Best of India and Nepal Vacation

Delhi has been a seat of power throughout most of its history, witnessing many battles, quarrels, sieges, coronations, and transfers of power. For a country that liberally entices the senses, there is no better introduction than its capital as such soaring colors and spiritually rich scenes play out on the central streets. Some of the impressions you may be anticipating, such as women in colorful saris forming processions towards deities shrouded in incense. Others are surprising, especially the contemporary side of India’s capital. The city was smartened up for the Commonwealth Games and quickly dispels any myths that all of India is going to be busy and crowded. You will be greeted at the airport and get a short orientation tour as you settle into the city as your journey begins.

In its shivering ochre hue the Red Fort stands proudly above Delhi, a place of power and imposing former glory while nearby, with its evocative aromas, a street market will expose you to the vibrancy of today. Inside a colorful temple, you will begin to make your first connections with India’s spiritual heartbeat before your senses are aroused some more in a maze of old lanes that are barely wide enough for the donkey carts that pass. Your morning in Delhi is followed by the drive to Agra, and your hotel room will look down upon the Taj Mahal for a vantage point as the setting sun dances across the marble facade.

The Taj Mahal is best witnessed in the morning as the crowds are yet to materialize, the colors are sublime, and there is a sense of peace that befits the mausoleum. It will not matter how many photos you have seen, there is always a sense of awe when visiting the Taj Mahal. Most find that photos struggle to convey the intricacy of detail and purity of design, and you will marvel at it all. Return to your hotel to relax before more city exploration takes you out later in the afternoon. Agra has more than one World Heritage Site as an entire Mughal city stands amongst the colors and charms of modern-day India, like a historical fort juxtaposed with an action-packed flower market.

Dust swirls around Fatehpur Sikri as buildings crumble slowly with the wind and only footsteps break the silence. The structure was an emperor’s grand design, but his opulent capital quickly became a ghost town when he was deposed. Now it awaits the curious visitor with much detail etched into the walls and so many whispers to be heard in the palace and the fort. A little further along the road to Jaipur, you can make a stop at Abhaneri, a village of ingenious step-wells. You should arrive in Jaipur around mid-afternoon, and your hotel is in the heart of the old city for a wonderful place to walk without a guide, such beauty to the vernacular along the streets.

Elephants walk past with painted faces, palaces look down from the hills, and the hum of spiritual chatter consumes the streets. Jaipur really is pink, most of the old city crafted from a type of stone mined in the area. Spend your day on a detailed city tour of Jaipur city to explore all the major icons and highlights, including the Amber Fort, Hawa Mahal, Palace of Mirrors, and the observatory. In Jaipur, the old monuments are surrounded by the old traditions, including elephants and donkey carts and cycle rickshaws, so for immersing the senses, there is no place quite like it.

After five fairly active days, this day is left free to give you some downtime to stay energized for what is left to come. But your quiet day will come only after one of India’s most iconic experiences with a balloon ride above Jaipur. From above, you can see how the pink spreads, and how the Rajasthan desert extends far into the distance. The morning sun bounces off both buildings and sand to forge a scene of old-world India. It will be an early start to your day, but the balloon ride has a serenity to take forward into a relaxing day ahead where you are free to discover all the sensual elements to this fabulous city.

Villages like Sawarda may be local and rural, but that does not mean that they don’t have a long glorious history. It will feel as if you are stepping back in time as you spend your afternoon and night in a heritage home that stoically protects its traditions. Take a walk with the elders, discuss India with teachers, learn about the Panchayat governing council. Take in village customs and join the locals in daily life as your hosts will be flexible about how you want to spend your day. You can help to cook the evening meal or you can pass the hours at a street corner store drinking copious amounts of chai (tea). Dinner is included, and it will be a shared meal with a family.

Wake up with the village as shouts come from the school playground as you sit down to breakfast and chai. From the village, it will be a two-hour drive back to Delhi and the international airport, and then a short flight in the direction of Mount Everest. Touch down in the Nepalese capital and head to a retreat perched above the city, away from the noise and dust of central Kathmandu. Tomorrow you will delve into the three historical kingdoms, but this evening is designed to provide some personal space at a lodge famous for its spa and its views towards snowy Himalayan peaks.

A recent earthquake has brought devastation to parts of the city, with some of the temples only just having been repaired following an earthquake some 90 years earlier. What remains of the ancient kingdoms stands in a redolent state of ruin, part crumbling, part proud, and part-time capsule into an ancient world. Pilgrims walk around the enormous whitewashed pagoda of Boudhanath while wood-carved palaces introduce you to past artisanal glories. One temple is gilded in gold while another is dominated by lacquer design. As part of the day, you will see how the ancient kingdoms are being rebuilt brick by brick, monuments around their respective Durbar Square being revitalized, and reconstructed.

Everest stands brutish, a white-covered triangular peak above the cascading valley of ice and glacier. Everest is but one of the giants here as various other members of the 24,000-feet club flank it on either side. A scenic flight can only provide a glimpse of this roof of the world, but along with the incredible panoramas you will understand why the locals call it Sagarmatha, “the forehead of the sky.” Back in Kathmandu, you will have some free time before following the spiritual call to a Buddhist Monastery guesthouse in Pharping. Red-robed monks greet you, prayer wheels are to be spun, monastic life is to be discussed, and chants are to be joined as the day dissolves into the evening. This is a serene place to be, and while the experience is authentic to the region, it is very comfortable as well as being a non-touristic immersion in the monks’ world.

Rhythmic chants float through the valley at dawn as snow-capped mountains come out of the shadows with the rising sun. Choose to join the monks in prayer should you wish, or take a walk through the surrounding village, a trail quickly taking you into the open Himalayan countryside. Continue to learn about monastic life before an early lunch and winding road journey towards the Trishuli River, where a remote lodge stands on the water. You could relax by the pool as the rapids rush past, or take a hike in the verdant surrounding landscape. By now you will be settled into Nepal’s tranquil atmosphere and the fresh Himalayan air, ancient hiking trails, temples, and pagodas set upon the hills begin to feel like home.  Nepal may offer cultural adventure, but ultimately it is a country of repose and restful days.

Following the river, you will delve south, beneath a thick forest canopy, and into a landscape where wildlife thrives. Rhinos are the most famous Chitwan residents, the great armor-plated giants that browse through the forests and come to drink on the riverbank beneath your lodge. Tigers are also present, although you must be lucky to see them. so the wild elephants and monkeys will provide your more everyday encounters. And you will not just see them as you will also listen as the monkeys chirp in the distance, smell, and sense that rhinos are close, and drift off to sleep just as an elephant is blowing his natural trumpet. Today you will explore on a boat safari for a relaxed way to get acquainted with the park with birdlife and wildlife spotted all along the banks.

A boat safari is serene while a jeep safari is all about adventure as you bump and bounce through the forest on the trail of famous cats. Local conservationists teach you how the tigers are tracked, protected, and monitored with a program that has turned local communities into wildlife activists.  This team will lead the way, giving you the best possible chance of spotting tigers in Chitwan. There is a choice of activities this afternoon, including a rainforest walking safari, which is a great way to come across large troops of monkeys as primates swing around and above you. The evening is relaxed in Chitwan, but it is not quiet as you dine by the river and listen out for wildlife emerging from the distance.

Wake with the sunrise for one final time on this vacation as your early start brings one more safari activity at the time of day when wildlife is most active. Return to the lodge for a second breakfast and some downtime before the leisurely drive north to Pokhara, your base for your final three nights. A local guide will take you on an orientation tour, pointing out the temples and the monuments of this quiet town in the Himalayas. The World Peace Pagoda, rising proud and built by monks from Japan, as well as Phewa Lake, a place of repose from which all of Pokhara points. Find many places to watch the sunset and a map of trails for hiking in the Himalayas, but for now, just rest, relax and enjoy the view.

These two days are left free, as this is a town in the midst of majestic mountains and a great place for you to fully kick back and do nothing at all. Combining India and Nepal is always going to be an action-packed itinerary as there is simply too much to experience to take it slow. Now in Pokhara, you will have two days to recollect and make sense of all the impressions as you have time to think back on all the details – big and small – that have marked this journey.

The classic activity here is a boat ride on Phewa Lake, especially in the late afternoon when the mountains start to reflect off the water’s surface. This is just an idea, however, as with Pokhara as a base, there are countless Nepalese hikes to enjoy. From two-hour trails to temples to full-day adventures that give a glimpse of high Himalayan hiking, there will be more to do than you can imagine. Sarangkot is the place to watch the sunset, as well as being a jumping-off point for paragliding above the town and lake. You could also visit a Tibetan refugee settlement for lunch, sink your mind into one of the spas, or drift off when reading a book along the lakeshore. Pokhara is memorable for its setting and quietude. While it is popular with tourists, it has maintained its local feel and remains an authentic place for Nepalese culture and heritage.

After breakfast and an airport transfer, you can take a domestic flight back to Kathmandu and connect with your outbound international flight.