10 Days Kathmandu, Chitwan travel & tour
Welcome to Kathmandu the world’s fascinating best destination for cultural, leisure family, honeymoon tour. Kathmandu surprises you in every step and second, and brings excitement in visiting world heritage sites, people’s daily life and traditions. Kathmandu is small valley capital of Nepal there is many opportunities to experience interacting with locals, enjoying coffee rooftop, garden and small tea-shops, your vacation in Kathmandu valley will be perfect for short and cheaper option. The Kathmandu valley offers many great places you can easily spent your time enjoy your vacation with your family, friends, and your loved one. We offer day to multi-days tour excursions, sightseeing, day hiking, cooking with local, cultural experiences, and whitewater rafting adventure. Some especial tourist destination you’ll test many different cuisine from around the world from Chinese food, Indian food, continental, Mexican food, middle eastern, and many Nepalese authentic cuisine in small area. Even testing & eating in different restaurant and local cuisine you will enjoy your vacation interacting with people traveling from different countries.
Of course Kathmandu Nepal is popular destination for trekker, mountain climbers, and whitewater rafting & kayaking, along that Kathmandu is very popular destination for short cultural tour and small vacation.
Navigate Outdoor offers tailored made leisure packages with soft & extreme adventure one day to multi-days activities leisure culture tour, trekking, hiking and whitewater rafting adventure tour in Nepal. We specialize in cultural experiences as part of adventure, through cooking classes, community visits. Our senior leaders has more than two decade experiences in the related field, speak English and also expert on the local Flora & Fauna/culture.
Our Mission is to be the leading source and guidance of local culture, wilderness pristine Himalayan Rivers, and adventure that serves people, and the environment. Our staff shares a commitment to wilderness, education, safety, Fun, community, and excellence. We create adventures that are safe, more enjoyable fun, interactive, and high value of the local culture and tradition. Our main focus is on Risk Management, comfort, and safety.
Navigate Outdoors offers many different activities and exciting packages fits for everyone family, kids, friends, individual, and FITs. Our trips are fully customizable we’ll help you to find the best tour packages depending in your time, cost and interest.
- Destination:Kathmandu Valley, Nepal
- Trip Grade:Easy
- Total Duration:10 days
- Best Time:Oct-Dec & Feb -May
- Tours in Nepal:5 star
Outline Itinerary
- Day 01: arrive in Kathmandu transfer to hotel.
- Day 02: Full day sightseeing in Kathmandu and stay in Kathmandu.
- Day 03: Overnight stay at Dhulikhel.
- Day 04: Day whitewater rafting adventure.
- Day 05: Drive back to Kathmandu.
- Day 06: Fly to Bharatpur, and drive to Chitwan Sauraha.
- Day 07: Jeep safari and jungle walk.
- Day 08: Drive to Tharu village for home stay.
- Day 09: Fly back to Kathmandu.
- Day 10: Transfer to airport.
Detail Itinerary
- Day 01: arrive in Kathmandu transfer to hotel.
- One of our staff will be at the airport to receive, and help you to get out off the crowd, and transfer to hotel, depending your flight arrival we’ll coordinate trip briefing and explain the details of your tour in the same day. If you are arriving late have no time we’ll coordinate the airport transfer and meet next day at the breakfast around 7-7:30am. Including: Airport shuttle, Hotel accommodation, dinner.
- Day 02: Full day sightseeing in Kathmandu and stay in Kathmandu.
- After breakfast your tour vacation kicks off around 9 am starts with nearest destination depending your hotel can be Pashupatinath temple, Bouddhanath Stupa, Monkey temple, and Basantapur Durbar Square. Our cultural tour leader will explain the history, and other aspect of the heritage sites, you’ll have opportunities to take pictures and interacting with local during the sightseeing, our focus on giving you best information of the places and enough time to explore the area. After sightseeing we’ll drive back to hotel and stay. Including: Breakfast, Lunch, entrance fees, dinner, accommodation, guide fee.
- Day 03: Overnight stay at Dhulikhel.
- Your tour starts at 8:30am, after short drive we’ll get off the vehicle hiking to Changunarayan temple this Temple is the most beautiful and ancient Hindu temple situated at the ridge, you can see Bhaktapur, Kathmandu and far to south of Kathmandu valley, Himalayas. Hiking will takes some where 1-2 hours depending our pace and stops for the photo and short breaks, if you are not interested for the hike we can drive to Changunarayan temple spent at least a few hours, have lunch and drive to Dhulikhel for over night stay. Including: Breakfast, Lunch, entrance fees, dinner, accommodation, guide fee.
- Day 04: Day whitewater rafting adventure.
- Today we’re going to experience some whitewater rafting adventure in the Himalayan River Bhote Kosi. We’ll paddle 3hours and BBQ lunch enjoys the different test of tour. We’ll drive back to hotel Dhulikhel for over-night stay. If we’re not interested for the day rafting, we will have other great option tour to Nomobuddha monastery, interacting with Monks learn Buddhist culture and daily life. Drive back to hotel Dhulikhel for over night stay. Including: Breakfast, Lunch, entrance fees, dinner, accommodation, guide fee.
- Day 05: Drive back to Kathmandu.
- Late breakfast, we’ll spent rest of the morning at the hotel, after lunch we’ll load and drive to Patan, transfer to hotel. After late after tea/coffee we’ll walk to the Patan Durbar square for sightseeing, visiting some of the oldest temple Krishna temple and other heritage sites around the square. The life of Newari people, their culture and many more exciting activities in around the Patan, evening lights of the Krishna temple and durbar square is fascinating. We’ll have dinner rooftop restaurant while watching the nightlife in the square. Walk back to hotel for night stay. Including: Breakfast, Lunch, entrance fees, dinner, accommodation, guide fee.
- Day 06: Fly to Bharatpur, and drive to Chitwan Sauraha.
- After breakfast drive to domestic airport for fly to Bharatpur for Chitwan Sauraha Jungle safari tour, short flight and 1 hour travel takes us to Chitwan Sauraha, we’ll be there for two nights three-jungle safari program. Our tour starts right after lunch checking out Tharu museum and their daily life etc. The tharu people are an ethnuc group indigenous to the Terai in southern Nepal and Northen India. They speak Tharu languages. They are recognized as an official nationality by government of Nepal. In India Terai, they live foremost in Uttarakhand, uttar Pradesh and Bihar. After dinner we will be participating in Tharu community show at the theater at Sauraha Chitwan. Including: Breakfast, Lunch, entrance fees, dinner, accommodation, guide fee.
- Day 07: Jeep safari and jungle walk.
- Our tour start right after tea / coffee, walk in the community forest for wildlife watch like Rhinos, Deer, wild boar, birds, fox etc. Morning walk is great way to see single horn rhinos and other animal there are greater chances encountered, camera must ready to take shots, there will be very short period of time to sights and catching in our camera. After lunch we will join the group for jeep tour for almost whole day in the Chitwan National Park, only lucky people see Bengal tiger, leopard. Back to the hotel get refresh and walk to the Rapti River for rest and sunsets views and over night stay. Including: Breakfast, Lunch, entrance fees, dinner, accommodation, guide fee.
- Day 08: Drive to Tharu village for home stay.
- After breakfast we’ll have a few options Jungle walk for bird watching, tiger hunting walk, sit next to the Rapti river and watch the movements of wildlife across the River until late morning. Get back to hotel take shower pack up get ready for home stay drive to Tharu village. One hour drive to Tharu village for home stay build by Tharu community at Nawalpur. Test some Tharu cuisine snacks, dinner and support Tharu home stay and enjoy the vacation-exploring village next to Narayani River. Including: Breakfast, Lunch, entrance fees, dinner, accommodation, guide fee.
- Day 09: Fly back to Kathmandu.
- Slow morning enjoy the Tharu culture breakfast local food slowly get ready for the drive to Bharatpur right after the lunch at noon. Drive to Bharatpur 1 hour and we’ll catch mid-day fly to Kathmandu arriving Kathmandu around 3-4pm transfer to hotel. After refresh shower we’ll drive to touristic place in Kathmandu they have many different cuisine and choices for the dinner, back to hotel in between 9-11pm. Including: Breakfast, Lunch, entrance fees, dinner, accommodation, guide fee.
- Day 10: Transfer to airport.
- Depending your flight schedule, departure time we’ll coordinate to transfer to you to airport for your final departure. Please be ready 2-3hours priors your flight departure. Including: Breakfast, airport shuttle / transportations.
Cost Includes
Cost including:
- Hotel in Kathmandu 3-4 star on BB plan.
- Domestic flight tickets.
- Airport shuttle/ transportation.
- Tour leader for whole time.
- Sightseeing in Kathmandu and other places as we describe above.
- Monuments entrance fees.
- Lunch, and dinner.
- Tea & coffee along meals.
Cost Excludes
Cost excluding:
- Your personal travel/health insurance.
- Alcohol and any bottle beverages.
- Extra drinks.
- Tip
- Emergency evacuation fees.
- Extra activities fees, hotel fees unless you have already booked.
Cost and Dates
Trip Start Date | Trip End Date | Price | Availability | Book |
---|---|---|---|---|
24th April, 2024 | 4th May, 2024 | US$1850 | Available | Book Now |
1st October, 2024 | 10th October, 2024 | US$2250 | Available | Book Now |
21st October, 2024 | 30th October, 2024 | US$2250 | Available | Book Now |
1st November, 2024 | 10th November, 2024 | US$2250 | Available | Book Now |
16th December, 2024 | 26th November, 2024 | US$2050 | Available | Book Now |
1st December, 2024 | 10th December, 2024 | US$2050 | Available | Book Now |
16th December, 2024 | 26th December, 2024 | US$1950 | Available | Book Now |
Additional information
Additional information Please keep your valuable with you in all time Passport, credit cards, cash, or other valuable stuff camera etc. carrying a small day bag 30ltr help you to sort out those small items to keep it safe and handy. Having some cash always smarts idea, or change money Nepalese rupees with you if you wanted to buy some souvenir, handicrafts and buying bottle of drinks, water and tip for your guide. Unlikely other countries, some local restaurant doesn’t charge tip in the bill they expect cash, likely wise driver, tour leader.
Sam & Jenn Nicholson Montana USA
Mani; Clearly you are chosen & Choose across the globe to make a lasting impact on our children. Your strength, calmness, guidance/wisdom, and patience are so evident. We will forever be grateful for the effort + Impact that you have made on our son. Thank you from our bottom of our hearts for this. It’s unbelievable. Peace & love to you forever. Sam & Jenn Nicholson Montana USA 2018.
Journeying a river: Jai Karnali, January 2020
How did river Ganga come to be?
Mythology says that there was a noble King who requested that Ganga descend from heaven to bless humanity and quench the thirst of the land and its people.
Pleased to shower the world with blessings, Ganga rushed down with such gusto that people feared that all that came in the way would be washed away. The God Shiva came to the rescue and stopped the momentum of the water with his long thick long hair. Because of this, Ganga flowed smoothly and satiated the thirst of all beings and showered blessings on the land with each drop of precious water.
Ecologists interpret this myth as a metaphor- Shiva’s thick long hair is synonymous with dense jungles that help check the floods and stop the land from washing away as the river accelerates down the slopes from the melting glaciers.
Rafting down the river Karnali in Western Nepal last month, it felt as if the myth was true! In our group of 11 people were some seasoned sailors, kayakers, river guides, and rafting experts, but a few like me had never been on a raft. I am also not a strong swimmer; so, it was an act of faith and surrender to the river and expertise of our leader Mani, and river rafting expert Manu to go on the trip.
We put the rafts in the river after about 4 hours drive up the town of Surkhet at an altitude of about 800 m. The rafts and the equipment, including the tents and rations, were supplied with the generous support of NOLS (National Outdoor Leadership School) in the States.
This expedition was conceptualized and planned by Ravi, NOLS India Programmed Director, and Mani ( #navigateoutdoor Nepal) NOLS senior Instructor and who co-led the expedition. The two kayakers, Ganesh and Nanu Kayaks and were in the tumultuous waters of Karnali watching and guiding our rafts at each and every rapid that came along. They were plenty of challenges to varying degrees!
For the next seven days we were out on the river, and camping at some of the most beautiful banks. We witnessed a vast expanse of pristine natural habitats along the way both on land and in the waters. We parked the rafts often to take a walk over to beautiful villages and bought fresh vegetables, fish, milk and yogurt, etc. from the villagers. We savored some delicious meals in cottage eateries that you can find along the traditional walking routes of the shepherds, traders, and village folk, that connect the plains with the high Himal region in the kingdom of Nepal and beyond on the Tibetan plateau. The river crisscrossed some of the most wonderfully crafted hanging bridges on these routes as well.
We saw how the simple and rich life of fishing communities sustainably harvest the bounty of fish from the river. They fish in their dug up canoes made from tree trunks. The fish from Karnali is famous across the region and fetches amongst the highest price in Nepal’s capital city of Kathmandu. High value and low volume seem to be the guiding factor – it can be 2-4 days walk to sell and transport the fish, so, the fish is dried or smoked creating a very special, niche type of produce from the villages along Karnali.
Agriculture and livestock rearing is still flourishing in the villages. It was amazing to see some of the most appropriately designed dehusking, pounding, and winnowing equipment still in use – that has perhaps not changed in the last thousand years.
It is indeed a living culture that uses and maintains the landscape, in harmony with nature, using indigenous knowledge to enhance biodiversity and what we call ecosystem services. Our faith in the concept of the Gross National Happiness index was further strengthened. The common Human Development indices merely emphasize infrastructure and access to institutions such as hospitals and schools- but there is so much to be taken into account for true sustainability. While the intent is not to romanticize the old, biocultural heritage, the wisdom of the old seems to be working harmoniously and should well complement human development in a more meaningful way.
Some of the big questions being discussed in conferences and seminars across the world could be answered in a much more eco-friendly and happy way by experiencing the life and values of the community here and of other indigenous peoples across the world.
The modern idea of development as highly individualistic has become increasingly crippled with outdated notions of competition, rather than collaboration, also creating massive disparities in income and consumption of natural resources.
We could learn from the communities here, and take lessons from the past into the future: the dignity of physical work, interdependence, and interconnectedness are three principles that need to be central to human endeavor- there is no sustainability without equity and dignity.
Gradually, we descended down with the flow of the river, as it slowly calmed down in the Terai region. It’s a rich habitat for tigers, rhinoceroses, elephants, and another charismatic megafauna. The very sight of these deep jungles invokes awe. We got off the banks of the mighty Karnali at the little town of Chiso Pani.
We deflated the rafts, packed the gear, washed, and rushed to one of the many restaurants in this little town. Some of us relished the delicious fish from Karnali to their heart's content! For others like me, the restaurant served fabulous fresh greens with dal-bhat; as they say in Nepal “Dal Bhat power, 24 hours!”
May the river Karnali have a long life and continue to bless humanity as the King had anticipated in the ancient times. May present-day leaders start to wake up to the wisdom in conservation and sustainable utilization of the river, rather than damning it and threatening the sheer existence of these communities. May we all learn from the life of the people here; all the wonderful ways to weave a close-knit community and flourish together with nature.
Thanks for the whole team Chura Mani Aryal, Manohar, Nanu and Ganesh river experts, and beautiful Karnali River, and people from the river corridor.
Ajay Rastogi
Majkhali India
"I want to thank you and your guides and employees again for the wonderful memories I have of the Manaslu trek and the lovely side trip into the Tsum Valley. The scenery and experiences were great and I especially loved the variety of forests, the wildlife, and of course the incomparable mountain scenery. I want to add a special thank you to you for the special care you gave me when my foot and leg became very swollen. Your help and knowledge allowed me to complete the trek with minimal discomfort. I still experience the problem to a minor degree but still, look forward to further adventurous travel when the situation allows in the future. Conversations with you about Nepalese history were also an enjoyable and informative aspect of the trek".
I would like to thank Navigate Outdoor for organizing such a joyful and safe trip to the Tsum and Manaslu region. I'd like to thank Mani and his entire team to make our trip such memorable and extra care to all of us on the trekking. I really enjoyed having my own personal time exploring the side valley taking pictures and interact with local people on the trail. Mani is an experienced leader who allows space while trekking. He helped, and always available for other trekkers they need medical attention. I saw him support others and interact with them in a really professional way. I appreciated and enjoyed the 24 days trekking in the Tsum valley and Manaslu round trekking.
Nick Green Australia 2018
I appreciate your attitude "Anyway life comes first and business comes second and other things." I can see you are really living that motto when you tell us of the wonderful time you are having with your family.
Dane, and I really enjoyed the trek to the Annapurna Sanctuary. While I have been trekking in the Himalayas a number of times it was nice to do a trek with my son. Dane was very impressed to see the high mountains. Thanks for organizing Annapurna Base Camp trekking for me and my son Dane. Mani, I really appreciated sharing your previous experiences and telling stories about your own life and adventure career. We'll do another trip in the future. We'll share our experiences with our friends and recommended Navigate Outdoor. I can't express the joyful moment I had on the Annapurna Base camp trip you with, and felt 100% safe, thanks for taking care of us in the trekking.
Malcolm and Dane Dwyer Australia 2019
Karnali River Experience.
They say that the journey is better than the destination. That all the experiences along the way are like an accumulation of rocks along a riverbed. This story is another stone in a river.
I have known Mani Aryal for several years, meeting him in the United States, in the state of Utah. Mani and I were both on a work contract to take a group of students down Desolation & Gray Canyon on the Green River. After spending three weeks with Mani I knew that I made a paddling adventure buddy and that he would be a person that I actively stay in contact with. The years have a way of floating by with adventure and intentions. Every time I spoke to Mani he persistently invited me to Kathmandu to see his home and to float the rivers. Three years after saying “no”, I finally could say “maybe”.
Kathmandu is large in legend and small in structure. The shuttle ride from the airport is an example of whitewater: dodging potholes, must-make moves, and pure adrenaline. It’s best not to watch.
There are two options to get to the river when signing up for a Karnali River Expedition trip: 1) take the plane or 2) ride with the guides and gear on public transport. I was on a tight budget, so option #2 was the only way to go. Putting together a multiday river trip is always difficult, especially when you start combining buses, shuttles, and rendezvous. The first leg of the journey was via public transportation to Koholpur. The guides and I, hanging out at the main bus depot, loading all of the gear we would need for the next 12 days was a new experience indeed.
You see a lot of different people and livestock on the long-distance buses. Chickens and goats are not uncommon. If a woman is standing with a baby, it’s a norm to hand a baby to you, a seated passenger, to hold the child in order to give her a break.
The second half of the shuttle was a private bus to the put-in, the small village of Dungeshor that is located straight down a canyon. The route our bus driver picked was shorter to save fuel but longer because of road conditions. Our bus rocked, creaked and moaned down the road for 8 hours only to cover 85km. “Singletrack” may be a better description than “road” as there were only inches to spare between rock walls and open air.
Sideswiping other buses, scouting rock gardens, and pushing our transport were common occurrences that quickly become norms. We reached Dungeshor after 10 pm to hastily inhale some food and beer from a generous restaurant owner who opened his doors after hours. Afterward, we set up our tents on the riverbank to welcome a solid, unwavering piece of ground to usher in some sleep.
The next morning, the guides were in their prime, having already started getting breakfast ready for everyone. Mani was no exception, greeting me with a great, white smile and a coffee to help orient my mind back to my body. The biggest surprise was all of the children hanging about camp. We were all warned not to leave our gear unattended. Later that day, I realized a carabineer walked off to hang out with the children. The guides seemed to include me that much more by laughing and sharing stories of gear gone lost.
Throughout the six days, Mani and his guides were exceptional hosts. It seemed as if they never stopped moving. Always quick to put a coffee in your hand, help you set up your campsite, or to offer a meal. Every morning they would barter with local fishermen to add an extra flair to the menu. On the water, I felt safe and involved in risk management. All ideas were heard until a plan formed to be implemented with everyone on board. The standard followed by Mani was professional.
Six months after this trip, the strongest memories I have are of traveling to and from the river. Once I had oars in my hand and a blue sky above me I knew who I was and how I got there.
The total trip duration from Kathmandu to Kathmandu was 10 days included the bus journey.
Dan Colorado USA.
Thank you, Mani. I look forward to our next adventure.