Sirubari, a typical village inhabited by the Gurung ethnic group of people in Nepal. It lies in Syangja district southwest of Pokhara. It is accessible by road from Pokhara followed by a short hike. It lies on a south-facing slope at 1,700 m above sea level and the houses in the village are mostly built from local materials and all are quite comfortable to stay in. The overwhelming impression of the village is one of order and cleanliness with a warm and welcoming feel to it.
The trail through the village is all stone-paved and strewn with marigold all around. The village enjoys long sunny days and is ideal for a family with children to visit. The living culture, tradition & rich hospitality of the Gurung people make the tour a wonderful experience. Visitors are heartily welcomed with the traditional musical band into the community and invited to stay in the home of one of the villagers. The accommodation is clean and comfortable with good bedding and clean toilet facilities. The typical Nepalese food is served to the visitors.
The mountain scenery of Machhapuchhre, Annapurna range, and Dhaulagiri Himalaya are seen from the village very clearly. The community provides entertainment each night with traditional Gurung and Nepali dancing and singing. Visitors can join the cultural program as well. The major highlight of Sirubari village is local culture, tradition, and hospitality. The best time to visit Sirubari village is between September and June.
Visit colorful village, Meet the friendly local people, Enjoy traditional Nepalese hospitality & food, Walk through the farms, Home stay with the local family…
This itinerary is a guideline pattern which we offer home Stay tour of this type. But, unforeseen events such as mountain weather, local politics, transportation etc., is beyond Trek Himalayan’s control could be resulted in a change of program. It is very unlikely to have such circumstances occurs but our effort is to minimize its effect, however Trek Himalayan is not responsible for the result of delays or changes.
Arrive at the (TIA) Tribhuwan International Airport where you will be welcomed by Trek Himalayan representative and transferred to your hotel. The rest of the afternoon is free until evening when you’ll enjoy a welcome drinks with your guide and introduce each other. Overnight in Kathmandu
Hotel Accommodation (Kathmandu)
Harati Manor Inn [or similar standard]
This is an example of the hotel we may use in Kathmandu city. Your actual hotel will be specified when your booking is confirmed. Please check your email or booking confirmation.
After breakfast sightseeing tour begins which include all the religious, cultural & historical sites within the Kathmandu valley. Overnight in hotel
Pashupatinath (World Heritage Site): One of the holiest Hindu shrines in the world, the temple of Pashupatinath is the focus of pilgrims from all over from Nepal and India. The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva and built in the familiar pagoda Style. Chronicles indicate the temple’s existence prior to 400 A.D. It lies 5 kms east of the city centre. This holy place is picturesque collection of temples and shrines. All the dying persons are brought to Pashupatinath for cremation. Only the Hindus are allowed to go inside the temple.
Bouddhanath (World Heritage Site): It is the world’s biggest stupa located about two km to the north of Pashupatinath temple. This colossal stupa is known by the name of Bouddhanath, the god of wisdom. It is difficult to assign a period to it as some believe that it was built during the reign of either Shiva Deva or Anshu Verma in the 17th century A.D. The design is much like the Swoyambhu stupa, except that the final consists of receding squares instead of circles. Bouddhanath attracts Buddhist pilgrims from all over the world.
Swoyambhunath, Monkey Temple (World heritage Site): The Swoyambhunath Stupa crowns a hillock to the west of Kathmandu. A massive white dome surrounded by a 13 stage spire, is one of the most sacred Buddhist sites in Nepal. It is said to be 2000 years old. Its origins are linked to the founding of the Kathmandu Valley by draining the water of the lake by Bouddhisattva Manjushree. Swoyambhunath manifested in the lake as a brilliant light emanating from a lotus, Manjushree let the water out of the valley paying homage to Swoyambhu, thus making the valley inhabitable.
Kathmandu Durbar Square (World Heritage Site): It is the nine-storied palace structure built around 1770 AD. This palace square was a residence to Nepal’s royal family. The house of the living goddess (Kumari), the ferocious Kal Bhairav, the red Monkey God and hundreds of erotic carvings are a few examples of the sights at the square. All woodcarvings, statues and architectures in this area are exceptionally fine. Most parts of the palace premises are open for tourist throughout the week during office hours.
After breakfast you drive to Pokhara. It takes about 6 to 7 hour to reach Pokhara. As soon as you reach Pokhara we further drive you to Arjunchaupari and begin a short hike to Sirubari village. In the village we meet the local family and watch local cultural programs in the evening. Overnight in local home
Explore the village and its surroundings. Hike through the neighboring villages. Enjoy the cultural programs and observe their daily lifestyle.
Climb to Dahare hill for views of the mountains and village scenery. Spend your last evening with the host family. Probably it will be one of the best experiences you ever had before.
Relax and evening stroll around the Phewa Lake. Overnight at Hotel.
Pokhara is certainly a great spot to relax and do sightseeing on the way to Kathmandu. You can spend your day in Pokhara for sightseeing. Overnight in hotel
SIGHTSEEING IN POKHARA
This scenic town is blessed with outstanding scenery of the landscapes, snow capped mountains, moderate tropical climate, and beautiful pristine lakes of Begnas, Rupa and Phewa. The most stunning of Pokhara’s sights is the magnificent panorama of the Annapurna range which forms its backdrop. Annapurna massif includes Annapurna I to IV and Annapurna South. Among these high peaks it is the towering majestic Mt. Machhapuchare (Fish Tail) which dominates all others in this range. It is an ideal spot for all types of holiday makers.
After breakfast you drive back to Kathmandu through the endless terraces of lowland Nepal, the six hours drive get back to you the buzz and bustle of Kathmandu. Overnight in hotel
Today as per your international flight time, our staff will come to pick you up at the hotel and transfer you to the international airport for your final departure.
Nepal is a small landlocked country of highly diverse and rich geography, culture, and religions. The mountainous north has eight of the world’s ten highest mountains, including Mount Everest. It contains over 240 peaks more than 20,000 ft (6,096 m) above sea level. The fertile and humid south is heavily urbanized. By some measures, it is a land of different arts and indigenous cultures well preserved since time immemorial. Hindu and Buddhist shrines found in the country are enriched with wood carving and bronzes, century’s old statues standing along the wayside and three popular historic cities – Kathmandu, Bhaktapur, Patan have preserved their medieval splendor and architectural flavor till date.
Nepal is located in South Asia between China in the north and India in the south, east and west. While the total land area is 147,181 sq. km including water area of the country that is 3,830 sq. km. The geographical coordinates are 28°00′N 84°00′E. Nepal falls in the temperate zone north of the Tropic of Cancer. Nepal’s ecological zones run east to west about 800 km along its Himalayan axis, 150 to 250 km north to south, and are vertically intersected by the river systems. The country can be divided into three main geographical regions: Himalayan region, mid hill region and Terai region. The highest point in the country is Mt. Everest (8,848 m) while the lowest point is in the Terai plains of Kechana Kalan in Jhapa (60 m). (Source NTB)
All visitors except the Indian nationals must hold passport and valid visa. Visa can be obtained at the Nepalese diplomatic missions and consulates abroad. Visa is also issued at the entry points. It can be extended at the Department of Immigration in Kathmandu. Children under 10 years need not pay any visa fee. People willing to get entry Visa at the airport or any of the land entry points are required to fill a visa form with passport photograph.
* Tourist visa can be extended for a maximum period of 150 days in a single visa year (January – December).
Sunday to Thursday: 1000hrs – 1700hrs (during summer)
Sunday to Thursday: 1000hrs – 1600hrs (during winter)
Friday: 1000hrs – 1500hrs.
Saturday: Holiday
You can find list of other national holidays in Nepal here
Nepali, written in the Devanagari script, is the official language of Nepal. However, most people living in the city areas can understand and speak English fluently. Hindi language is widely understood across the country.
On arrival in Kathmandu, our staff will meet you at the airport and transfer you to our pre-booked hotel. There won’t be any activity on this day. We will host a pre-trip meeting at the hotel lobby on the 2nd day of your itinerary in the evening. It will be an opportunity for you to meet your tour guide and introduce each other. The guide will brief you about the tour and check your gear to ensure the smooth running of your tour trip.
Home stay guests get involved in different local rural activities. They learn to work in the rice fields, prepare the local traditional food, participate in the cultural program, visit cottage industries such as traditional handicrafts and paper making; and a plant nursery covering 380 hectares of flora, excursions around for bird watching, observing local festivals and rituals. Staying with local farming families in traditional homes provide ample opportunities for cultural exchange using translator of English and Nepali. Visiting to local school is extra highlight during home stay program.
All accommodations will be on a twin sharing basis during the tour in hotel and local homes. We recommend you to use your own sleeping bag. During the home stay program the host family will provide freshly cooked, local food which includes Dal, Bhat, lentil soup, vegetable curry, meat curry and other local cuisine.
Most lodges offer hot showers and in the ones that don’t a bucket of water. In this area, we find many western toilets and in some places there are usually just the Asian squat type toilets.
Small groups provide a more intimate atmosphere allowing you to get to know your Tour Guide better and to develop lifelong friendships. Therefore, the maximum group size for this tour is 16 people. The minimum is 2 people.
The main tour season in Nepal begins from early October to mid-May. During this period temperatures at most altitudes are generally comfortable for walking. Daytime temperatures will vary from 15ºC to 35ºC in the Kathmandu Valley to around 10ºC above higher altitudes. Different seasons offer different advantages for trekking.
Post Monsoon/autumn: Mid-September to November
This is the main trekking season in Nepal. While trekking in mountains weather will be sunny and mild with clear mountain views. Nights will be colder with temperatures dropping as low as to minus 10ºC at the highest altitudes.
Winter: December to end February
Even it is cooler conditions this is an ideal time to trek in Nepal. Skies are usually very clear especially in December and the mountain views are at their best. Nights will be very cold with temperatures down to negative 12ºC to negative 20ºC at the highest altitudes but days are pleasant and sunny. The trails are also much less busy at this time of year
Pre-monsoon/spring: March to May
Both day and night temperatures will be warmer in general but cloudiness will be occurred up in the afternoons. Seasonal flowers bloom in this season and this is one of the reasons people chose to tour in spring.
Before joining a tour, we recommend you to take out a travel insurance which should cover cancellation, medical expenses, helicopter evacuation and emergency repatriation. Please send us the following details such as your full name, policy number and the insurance company’s 24 hour emergency contact number prior to departure. We also strongly recommend that your policy must cover personal liability, flight/trip cancellation, curtailment and loss of luggage and personal effects.
We strongly recommend the use of a neck wallet or money belt while travelling for the safe keeping of your passport, air tickets, cash and other valuable items. Leave your valuable jewelry at home – you don’t need it while travelling. Many of hotels in Nepal have safety deposit boxes, which is the most secure way of storing your valuables. A lock is recommended for securing your luggage
Though we hope for the best trip, you sometimes might be in need of rescue or evacuation in case of a serious sickness or a personal prolonged health issue. During such emergency you will be rescued by a helicopter. You are entirely liable for all the expenses incurred in evacuation services. We request you to make sure when you purchase insurance from your country that your policy must cover these expenses or you should remain prepared to pay or sign on Helicopter Evacuation Form before you get on the Helicopter.
If the main highway between Kathmandu Pokhara areas is blocked by a landslide or any natural calamity during the transfer, in such a situation the extra cost for food and accommodation has to be borne by the clients.