Kathmandu, Pokhara & Ghandruk: A Night in a Gurung Village, 6 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 Pokhara, 210 km from Kathmandu and about seven hours on the road. On the way there is an optional ride on the Manakamana cable car, about ten minutes up to the temple of the goddess who is said to grant wishes, paid for directly. From the hotel in Pokhara there are good views of the mountains in clear weather. Meals included today: breakfast.

This morning you drive to Ghandruk, a Gurung village 32 km north-west of Pokhara at about 2,000 metres. The drive takes about three hours, and from the point where the vehicle stops you walk uphill for 15 to 20 minutes. From the village there are views of Annapurna South, Fishtail (Machhapuchhre), Gangapurna and Hiunchuli. You can visit a privately run museum and walk through the village to see the culture of the Gurung community. Ghandruk is the gateway to Poon Hill and a starting point for treks in the Annapurna range. You spend the night in Ghandruk. Meals included today: breakfast.

This morning you walk down for about 30 minutes and then drive back to Pokhara. In the afternoon you visit the Bindebasini Temple, one of the oldest in Pokhara, Devi's Fall 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. The sightseeing 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.