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Please note: This expert may not be available for every date of this program.
Activity note: This program is an extension of program 19634 - The Best of Bhutan: Hidden Treasures of a Himalayan Kingdom. Hotel check-in is available at 2:00 p.m. The elevation in Kathmandu is 4,593 feet. Walking today up to 2 miles on uneven surfaces with a few stairs to enter temples.
Afternoon: After hotel check-in, the Group Leader will lead a small Orientation. We will review the up-to-date program schedule, discuss roles and responsibilities, logistics, safety guidelines and emergency procedures. The Group Leader will also endeavor to answer questions you have. Periods in the schedule labeled “Free Time” and “At Leisure” offer opportunities to make the program more meaningful and memorable while going out to explore on your own, engaging in available activities independently, making new friends among fellow Road Scholars, or simply relaxing. The Group Leader will always be happy to offer suggestions. Program activities, schedules, personnel, and indicated distances or times may change due to local circumstances/conditions. In the event of changes, we will alert you as quickly as possible. Thank you for your understanding. We begin our adventure and travel by motorcoach to explore Pashupatinath and Boudhanath temples with our Group Leader. Pashupatinath is one of the most sacred Hindu temples in the world. During Shivaratri, an annual pilgrimage, thousands of Hindus from all over the world pay their homage here. We continue with a short drive to Boudhanath, the largest Buddhist Stupa in the world. It is home to 108 Buddha images and 147 insets of prayer wheels. We then return by motorcoach to the hotel where a local expert who will give a lecture about the contemporary life in Nepal. Local university students will join us for tea and conversation.
Dinner: Welcome dinner at the hotel. Buffet meal featuring local cuisine. Coffee, tea and water included; other beverages available for purchase.
Evening: At leisure.
Activity note: We take a private motorcoach from Kathmandu to Telkot (elevation 6,500 feet). The drive is approximately 20 miles/32 kilometers (1 hour) from the hotel. Our hike will take around 3 hours and is mainly along a mountain trail with few ascents and descents. Bhaktapur requires walking half a mile on uneven walkways with a few steps.
Breakfast: At the hotel. Buffet meal with a variety of hot and cold dishes. Coffee, tea and water included.
Morning: After breakfast, we depart by motorcoach to Telkot, a small settlement located just off the Nagarkot highway. We will hike from Telkot to the Changu Narayan Temple, passing through small villages and farmlands. At the end of the hike we will reach Changunarayan, a small Newari town located on a hill ridge surrounding Bhaktapur. We visit the Changu Narayan Temple which is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is one of the oldest temples in Nepal and is dedicated to Hindu god Lord Vishnu - Protector of the Universe.
Lunch: After visiting the Changu Narayan Temple we will have a picnic lunch.
Afternoon: We board our motorcoach and return to Kathmandu, making a stop in Bhaktapur, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and an ancient trade route stop between India and Tibet. We explore this ancient Newa city, one of the three royal cities in the Kathmandu Valley (along with Kathmandu and Patan) and gain an understanding of its historical and cultural importance. We re-board our motorcoach and return to the hotel in the late afternoon.
Dinner: At the hotel. Buffet meal featuring local cuisine. Coffee, tea and water included; other beverages available for purchase.
Evening: At leisure.
Activity note: Walking approximately 1 to 2 miles today. The program concludes after dinner with evening departures home. Participants will be provided a hotel room for the full night, due to late night and possible next day departures (check-out time is 12:00 noon tomorrow).
Breakfast: At the hotel. Buffet meal with a variety of hot and cold dishes. Coffee, tea and water included.
Morning: We transfer by motorcoach to Kathmandu Durbar Square and visit Hanuman Dhoka. Here the kings of Nepal are crowned and the religious and cultural life of Nepal is epitomized in temples and palaces such as Taleju Temple, Temple of KalBhairav, GaddiBaithak, and the Jagannath Temple. We continue by motorcoach to Swayambhunath, the oldest Buddhist “stupa” — a place of meditation — established more than 2,500 years ago and often referred to as the Monkey Temple. Swayambhunath, sitting atop a hill overlooking the Kathmandu Valley, is also known as Sengu and is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Lunch: At a local restaurant. Plated family-style meal. Coffee, tea and water included; other beverages available for purchase.
Afternoon: After lunch, we continue by motorcoach to Patan, a city renowned for its fine examples of Nepalese art and architecture, including palaces, temples, and shrines like Krishna Mandir and Mahabouddha. We visit the Patan Museum in Durbar Square, inaugurated in 1997 and devoted to Nepalese art. We return to the hotel by motorcoach. Participants leaving tonight will check out and collect their luggage. We will all depart by motorcoach for our last dinner together.
Dinner: At a local Nepali restaurant. Plated, family-style dinner. Coffee, tea and water included; other beverages available for purchase.
Evening: Late evening departures to the airport for return flights home. For those of you who have a flight the following day, the hotel is booked for the entire night. Check-out is 12:00 noon tomorrow. Program concludes. If you are returning home, safe travels. If you are staying on independently, have a wonderful time. If you are transferring to another Road Scholar program, detailed instructions are included in your Information Packet for that program. We hope you enjoy Road Scholar learning adventures and look forward to having you on rewarding programs in the future. Please join our Facebook or Instagram page and share photos of your program. Visit us at www.facebook.com/rsadventures. Best wishes for all your journeys!
Morning: Arrive to North America
