Buddhist Pilgrimage Tour

Day 01: Kathmandu. Arrival in Kthamdnu and Transfer hotel and Briefing about the tour in the hotel. Rest time at Leisure.

Day 02: Kathmandu - Dhulikhel. We start our pilgrimage tour with a visit to Swoyambhunath Stupa one of the most important centers of Buddhist learning in Nepal. The stupa is located on top of a hill overlooking Kathmandu valley. From here, we visit Bodhnath stupa, possibly the largest stupa in the world and the center of Tibetan Buddhism in Nepal. In the afternoon, we take a 45-minute drive to Namobuddha, situated atop a hill near the old town of Dhulikhel. This place is celebrated as the meditation site of Nama Buddha, a Buddha incarnate of ancient times. There is also a legend that the incarnate offered a starving tigress about to devour a helpless child his own limbs so that both the tigress and the child might be saved. Overnight at Dhulikhel.

Day 03: Dhulikhel - Kathmandu. After breakfast, we drive to Patan famous for its arts and crafts. Pilgrimage highlights are Hiranya Varna Mahavihar, a beautiful monastery and Mahaboudha, a replica of the Mahabodhi temple in Bodhgaya. From here, we visit the Tibetan cultural center first founded by the Tibetan refugees of the late fifties and now an exhibition-cum-shopping complex of carpets, jewelery and many interesting souvenirs. Come back to hotel in Kathmandu.

Day 04: Kathmandu-Bhairahawa-Lumbini. We take the flight to the southern border city of Bhairahawa. Here our guides and driven 21 km (13 miles) to the west to Lumbini, the birthplace of Lord Buddha,’ll meet us. We then take our pilgrimage tour of Lumbini Gardens where Lord Buddha was born. Temple of Maya Devi, Buddha''s mother depicting the nativity scene of Buddha and the Ashoka Pillar, built by the Mauryan Emperor Ashoka to mark his pilgrimage to Lumbini in 240 BC are the highlights here.

Day 05: Lumbini - Tilaurakot - Lumbini. Today we take an excursion to Tilaurakot (27 km or 17 miles) to the west, the ancient capital of Kapilavastu, the kingdom of the Sakya dynasty in which family Lord Buddha was born. The ruin of a palace is found here which clearly shows the gate through which Lord Buddha walked out of his palace renouncing all worldly possessions in the quest for Nirvana. We return to Lumbini/Bhairahawa after the full-day excursion and spend the night hotel in Lumbini.

Day 06: Lumbini - Kathmandu. After breakfast, drive to Bhairahawa airport to catch a flight to Kathmandu. Evening farewell dinner.

Day 07: Final Departure.