Nepal Nature Nourish: 8 days of experiencing silent Sanctuary Amidst Peaks (March 2024)

Experience the white Himalayas, orange houses, and colorful prayer flags that make every day in Nepal a vibrant adventure. Don't miss out!

Explore the juicy city of Kathmandu, the serene town of Pokhara, and the gateway to the eight-thousands of the Himalayas. Book a one-of-a-kind trip today!

We start in Kathmandu, visit some of the renown places in the city & experience everyday day life of a local people. After 1 day in Kathmandu we will take a morning flight to Pokhara, second largest city of Nepal. 

In Pokhara we will start experiencing the mountains & a strong influence of a Tibetan culture in the region. 

Next morning after seeing a sunrise at the Himalayan peaks we will take a jeep and move to Astam. Which is an hour drive from Pokhara. Perched at 1450m we will settle in a picturesque retreat center SWARA. 

Swara Retreat is a project brought to life by Iling, Ganesh and their family. Both long time yoga practitioners and lifelong learners created a space suitable for growth in calming range of Annapurna range.

SWARA will be our base for 4 nights, where we will start our morning with breathing the freshest Himalayan air, observing the sunlight flooding 7000m peaks around us. 

*Take you light travel mat with you as we will have yoga asana practice in the morning to prepare our bodies for energizing experiences in the mountains. 

 

Detailed Itinerary:

Day 1: 

(28th February)

Your colorful vacation begins as you depart from Europe and arrive in Kathmandu. Get your first taste of Nepal's lively and vibrant capital city as we explore the bustling streets of the famous tourist district of Thamel.

Arrival in Kathmandu, check at a hostel owned by a local Nepali family.
We'll gather at 5 pm to have an early dinner and introduction to our upcoming trip. 

Advise:  Plan your arrival either in the evening, one day before official start - 27th February or in the morning 28th 

If you will arrive earlier and will need one extra night in Kathmandu, let us know ahead, we will arrange it for you!

Day 2: (29th February)

Explore the oldest part of the city with a visit to Durbar Square, where history comes alive with its mixture of old woodcarving and brick architecture, colorful Nepalese clothing, and vibrant scenes. Smells and stenches mingle with spiritual purity as we make our way through Thamel, passing pashmina and trekking shops, to the royal Durbar Square. Here, we'll meet holy men, cows, pigeons, and the only living goddess on our planet - Kumari.

After lunch we will explore Thamel, a busy shopping area in Kathmandu, where you can find all the Nepali heritage of crafts like Pashimna shawls, woolen sweaters from extremely warm yak wool, Tibetan prayer flags and many more. 

In the Evening we will watch the sun setting from the Boudhanath Stupa while listening to the buddhist chants from the temples around.   Boudhanath Stupa, its massive mandala makes it one of the largest spherical stupas in Nepal and the world.

Day 3: (1st March)

We'll take an early morning flight to the country's second-most famous city, Pokhara. 

After arrival we will check in at our hotel and after lunch we will go out to explore the lakeside. Here we will take a boat, have a cruise on Phewa lake and walk up the hill towards Shanti Stupa-World Peace Pagoda.

We will enjoy the sunset on the lake while sailing back to our side of the lake. 

Day 4: (2nd March)

We'll wake up early to enjoy the sunrise with a panoramic view of the Himalayas. We'll take a ride to the Sarangkot lookout, 600 meters above the city. If the weather is good, we'll enjoy a perfect panorama of  over 20 Peaks from 2 Himalayas; ranges of Dhaulagiri, Annapurna, and Manaslu are visible from the viewpoint. Among them, the most iconic peak Mt. Fishtail, also known as the virgin peak of 6,997 m. is a major attraction considered holy in the local community. 

After returning for breakfast we will jump into a jeep, which will take us to Astam, Swara retreat centre, which will be our base for the next few days. We will have a delicious vegetarian lunch prepared from local ingredients & explore Astam. 

After dinner we share some stories in the light of a Campfire.

Day 5: (3rd March)

After enjoying the sunrise & yoga practice we will have breakfast and we'll set off to a 5-6 hours day hike.

That night we will sleep over in Pothana to be even closer to all the peaks and get ready to wake up early to experience the deafening silence of the place. We will climb the viewpoint and watch as the sun magically floods the hills and valleys

Day 6: (4th March)

Next day, on the way down, we will stop for a chai in one of the villages and we will try to reach Astam before lunch. We will rest, wait until dusk and end the day with evening meditation in the shala.

Day 7: (5th March)

Morning Yoga & Breakfast.

Exploring Astam with its rise & millet fields and having a bath in the ice cold Himalayan Seti river we will end our peaceful stay in Astam.

Day 8: (6th March)

After morning practice and breakfast we will check out at SWARA and take the jeep back to Pokhara. We will have lunch there and head to the airport to take an afternoon flight back to Kathmandu. 

In the evening we will visit Pashupati hindu temple sitting on Bagmati River (Nepali Ganga) where we can attend Aarati Pooja of Pashupatinath temple - it is an extraordinary cultural experience one can witness in Kathmandu. This event takes place every evening at around 6.00 PM and lasts for about one and a half hours.

Aarati Pooja, often called the 'ceremony of light', the arti involves waving lighted wicks before the sacred images to infuse the flames with the Deities' love, energy and blessings. 

7th March

It is time to say Goodbye and come back to Exotic home destination! You can look for flights from early morning, as we will already be in Kathmandu, a 20 minutes ride from the airport. We will arrange transport to the airport for you. 

More details 

The price includes:

• Accommodation in double rooms in 3* hotels with breakfast, lunch and dinner 
• Accommodation in double rooms in tourist guest houses on the trek with breakfast, lunch and dinner 
• Flight ticket to and back from Pokhara 
• Rented private transport - from airports and transfers between cities and retreat centre
• An experienced guides
• Itinerary "What to pack?"
• Assistance with fligh tickets to Nepal (finding the best connections)
• Assistance with visa process
• 24/7 support throughout the trip
• Travel in a small group of a maximum of maximum 8 people.

The price does not include:

• International ticket to Kathmandu
• Visa (30 €)
• Travel insurance
• Entrance fees to monuments (20 €)
• Laundry fees
• Alcoholic beverages & Refreshments our of meal times

Additional information:

• If you want to book a single room for the whole duration of trip there is an additional charge of 150 € for the entire stay.

 
Price:

Per person in a shared twin room: 1,250 €

Per person in single room: 1400 €

Please note: The deadline for signing up is January 15th

 

Cancelation:

We know it might feel too far, but time is running faster than we expect. As we know, things are always changing and therefore we try to be as flexible as possible. 

In case you will not be able to attend the trip after the payment, here are the cancelling policies. 

Cancelation before 15th January: You will get back full amount.

Cancelation from15th January to 31 January: You will get back 50 % of the price.

Cancelation after 31th January: No refund. At the end of January all the rooms and flight tickets will be booked so unfortunatelly we not not refund you the amount. 

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This will be an immersion in Nepalese culture, yoga practice and profound experience of connecting with gran forces of Nature - Himalayas!

Seize this opportunity to explore Ancient Nepal with its gems! 
The number of participants is limited. 

We will travel in a small group of MAX 8 people.

Make sure you book your spot before it's too late!

Looking forward to meeting you and exploring together! 

Love, Monika & Martin 

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DISCOUNT AT LEELA SHOP FOR PARTICIPANTS

For all the participants we offer a 30 % discount on all products from our e-shop. You might find handy to travel with a light weight, foldable yoga rug which you will use for yoga classes.