Arrive at Kathmandu Airport with the beautiful views of the valley, Himalaya and the terraced fields below. Meet & be greeted by Donkeys Adventures’ (DA) airport representative in the arrival section who will be holding the name card of the group leader. He / She will guide you through the initial cultural shock of Kathmandu narrow streets, cultures, people around and transfer to hotel. Then DA will organize to meet in a traditional Nepalese restaurant for a welcome dinner where we will have introduction to DA staffs who will be directly involve during your stay in Nepal. For the late night arrivals, we will either meet in the hotel lobby or during lunch the next day. Overnight in the hotel.  

Meals: D

After breakfast, drive to the golden spire of the 5th-century Swayambhunath Stupa which is adorned with a colorful fluttering of prayer flags; it crowns a hill overlooking the Kathmandu Valley and offers fantastic views over the city of Kathmandu. The stupa consists of a dome at the base which represent the entire world, above which is a cubical structure painted with eyes of Buddha looking in all four directions and between them, the number one in Nepali is painted in the fashion of a nose which meant to be unity. Swayambhunath is also known commonly as the Monkey Temple as there are holy monkeys living in the north-west parts of the temple. The Swayambhunath Stupa is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the holiest Buddhist sites in Nepal.

Then, drive to Patan Durbar Square one of the three royal cities in the Kathmandu Valley which has a rich cultural heritage known for its fine crafts, evident in the elaborate architecture, stone carvings, and metal statues found all over the city. A center of both Buddhist and Hindu culture, Patan is home to more than 1,200 monuments. One of the most stunning is the Krishna Mandir, a stone temple with magnificent friezes built in the 16th century. Patan Durbar Square is also a good place to see beautiful examples of palaces, temples and shrines, and the stunning stone carvings in the Sundari Courtyards. Nearby is the Patan Museum which displays the traditional sacred arts of Nepal in an illustrious architectural setting. Its home is an old residential court of Patan Durbar, one of the royal palaces of former Malla Kings of the Kathmandu Valley. Its gilded door and window face one of the most beautiful squares in the world. The Museum’s exhibits cover along span of Nepal’s cultural history and some rare objects are among its treasures. Their meaning and context within the living traditions of Hinduism and Buddhism are explained. The entire city of Patan was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979.

After lunch, drive to Pashupatinath which is one of the most significant Hindu Temple of Lord Shiva in the world, located on the banks of the Bagmati River in the eastern part of Kathmandu. Pashupatinath Temple is the oldest Hindu temple in Kathmandu its existence dates back to 400 B.C.  One of the major Festivals of the temple is Maha Shivaratri on which day over 800,000 devotees visit here. Open air cremation is done in the holy Bagmati River at Pashupatinath area. The temple is listed in UNESCO World Heritage Sites list. Drive back to hotel. Overnight in the hotel.

Meals: B

After breakfast in the hotel, we will begin our trek with the first hour and half in a drive to reach Sundarijal (1460m). The trail leads us up to the concrete steps beside the pipeline which supply drinking water for the valley. No sooner we will leave the pipeline from the dam and we will enter through the Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park to climb to the top of the Shivapuri ridge. We will further continue up the hill through the forest to meet the Mulkharka Village (1855m) with the inhabitants of Tamang people. We will take our lunch here with the After lunch we will climb on the forest of rhododendron and oaks to reach Borlang Bhanjyang (2430m) than the trail goes downhill to Chisopani (2165m), from where you will be greeted by stunning skyline filled with snow-capped mountains’. Overnight in the lodge.

Meals: B / L / D

After breakfast with beautiful views, we will retrace the same trail until Borlang Bhanjyang (2430m) and then take the right hand side easy downhill trail towards Deurali Bhanjyang (2392m). We will gradually climb Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park forest path with no settlement in between until we reach Todke Baba Ashram and some abandon temple, the vegetation with age old trees towering into the sky with mossy under bush. From there we will ascend to Shivapuri Peak (2725m), a small hemlock grass land with Shivapuri Baba’s white statue. We will enjoy our pack lunch and then return back to Todke Baba Ashram and take a steep steps down hill to reach Bagdwar (2426m), a small stone spout molded like a tiger’s face painted golden yellow from where a steady chilled water flows continuously and is believed to be the source of the Holy Bagmati river which flows all the way from the middle of the Kathmandu valley. We also can see a nearby cave, supposedly a shelter of Shivapuri baba who spent his last year there. We will than trek all the way down to Nagi Gumba (1650m), a hilltop Buddhist monastery only for Nuns from where we can see the panoramic views of the valley. We will further continue easy downhill wide trail through the park jungle watching birds and listening their chirping sound in the silence as we step on the fallen leaves and branches. No sooner we will reach Budhanilkantha, a Narayanath Temple where we will visit the sacred site of sleeping Hindu deity (sleeping Bishnu), resting on top a bed of serpents. From there we will drive to Kathmandu (1350m). Overnight in the hotel.  

Meals: B / L / D

After breakfast, we will drive to Boudhanath Stupa, which is the largest stupa in Nepal and the holiest Tibetan Buddhist temple outside Tibet. The stupa is located in the town of Boudha, located about 11 km from the center and northeastern outskirts of Boudhanath is a stupa.  Boudhanath was probably built in the 14th century after the Mughal invasions; various interesting legends are told regarding the reasons for its construction. After the arrival of thousands of Tibetans following the 1959 Chinese invasion, the temple has become one of the most important centers of Tibetan Buddhism. It was declared World Heritage Site by UNESCO since 1979. The Stupa is said to entomb the remains of Kassapa Buddha.

From above, Bodnath Stupa looks like a giant mandala, or diagram of the Buddhist cosmos. There are other symbolic numbers here as well: the nine levels of Boudhanath Stupa represent the mythical Mt. Meru, center of the cosmos; and the 13 rings from the base to the pinnacle symbolize the path to enlightenment, or "Bodhi" — hence the stupa's name. At the bottom, the stupa is surrounded by an irregular 16-sided wall, with frescoes in the niches. The mantra of Avalokiteshvara - Om Mani Padme Hum - is carved on the prayer wheels beside the images of Avalokiteshvara around the base of the stupa. The base of the stupa consists of three large platforms, decreasing in size. As at Swayambhunath, Bodnath is topped with a square tower bearing the omnipresent Buddha eyes on all four sides. Instead of a nose is a question-mark-type symbol that is actually the Nepali character for the number 1, symbolizing unity and the one way to reach enlightenment—through the Buddha's teachings. Above this is the third eye, symbolizing the wisdom of the Buddha. The square tower is topped by a pyramid with 13 steps, representing the ladder to enlightenment.

Than we will drive 14 km east of Kathmandu and explore the Bhaktapur Valley.  The valley is said to be founded by King Ananda Deva in 889 AD. It is an inhabited museum of medieval charm as it retains past glories and structures of the Malla rulers. Throughout the city there are glorious examples of temples and pagodas dedicated to gods and goddesses plus palaces, monuments, woodcarvings, sculptures and pottery. The central area and main attraction is Bhaktapur Durbar Square featuring The Lion Gate (1696 A.D.) guarded by two enormous stone lions. Then, visit to The Golden Gate, also said to be the most beautiful and richly crafted specimen of its kind in the entire world; some have said it's the loveliest work of art in the whole Kingdom. The Palace of Fifty-five Windows built in 1427 of brick displays a balcony containing fifty-five windows, each a masterpiece of woodcarving. An amazing five-storied pagoda, Nyatapola Temple built in 1702, 108 ft., dominates the Square. It is the tallest temple in Kathmandu Valley and stands on a series of five terraces. Likewise, visit another two temples in Durbar Square:  the three-storied Bhairab Nath Temple and the Temple of Dattatraya. Dattatraya temple is believed, originally was carved out of the trunk of a tree and subsequently renovated in 1458. Many temples, bahals (monastery courtyards), and residences, the city is still a living proof of the highest craft standards in this part of the world. As the visitor wanders through narrow brick paved streets, many alleys will show hidden shrines and statues. Clay craftsmanship as well as cloth weaving is still practiced here very much as in the past. Fourteen kilometers east of Kathmandu, this peaceful, conservative town stands in sharp contrast to the bustle of its two adjacent cities.

After lunch, we will drive back to Kathmandu Durbar Square, while browse around Kathmandu Durbar Square you will visit Hanuman Dhoka, the old and historic palace of Kathmandu named after monkey God, Hanuman, a historic seat of royalty. The Kings of Nepal are crowned and their coronations also held inside the court yard here. There is a statue of King Pratap Mall sitting on the stone pillar in the front and temple of Jagannath from mediaeval period. Within the walking distance you will find the tall temple of Taleju from 1549 AD, the large stone statue of Kal Bhairav, the God of destruction. The Big Bell and Big Drum and Hindu Lord Shiva and his consort Parvati peeping from window. Visit the temple of Kumari, the residence of Living Goddess within the vicinity. Kumari means the virgin girl. The girl is selected from Newar Buddhist family. The building has profusely carved wooden balconies and window screen.

Meals: B

Today will be the last day of our Nepal visit and we will spend today packing and maybe catching up on some last-minute souvenir shopping for your family, relatives and friends back home. Check out from the hotel. Meet DA airport representative for farewell and then drop to Airport for onward journey, with the last minute mountain views from the sky.

Meals: B