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Lumbini Travel Guide

Lumbini Travel Guide - Attractions, Hotels, Transfer, Maps

In Sanskrit, Lumbini (or Lumpini, Lumphini) means “the lovely”. Located in the south Terai Plain of Nepal, only about 7 km to India, Lumbini is a small country, which is world famous as the “the Birthplace of Lord Buddha” and one of the seven UNESCO World Heritages of Nepal. Because it is the place where Queen Māyādevī gave birth to Siddhartha Gautama (Sakyamuni, the founder of Buddhism), today, Lumbini is a celebrated and most important pilgrimage site for Buddhists from all over the world. When Sakyamuni was 35 years old, he achieved his enlightenment - becoming the Buddha and founding Buddhism. According to legend, many his significant Buddhist events occurred under a Sal tree. As a site pivotal to the life of the Buddha, Lumbini is also the base of modern Buddhist renaissance and a unique museum of international Buddhist temples, where over 20 countries constructed representative temples in monastic zones.

Plan Your Lumbini Tour

Since Lumbini is a small border town in southwestern Nepal, the majority of tourists visit Lumbini together with Kathmandu, Pokhara, Chitwan. And then, spend 1 to 2 days on learning Buddhist culture, observe Buddhist architectures, experience Buddhist life and infuse themselves into this sacred and undisturbed pure land. Find more popular Lumbini Tours >>

Lumbini Travel Map

Lumbini Location Map

Top Lumbini Attractions

Lumbini Sacred Garden (or Lumbini Park) designed by Japanese in Lumbini is the major destination to explore if you are into cultural, archaeological and religious treasures, especially Buddhism of Nepal. With plenty of stupas, meditation grounds, temples and courtyards, a walk in Lumbini Park is a meaningful talk with Buddha and your inner self. When you enter the birthplace of great Lord Buddha and be captivated by nearby serene environment, time gets slower and curative. You can learn Buddhist story, seek Buddhist culture and even meditate to find spiritual peace in the tranquil garden. A huge complex of different Buddhist temples of countries worldwide is another highlight you can discover in Lumbini. Check the top tourist attractions in Lumbini as follows:

Lumbini Attractions

Maya Devi Temple - Shrine for the Mother of Lord Buddha

Type: Landmark, Religious Sites

Recommended Length of Visit: 30~45 mins

With a white look and a vast ground around, the temple was built to respect and commemorate Queen Maya Devi - the mother of the Lord Buddha. It is a sacred Buddhist temple in the center of Lumbini Park. The temple has recorded the story of Queen Maya. It is said that she gave birth to Gautama (Sakyamuni) under a Sal tree (Ashoka tree) in a very beautiful garden in Lumbini, on her way back home. A statue of Queen Maya is worshiped inside the temple, and there is a standing sculpture of newborn Sakyamuni and a sandstone painting telling the natal scene.

Ashoka Pillar - Mark of Birth Site of Lord Buddha

Type: Building & Relics

Recommended Length of Visit: 15 mins

With a height of about 12.97 m, Ashoka Pillar is an inscribed sandstone column in north of Maya Devi Temple. In 249 BC, Mauryan Emperor Ashoka made a pilgrimage to Lumbini, later he decided to build a monument to memorize Sakyamuni and mark the exact birth location of him. Ashoka also forgave all taxes and levies nearby Lord Buddh’s birthplace. The pillar was buried underground and discovered in 1993 when digging the road. At present, there are 19 Ashoka pillars with inscriptions and most of them are found in India, but the Ashoka Pillar in Lumbini is the oldest one. Inscription on it strongly proves Lumbini is the place of birth of Lord Buddha.

Puskarni Pond - Blessed Bathing Pool of Queen Maya Devi

Type: Religious Sites

Recommended Length of Visit: 15 mins

Near to the south of Ashoka Pillar is the famous Puskarni Pond where the Buddha's mother - Queen Mayadevi took a bath before giving birth in hot summer. The prince, namely Gautama Buddha, also had his purification bath in the quadrate pond. Nowadays pilgrims often take a holy dip here. The surrounded grounds are the ruined foundations of a great number of brick pagodas and monasteries which can be trace back to the 2nd century BC to the 9th century AD.

Lumbini Monastic Site – Open Mini Buddhist World

Type: Points of Interest & Landmarks, Religious Site

Recommended Length of Visit: half a day to 2 days

To share and promote the Buddhism across the world, over 20 featured Buddhism temples of different styles are built by different countries in the Lumbini Sacred Garden. By visiting these temples, you can view different styles of architecture of each country and get construction stories behind, all presenting the mercy and calmness of Buddhism. Main temples include Chinese Temple, Korean Temple, Royal Thai Monastery, Myanmar Golden Monastery, Japanese Monastery, Nepal Manang Samaj Stupa, Thrangu Monastery (Tibetan style) and so forth.

How to Get to Lumbini

Lumbini Lumbini

Travelers can get to Lumbini from Kathmandu, Pokhara, Chitwan in Nepal or depart from India. If you travel from Kathmandu to Lumbini, you can take a long bus ride or fly to nearby place and then transfer to Lumbini. Considering time needed and comfort and convenience, taking a flight is more recommended.

Kathmandu to Lumbini

By Flight: Gautam Buddha Airport (also known as Bhairahawa Airport) located in Siddharthanagar is the closest airport to Lumbini. There are frequent daily flights between Kathmandu Tribhuvan International Airport and Gautam Buddha Airport, which fly about 35 minutes only. Tourists can take a cab or airport bus from the airport to Lumbini within 1 hour after landing.

By Bus: Direct driving from Kathmandu to Lumbini takes at least 11 hours. It is a very long trip, but if you want to have a sight of the rural life of Nepal and experience local transportation, driving is a good way. But please prepare for the bumpy, tough and long journey in a no air-conditioning bus. An optional choice is to cut the whole ride into two parts with transfer in Bhairawa.

Pokhara to Lumbini

By Flight: Take a flight from Pokahra to Siddharthanagar first. The flight duration is about 20 minutes. And then take a bus from the airport to Lumbini for another hour.

By Bus: Lumbini is located in nearly 200 km southwest of Pokhara. It takes about 7 to 8 hours to get from Pokhara to Lumbini by bus.

Chitwan to Lumbini

Lumbini is situated in the west of Chitwan, about 120 km far. Taking a bus is the only way to get to Lumbini from Chitwan, which costs around 4.5 hours.

For travelers already in India and plan to visit Lumbini from India, you can go to Lumbini via Sonauli in Maharajganj, about 1 hour’s driving, or from Gorakhpur for 4 hours’ bus journey.

Best Time to Visit Lumbini

Lumbini

Situated in the south lowland of Nepal, Lumbini has a humid subtropical monsoon climate. And it’s very hot all year round in Lumbini.The hottest weather takes place in May and June. From June to August, it keeps raining with occasional thunderstorms in the evening until September. Then there comes the dry season. During the winter (December ~ February), it is quite warm in Lumbini with an average temperature of 20℃, but the temperature may decrease to 8~10℃ at night.

The best time to visit Lumbini lasts from October to November, when the weather is very good, temperature is moderate. You will enjoy the clear skies and beautiful scenery. Months from April and May are also good time to visit Lumbini, for the Buddha Jaynathi will be celebrated in a grand manner. Many pilgrims will gather in Lumbini for this big festival. If you visit the temples, you can see many beautiful flowers and celebration events.

Read more about Lumbini Weather and Temperature >>

Where to Accommodate in Lumbini

Lumbini

Due to the location in remote border areas of Nepal, the accommodation condition in Lumbini is relatively simple and basic with fewer choices than that of Kathmandu. But, you can still find hotels, resorts and villas. Most hotels are centered in or around the Sacred Garden. Hot water and electricity are usually in shortage in budget hotels. If you like, you can accommodate in Chinese Temple and eat vegetarian meals for up to 2 days, or stay in a better hotel in Bhairahawa.

Tiger Palace Resort - It is a 5-star resort in Bhairahawa, about 1 hour’s drive to Lumbini. The resort has good location, excellent facilities, bright and clean rooms and great staff. Casino is one of its entertainment guests love to have fun during their stay.

Lumbini Hokke Hotel - It is a very charming and lovely Japanese Hotel close to the monasteries near the Sacred Garden. A Japanese Kimono is given in every room. The food is very good and moderately priced.

Check more Recommended Lumbini Hotels for Accommodation >>

Useful Nepal Travel Notes

1. How to Plan Nepal Travel
Usually, tourists take about 4~15 days to have a classic Nepal tour. Most of them start their Nepal tour from the capital city – Kathmandu. Four days are recommended to explore the highlights of Kathmandu Valley. Then, you can extend your tour to a deep nature or culture exploration. One more day allows you to have a great view of Mount Everest in Nagarkot. With 2~3 more days, you can turn to Pokhara for the picturesque natural landscape or Chitwan National park for the great wildlife adventure – both of them are recommended. If you are interested in Buddhist culture, Lumbini – the birthplace of the Lord Buddha, can’t be missed. You are suggested to spend 9 days to have a full Buddhist tour from Kathmandu Valley to Dhulikhel, Lumbin, Bharktapur, and Pharping. If you want to stretch your legs, a 9 days Poon Hill Trekking will be amazing. In fact, many tourists choose to have a tour combining Nepal and Tibet. After you Nepal Tour, you can get to Tibet through Gyirong Airport which was newly open to foreign travelers in 2017. After that, you can drive to Mount Everest, Mount Kailash or Lhasa. It is also available to take a nonstop flight to Lhasa from Kathmandu.
2. What to Pack
For foreign travelers to Nepal, documents – valid passport and Nepal Visa are the most important to pack. Then, you are suggested to take a large backpack for big luggage and a smaller bag for valuables. Traveling in Nepal during summer times, rain gears are necessary while warm clothing is must when you travel in winter. If you plan a trekking tour in Nepal, take both light and warm clothing in casual styles because you will experience a wide range of climates. Good windproof and waterproof jacket, walking boots with ankle support are must.
3. How to Get to Nepal
At present, Nepal can be reached by flights and overland driving. Kathmandu Tribhuvan International Airport is the only international airport in Nepal, connected with many cities, like Bangkok, Colombo, Calcutta, Delhi, Dhaka, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, Karachi, Lhasa, London Osaka, Paris, Moscow, Paro, Singapore and Varanasi. If you feel to find available flights from your country to Nepal, it will be a good idea to travel China first. After your China mainland tours, you can easily get to Tibet by flight or driving, then have an unforgettable overland driving experience to Nepal across Gyirong Airport.
4. What to Eat in Nepal
Heavily influenced by Indian and Tibet dishes, Nepal food is quick to cook and tasty to eat. The most popular Nepal food is a dish called “Daal, Bhaat and Tarkaari” (lentils, rice, vegetable curry respectively). This is the main course served in the most Nepalese houses regardless of the economic conditions, that too in both lunch and as well as dinner. Kathmandu is a melting pot of international cuisine. Besides Nepal food, Nepal restaurants here serve varieties of hygienic delicacies from Indian, Chinese, Tibetan, Japanese, Italian, Australian, Russian, Korean, and Mexican etc to Continental at remarkably reasonable price.

Most Recommended Lumbini Tour Packages

Following are some other recommended Lumbini tour packages that you may be interested in. All of our Nepal tour packages are customizable to meet your personal requirements. You can also contact us to customize a trip if you want.