12 Days Cultural & Religious Tour With Hiking

Our sister will be waiting to receive you at the Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu. From our private vehicle, with around 15-20 minutes’ drive, you will reach our SASANE Sisterhood Homestay (Sister concern of SASANE Trekking & Travel, operated under Sisterhood of Survivor program & Run by our sisters). Our friendly SASANE Sisters welcome you in their home, where they will share their story with you. Our experienced guides will introduce you to our tour and share further information about homestay, tour, and trek. After delicious Nepali food, you may relax at the homestay or roam around the marketplace, depending upon the time of arrival. Things to do: Welcome at SASANE homestay Short briefing about next day

After breakfast, we will start the Kathmandu City Tour visiting Pashupati Temple, Boudhanath, Kathmandu old market and Kathmandu Durbar Square. Our professional tour guide will explain about the history and related story of each place. After the trip, we will drive towards SASANE for lunch, MoMo cooking class and presentation about SASANE and its activities against one of the major social problems of Human Trafficking. Things to do: City Tour Momo-making class with a presentation on SASANE’s work to tackle human trafficking.

Early Morning drive to Chitwan (Approx.5-6hr) and on the way visit the Manakamana Temple ( One of the famous Hindu female deitiy;s Temple) via Cable car. Royal Chitwan National Park is known to be Asia's best managed National Park. This is one of Nepal's first and largest forest regions with many rare wildlife, such as One-horned Asiatic rhinoceros and also the Royal Bengal Tigers. Things to do: Visit Manakamana Temple, a hindu temple.

Today after breakfast, our program will be the Jungle Safari program by Jeep or Elephant. You will see some of the rare wildlife like; one horn Rhino, Royal Bengal Tiger and crocodile with other animals during safari. The native ethnic group Tharu’s Village tour, Jungle walking, Bird watching, cannoning, and culture show in the evening are the major activities of the trip. Things to do: Jungle safari visit the Tharu community and enjoy the evening by watching the Tharu cultural program.

After breakfast drive towards Lumbini “The birthplace of Lord Buddha ''. Lord Buddha was born at Lumbini in 623 BC southern lowland of Nepal; this is proved by the inscription on the stone pillar erected by the Mauryan Emperor Asoka in 249 BC. Lumbini is a sacred place for Buddhists from all over the world. Hundred thousand of tourist are visiting Lumbini every year, the main attraction of here are Maya Devi Temple (the place where Lord Buddha was born), Ashoka Pillar, the sacred pond Pushkarini (where Maya Devi took a bath before giving birth to Buddha) and many Buddhist Stupas, Chaityas, Bihars representative of the different country from the world. The modern physical contraction in Lumbini by Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Thailand, Germany, China, Vietnam, India, France, South Korea, Australia, etc. are also worth exploring. Overnight at Lumbini. Things to do: Explore Lumbini and learn about Buddha and his teaching.

Today we will drive to Palpa. Palpa (Tansen) lies on the Siddhartha HighWay between Pokhara and Bhairahawa. Palpa( Tamsen is one of the great pleasant places to break the journey from Lumbini to Pokhara(110km) In Palpa, there are great views over the bowl-shaped of “Madi valley” from the town itself and spectacular view of the Himalaya from nearby hills, which called “Srinagar Danda” You can get an enjoyable time with special viewing of the Annapurna mountains range as beauty as green scenery with hills. There are some more interesting places to excursion in the surrounding countryside about two hours walk down to the banks of the Kali Gandaki and the vast deserted Ranighat palace. This palace is known as the Nepali “Taj Mahal”. Tansen is still famous for metalware and Dhaka, the woven material that is made into Cap( Nepalese National Cap). Overnight at Palpa Things to do: Visit historical place Tansen Learn about the local Culture and tradition.

After breakfast, we will drive towards Pokhara (850m). Pokhara is the most beautiful tourist destination of Nepal. Pokhara valley, a perfect combination of tranquility and beauty, It is the best place to enjoy the magnificent view of snow capped mountains. We reach Pokhara in the afternoon after a short rest and relax. We can enjoy boating in Phewa lake, visit Taal Barahi Temple and have a beautiful sunset view with pleasant walk in the bank of the Phewa lake. Things to do: Boating in Phewa lake and enjoy the sunset view Free Evening,

Early morning drive to Sarangkot for golden sunrise view and panoramic Himalayan ranges. Breakfast in a restaurant in Sarangkot, then we will drive back to World Peace Pagoda. It is a massive Buddhist stupa located on a hilltop (Rani Ban). This stupa is the symbol of peace. From here one can enjoy the breathtaking view of Himalayan ranges, lakes and the Pokhara city. full day sightseeing in and around Pokhara including International Mountain Museum, Davi’sFall, and Gupteshwor Mahadev Cave. Lunch stop will be at SASANE. During our visit to SASANE we will learn about the organisation, its activities against glovle problem ‘Human Trafficking, interract with the girls and hear their inspiring stories. MO:MO cooking class will be part of this lunch program. you will learn how to cook famous Nepalese style dumpling Mo:Mos. Things to do: Explore most of the major tourist attractions of the city. Meet the girls in SASANE and learn about their bravery story along with MO:MO cooking classes (Famous Nepali dish )

Early in the morning we will be driving towards Sarangkot for viewing the sunrise over the Himalayan Ranges. We will have our breakfast in Sarangkot and drive to Kande for about an hour. We start our trek from Kande and after 2 hours reach Australian Base Camp. We will be seeing the spectacular views of the Annapurna range and surrounding villages. We will have our lunch at Australian Camp and rest for a while before hiking down the perfect jungle trail with birds chirping to the beautiful village of Dhampus which takes about an hour. Dhampus village is well known for the number of old fashioned slate- roofed houses. This hike is best for those wishing to experience Nepal’s mountain scenery and ethnic culture within a short time. At Dhampus, a private vehicle will be waiting to take us to hotel in Pokhara. Things to do: Enjoy the breathtaking Sunrise and Mountain view. Explore Nature and typical Nepali village life during your relaxing day hike.

Early morning breakfast and drive to Bandipur (Approx.3-4hrs).Bandipur is a living museum of Newari culture, a beautifully preserved village crowning a lofty ridge above the highway stop of Dumre. Its winding lanes are lined with traditional Newari houses, a picturesque Newar town that still retains its centuries old culture attributes such as Temples, Shrines, Scared Caves, numerous festivals and Newari Architecture and unspoiled landscapes. it is located at an altitude of 1030 meters. Bandipur has been described as a natural view tower, providing a spectacular panorama of the entire Annapurna range plus the Peaks of Dhaulagiri, Manaslu and Langtang to the marsyangdi valley which is below 500meters. visit to the town is an opportunity to get a close look at Newar culture life that reflects the refined civilization of the Kathmandu valley. After checking into the hotel and getting fress, we will walk to the Bandipur Bazzar. The stone paved main street is lined with compact townhouses with ornate windows and doorways and roofs of tin or slate. All along this, we will just enjoy the walk and explore the place and interact with the local people and learn their daily activities. Things to do: Visit local Newari village and see their day to day life.

After breakfast we will start our hike to the Thani Mai (Purano kot) originally a fort, Lies at a distance of about 500m to the west of the main Bandipur bazzar. It takes about 20 minutes of easy and gentle climbing to reach the top of Thani Mai. There is a small temple nearby containing a number of old statues and newly built temple of Thanithan Mai. The local people believe that praying to the god Mahadev at this spot during a drought will bring rain. Since this spot lies on a hilltop above the Bandipur Bazzar. It’s providing stunning views of the mountains and the Bandipur village especially at sunrise and sunset. After visiting Thani Mai we will head to the Siddha Cave Bandipur’s hillsides area dotted with caves, often carrying religious significance for the locals. The must see destination here is the Siddha Cave discovered only in 1987. Rich in stalactites and stalagmites, it is said to be the largest cave in the Himalayan region. Siddha Cave is situated just above the cliff of Bimalnagar from where it is a 30 minutes climb. Hike back to the hotel in Bandipur, Overnight at the hotel Things to do: Visit local temple and Cave, get to know the historical and religious important of the places Interact with the local people and see their lifestyles. Drive back to Kathmandu (4-5 hr drive) We will have our breakfast in the hotel where and then after we will drive towards Kathmandu valley. We will take the route from where we came for this wonderful tour. Upon reaching the Kathmandu valley, we will check into the hotel or SASANE Sisterhood Homestay.

We will drop you off at Tribhuvan International Airport with the hope that you have had a pleasant time with us and our country Nepal. We will also be hoping that this will not be the last chance to serve you.