Patan Durbar Square
Patan Durbar Square, situated in the heart of the city, is the main tourist attraction. The square is full of ancient palaces, temples, and shrines noted for their exquisite carvings. One can rummage for treasures and souvenirs in the various shops around the square. The main attractions of the Patan Durbar Square are the ancient Royal palace itself. It consists of three main chowks, or courtyards; the central Mul Chowk, Sundari Chowk and Main Keshab Narayan Chowk.
Then drive to Dhulikhel.
Dhulikhel is an ancient town is situated 30-km east of Kathmandu on the side of the Arniko Rajmarga (Kathmandu-Kodari Highway). From here one can have a complete panoramic view of the snowy mountain ranges from Karyolung in the east to Himalchuli in the west.
Overnight at hotel in Dhulikhel.
Namo Buddha:
Namo Buddha which lies 40 KM away from Kathmandu is one of holiest pilgrimage site in the word for Buddhist. Legends say a young prince, Mahasattva, (believed to be the reincarnation of Buddha himself) while walking in a forest with his brothers saw a tigress with 5 cubs she had just given birth to. The tigress was so hungry that she could barely move. Overcome with compassion, he began to feed the tigress and her cubs by cutting his flesh. Later, when other brothers came searching for him, they found only his bones and hairs. A stupa was built on top of these remains, now known as Namo Buddha. A small shrine a few minutes' walk uphill from the stupa contains statues of the prince together with the tigress and her cubs.
Boudhanath Stupa
Boudhanath Stupa is the largest stupa in Nepal and the holiest Tibetan Buddhist temple outside Tibet. It is the center of Tibetan culture in Kathmandu and rich in Buddhist symbolism.
Lumbini, the birthplace of Lord Buddha, in the Terai plains of Nepal is one of the greatest pilgrimage sites for Buddhists. More than 400,000 Buddhists and non-Buddhists visit Lumbini every year. It is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site (Culture) and holds immense archeological and religious importance.
After breakfast have sightseeing of Lumbini. Places of visit are:
Maya Devi Temple - The temple is famous for the Maya Devi's statue, an exotic representation of the Buddha's days of puberty. The Maya Devi statue is splendid for its architectural beauty and the way it represents the childhood of Buddha.
The Ashoka Pillar - The Ashoka Pillar, essentially erected by Ashoka is also a piece of great art, with the horse at the top of pillar; it makes a great view and represents an ancient story related to the Buddhist tales.
The Puskarni - The literal meaning of Puskarni is pond, and this pond in the southern direction of the Ashoka Pillar is a scared one. It is said that Mayadevi took a holy dip in the pond, just before the birth of Lord Buddha.
The Buddhist Monastery - It is built in the way of the modern Buddhist temples of Nepal but is quite important in the purview of architecture of the walls. The middle hall contains some exquisite murals resembling the medieval periods'.
Kapilvastu - A holy destination related deeply with the life of a legend, Lord Buddha, eventually Kapilvastu is the place where Lord Buddha had lived the childhood and the days of teenage, in complete luxury. It houses many sculptures of Buddhism, which present a landscape before those visitors that makes them feel calm, content. It carries the visitors away to the ancient days when Buddha was a small child, a prince.
Overnight at Hotel in Lumbini.
Evening free for Shopping at Thamel.
O/N at Hotel
Asura Cave &Yangleshö cave, Pharping
The great master Padmasambhava (also called the second Buddha) attained the Mahamudra level of realization through his practice in the Asura Cave. Because of this, for Vajrayana Buddhism practitioners, it is thought to be a place as important as Bodhgaya.
There are two major practice caves in Pharping blessed by Guru Rinpoche: the Asura cave and the Yangleshö cave. At the bottom of the flight of stairs climbing up to the Asura cave is an old and important Vajrayogini temple, the Pharping Vajravarahi temple. Other stairs also lead up to the cave. They start towards the end of the village atRalo Rinpoche's monastery and start by a shrine containing a
self-arisen Tara on the side of an image of Ganesha. To the south of the village is the temple of Dakshinkali, one of the four Kalis surrounding the Kathmandu valley.
Pharping also has several monasteries, temples and retreat centers,including Chatral Rinpoche's monastery, and the Palyul Retreat Centre,which is the residence of Khenpo Namdrol Rinpoche and home to the Rigpa Shedra.
Swayambhunath
The most ancient and enigmatic of all the Valley's holy shrines lies 2 km west of Kathmandu city, across the Vishnumati river. The golden spire of Swayambhunath stupa crowns a wooded hillock and offers a commanding view of Kathmandu city. On clear days, one can even view a line of Himalayan peaks. The view is splendid at dusk as city lights flicker one by one, and even better when a full moon hangs in the sky.
After breakfast Transfer to Tribhuwan International Airport for departure(Flight time :11:30 Am)