the far west and the Annapurna range to the north. In the afternoon you visit the Bindebasini Temple, one of the oldest in Pokhara, Devi's Fall, the waterfall that disappears into the rock, and across the road the Gupteshwor Cave, where photography is not allowed, and then Phewa Lake and the Tal Barahi Temple; boating is paid for directly. Each of the two sightseeing blocks is for a maximum of three hours from the time the vehicle reports at the hotel. Meals included today: breakfast.

You drive back to Kathmandu on the same road and are transferred to your hotel. The rest of the day is at leisure, for shopping or a walk in town. Meals included today: breakfast.

The morning is comparatively free, and in good time for your flight you are transferred to the airport. The package services end at the airport. Meals included today: breakfast.