Himalayan Kingdoms: Nepal, Bhutan & Darjeeling

Arrive Doha at 00.45 hrs. Connect to Qatar Airways QR 652 departing Doha at 03.05 hrs arriving Kathmandu at 10.30 hrs. Transfer to Dwarika’s Hotel where three nights are spent. Dwarika’s is a palace-complex style hotel with architecture that recalls the Durbar squares, temples, courtyards, stupas and tall houses with intricately carved windows of a 15th century Nepalese town, complemented, of course, by 21st century amenities and comforts. The spacious guest rooms and suites are all individually designed and decorated with traditional fabrics and accessories. There are three restaurants which all use ingredients from Dwarika’s own farms. Facilities include a swimming pool inspired by 12th century Malla Dynasty baths, the Pancha Kosha Himalayan Spa and a Yoga and fitness centre.

Lunch under own arrangements. Afternoon city tour of Kathmandu including the famous UNESCO Pashupatinath Temple which is considered one of the most sacred temples of the Hindu faith, serving as the seat of the national deity, Lord Pashupatinath, and famous for its burning ghats. Also visit the great white stupa at Boudhanath, one of the world’s largest stupas and the most important Tibetan Buddhist monument outside Tibet. Nepali dinner at Dwarika’s Hotel’s Krishnar Pan restaurant.

Visit Swayambhunath, the ‘Monkey Temple’, the oldest shrine in the world established more than 2,500 years ago, situated on top of a high hill, and commanding superb views of the valley below. The four sides of this ancient structure are painted with the compassionate eyes of Buddha. Continue to Patan by crossing the Bagmati River. Visit Durbar Square in Patan, city of arts and architecture, founded in 250 AD and known as Lalitpur. It is renowned for its fine works in bronze, silver, and copper.

Lunch at Chez Caroline’s. Return to Kathmandu for an afternoon rickshaw ride around Durbar Square before continuing to the shopping district of Thamal. Afternoon to either go shopping, explore Kathmandu further or take in the atmosphere. Dinner under own arrangements.

Drive to Paro. On arrival check into the Zhiwaling Heritage Hotel where two nights are spent. From its traditional Bhutanese architecture and elegant temple made with 450-year-old timbers to its Swedish under-floor heating, the hotel seamlessly combines the past and present. Facilities include a spa and meditation house.

Visit to Paro Dzong’s neighbouring watchtower (Ta Dzong) which now houses the National Museum, the only museum in Bhutan which has a spectacular and varied collection giving a fascinating insight into the history and culture of the Kingdom. Continue to Rinpung Dzong a large Drukpa Kagyu Buddhist monastery and fortress. It houses the district Monastic Body and government administrative offices of Paro Dzongkhag. Dinner at the hotel.

Hike (5 hrs each way) to the Taktsang (Tiger’s Nest) monastery, which perches on the side of a cliff, 900-metres above the valley. It was founded by Guru Rimpoche who, legend has it, flew on the back of a Tigress and meditated in the cave, where the monastery stands, for three months. The monastery itself was built by Desi Tenzin Rabgye in 1646 and is a place of pilgrimage, and is a recognised holy place. Lunch at a café en route back down. Dinner at the hotel.

Transfer to Paro airport for a flight to Bagdogra.

Lunch under own arrangements. On arrival you will drive towards Darjeeling up into the hills through teak forest and tea plantations. Check in at the Taj Chia Kutir Hotel where three nights are spent. The hotel is nestled within the historic Makaibari Tea Estate a couple of hours’ drive from Darjeeling and facilities include a spa and an indoor pool. Dinner at the hotel.

Drive to Darjeeling, India’s most famous hill station which sits on a high ridge surrounded by lush tea plantations set against a backdrop of snow-capped peaks. Fifty years after the British departed, the town remains as popular as ever with those escaping the heat of the plains, and promenades such as the Mall and the Chowrasta still burst with life. The greatest appeal for visitors is its stupendous mountain vista – the equal of any hill station in India, with Kanchenjunga, the third highest mountain in the world, dominating the northern horizon. Visit the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute which was set up following the successful ascent of the Mount Everest by the local hero Tenzing Norgay Sherpa and Sir Edmund Hillary on 28 May 1953. Also visit the Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park and Tibetan Refugee Centre.

Lunch at a local restaurant. Take a ride on the World Heritage Toy Train, a narrow gauge one built between 1879 and 1881. Visit Ghoom monastery, a renowned Buddhist centre, where a group of Tibetan monks preserve the silken padded cushion on which the Dalai Lama is reputed to have sat on one of his visits. Return to the hotel. Dinner under own arrangements.

In the early 1840s it was noticed that the climate of Darjeeling was very conducive to the growth of tea. Tea plantations were established and have expanded all over the area today because of growing demand. Darjeeling tea, which had a premium value in the international market, began to be called the ‘Champagne of the East’ and for years formed the mainstay of the economy of this area. The name ‘Darjeeling’ continues to be synonymous with tea and today you will be taken to visit one of the many tea plantations that cling to the mountainside.

Picnic lunch. Dinner under own arrangements.

Drive to Bagdogra Airport for a flight to Delhi.

Lunch under own arrangements. Transfer to the Pullman Aerocity Hotel near the airport where one night is spent. Dinner under own arrangements.

Transfer to Delhi Airport. Suggested flights (not included in the cost of the tour) British Airways flight BA 256 departing Delhi at 10.50 hrs arriving London Heathrow at 15.10 hrs.