| Duration: | 6 Hour(s) - 0 Minute(s) |
| Tour Category: | Full Day Tours |
FULL DAY GUIDED SIGHTSEEING TOUR IN KATHMANDU VALLEY
After your breakfast, you will precede to Kathmandu Durbar Square, where you will tour the ancient palace, the temple of Kumari, hailed as the living goddess of Nepal, Hanuman Dhoka and Kasthamandav Temple with a guide knowledgeable about Nepalese history, architecture, and religion. From there, you will proceed by taxi, bus to the Buddhist site, Swoyambhunath Stupa, also known as the "Monkey Temple" because of its lively troops of resident monkeys. You will then visit Pashupatinath Temple, the holiest shrine for Hindus, situated on the banks of the holy Bagmati River, a popular cremation site. Before returning to the hotel, you will visit Boudhnath Stupa, a Buddhist pilgrimage center and home to many colorful gompas, or monasteries.
The Kathmandu Valley, the political, commercial and cultural hub of Nepal, is the first stop for the majority of visitors to the country. Once a separate kingdom in itself, it contains three fabled cities – Kathmandu(local name: Yen, population 550,000); Patan ( Yell, population 160,000); and Bhaktapur (Khwopa, population 75,000). Situated at an altitude of 1336 meter above sea level, the Kathmandu Valley covers an area of 218 sq. miles. Each town is an artistic exposition of graceful temples, elegant palaces, brick-paved courtyards and quaint streets.
KATHMANDU DURBAR SQUARE - OLDEST ROYAL PALACE
SWYAMBHUNATH TEMPLE - MONKEY TEMPLE
PASHUPATINATH TEMPLE - HOLY TEMPLE
BOUDDHANATH STUPA - BIGGEST STUPA IN SOUTH EAST ASIA
This complex of palaces, courtyards and temples like Hanumandhoka Palace, Kumari Ghar (Abode of the Living Goddess), Taleju temple, built between the 12th and 18th centuries, used to be the seat of the ancient Malla Kings of Kathmandu. An intriguing piece here is the 17h -century stone inscription set into the wall of the palace with writings in 15 languages. The Durbar Square, protected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is the social, religious and urban focal point of the city. Even to date, all the major state and social ceremonies, including the solemnization of coronations are performed in one of the courtyards in this complex. There are also museums inside the palace building. There is an entrance fee of Rs. 250 for foreign visitors. Your ticket to the Square entitles you to visit all the museums.
This temples watches over the Valley from the top of a hillock on its western side just three kilometers west of the city center. The stupa is one of the holiest Buddhist sites in Nepal and its establishment is linked to the creation of the Kathmandu Valley out of a primordial lake. Swayambhu is also known as Samhengu and is listed as a World Heritage Site. It is also one of the oldest and glorious Buddhist shrines in the world which is said to be two thousand years. The four sides of the stupa is painted with the eyes of Lord Buddha and the temple is also known as the watchful eyes of Buddha. Entrance fee Rs. 50 (SAARC nationals Rs. 30).
Religious pilgrims and sadhus, like the one pictured here, travel all the way from the remote areas of India to visit this sacred sight, especially during Shivaratri (the night of Shiva) that falls between February/March. Even though these devotees have denounced worldly possessions, each carries a Sadhu ID (identifications card) to freely cross over the border between India and Nepal.
It is lies about 6 km east of downtown Kathmandu and is the largest stupa in the Valley and one of the largest in the world. It looms 36 meters high and presents one of the most fascinating specimens of stupa design with hundreds of prayer wheels and 108 small images of Buddha all around. Just like the Swayambhunath, the stupa here is too has four sides with the watchful eyes of Lord Buddha. All the Buddhist throng to this stupa to take part in the sacred rituals during the Buddhist festivals.
TOUR COST INCLUSIONS:
TOUR COST EXCLUSIONS:
Note: The above tour cost is based on two person.
