Amazing India Nepal Tibet Tour

Upon arrival at the Indira Gandhi International Airport, your tour guide will fetch you from the airport and billet you at a nice hotel. The rest of the day is all yours to spend. You can use the rest of the day to familiarize yourself with Indian culture and other aspects of Indian life.

Stay overnight in Delhi

The tour of Delhi will never be complete without seeing its past; hence, the first part of the Delhi Tour usually consists of a visit to the “Old Delhi”—a 17th-century walled city of Shajahanabad — at Yamuna River’s western bank. The walls of Old Delhi span more than 7 miles and enclose the Red Fort (Lal Qila), Jama Masjid (Friday Mosque), Chandni Chowk (Silver Path), and the residential quarters.

Afterward, you will get to see the red sandstone Digambar Jain Temple built in 1526, and visit the Raj Ghat, a mesmerizing monument where the renowned Mahatma Gandhi was cremated. If time permits, you can experience riding on a rickshaw along the crowded lanes of the famous Chandni Chowk Bazaar after taking a look at the Jam Masjid.

After lunch, you’ll be guided through the lovely "Imperial City" at the very center of Delhi. Here, you will tour India’s Parliament Building, the residence of India’s President and the Rashptrapati Bhavan. Not far beyond is the “India Gate”, situated at a famous park that encircles the memorial to the Indian soldiers who died serving Great Britain during World War I and Britain’s war against Afghanistan. Then, you will visit the Qutab Minar, a marvelous 234-foot tower that showcases Indo-Islamic Architecture and is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Stay overnight in Delhi

You’ll take your early morning breakfast at your hotel, for soon after, you’ll be off for a five-hour drive to Jaipur. Jaipur is a nice Indian city, famous for being the "Pink City" due to the rosy hue of most of its sandstone buildings. Here, you can visit the Amber Fort-Palace, a splendid and well-preserved 16th-century structure. It has a small room called “Sheesh Mahal” whose ceiling are covered with minute mirrors, creating the impression of a sky replete with brilliant stars.

After Lunch, you will take a jaunt at the Jantar Mantar, a famous 18th-century astronomical and astrological observatory with its gigantic sundials that are still fairly accurate. Soon after, your tour guide will walk you through the amazing City Palace Museum. An optional visit to the fabric block printing center would surely be an awesome way to end your day-three tour.

Stay overnight in Jaipur

After breakfast, you will visit the Hawa Mahal (Palace of the Winds) before leaving for Agra. The Hawa Mahal is not a palace but a façade, decked with delicately honeycombed windows made of sandstones. In the past, ladies within the palace used to watch the outside world without being noticed by outsiders.

You will then take a six-hour 237-km drive to Agra. This trip showcases the Indian countryside. Along the way, you’ll see camels and rickshaws. A stopover at Abhaneri is imperative, wherein you will find an ancient baolis—a waterway designed to provide a continuous supply of water to the surrounding inhabitants.

Soon after arriving at Agra, you can either take a much-needed rest or join the optional tour to Mentab Bagh(Moonlight Garden)” located just across the Yamuna River. From the Mentab Bagh, you can already behold the mesmerizing Taj Mahal.

Stay overnight in Agra

Agra is definitely “a once-in-a-lifetime experience” for it has the world-famous Taj Mahal. You should rise early in the morning to experience the spectacular sunrise at Taj Mahal. The Taj Mahal is an exquisite monument of love—a literal “Crown of the Palace"—made of ivory-white marble. It is a mausoleum likewise, commissioned by the Shah Jahan in 1632 for his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal. Moreover, it has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983 and is visited by 7 to 8 million tourists each year.

Not far from the Taj Mahal complex is the sprawling Agra Fort. This fort served as the seat of power of the Mughal Empire for several generations before the British colonial rule of India. Its design is a mixture of awesome beauty and military power.

Stay overnight in Agra

Soon after having your breakfast, you will be off to Varanasi by plane. Legend says that Varanasi was founded by Shiva. It is also said that Gautama founded Buddhism here. Hence, it is considered the holiest of the seven sacred cities of India. Here, you’ll see 19 archeological sites, magnificent monasteries, stupas, Hindu temples, Ghats, the Ramnagar Fort, the Jantar Mantar observatory, and great mosques.

Stay overnight in Varanasi

You are now about to commence your Nepal tour and end your Indian tour. After breakfast, you still have enough time for a boat ride along the sacred Ganges and engage in sightseeing in Varanasi. You’ll see Ghats, temples, and mosques from your boat. Soon after, you should be ready for your flight to Kathmandu. Upon arrival at Kathmandu, you should rest in your hotel for the next day's adventures.

Stay overnight in Kathmandu

After having your breakfast, you will be transferred to Pashupatinath and Boudhanath, two famous world heritage sites in Kathmandu. Pashupatinath Temple is the largest shrine of Lord Shiva in the whole of Nepal, and the most sacred temple for all Hindus. There is a cremation site beside the temple, and it is quite unique. Holy men—whose bodies are covered with all types of makeup and ashes—are also focal attractions near the Pashupatinath Temple. Here, you will also get to see the Holy River Bagmati.

The other temple worth visiting in Kathmandu is the Boudhanath Stupa, also known and considered as the Little Tibet in Kathmandu. You should not miss likewise the Thanka painting galleries to better understand Tibetan Buddhism.

Stay overnight in Kathmandu

Today we are going to visit Bhaktapur Durbar Square first.

“Durbar” means “Palace” in Nepalese language. There are three famous Durbar Squares in Nepal, one is in Kathmandu, one is in Bhaktapur, and the last in Patan. After the 6^th. King of Malla Dynasty died, all his three sons wanted to be the new king, so they controlled three different places and fight each other. These three Durbar Squares were built during that time.

Bhaktapur Durbar Square is bigger than the other two squares. There are many temples, statues and palace over 500years history there, thus it’s called “The Treasure of Medieval Nepalese Art” and “Outdoor Museum” as well.

After lunch, we are going to Nagarkot, 35km from Kathmandu. It’s called the “Viewing Deck of the Himalayas” because it’s the best place to see the overall perspective of the Himalayas. It used to be the secluded place of the Nepalese rulers, but since 70’s it became the most popular place to enjoy the sunrise and sunset. The peak season is from Oct. to Mar. every year.

Stay overnight in Nagarkot village

After enjoying the great sunrise of Himalaya in Nagarkot, today we are going to another Durbar Square---Patan Durbar Square. It’s also one of the world's cultural heritages in Nepal. The biggest difference compared with the other two squares is the Newari classical architecture here.

In the afternoon, we are going to the Patan Museum. It may be the best museum in the South Asian Sub-Continent. It’s a complex of modern and ancient architecture art. The specialty seeing is those bronze statues, which are gods of Hindu and Buddhism. There are three showrooms of Hindu while 2 of Buddhism.

We will go back to Kathmandu in the late afternoon.

Stay overnight in Kathmandu

Our local operator will pick up from your hotel in Kathmandu and get together around 6:00am, and then we will drive from Kathmandu to Rashuwaghadi (the border between China-Nepal), en-route, you’ll enjoy the marvelous scenery along the way, the rush green mountains, valleys, rivers, etc. After immigration formalities at Gyirong port, you will meet our Tibetan tour guide and driver, then continue drive to Gyirong town.

Stay overnight in Gyirong, Guesthouse

Drive along the Friendship Highway to Tingri where you can get a wonderful view of Himalayan ranges, specially Mt.Shisha Pangma and Lake Peikutso. About 40 km to Old Tingri, you can get a view of the highest peaks in the world, such as Mt. Lhotse (8516m), Mt. Everest(8848m), Mt. Qowowuyag (8201m), and Mt. Makalu(8463m).

Stay overnight in Tingri, Guesthouse

Drive from Tingri to Shigatse today, which takes about 4hrs 30mins. Please feel free to ask your driver to stop at any time if you want to take a photo of the fantastic view along the way.

In the afternoon, we will visit Tashilhunpo Monastery - the home of Panchen Lama. It was founded by the 1st Dalai Lama in 1447 and is a historic and culturally important monastery in Shigatse.

Stay overnight in Shigatse

Drive Shigatse to Lhasa via Gyantse by Southern Friendship Highway. You will pass by the fertile Nyangchu Valley, a wide agricultural plain where colorfully decorated yaks and horses are used by Tibetan farmers to till the land. Arriving at Gyantse, you will visit Pelkor Chode Monastery. This magnificent multi-door structure is not only the largest stupa in Tibet but also has old sculptures and paintings all around its inner walls. En route, you will see Karola Glacier, which looks spectacular from the highway, as well as holy Yamdrok Lakewith its turquoise color and snowcapped Mt.Nyenchen Khangsar in the distance.

Stay overnight in Lhasa

Today, you will visit the most famous Potala Palace, which is the cardinal landmark of Tibet and the masterpiece of Tibetan architecture. Potala Palace was the winter palace of successive Dalai lamas. It was built by the 33rd great king of Tibet - Songtsen Gangpo in the 7th Century. The most valuable collections of Potala Palace are the gilded burial stupas of former Dalai Lamas and the meditation Cave of the 33rd great king of Tibet. 

At noon, the tour guide will bring you to a good restaurant to have lunch and have a rest. In the afternoon, we will go to visit Jokhang Temple in the center of the Lhasa old town. Jokhang Temple is the most sacred temple in Tibet and it is always bustling with earnest local pilgrims since the early days. After that, you will take a walk around the Barkhor Street - one of the most devotional circuits as well as a crowded central market of Lhasa. Barkhor Street is a very ancient round street surrounding the Jokhang Temple and the locals are always proud of it. As a symbol of Lhasa, it‘s also a must-see place for visitors.

Stay overnight in Lhasa

After breakfast in the hotel, the tour guide will take you to Drepung Monastery, the biggest Tibetan monastery that housed more than 10,000 monks in the past. Drepung means Rice Heap in the Tibetan language. The entire monastery is large in scale and the white buildings cluster and cover the hillsides. It's the highest-ranking monastery in the Gelug Sect.

In the afternoon you will first visit the Tibet Museum. Here you can see life scenes, exquisite clothing, house architecture, and festival customs, etc. to explore the special and mysterious Tibetan customs. Then you will visit Norbulingka, which is a typical Tibetan-style royal garden, the summer resort of the Dalai Lama.

Stay overnight in Lhasa