NEPAL: Sacred Valleys & Mountain Dreams

Your journey begins as you touch down at Tribhuvan Airport, where the thin mountain air immediately whispers of transformation ahead. We welcome you warmly as you settle into Nepal's slower, more sacred rhythm. A gentle Thamel orientation allows you to feel the pulse of this traveler’s quarter, where people from across the world converge before their Himalayan adventures. Tonight, rest deeply, knowing that tomorrow your real journey into the mysteries of Nepal begins.

Simply arriving into the sacred valley. No pressure, just presence.

Meals: Welcome dinner
Accommodation: Hotel in Thamel, Kathmandu

Dawn leads us into Kathmandu Durbar Square, where medieval palaces tell stories of kings who ruled in the shadow of sacred peaks. Here, every carved window and ancient courtyard becomes a doorway into Nepal's rich spiritual heritage. The nearby Asan market offers cultural immersion among cardamom, turmeric, and countless healing herbs that create a symphony for the senses.

Our afternoon flows between photography practice, free time for massages, and peaceful restoration in the Garden of Dreams—an oasis of tranquility where European elegance meets Himalayan serenity.

As evening light transforms the valley, we ascend to Swayambhunath, the sacred "Monkey Temple," where Buddha's all-seeing eyes watch over the valley with infinite compassion, offering our first glimpse of true awakening.

Opening our hearts to ancient wisdom and sacred beginnings

Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Hotel in Thamel, Kathmandu

Today we journey to Patan, the "City of Beauty," where Durbar Square showcases some of the finest Newari architecture and metalwork on earth. Through metalwork ateliers, the Golden Temple, and Krishna Mandir, we witness devotion expressed through artistic mastery. Traditional craft workshops connect us to artisans whose techniques have been passed down through generations, each creation becoming a prayer in metal and stone.

Our Nepali lunch in Patan awakens taste buds to authentic Himalayan flavors.

As evening approaches, we journey to Pashupatinath Temple, where the sacred Bagmati River carries prayers toward the Ganges. During the evening aarti ceremony, we witness transformation itself—how devotion turns ordinary fire into sacred light.

Devotion expressed through artistic mastery and sacred ritual

Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Hotel in Thamel, Kathmandu

Our leisurely departure from Kathmandu's bustling energy leads us toward the mountains that have called to pilgrims for millennia. The 1.5-hour drive to Dhulikhel becomes a moving meditation as urban landscapes transform into terraced hillsides and distant peaks emerge like sleeping guardians.

Arriving in Dhulikhel—this ancient Newari town perched at 1,550 meters—we enter a world where time moves differently. For over 500 years, this hilltop sanctuary served as a vital trading route with Tibet, and its sacred energy still whispers of merchants, pilgrims, and seekers who found refuge in its mountain embrace.

From our mountain accommodation, we discover panoramic vistas that stretch across the Himalayan range, including glimpses of Langtang, Gaurishankar, and Ganesh Himal peaks.

Our sunset meditation offers us the first intimate encounter with Himalayan majesty—a daily miracle where peaks catch fire in evening light, reminding us why Nepal is called the land where earth touches sky.

Moving from city speed to mountain spaciousness

Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Mountain hotel, Dhulikhel

Before dawn, those called by the mountains can witness one of the world's most spectacular sunrises, as Himalayan peaks ignite in colors that exist nowhere else on earth.

We have free time in the morning, as an invitation for inner work—you can perhaps join a yoga session, indulge in a massage, or sit for meditation practice allowing the vastness outside to mirror the spaciousness within.

Afternoon brings us into Dhulikhel's village heart, where we explore terraced landscapes shaped by centuries of prayer-filled farming and walk through ancient Newari streets where traditional life continues unchanged. Optional pottery workshops with local artisans offer hands-on connection to age-old crafts, or you may choose gentle hikes, healing massage treatments, or simply resting in nature's embrace.

Evening brings dinner under star-bright skies, perfect for integration and quiet sharing.

Full day to decompress, restore, and soften our hearts for deeper journeying

Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Mountain Hotel, Dhulikhel

Pre-dawn brings another opportunity for Himalayan sunrise blessing from Dhulikhel—a daily miracle that never loses its power to transform ordinary awareness into something luminous and vast.

We softly say goodbye to Dhulikhel and start our scenic drive to Bhaktapur - a sort of road trip pilgrimage through landscapes where the terraced fields tell stories of human harmony with mountain rhythms.

In Bhaktapur we learn the ancient art of lokta paper creation—how bark from high-altitude shrubs becomes sacred pages for journals and masks that will carry Nepal's energy into our creative practice.

Evening unveils Bhaktapur's medieval magic through Durbar Square wandering, where cobblestone paths and intricate architecture create perfect settings for mindful photography.

Mountain blessings flowing into sacred craftsmanship

Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Hotel in Bhaktapur

Today unfolds at Bhaktapur's slower pace—a full day to breathe, create, and integrate. Rita guides inner work through astrology insights, reflective circle with sharing prompts, meditation, and contemplative practices that help us bridge the outer journey we've been living with the monastery immersion ahead.

Between these offerings, the day belongs to you. Wander cobblestone streets with your camera, discovering how morning light transforms carved windows into geometry of devotion. Visit artisan workshops where potters' hands shape clay on ancient wheels, where metalworkers hammer prayers into bronze. Write postcards in quiet courtyards. Sit with chai watching life move through Durbar Square. Let Mindy's photography guidance settle into your creative eye as you explore this medieval masterpiece at your own rhythm.

This spaciousness—neither rushed sightseeing nor monastery discipline—creates the perfect container for whatever needs to emerge before we enter "Little Tibet."

Breathing, creating, preparing our hearts

Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Hotel in Bhaktapur

Rita shares the stories of the lineages we're about to encounter—Lama Zopa Rinpoche and Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, whose wisdom traditions have guided countless seekers toward awakening. Lama Zopa was Rita's teacher, and she'll weave that lived experience into our preparation for entering this powerful spiritual ground.

We journey to Boudhanath, the heart of Nepal's Tibetan community, settling into our monastery Guest House. Exploration of Shechen monastery grounds offers soft immersion into rhythms that have sustained generations of practitioners. Evening's first kora walk around the great stupa marks our entry into this powerful mandala.

Entering "Little Tibet," beginning the monastery immersion

Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Monastery Guest House, Boudhanath

Morning pilgrimage to Kopan Monastery connects us with Lama Zopa's lineage. We walk the grounds where countless practitioners have achieved insights into the nature of reality itself. This monastery, perched above the valley like a beacon of wisdom, offers teachings that bridge ancient understanding with contemporary spiritual needs.

Afternoon offers free time—some may choose a trip to Thamel for final treasure gathering and photography sessions with Mindy (singing bowls, prayer flags, textiles that carry the energy of their makers' intentions), while others may prefer remaining at Boudhanath for quiet reflection, another kora walk, or simply resting in the monastery's peaceful rhythm.

Honoring each person's unique journey, activity or stillness

Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Monastery Guest House, Boudhanath

This morning the moon reaches fullness—an auspicious time in Buddhist tradition when the veil between worlds grows thin and prayers carry special potency. At 9:57 AM we gather at Shechen Monastery for the full moon ceremony, where intentions planted in the heart find especially fertile ground.

Monastery morning rituals take on heightened significance during this lunar blessing. Our kora walks around Boudhanath feel charged with the full moon's luminous energy, each circumambulation becoming prayer for all beings everywhere.

Evening brings our farewell dinner here in "Little Tibet," celebrating the pilgrims we've become and the wisdom we carry forward.

Full moon blessings, hearts overflowing with transformation

Meals: Breakfast + Lunch in monastery tradition + Farewell dinner
Accommodation: Monastery Guest House, Boudhanath

Our last morning at Boudhanath offers one more stupa circumambulation—perhaps at dawn when light catches the Buddha's eyes and the world feels freshly created. These moments feel both ending and beginning, as you understand that the real pilgrimage—integrating Nepal's timeless wisdom into daily life—has only just begun.

Airport transfers depart directly from Boudhanath, allowing you to carry the monastery's peaceful energy straight into your journey home.

Carrying Nepal's blessings in our hearts, blessed by the Full Moon and a sacred journey

Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: —