HIMALAYAN JOURNEYS

Legends abound in Kathmandu. From the mythical beginnings of the valley in which, Manjushree, the patron deity of the Kathmandu Valley came upon a lake wherein lay a lotus bloom. Manjushree then struck the southern end of the lake with a sword cleaving the rock and draining the lake to reveal what is today the valley of Kathmandu. The spot where the lotus bloom once stood is marked now by the Stupa of Swoyambhunath, the oldest of its kind in the world and a UNESCO designated World Heritage Site.

But, more than legends it is the stark reality that greets you wherever you go in Nepal in the form of the mighty Himalaya that never fails to inspire and instills a sense of awe in you. And there is perhaps no other city, quite like Pokhara from which to admire the immensity of the western Himalaya which rise out of the valley floor a mere 30 kilometers away!

Your tryst with the beauty of the Himalaya is followed by a flight to Lumbini and it’s sacred gardens, the birthplace of the Buddha, the apostle of peace, compassion, tolerance and non-violence. It is situated in Kapilvastu District in the Western Terai, 250 KM southwest of Kathmandu. The Asokan pillar which identified this as the nativity site, remnants of an old monastery, imagery of The Buddha’s mother Maya Devi and the pond where she took a bath before giving birth to The Buddha are preserved in Lumbini. Of late, a landscaped garden has been developed adding water bodies and each country with a sizable Buddhist population has been invited to erect a monastery reflecting the branch of Buddhism practiced in that country. Now a protected UNESCO designated World Heritage Site, here you come face to face with the beginnings of the philosophies that shaped Buddhism, one of the major world religions.

This tour involves three half day sightseeing tours in Kathmandu and Pokhara and one and half days of activities in Chitwan. The tour will take you through the Kathmandu Durbar Square – whose temples are some of the finest specimens of Nepalese architecture and the Patan Durbar Square – noteworthy for its fine art and craft in addition to traditional Newari building styles. In addition, the tour will also take you to the Pashupatinath Temple – one of the holiest Hindu shrines in the world and an important pilgrimage stop for Hindus, and Boudhanath Stupa – the largest Stupa of its kind in the world with dome-shaped structure with its all-seeing eyes of the Buddha looking to the four cardinal directions.

The flight to Pokhara is short but the views can be breathtaking as the plane wings westward from Kathmandu past Mt. Manaslu (8156 m.) and the Annapurna massif including Mt. Annapurna I (8091 m.), two of the western Himalayan giants. A half day tour takes in the must see sites in Pokhara including the Davies’ Falls, Mahendra cave and the temple of Brindbasini. Spare time in Pokhara allows you to browse the lake side district, go boating on the lake, go zip lining, take in an ultra-light flight or go para gliding! Pokhara is fast turning into the “go to” destination for adventure activities in Nepal.

Just 30 km to the north are 140 unbroken kilometers of the western Himalayan Range including Mt. Annapurna I (8091 m) and Mt. Dhauligiri (8167 m.). The horizon however, is dominated by a far smaller, but infinitely more spectacular peak – Mt. Macchapuchhare (6993 m.) or “Fish Tail” which seems to rise off the same valley floor 25 kilometers to the north and spectacularly ends in a “Fish Tailed” peak. Evenings in Pokhara has its own charm especially in the Lake Side district, dotted with fancy restaurants facing the Phewa Lake, lazy shops and simple guest houses with lush gardens that bloom year-round.      

It is a short flight from Pokhara to the low flat plains of Lumbini bordering India. A pillar erected by the Indian Emperor Asoka in 245 BC identifying the site as the Buddha’s birthplace was rediscovered in 1896 generating great enthusiasm about the birth of the Buddha and his journey from Prince Siddhartha Gautam to Lord Buddha. There is constant archaeological work going on at Lumbini and at several other sites in the vicinity and new discoveries and artefacts are routinely unearthed.