Nepal Bhutan overland Tibet Tour

After landing in Kathmandu (TIA), our representative from AsiaExperience will receive you with a placard in his hand. After some formal introduction and welcome, he will take you to your hotel in Thamel. You'll be provided a brief description of the trip in the way there. Depending upon your arrival time, you can visit the nearby markets and attractions here. Rest in the hotel after a welcome dinner with our team. Overnight at a hotel in Kathmandu.

We will take an early drive (5-6 hours) or a domestic flight (25 min) to Chitwan today. In the curvy hill highway and the settlements in between, we will take a peek at the rural economy of Nepal. Besides the raging mountain rivers and green hills, we will glide our way to the granary of Nepal. Once there, you can experience the change in vegetation, landscape, and lifestyle from that of Kathmandu. In the evening, we will head for a brief Tharu (Local tribe) village tour nearby. Overnight at a hotel in Chitwan.

We will first take a canoe ride in the RaptiRiver leading to the entrance of the Chitwan national park. After getting the permits, we will take an Elephant safari to the wilderness of the lush jungle here. You should always avoid wearing bright clothes so prepare a bland one for the occasion here. You can spot many different species of mammals, birds, reptiles, and flora in this safari. The rare Royal Bengal tiger and One-horned rhinoceros are two of the many beautiful animals you can witness in their natural habitat. We will also visit the egg-hatchery and breeding center in the park premises before returning to the hotel. Enjoy the cultural program from the local Tharu community and try some of their cuisines. Overnight at a hotel in Chitwan.

You have an optional bird-watching tour in the morning visiting some of the watchtowers in the park. Our next destination is the adventure capital- Pokhara, which is about 5 hours of drive (25 min flight) from Chitwan. Pokhara will welcome you with a cool breeze and the view of lovely hills surrounding it. There is so much happening here, and you can catch the most of it in the evening tour of the Lakeside. You can try some local Thakali cuisine before returning to your hotel. Overnight at Pokhara.

We will take a short drive and hike for a while to the top of the Sarangkot hill. You can get a beautiful sunrise view of Annapurna and Macchapuchre mountains from here. Sarangkot is also the takeoff place for the popular Pokhara city paragliding. You have an option to do it in clear weather. After returning from Sarangkot, we will explore the city attractions in the city. Davis falls (underground) will the first one, which is also one of the most picturesque places to be in Pokhara. The cave complex here is next starting from Gupteshor to Mahendra and Bat caves. Each has its unique feature to enjoy here. The International Museum is the next place on the list. One of the must-visit places in Pokhara to learn about mountain culture and Mountaineering as a whole. In the evening we will take a boat ride and enjoy the sunset over the PhewaLake. Overnight at a hotel in Pokhara.
Note: - Pokhara also offers you a variety of adventure activities like zip lines, Mountain flight, Ultralight tour, paragliding, Kayaking and more.

Before our flight/drive back to Kathmandu, we will visit some of the remaining attractions in Pokhara. The Bindabashini and Tal Barahi temple here. We will complete a round trip returning to Kathmandu from Pokhara. It is about 6 hours’ drive going up to the capital. Passing by small and big settlements, we will reach Kathmandu and drive to the hotel. In the evening, you can enjoy the nightlife in Thamel. Overnight at a hotel, Kathmandu.

Our Heritage tour of Kathmandu will take you to some of the cultural and historically rich places in and around the valley. After breakfast, we will drive to the Hindu shrine Pashupatinath. Here, you can experience the Hindu culture and rituals. We will explore the Temple complex and drive towards Boudhanath. Boudhanath is the most extensive stupa in Nepal with a small marketplace surrounding it to try snacks and buy souvenirs. We will head towards Bhaktapur city and visit the major attractions there. Starting with the taste of local Newari cuisine, we will visit the Bhaktapur Durbar Square and Nyatapolae temple square. Our tour will get some artistic bliss from the traditional painting school here. You can learn about Nepali art and architecture from the tour. We will get back to Kathmandu and rest for the day. Overnight at Kathmandu.

We will fly to Bhutan from TIA today. In the spare time before the flight, you can explore the market areas of Thamel. The flight to Paro is short but gifted with a great view of both the nations. Our representative will receive you at the airport and take you to your hotel in Thimphu. The drive is slightly over an hour in the green hills and farmlands of Bhutan. The fresh breeze and nature accompany you in the journey to the capital. You can explore the local life in Thimphu. Similarly, the weekend markets here is a culture to experience if you are in these days. Overnight at Thimphu.

After a great sunrise view and some local breakfast, we will head towards Punakha today. We will stop at the DochuLa Pass in the way there and spend some time here. The eyes will go straight to the beautiful Druk Wangyal Chortens which is a collection of 108 memorial chortens dedicated to the deceased Bhutanese war soldiers. The views of the Himalayas and the garden nearby is also majestic from the pass. After some time here, we will move towards the historical fortress in Punakha, Punakhadzong. The Dzong is a beautiful masterpiece located between the Po Vhhu and Mo Chhu rivers. Returning to Thimphu, we can also take a short detour to the Fertility temple or ChimiLhakhang. Overnight at a hotel in Thimphu.

After breakfast, we will drive to Paro. Here we will do a short and scenic hike to one of the most significant monasteries in Bhutan, the Taktsang monastery. There are different routes to reach this majestic monastery sitting in a cliffside of a high hill. We will take the best amongst them and stop for great views and snacks in the way. Our guide will also tell you some local legends and historical importance of the monastery in the hike. After reaching the monastery, you can have a great view of the landscape surrounding it. We can visit the caves where Guru Rimpoche or Padmasambhava is said to have meditated and introduced Buddhism in Bhutan in the monastery. We will return to our hotel in Paro next and rest for the day. Overnight at Paro.

We will leave Bhutan today and head towards Kathmandu. You can enjoy some souvenir shopping before the flight to Nepal. This flight over the Himalayas is one to remember, as it passes by some of the major peaks in the range. Similarly, you can also see the change in the landscape, leaving the barren snow-capped region of Bhutan to the green hills of Kathmandu. We will pick you from TIA and drive you to your hotel. Depending upon the time of your arrival, you will visit some of the UNESCO heritage sites in Kathmandu with your guide.

Our overland tour starts today from Kathmandu to Kerung/Gyirong. We will do all the necessary preparations and leave the valley following the Trishuli highway. The road is smooth in the first segment in the hills followed by some gravel segments. Similarly, we will also face some off-road portions as we get near to the Chinese border. In the way, we will stop for lunch at local settlements and continue driving in this scenic highway. After reaching Kerung, we will have our documents checked at both Nepalese and Chinese immigration offices and drive to our hotel. Overnight at Kerung/Gyirong.

You will start for the longest and most scenic drive of the whole trip to the Rongbuk monastery near EBC. The landscape shift is wondrous as we shift into more barren and snow-covered regions from here. We will drive pass Pelkutso lake and a vast grassland in the first portion of today. Taking small short stops to admire nature and view, we will continue our drive to the Gyawula Pass (5200 m). A bit windy, but absolutely beautiful, we can view the Himalayas clearly from here. From the pass, it is a couple of hours to reach Rongbuk monastery. Overnight at Rongbuk.

We will wake up early for a breathtaking sunrise of a lifetime from the Rongbuk monastery over Mt. Everest. After this amazing experience, we will explore the monastery premises for a bit before continuing our road journey to Shigatse. We will be traveling in a bit bumpy road for the first part of the trip. From here we will stop at the small Tingiri town. The views of Cho Oyu and Everest is majestic from the town here. Next, it is a couple of hours of highway drive to the G318 National highway milestone (5,000 m) in Lhatse, and there we'll take some pictures. After driving to Shigatse from Lhatse, we will freshen up and visit Tashilupo Monastery. This monastery, which is the seat of the Panchen Lama of Tibet is also one of the most significant ones here. Overnight at a hotel in Shigatse.

Today will be the last day of driving exploration in Tibet, and we will cover many cultural destinations in the way. The road is in good condition, and we will make shortstops in the small farmer villages lying in the way. After reaching Gyantse, we will take a brief exploration tour of some majestic sites here. This heritage-rich town has a lot to offer, and we will visit the Perklor Monastery, Kumbum stupa, and GyantseOld Street here. The next portion of the drive takes us beside the Holy Yamdrok Lake (One of the three significant holy lakes in Tibet). We will also enjoy the views of Manak Dam Lake and Korola Glacier before reaching Lhasa in the evening. Overnight at a hotel in Lhasa.

After a refreshing breakfast, we will start our cultural tour of Lhasa. Being the capital of Tibet, we can experience a timeline of culture and art in this city. The Potala Palace, also the former seat of Dalai Lama of Tibet, is the first destination we'll visit today. Potala Palace is one of the most beautiful and extensive palaces in Tibet withholding a significant part of the Tibetan history behind its walls. We will start the tour from the garden on the ground floor and to the different parts of the Palace. The courtyards, praying rooms, decorations, thangkas, and sculptures reflect the Buddhist culture as well as the lifestyle of the previous Dalai lamas here. After a memorable time here, we will make our way towards the Sera monastery within a short drive from here. We will explore the art and culture of the monks living there alongside the view of the landscape surrounding it. From the monastery, we will make our way to Barkhor Street and Jokhang Temple. This temple is one of the most important ones in Tibet. This UNESCO heritage site and premises is the best place to learn Tibetan culture. Overnight at a hotel in Lhasa.

We will continue our Lhasa Tour visiting the Drepung monastery here. Being one of the biggest monasteries in Tibet, it was once home to more than 10,000 monks. We will explore the paintings and murals here and pay a visit to the library. After spending some time here with the monks, we will head towards MentshiKang. A Tibetan Medicine center, you can learn more about the locally made medicines and healing techniques. Our next destination in Lhasa will be the summer palace of Dalai lamas, Norbulingka palace. Also a UNESCO world heritage site, the gardens, shrines, and monuments are pristine here. Overnight at a hotel in Lhasa.

Our representative will drive you to the airport before your departure. You will return via Kathmandu, Beijing or Chengdu airport to home. This trip concludes with some great memories, amazing people, and magnificent places you have been throughout the journey. Asia Experiences will stay connected with you for your valuable suggestions and feedback. Your memories of the tour of Nepal, Bhutan and overland Tibet will blaze out long even after you've left its shores.