Travel style · Lumbini, Pashupatinath, Muktinath and the gompas
Spiritual and pilgrimage in Nepal
The Buddha's birthplace at Lumbini, Shiva's temple at Pashupatinath, Muktinath sacred to Hindus and Buddhists alike, Gosaikunda's high lake, Janakpur's Janaki Mandir and the monasteries of Khumbu and Mustang.
In Nepal, Hindu and Buddhist practice often share the same ground. Swayambhu has Hindu shrines in its courtyard; Muktinath's 108 spouts are walked by sadhus and Tibetan Buddhist pilgrims on the same morning.
We time visits to ritual hours and brief you on dress and photography rules for each site. Several pilgrimages follow the lunar calendar, so dates move each year: check current status before you travel.
Trips
Kathmandu Valleymax 1,750 mBuddhist Kathmandu: Boudha to Namobuddha
Five nights following the Buddhist thread of the Kathmandu Valley: three at Boudhanath for dawn koras and monastery visits, Swayambhu and the …
Kathmandu Valleymax 1,420 mKathmandu stopover in two nights
Two nights in Kathmandu for travellers between flights or before a trek. See Swayambhu at sunset, Kathmandu Durbar Square, Pashupatinath and the …
Kathmandu Valleymax 1,750 mKathmandu to Lumbini: the Buddha's path
An eight-night Buddhist pilgrimage that starts at the great stupas of the Kathmandu Valley and the hilltop shrine of Namobuddha, flies down …
Kathmandu Valleymax 1,540 mThe seven heritage zones of the Kathmandu Valley
Four nights, five days and all seven monument zones that make up the Kathmandu Valley World Heritage Site: the Durbar squares of …
Kathmandu Valleymax 2,175 mValley rim walk: Nagarkot to Panauti
Four nights and three walking days along the eastern rim of the Kathmandu Valley, from the Vishnu temple of Changu Narayan up …
Pokhara & the Annapurnasmax 5,416 mAnnapurna Circuit over Thorong La
Fifteen nights from Kathmandu around the north side of the Annapurnas: up the Marsyangdi valley on the quieter trails above the road, …
Pokhara & the Annapurnasmax 2,517 mPanchase Hill Short Trek
Three nights from Pokhara with no permit queues and no jeep ride to start: row across Phewa Lake, climb past the World …
Pokhara & the Annapurnasmax 1,600 mPokhara, Lumbini and Chitwan Overland
Eight nights by road from the lakes to the plains: two nights in Pokhara, the Newar hill bazaar of Tansen on the …
Everest & Solukhumbumax 4,065 mPikey Peak and Junbesi Trek in Solu
A short, quiet trek in Solu, the lower half of Solukhumbu. Drive to Phaplu, walk to the Sherpa village of Junbesi and …
Everest & Solukhumbumax 3,867 mSolu to Khumbu Walk-in: Phaplu to Tengboche
Walk into the Everest region the way expeditions did before the Lukla airstrip. Sixteen nights from Phaplu across the ridges of Solu, …
Everest & Solukhumbumax 3,867 mTengboche Mani Rimdu Festival Trek
Time your Everest trek to the Mani Rimdu festival at Tengboche Monastery, held each October or November by the Tibetan calendar. Eleven …
Everest & Solukhumbumax 3,970 mThame and Sherpa Heritage Trek
A trek through the Sherpa villages that raised generations of Everest climbers. Ten nights linking Namche Bazaar, Thame in the Bhote Koshi …
Chitwan & the Teraimax 1,400 mChitwan and Bardia Tiger Journey
Eight nights across Nepal's two great tiger parks. Three nights at Meghauli in western Chitwan for rhino and big grassland, a night …
Chitwan & the Teraimax 1,400 mJanakpur and Mithila Art
Four nights for the Mithila culture of Nepal's south-east: one in Kathmandu, three in Janakpur. The white-domed Janaki Mandir, the sacred ponds, …
Chitwan & the Teraimax 1,400 mRamayana Trail: Janakpur to Devghat
Six nights on the Nepal side of the Ramayana. Three nights in Janakpur, Sita's city in Hindu tradition, for Janaki Mandir, the …
Chitwan & the Teraimax 1,400 mThe Terai East to West Overland
Twelve nights across the whole Nepal Terai by private car: from the wetlands of Koshi Tappu in the far east, through Maithil …
Lumbini & the Buddha's Countrymax 1,400 mBuddha's Nepal: Kathmandu Stupas to Lumbini
Seven nights tracing Buddhism in Nepal from the hill stupa of Swayambhunath and the great dome of Boudhanath to the caves of …
Lumbini & the Buddha's Countrymax 1,400 mKali Gandaki: Ridi, Rani Mahal and Devghat
Five nights following Nepal's holiest western river through the hills of Palpa. Base in Tansen for Rani Mahal, sleep beside the Kali …
Lumbini & the Buddha's Countrymax 1,400 mKapilavastu Circuit: Tilaurakot, Kudan and Pillars
Three nights in Lumbini with two full days west and east of it: the walled ruins of Tilaurakot, where Nepal places the …
Lumbini & the Buddha's Countrymax 1,400 mBuddhist Circuit: Kathmandu to Sunauli Border
The Nepal half of the Buddhist circuit in five nights. One night in Kathmandu for Swayambhunath, then four in Lumbini for the …
Lumbini & the Buddha's Countrymax 1,400 mFamily Heritage: Lumbini and Chitwan
A six-night family trip across the plains of Nepal. Two nights in Lumbini to cycle between monasteries from a dozen countries and …
Lumbini & the Buddha's Countrymax 1,400 mLumbini Meditation Retreat
Five quiet nights at the birthplace of the Buddha, built around practice rather than sightseeing. Dawn sits in the Sacred Garden, walking …
Lumbini & the Buddha's Countrymax 1,400 mLumbini Pilgrimage: Two Nights at the Birthplace
Two nights at the birthplace of the Buddha. Fly 35 minutes from Kathmandu to Bhairahawa, walk the Sacred Garden at the hours …
Lumbini & the Buddha's Countrymax 1,600 mLumbini to Pokhara via Tansen
Six nights that climb from the plains to the mountains. Two nights at the Buddha's birthplace in Lumbini, one in the old …
Lumbini & the Buddha's Countrymax 1,750 mNepal Buddhist Grand Tour
Twelve nights through every layer of Buddhism in Nepal: the Newar courtyards of Patan, Swayambhunath, two nights beside Boudhanath, the hilltop monastery …
Mustang & Dolpomax 3,710 mMuktinath pilgrimage by air via Jomsom
A four-night pilgrimage from Kathmandu to Muktinath, flying to Jomsom to avoid the long road, with a night at Kagbeni for shraddha …
Mustang & Dolpomax 3,710 mLower Mustang and Muktinath by road
Six nights by private jeep from Pokhara up the Kali Gandaki, the deep gorge between Dhaulagiri and Annapurna, to the apple village …
Mustang & Dolpomax 3,710 mSlow Mustang at Shinta Mani Mustang
Six unhurried nights for travellers who want Mustang's landscape and villages with a comfortable base: one night above Pokhara, then five nights …
Mustang & Dolpomax 3,950 mUpper Mustang by jeep to Lo Manthang
Nine nights by private jeep into the old Kingdom of Lo for travellers who want Lo Manthang without two weeks of walking. …
Langtang & Manaslumax 4,610 mGosaikunda lakes and Helambu trek
Nine nights from Dhunche to the sacred lakes of Gosaikunda, over the Laurebina La at 4,610 m and down through Tharepati into …
Langtang & Manaslumax 4,380 mGosaikunda Janai Purnima pilgrimage trek
Six nights timed to Janai Purnima, the full moon of Shrawan, when thousands of Hindu pilgrims and Tamang shamans climb to Gosaikunda …
Langtang & Manaslumax 4,773 mLangtang Valley and Gosaikunda lakes trek
Twelve nights that join two of Langtang's great walks: up the valley to Kyanjin Gompa and Kyanjin Ri, then across the hillside …
Langtang & Manaslumax 5,106 mManaslu Circuit and Tsum Valley trek
Twenty nights that join the Tsum Valley with the full Manaslu Circuit. You spend a week in Tsum, up to Mu Gompa …
Langtang & Manaslumax 3,700 mTsum Valley trek to Mu Gompa
Fourteen nights into the Tsum Valley, a Tibetan Buddhist valley on the Manaslu side of the border that opened to trekkers only …
Eastern Nepalmax 3,794 mPathibhara Devi Pilgrimage
Five nights to Pathibhara Devi, the hilltop shrine above Taplejung at 3,794 m that Limbu people call Mukkumlung. Drive the Mechi Highway …
Far West & Karnalimax 4,560 mHumla: the Kailash Trail to Hilsa
Eight nights on the old pilgrim and trade route of upper Humla, the way Hindu and Buddhist pilgrims walked toward Mount Kailash. …
Far West & Karnalimax 3,300 mKhaptad Meadows Trek
Seven nights to the Khaptad plateau, a rolling upland of meadows and fir forest at about 3,000 m in the far west. …
Far West & Karnalimax 2,540 mKhasa Kingdom Heritage: Jumla, Sinja, Dullu
Eight nights through the heartland of the Khasa Malla kingdom, which ruled western Nepal and parts of western Tibet from about the …
Far West & Karnalimax 4,949 mLimi Valley Trek from Simikot
Sixteen nights in upper Humla, a restricted area on Nepal's border with Tibet. Walk up the Karnali from Simikot to Hilsa, turn …
Places
Kathmandu Valley1,370 mBoudhanath
The great white stupa where Tibet meets the Kathmandu Valley
Kathmandu Valley1,541 mChangunarayan
A hilltop Vishnu temple with Nepal's oldest dated inscription
Kathmandu Valley1,550 mDhulikhel
A Newar hill town facing the Himalaya, on the road to Namobuddha
Kathmandu Valley1,400 mKathmandu
Yen of the Newars: a capital built round one wooden pavilion
Kathmandu Valley1,330 mPashupatinath
Shiva's temple on the Bagmati, where Nepal comes to pray and to part
Kathmandu Valley1,350 mPatan
Yala, the city of metalworkers, courtyards and Buddhist bahals
Kathmandu Valley1,450 mPharping
Guru Rinpoche's caves and the gorge of Dakshinkali on the southern rim
Kathmandu Valley1,420 mSwayambhunath
The self-born stupa on the hill where the valley's story begins
Pokhara & the Annapurnas4,130 mAnnapurna Base Camp
A glacial bowl ringed by Annapurna, sacred to the Gurung
Pokhara & the Annapurnas1,097 mGorkha
Hilltop palace where Prithvi Narayan Shah was born
Pokhara & the Annapurnas3,519 mManang
A dry Tibetan Buddhist valley behind the Annapurnas
Everest & Solukhumbu2,675 mJunbesi
Solu's monastery village on the old walking road to Everest
Everest & Solukhumbu3,985 mPangboche
Khumbu's oldest gompa and the story of the stolen yeti hand
Everest & Solukhumbu2,413 mPhaplu
Solu's airstrip town below cliff-top Chiwong Gompa
Everest & Solukhumbu3,867 mTengboche
Khumbu's great monastery, founded 1916, rebuilt twice
Chitwan & the Terai200 mDevghat
Where the Kali Gandaki and Trishuli become the Narayani
Stays
heritage hotel1,400 mDwarika's Hotel
A heritage hotel at Battisputali, near Pashupatinath, built around brick courtyards and fitted with carved Newar windows, doors and struts …
city hotel1,400 mHotel Yak & Yeti
A large city hotel on Durbar Marg, built around part of a 19th-century Rana palace, with gardens, a pool and …
heritage hotel1,400 mHotel Shanker
A Rana-era palace in Lazimpat converted into a hotel, with a white neoclassical facade, high-ceilinged halls and a large garden …
city hotel1,400 mKathmandu Guest House
One of the first guesthouses in Thamel, opened in the late 1960s, and the place many say started the area's …
resort1,400 mGokarna Forest Resort
A resort inside the Gokarna forest, a former royal hunting reserve on the north-eastern edge of Kathmandu, with an 18-hole …
resort1,550 mDwarika's Resort Dhulikhel
A wellness-focused resort from the family behind Dwarika's Hotel, set on terraced hillside outside Dhulikhel with views of the Himalaya. …
mountain lodge3,985 mEverest Summit Lodge Pangboche
A small lodge just off the main Everest trail at Pangboche, about 3,985 m, with around ten rooms with attached …
resort100 mBuddha Maya Gardens
A garden hotel on the edge of the Lumbini master plan area, a short walk from the Sacred Garden and …
city hotel100 mLumbini Hokke Hotel
A long-running hotel inside the Lumbini master plan area, near the Cultural Zone at its northern end, first built to …
resort2,700 mShinta Mani Mustang
The first high-end resort in Mustang, opened in Jomsom in August 2023 with 29 suites. Designed by Nepali architect Prabal …
mountain lodge2,700 mOm's Home
A long-running, family-feel hotel in the centre of Jomsom, a two- or three-minute walk from the airport. Om's Home is …
heritage hotel2,810 mRed House Lodge
A lodge in an old Kagbeni building, restored with care and painted the deep red that gave it its name, …