Welcome to Kathmandu, the colorful capital of Nepal. Upon arriving at Kathmandu Tribhuvan International Airport, you will be welcomed by our enthusiastic local guide with smiles, then transfer to Kathmandu downtown to check in your hotel by an air-conditioned vehicle. The rest of today is on your own to relax. If you want to explore nearby, feel free to get some practical suggestions from your tour guide.

At evening, a "Welcome Dinner" will be held for you at an excellent traditional Nepalese Restaurant where you will enjoy a Nepalese cultural program as well as a fine dinner.

Free time ideas: 1) visit Garden of Dreams, Royal Botanical Garden; 2) Walk around Thamel, Ason or Indrachowk bazaar.

This morning, our local Nepalese guide will receive you from the hotel in the first hour of the day. You will then start the captivating Kathmandu private tour with a wonderful stroll around the grand Kathmandu Durbar Square - the social, religious and urban focal point of the Newari Malla which was one of the three medieval kingdoms ruling Kathmandu valley between the 12^th and 18^th centuries. It is also known as Hanuman Dhoka Palace, meaning the Gateway of Hunuman - the monkey God who is the deity of the Durbar Square area. You can see the beautiful Taleju Temple, Kumari Goddess Temple, Jagannath Temple, Kal Bhairav, the statue of King Pratap Malla, the Big Bell, Big Drum, etc. From the Durbar Square, you will travel towards the western delight of the Valley - Swayambhunath, the Kathmandu's most ancient and enigmatic holy shrine with a history over 2500 years. There are a lot of monkeys residing in the Temple, that's why the shrine is also famous as the Monkey Temple.It is an excellent place for a quick hike and some fresh air. On the clear days, you are able to see a line of Himalayan Ranges, and enjoy a fine view over Kathmandu city and the valley.

Drive about 4km to Patan, the second largest city in Kathmandu valley. Compared with Kathmandu city, Patan is quieter, a living place to experience Nepal local culture and lifestyle. You will visit its landmark - Patan Durbar Square which is honored as the finest collection of temples and palaces with exquisite carvings in Nepal. There are Hindu and Buddhist relic sites spread around the square. Most famous one is Krishna Temple which is said to be carved from a single enormous stone. Enjoy the beautiful stone works, religious sculptures, and enjoy a leisure stroll through packed streets of souvenirs in the square.

After the sightseeing, drive to the airport to take a flight (about 25mins) to Pokhara, a remarkable place of natural beauty. The enchanting city with a population of around 95,000 has several beautiful lakes and offers stunning panoramic views of Himalayan peaks. The serenity of lakes and the magnificence of the Himalayas rising behind them create an ambience of peace and magic. So today the city has not only become the starting point for most popular trekking and rafting destinations but also a place to relax and enjoy the beauty of nature.

Get up in the early morning and go to Sarangkot to enjoy breathtaking sunrise. When the sun picks out the peaks, they are transformed from a purple-pink to a celestial gold. As the day breaks thoroughly, you can admire a wonderful panoramic sweep of Himalayan peaks from west to east, which is praised as one of the most beautiful picture in Nepal. After the spectacular sunrise and landscape weeping at Sarangkot, you will drive to Peace Temple to see the brilliant World Peace Pagoda. The road to the pagoda is not in very good condition, but scenery is stunning. Constructed by the Buddhists from Japanese Nipponzan Myohoji organization, World Peace Pagoda expresses the good wishes of world peace. While seeing the enchanting natural sights around, you will also get a feeling of inner peace as well.

After lunch, you will visit Devil’s Fall, locally known as Patale Chhango (Hell’s Fall). It is an awesome waterfall lying about 2 km south-west of Pokhara Airport on the highway to Tanmen. Then, pay a visit to the nearby Gupteswar Gupha, which is a sacred cave. It has some big hall-size rooms and some passages where you have to crawl on all fours. Afterwards, you will have a relaxed journey in Phewa Lake which is the second largest lake in Nepal. You can take one of the beautifully painted boats to cruise on the lake or enjoy a relaxing biking around the lake. You will then visit the most important religious monument in Pokhara - Barahi Temple which is built almost in the middle of Phewa Lake. The two storied pagoda is dedicated to boar manifestation of Ajima, the protector deity representing the female force Shakti.

Recommended optional activities:

1) Paragliding into the sky to witness the magnificent view of the snow peaks and pristine lakes with an experienced pilot; 2) Enjoy a relaxing biking around Phewa Lake.

This morning, take a morning flight back to Kathmandu. After arriving at Kathmandu Tribhuvan International Airport, meet your tour guide, then move to another sister city of Kathmandu and Patan - Bhaktapur which is offers you the less disturbed cultural experience. In the ancient time, Bhaktapur was also known as Bhadgaon(the land of rice). The city was one of three medieval city-states in the Kathmandu Valley as well as the best preserved one. You can please your eyes with beautiful medieval arts and grand architecture, and walk through the stone patched streets to explore local culture and lifestyle. Not to be missed place include Bhaktapur Durbar Square, Nyatapola Temple square, Bhaktapur national art gallery and the 55 windows palace. There is also a pottery square where you can find a traditional way of producing pottery which has been passed down from generation to generation.

After a shortwhile driving from Bhaktapur, you will get to the giant Buddhist stupa of Boudhanath which is the largest stupa in the world with a height of 131ft (39.93 m), also one of the most important Buddhist sacred sites in Kathmandu valley. The stupa was built around the 5th century A.D. with a highly unique three level mandala style structure. The location of the stupa is on the ancient trade road to Tibet where the merchants from Tibet rested and hanged prayer flags here for centuries.

After the nice refreshing tour of the Heritage and religious sites, return to your hotel in Kathmandu downtown.

Early this morning, your driver will meet you at your hotel and then take you to the airport to catch your international flight to Paro Airport, the sole international airport in Bhutan. If you sit near the left window of your plane, and fly in a clear day, you will be very lucky to enjoy a spectacular view of the Himalaya peaks, including the world's highest mountain Mount Everest (Alt: 29,029ft) and its neighbors - Mt. Lhotse (the worlds fourth highest mountain, Alt: 27,940ft), Mt. Makalu (the world's fifth highest mountain, Alt: 27,838ft) and Mt. Nuptse (Alt: 25,791ft) as you approach Paro (Alt: 7,364ft). The captain's broadcast introduction and the magazines on the plane will help you recognize these peaks.

Upon arrival at Paro Airport, you will be greeted by your local travel guide and driver, and drive to Paro Town to start your wonderful journey. You will firstly visit Rinpung Dzong, also known as Paro Dzong, is reputed as the finest example of Bhutanese dzong which was an important bastion for the Kingdom of Bhutan against invasion from the north. At present, it houses the Monastic Body and government offices, and serves as the religious, military, administrative, and social centers of their district. After appreciating these charming architectures in Rinpung Dzong, visit Bhutan National Museum which is housed in Rinpung Dzong’s watchtower, keeping the rich culture and history of Bhutan. There are many impressive collections displayed in its five galleries, including traditional thangkas, festival masks, religious statues, interesting carvings, etc. Nextly, take a leisure walk through the cantilever bridge to Paro Town to attend an archery game which is Bhutan's official national gage, played almost every day on the ground. Lastly, drive about 1.5 hours to Thimphu, the capital of Bhutan Kingdom, for accommodation.

This morning you will start the day by visiting the National Memorial Chorten (shrine), a monument dedicated to the past 3rd king of Bhutan, Jigme Dorji Wangchuck. More than a memorial stupa, it is also one important religious center for Bhutanese daily worship. Then go to visit National Institute for Zorig Chusum, a school where students are taught to make Bhutan’s 13 traditional arts and crafts, like painting, woodcarving, embroidery, statue-making and so on. Next, go to Bhutan Post Office Headquarters, an informative and indulging museum with excellent exhibition of the evolution of Post & Telegraph in Bhutan as well as good details on historical and symbolic interpretation behind stamps. Afterward, drive to Buddha View Point where a massive bronze statue of Buddha Dordenma sits. The statue is placed on a lotus and below it is a meditation hall housed with 125,000 small statues of Buddha. This Buddha dominates over the valley of Thimphu, and you can hardly tell whether the view from Buddha Dordenma or the view of Buddha Dordenma is more spectacular.

Leaving Thimphu, drive through a forest of pine and hemlock, up to cross over the Dochu La Pass (Alt: 10142ft/ 3,050 m). From the place, you can enjoy the panoramic views of the majestic Himalaya Mountains. Keep driving along the winding road to the fertile valley of Punakha (Alt: 4430ft/ 1,350 meters).

Accommodate in Punakha Town.

Tip: there are many other interesting museums where you can probe into Bhutan's culture, history and local people's daily life, including Simply Bhutan Museum, National Textile Museum, National Library and Archives of Bhutan, etc. Feel free to tell your travel consultant if you are interested in visiting any one of them.

After breakfast, you will go to visit Punakha Dzong, situated between Pho Chhu and Mo Chhu (male and female rivers) and featuring in three docheys (one more than other dzongs). It is praised by many people as the most beautiful one in Bhutan’s 21 dzongs, especially in spring when the lilac jacaranda trees in blossom. Next, move to Wangdu Phodrang Dzong, where you can get a commanding view of the below valleys. In fact, Wangdu Phodrang Dzong enjoys an important status in the history as well, and it was the second capital city in the early days. Since Wangdu Phodrang is situated on the ridge, you can walk down to the bridge and have a short hiking to the village of Rinchangang. After the wonderful sightseeing, drive to the Chimi Lhakhang, a mysterious temple built in 1499 by the legendary “Divine Madman” - lama Drukpa Kunley. There is a tradition that the childless women can visit this temple to receive a wang (blessing) from the saint, then they will have a child.

After lunch, drive about 3.5 hours back to Paro. Have a good night in Paro Town.

Start the day with short drive to Paro’s upper valley. If the day is clear, you’ll have an unforgettable view of the “Goddess” – Mt.Chomolhari (23,640 feet).

Afterward, it’s a short drive to Taktsang trail ahead. Take a challenging but necessary 2~3 hours’ trek to Taktsang Monastery, the most famous monastery in Bhutan, also known as “Tiger Nest Monastery, because Guru Rinpoche reportedly flew to the site on the back of a flying tiger late in the 7th century. Between blue pines and a blue sky, the monastery perches miraculously on a cliff nearly 2,700 feet above Paro’s valley floor. Break along the way for tea and snacks in small tea house, and the view of both Taktsang Monastery and Paro Valley is magnificent.

Hike down the mountain, then drive back to Paro for accommodation.

Tips: 1) it takes about 2 ~ 3 hours to trek from the parking lot to Taktsang Monastery, and you could ride a horse for the first hour; 2) photography is strictly forbidden in the monastery, but you can take a nice shot on your road to Taktsang Monastery; 3) travelers have to deposit all belongings (cameras, phones or other electronic equipment and bags) at the entrance.

Your journey in Bhutan comes to an end today! After breakfast, your guide will pick you up from your hotel in time then transfer to the airport to catch your flight to next destination. Before that, you can take a rest at the hotel or go for a walk nearby.

Tips: Please pack your luggage carefully and make sure all your belongs are packed, especially small things like camera charge, power adaptor, mobile phone, phone charger, wallet, towel, etc.