Meeting at airport on arrival by our staff and transfer to the hotel. Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, lies in a broad valley at the edge of the Himalayan Range.  Its art and architecture are an interesting blend of Hindu and Buddhist influences.

Fly to Nepalgunj. Meet by our representative & drive to Bardia which is 84 km & 2.5 hours drive. Upon arrival at resort, welcome drink is served and there will be a short briefing on the program and our facilities, rooms will be assigned.

Afternoon visit the temple area, the Bazar and you will enter in a real typical Tharu house to see the local life.

After an early breakfast, you will go to national park in a jeep. This is a good excursion to discover the geography of the park and the different ecosystems. Afternoon you will go on elephant back for a safari. Elephants are very adapted to go inside the vegetation and give good possibilities to get close to rhinos.

After breakfast, we drive one hour to Chisapani, over the Karnali Bridge where we have a typical lunch with local fish. Then we begin the floating safari (on raft). There are no big rapids on the river and this excursion offers good opportunities for magnificent landscapes and birdlife among other animals. In the evening, we pitch the tents on a sandy beach (just across the river, outside National Park) and we go in a very remote and authentic Tharu village for cultural dances and dinner). After the program we go back to the tents where a big wood fire awaits us.

After an early picnic breakfast, we will cross the river and go on foot in the National Park for the day with a naturalist guide and a porter. There are good possibilities to see one horned rhino, wild asian elephants or Bengal tiger among other animals.

Transfer to Nepalgunj airport to board the flight to Kathmandu. Upon arrival, transfer to hotel.

Afternoon we visit Patan Durbar Square, which is the oldest of the three major cities in the Kathmandu Valley.  It is called the City of the Arts, and is justly famous for its intricately carved wooden temples and skilled craftsmen. 

In the morning we will visit the holiest shrine of the Hindu culture in Nepal, Pashupatinath. This is the place where holy saddhus pray and cremations on the Bagmati River are carried out. While you are not allowed into the temple if you are not a Hindu, the grounds surrounding the temple usually have a fascinating crowd of the faithful.

We then continue to the holiest shrine for the Buddhist culture in Nepal, Bouddhanath, with its large stupa, this is the place where all devout Buddhists come for a pilgrimage.  It is not unusual to see very old devotees circumnavigate the shrine hundreds of times falling to their knees and rising again for a few steps only to go back down again to their knees.

Then on to Bhaktapur, perhaps the least changed of all the cities in the Kathmandu Valley, with a distinct medieval feel.  Pottery and weaving are still traditional industries here. Architectural wonders abound, including the Palace of Fifty Five Windows, Golden Gate and the magnificent five storied pagoda-style Nyatapola Temple.

Transfer to airport to board the flight for onward journey.