Flight from Paris on a regular airline. Night and services on board.

Meet at the airport and transfer to the hotel. Depending on the time we have left, we will take a walk through the city centre of Kathmandu, the capital of the country. Ancient courtyards, temples and statues of Hindu and Buddhist deities, the customs and attitudes of the people, the colours and aromas will enhance our walk. Return to the hotel, dinner and overnight.

Breakfast. Walk around the city centre of Kathmandu. Visit the Pashupatinath temple, one of the most important pilgrimage sites for Hindus in the Indian subcontinent. Walk to Bodhanath, and after a lunch break explore this sacred place for Buddhists. We will visit the Sechen Monastery, the retreat of Matthieu Ricard, a French monk and advisor to the Dalai Lama. If circumstances permit we will attend a prayer in the monastery. Overnight in Kathmandu.

Breakfast then visit a small village known for its wood carvers and the residence of Red Matsendranath, the royal god of Patan. We will pass through another picturesque village: Khokana, known for its oil presses. Then we return to the city of Patan, called Lalitpur, the city of arts, and explore the royal palace area, ancient monasteries, temples and artisans. Visit a bronze statue workshop. Overnight in Kathmandu.

Breakfast and visit to Changunarayan, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We will continue to Bhaktapur: a living museum and the best preserved city in Nepal. The royal palace, the pottery district, various squares with sumptuous temples and craftsmen will be on our way. We will go to Dhulikhel, a small town of about 15,000 inhabitants. Overnight and dinner in a quiet place.

After breakfast we will go to the village of Kaflethok. We will participate in a ceremony where almost all the inhabitants come to the temple located upstream of the village to pray together. Lunch with a Brahmin family. We will then go to another place of great importance, this time for Buddhists: the Namobouddha monastery. It is a very important Buddhist pilgrimage site. On a clear day, you will enjoy a superb 360 degree panorama. In this idyllic setting, it is possible to take part in the evening prayer and have dinner with the monks. Depending on room availability, overnight stay at the monastery.

We wake up early to pray with the monks and have breakfast with them. It is often steamed bread with bean soup. At the end of the morning we will go down to Balthali: a picturesque village inhabited mainly by Brahmins and chetris, the high caste population. We will have lunch there. Dinner will be served. Overnight stay in a hotel or with a local family.

After breakfast we will descend to Panauti, a small town with a lot of charm. After lunch we will return to Kathmandu.

We will have breakfast. Early in the morning we will leave for Chitwan National Park. After breakfast we will start the activities such as paddling down the Rapti River, visiting an elephant breeding centre. Finally we will watch the sunset over the river. Dinner. Overnight in a hotel where we will attend Tharu dances.

In the morning, before breakfast, we will have the opportunity to go on a bird walk at the edge of the park. After breakfast (included) we will go for an elephant ride. In the afternoon, we will walk through the jungle to observe the flora and fauna. On the way we will visit a Tharu village, a people who seem to be naturally resistant to malaria. In the meantime, we will also have seen the making of paper from elephant dung, an activity initiated by a local association.

After breakfast we will drive to Pokhara. Arrival at the hotel in Pokhara. After a well-deserved rest, we will go for a walk by the lake. Dinner at leisure in the city and overnight at the hotel in Pokhara.

Early in the morning, we will climb to Sarangkot to watch the sunrise over the Himalayan range (weather permitting). We will have a panoramic view of several Himalayan peaks: Dhaulagiri (8167m), Annapurna II (7937m)... We will walk down to Sedi (2 hours walk). We will return to the hotel for breakfast and then visit the Tibetan refugee camp. We will visit the Mahandra cave. We will then go to the Peace Pagoda in the afternoon and walk down to Phewa Lake where we will enjoy a boat ride across the lake.

After breakfast we will fly back to Kathmandu for an afternoon of shopping and relaxation in the tourist district of Thamel. At the end of our day we will stop at Swyambhunath, one of the highest places of pilgrimage for Buddhists. Dinner in the city. Overnight in Kathmandu.

Free morning to enjoy the activities of your choice and then, in the afternoon, transfer to the airport to catch your flight to France.

Arrival in Paris.