Day sightseeing takes you to 3 designated world heritage sitse located within the Kathmandu Valley, i.e. Kathmandu Durbar Square, Patan Durbar Square and Swoyambhunath.
Situated in the heart of old Kathmandu city at Basantapur, Kathmandu Durbar Square never fails to impress first time visitors with its ensemble of palaces, courtyards and temples built during the Malla period. The Durbar Square includes the Hanuman Dhoka Royal Palace; the towering and magnificent Taleju Temple towering; Kumari Ghar, the residence of the Living Goddess Kumari; Ashok Vinayak, also called Kathmandu Ganesh, a temple without a filial; and Kal Bhairav, the God of Wrath. The capital takes its name from the giant pagoda of Kasthamandap, which is said to have been built out of a single tree. Since the time of the Malla kings, the Durbar Square has been the city’s social, religious and political focal point.
Then we go to Swayambhunath – more commonly known as the ‘Monkey Temple’ after the tribe of monkeys that guard the temple, with its all seeing eyes of Buddha looking over the entire valley. Resting on a hillock 3 km west of Kathmandu, it is one of the holiest Buddhist Chaityas in Nepal. It is said to have evolved spontaneously when the valley was created out of a primordial lake more than 2,000 years ago. This stupa is the oldest of its kind in Nepal and has numerous shrines and monasteries on its premises.
After Swoyambhu, we drive to Patan Durbar Square. Patan, also known as Lalitpur carries the epithet ‘City Of Fine Arts and is located 5km south east of Kathmandu. This World Heritage Site has retained its charm with narrow streets, brick houses, well-preserved temples and monasteries and over 1,200 monuments. It is believed the city was built in the 3rd century BC and our tour includes visits to the following sites: Durbar Square, Krishna Temple and Hiranya Varna Mahavihar, the Golden Temple of Lord Buddha. Time permitting, ending our time here with a visit to the Tibetan Handicraft Centre.
Starting from USD 70 per person
