Buddhist Circuit Tour India and Nepal

Arrive at Tribhuvan International Airport, Kathmandu. Our representative meets you and transfers you to the hotel. The distance from the airport to the hotel is no more than 7 kilometres. Overnight at the hotel.

Drive to Namo Buddha, about 40 kilometres from Kathmandu, where Shakyamuni Buddha is believed to have fed his own flesh to a starving tigress. Visit the monastery and stupa. In the afternoon, visit Patan Durbar Square. Return to the hotel for the night.

After breakfast at the hotel, fly to Bhairahawa airport and drive to Lumbini. In the afternoon, visit the Lumbini Garden, including the Ashoka Pillar, the Maya Devi Temple, the Sacred Pond and the monasteries within the Maya Devi Garden. Pilgrims meditate quietly under the large tree near the pond. Overnight at the hotel.

Visit other Buddhist sites near Lumbini. Tilaurakot, or Kapilvastu, was the capital of the Shakya kingdom, where the Buddha was born. Sagarhawa, Gotihawa, Kudan and Niglihawa are also connected with Buddhism and its history. Overnight at the hotel.

Drive to the Nepal and India border at Gorakhpur, then on to Vaishali and Patna, visiting Kesaria on the way. The Buddha visited Vaishali on many occasions. Several important monasteries and shrines there were described by the Chinese pilgrim Faxian in the 5th century. After the death of the Buddha, the Second Buddhist Council was held at Vaishali to set rules of conduct. Overnight at the hotel.

Bodhgaya is about 144 kilometres by road from Vaishali and Patna. On the way, visit Rajgir, an ancient city in the north-eastern Indian state of Bihar. It is surrounded by hills and known for its holy sites. Remains of the Cyclopean Wall, which encircled the city centuries ago, still stand in the centre. Close by, Venu Vana park was once home to a monastery built for the Buddha. The shield-shaped Japanese Temple contains a large Buddha statue. Nearby there are hot springs believed to have medicinal properties. Overnight at the hotel.

A full day in Bodh Gaya. Visit the Bodhi tree, Animeshlochana Chaitya, the Ratnachankramana, the Ratnagara, the Ajapala Nigrodha tree, the Rajyatana tree and Muchalinda pond. Also visit the monasteries built around the complex by many Buddhist countries. Overnight at the hotel.

The drive to Varanasi is about 250 kilometres and takes about 6 hours. Sarnath is a further 13 kilometres north-west. Visit the Dhamek Stupa, the site of the Buddha's first teaching, the Mulagandha Kuti and the Ashoka Pillar. Sarnath is near the confluence of the Ganges and Varuna rivers. Overnight at the hotel.

The drive is about 220 kilometres and takes about 6 hours. Kushinagar is where the Buddha died and entered nirvana. Visit the Mahaparinirvana Temple, where the Buddha took his last breath, the Ramabhar Stupa, the cremation site of the Buddha, and the Japanese Temple. Return to the hotel in the evening for dinner and an overnight stay.

After breakfast at the hotel, drive to Lumbini, Nepal. The drive is about 142 kilometres and takes 4 to 5 hours. From Lumbini, transfer to Bhairahawa airport for an evening flight to Kathmandu, then transfer to the hotel to rest. Overnight at the hotel.

A full day visiting Buddhist sites in Kathmandu: the great stupas of Swayambhunath and Boudhanath, and Pharping, 19 kilometres south of Kathmandu, where you visit a Buddhist monastery and walk around the pilgrimage sites. Drive back to Kathmandu, where the rest of the day is free for shopping and walking around the market. Overnight at the hotel.

We take you to the international airport for your departure. Please arrive at the international airport three hours before your flight time.