Note: Flights from Delhi to Varanasi is included for everyone.

Morning: Fly from Delhi from your main program 21109 and arrive in Kathmandu in the morning. Transfer to your hotel and check in. Then join your group leader and lecturer for a brief orientation of Nepal and the Kathmandu Valley.

Lunch: Lunch at the hotel.

Afternoon: Get an orientation of Kathmandu city, the seat of royalty till the last century. Explore Kathmandu Durbar Square, a wondrous cluster of ancient temples, palaces, courtyards and streets. Continue to Swoyambhunath stupa, a golden spire crowning a conical wooded hill, is the most ancient and enigmatic of all the holy shrines in Katmandu valley. Its lofty white dome and glittering golden spires are visible from many miles and from all sides of the valley. Historical records found on a stone inscription give evidence that the stupa was already an important Buddhist pilgrimage destination by the 5th century AD.

Dinner: Dinner at the hotel.

Evening: Participate in a presentation on Nepal history and culutre. Then meet with students from the local university and learn about their goals and aspirations.

Lodging: Crowne Plaza Hotel Kathmandu Soaltee

Meals Included: Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Breakfast at the hotel.

Morning: Begin the morning with a presentation on Newar Art. Then being your exploration of Patan Dhubar Square, a square filled monuments and the 17th-century Krishna Mandir. Continue to Patan Museum which displays the traditional sacred art of Nepal. Most of the objects are cast bronzes and gilt copper repousse work, traditional crafts for which Patan is famous.

Lunch: Lunch in Patan.

Afternoon: Visit Pashupatinath, one of the most sacred Hindu temples in the world. During Shivaratri annual pilgrimage, thousands of devotees of Lord Shiva from all the Hindu communities of the world pay their homage here. Then proceed to Boudhanath the largest Buddhist Stupa in the world. It is built on a flat surface of various levels of terraces. The stupa is painted in pastel colors and adorned with prayer flags. It is set in a Mandala design. Altogether 108 Buddha images and 147 insets of prayer wheels adorn the base of the huge circular edifice. The settlement of Boudhanath has the largest community of Tibetans – twelve thousand in all.

Dinner: Dinner on your own.

Lodging: Crowne Plaza Hotel Kathmandu Soaltee

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch

Breakfast: Breakfast at the hotel.

Morning: Bhaktapur, also known as Bhadgaon or Khwopa, is an ancient Newar town in the east corner of the Kathmandu Valley and was once the capital of Nepal during the great Malla Kingdom until the second half of the 15th century. Bhaktapur is listed as a World Heritage by UNESCO for its rich culture, temples, and wood, metal and stone artwork. It is the home of traditional art and architecture, historical monuments and craft works, magnificent windows, pottery and weaving industries, excellent temples, rich local customs, culture, religion, festivals, musical mystic and so on.

Lunch: Lunch on own so that you can explore Bhaktapur on your own.

Afternoon: Transfer back to town and the time is free for you to explore the Kathmandu valley on your own.

Dinner: Cocktails and dinner at a private home especially hosted to cater Road Scholar guests.

Lodging: Crowne Plaza Hotel Kathmandu Soaltee

Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner

Breakfast: Breakfast at the hotel.

Morning: Free morning on your own before your flight to Varanasi. Depending on the day of the week, the flights are direct to Varanasi or goes via Delhi.

Lunch: Lunch either on the flight or on your own.

Afternoon: Arrival in Varanasi between 3-4pm. Transfer to your hotel. In late afternoon, meet an astrologer and learn about this ancient science which is an integral part of Hinduism.

Dinner: Dinner at the hotel.

Lodging: Radisson Hotel Varanasi

Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner

Breakfast: Breakfast at the hotel.

Morning: Before breakfast begin with an early morning boat ride on the Ganges river to see the early morning rituals on the ngats along the Ganges. Return to the hotel for breakfast. Afterwards, continue to Sarnath, a UNESCO World Heritage site and a holy site where Lord Buddha delivered his first sermon. Set in well maintained gardens Sarnath's ruins are a pleasant place to stroll amongst or meditate in. The main things to see are Asoka's pillar, the ruins of the Mulagandhakuti and the huge Dharmek Stupa. Further to the east is the modern Mulagandhakuti Vihara with its beautiful wall paintings and behind it the Deer Park.

Lunch: Lunch at a local restaurant.

Afternoon: Time in the afternoon for you to relax. Then in the late afternoon, witness an "Aarti" ceremony while enjoying the boat cruise of Ganges. Aarti is a Hindu religious ritual of worship, a part of puja, in which light from wicks soaked in ghee (purified butter) or camphor is offered to one or more deities. Aartis also refer to the songs sung in praise of the deity, when lamps are being offered

Dinner: Dinner at the hotel.

Lodging: Radisson Hotel Varanasi

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Note: For those taking the group flight, there is between 7-8 hour layover in Delhi.

Breakfast: Breakfast at the hotel.

Morning: Free morning on your own to explore Varanasi.

Lunch: Lunch at the hotel.

Afternoon: Your program ends after lunch. Transfer to the aiport for your return flight home via Delhi.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch

Arrive To: Arrive back home.