Here are some sample itineraries to arouse your curiosity. All of our itineraries are custom made. Please email us on [email protected].
Nepal Sample Itineraries
One week – ‘The Kathmandu Valley: Cultural survival in the age of development
This experience will allow us to compare how urban and rural communities meet similar development challenges. The first part of our trip will be based out of the ancient Newari city of Bhaktapur, a UNESCO Living World Heritage site. We will learn from local NGOs, businesses and scholars about the tensions between cultural survival and sustainable development, and visit grassroot projects working for positive change. We will also visit a few of the must-see religious and cultural sites of the valley that make area so renowned and unique. 3 nights will be spent living in homestays with local Newari families to get a unique insight into their culture. We will then relocate to a rural area just a few hours outside of the city, visit another beautiful Newari village and also have the chance to spend a day learning on an organic farm and doing a field visit to a rural development project.
Two weeks – ‘Sacred spaces: ancient civilizations and modern challenges’
This experience will allow us to compare how urban, rural and religious communities meet similar development challenges. We start our trip in the Tibetan Buddhist suburb of Boudha, where we will settle in to Nepal in the shadow of one of the greatest monuments. During our time here we will learn about Buddhist traditions from a monk, and start exploring the question: how do ancient religions face modern development challenges? From there we will travel to the ancient Newari city of Bhaktapur, a UNESCO Living World Heritage site. We will learn from local NGOs, businesses and scholars about the tensions between cultural survival and sustainable development, and visit grassroot projects working for positive change. We will also visit a few of the must-see religious and cultural sites of the valley that make area so renowned and unique. 3 nights will be spent living in homestays with local Newari families to get a unique insight into their culture. We will then depart for a trek through the sacred Helambu valley, living simply in basic teahouses and reaching our crescendo at the top of Ama Yangri which stands at 3800m and looks out across the whole Himalayan range. We will also get a chance to see the work of local projects supporting the sustainable development of the area, and learn about the activities of our partner PHASE Nepal. Back in the Kathmandu valley, we will stay in a Hindu ashram to look at how they are taking action on local development issues. Before we depart we will return back to the city to regroup and reflect on our experiences.
Two and a half weeks – ‘Learning from disaster: Does international aid help or harm?’
Our journey will start in the ancient cities of the Kathmandu valley. Here we will meet development professions, entrepreneurs, religious leaders, artists and community organizers who can deepen our perspectives on global issues such as international aid, disaster relief and human rights. We will be asking the question: “How do communities recover from disaster, and how can foreigners help or hinder?” We will stay in small guesthouses in several of the valley’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and we will also have the chance for a day hike into the foothills of the Himalayas. After orienting ourselves in the valley, we will head to the outskirts to stay in an ashram that is also an organic farm, for a short retreat. Then we will head to Sindhupalchowk District, an area badly affected by last year’s earthquake. Living in basic conditions alongside local people in homestays, we will learn about what happened in the disaster, but also, what local people and foreign NGOs have been doing to support the relief, recovery, and rebuilding of the area. Towards the end of the trip, we will travel down to Chitwan National Park to learn about conservation and to hopefully see some of the most endangered animals on the planet on a two-day safari. We will return to Kathmandu for the final wrap-up and for us to discuss and make sense of what we have learned and what it means to us as global citizens.