Buddhist Heritage Tour

After breakfast, we drive for around seven hours to Lumbini, in the Tarai flatlands of Nepal. In summer, it is humid but winters are pleasant except on harsh foggy days. You will immediately feel the environment that is quite different from that of the capital.

Lumbini is the birthplace of The Buddha. You will visit special places of interest such as Ramgram, Devdaha, Kapilvastu and the many monuments built by a number of nations in the city. You can take a stroll in the market area before returning to the hotel for dinner.

We drive for seven hours today, back to Kathmandu, with the beautiful, scenic and winding journey for more than half the time. You can rest for the rest of the day or you can spend the evening in a bar until dinner.

Catch an early flight (around 7:00 AM) to Lukla. The safe but narrow and patch of the strip in Lukla Airport makes the landing exciting. From there we trek up the scenic Dudh-Koshi Valley before reaching Phakding where we stay overnight.

After breakfast in Phakding, today we will trek to Namche. The route is crisscrossed with rivers and bridges and forests amid the delicate mountain ecosystem. The hike to Namche Bazaar is a steep one, with glimpses of Mt. Everest. This Bazaar, where we stay for the night, is the one true gateway to Mt. Everest.

Namche Bazaar is located on the great slopes in Everest region. At first glance, it might appear remote but stay there and you will find lodges, restaurants, internet cafes, satellite access and souvenir shops. You can easily spend the day exploring the bazaar and in the evening, you can walk up to Hotel Everest View and watch the beautiful sunset over the greatest mountain range in Nepal. At night, head down to your lodge, grab a drink and have dinner before going to bed.

Thyangboche must be one of the most beautiful places in the world. The height is well over 12,000 feet. The Monastery buildings stand upon a knoll at the end of a big spur, which is flung out across the direct axis of the Imja river. Surrounded by satellite dwellings, all quaintly constructed and oddly medieval in appearance, it provides a grandstand beyond comparison for the finest mountain scenery that I have ever seen, whether in the Himalaya or elsewhere.Mani Rimdu is the most important festival of the Sherpa people. It is held during the tenth lunar month of the Tibetan calendar, corresponding to October–November of the Gregorian calendar. It falls on the autumn season when large groups of tourists visit the Khumbu region to trek to Everest Base Camp and to witness the festival which lasts for nineteen days. The religious festivities involve ceremonies and meditation (Drupchen). The meaning attributed to "Mani Rimdu" is that ‘Mani’ means “part of the chant of Chenrezig” and ‘Rilbu’ or ‘Rimdu’ means small red pills that are blessed during the festival. The red pills are blessed repeatedly and then distributed to all those who attend.

The festival is a tradition passed on from its mother monastery, the Rongbuk. It begins with an elaborate depiction of the mandala diagram made with colored sand. This sand is extracted from a specified location in the hills. The mandala takes four days to draw; it is then covered and is central to the religious festival that lasts for the next 10 days. The program includes 16 dance numbers with interludes for comical effect. Finally, after all the devotees have left, the monks perform a fire rite to dispel all harm to the world. The sand mandala specially created for the festival is then formally removed with prayers for the benefit of all sentient beings. At the end of the festivities, the resident Tengboche Rinpoche of the monastery blesses the general public after which the 'Mask Dances' are performed by the monks.[20] The monks perform the masked dance to usher some of the protective deities as a manifestation of the legendary saint Guru Rinpoche, the founder of Tibetan Buddhism; the dance numbers also display the defeat of demons and the initiation of Buddhism to Tibet.

Thus, Tengboche Monastery and Mani Rimdu are major attractions for tourists in Nepal. The number of tourists visiting the monastery is said to be about 15,000 per year and during peak tourist season the number is said to be 600 per week

Today we trek back to Namche Bazaar for about 4 hours and stay overnight at the noisy village. You can take a hot-water bath or just relax with some drinks. Stay overnight at the lodge in Namche Bazaar

We continue to trek back to Phakding with about 7 hours of walk today. While the downward trek is tiresome, you will get to enjoy the night with hot drinks and good food in Lukla. You will stay overnight at Lukla in a comfortable hotel.

Early morning, take a scenic 45-minute flight from Lukla in order to avoid the strong winds later in the afternoon. Upon arrival at the airport, you will go to your hotel, freshen up and spend the day in Kathmandu. At night, you can go through the photographs that you took during your journey.

 Your Buddhist Heritage Tour ends here today. We will drop you at the Airport three hours earlier to schedule flight. We are thankful to you as you gave us an opportunity to serve. See you soon! -