Delhi to Kathmandu tour
Highlights
Delhi | Agra | Orchha | Allahabad and Anand Bhavan | Ganges boat trip | Varanasi | Lumbini | Chitwan National Park and safaris | KathmanduDescription of Delhi to Kathmandu tour
Spend 15 days travelling from India to Nepal overland, beginning in Delhi and ending in Kathmandu, taking in the sacred sites, holy cities and Mughal architecture of India, before heading into Nepal to discover wildlife in its wetland reserves, and soak up the hustle and bustle of its capital.Begin you journey in Delhi, where colour and contrast are everywhere. Explore on foot and by cycle rickshaw, seeing ancient temples standing against vibrant billboards advertising Bollywood films. Travel on to Agra, one of the prettiest cities in the world and home to the beautiful Red Fort, then to temple-filled Orchha. You will also take a sunrise sail along the Ganges, camping by its shores overnight. Of course, a visit to the Taj Mahal and the holy city of Varanasi are essential, too, before arriving in Nepal. Here, visit sacred Lumbini and its Maya Devi Temple, the site where Lord Buddha is thought to have been born. Then you have the chance to come face-to-face with black-horned rhinos in Chitwan National Park before exploring the crowded temples, markets and bazaars of Kathmandu.
You’ll be travelling in a small group (max 12 people) with a tour leader and staying in a range of accommodation, including hotels, lodges and guesthouses, with a night camping and an overnight sleeper train. Travel is via a mix of transport, from auto rickshaw and canoe, through to jeep, van and private vehicle. You’ll come face-to-face with pilgrims, villagers, holy men and shopkeepers, getting to know the people and customs of these two countries as you go. For those wanting to travel by land between these two very different neighbours, this is the perfect journey.
Travel Team
If you'd like to chat about this holiday or need help finding one we're very happy to help. The Travel Team.
01273 823 700 Calling from outside the UK? rosy@responsibletravel.com
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Small group adventure
What is a small group adventure?It's a great way to travel! Whether you are travelling on your own, with a partner or with friends, a small group trip is a fantastic way to see the world. You'll travel on a fixed itinerary that has been designed to help you discover the best of region. From the known highlights, the hidden gems that you won't find in the guidebooks.
Itineraries run on set departure dates, accompanied every step of the way by an English speaking local group leader. You chose the itinerary and the date that suits you best and you book on.
Why travel on a small group adventure?
Small groups allow us to explore where larger tour groups can't. Our maximum group size of 16 travellers allows us to use local transport to get from A to B, to visit rural villages, spend time with the locals and even stay at a local home overnight, and it allows us to give our travellers genuine, real life experiences of the countries we are visiting; what you'll be doing and how you'll travel depends entirely on your chosen itinerary.
Is an adventure right for me?
The word adventure means something different to everyone, and our range of trips reflects that. Whether you want to explore local markets, visit out of the way temples and meet local people or go on an early morning safari drive searching for the 'big five', we'll have a trip for you. If you are looking for a physical challenge such trekking the Kokoda Track or summiting Kilimanjaro, we can help with that too.
So what can I expect on this trip?
This is a classic style of small group adventure. You'll find your trip combines a good mix of included activities and free time, with some meals included as per your itinerary. We don't want you to feel chaperoned, it's your holiday not ours. Your group leader will be on hand to assist with organising anything you might wish to do in your free time, but how you spend it is up to you. Anything listed as included in your itinerary will be included in trip price; whereas anything listed as optional will be at an additional cost should you wish to take part.
These trips are great value, including things that you would struggle to organise independently, such as a night at a homestay in a remote village, or local guides around a remote place of interest. Transport will be a combination of private vehicle and public transport, whichever is the most appropriate for the route we are travelling; this might include train, plane, camel, tuk tuk, bicycle, boat…
On a majority of these trips you'll stay in 2-3 star accommodation, locally owned and reflective of the region you are travelling through. All solo travellers will be automatically roomed on a twin share basis with another group member of the same sex, unless you opt to pay for your own room at time of booking. There are no compulsory single supplements for solo travellers willing to share. Single rooms aren't available on camping trips, and you will be expected to help out with camp tasks such as setting up and breaking down your camp.
Can I book my flights with you?
Yes! We are a fully ATOL bonded tour operator meaning that we can book flights from the UK as part of your holiday package. Just ask us for a quote including flights when you make your enquiry.
Responsible tourism
As the pioneers of responsible tourism, we screen every trip so you can travel knowing your holiday will help support conservation and local people.
TransportationWhere possible we will travel on local bus or on the Indian Railways minimizing our demand for special tourist vehicles and fuel while giving you plenty of opportunity to meet and interact with local people/communities.
India Responsible Travel Bags
We give our passengers a simple cotton bag that reads "Say no to plastic" in English and local regional dialect depending on where you're traveling. These bags in the north are made by Karm Marg, an organisation who helps the less privileged children by providing vocational training. Our south Indian bags are made by Nesamani Women self-help groups - a group of widows who primarily stitch bags and do embroidery.
© Copyright images: Angela Canterford; Jennifer Broomhall; Jean Shaw; Hamish Cattell; Jan Kostal; Yayne Chen Xinneng
The Impacts of this Trip
Local Leaders
You will be accompanied by local leaders on this trip who will take you into temples, mosques, shrines and Gurudwaras where appropriate, and are able to teach the group about the etiquette and customs specific to the places visited, enabling a deeper understanding of the communities and cultures encountered in India. In a country where so many ethnic communities live together, it’s important to respect individual religious beliefs. Our company wants to promote this understanding through insight into religious and cultural practices. Local leaders are the cultural ambassadors, know multiple dialects of the sub-continent and can easily facilitate local interaction giving enriching experience to the passengers.
Accommodation
We try and utilise local hotel owners and small businesses through our trips. We help locals set up home stays, hotels or small lodges and try and motivate them to cater to our groups. This mutual support is beneficial in the form of economic support from our passengers and a great way to witness and interact with real local people.
Local cooking demonstration
In Orchha, one of our included activities is the local cooking demonstration by a person named Vandhana - we call this Vandhana's cooking class, a local housewife who conducts cooking classes for our groups.
Local Project Visit
One of our included activities is to visit a local project called "Taragram" that works towards empowerment of the local tribal women by training and employing them in their workshop that makes hand-made paper. We offer our passengers the chance to visit the workshop and meet the local women.
Sailing on the Ganges
This activity is unique to our itinerary; we are supporting the local boat men by employing them every week when operating this trip. Through a rotational program, every man gets the chance to sail our boat and interact with the group.
TransportationWhere possible we will travel on local bus or on the Indian Railways minimizing our demand for special tourist vehicles and fuel while giving you plenty of opportunity to meet and interact with local people/communities.
India Responsible Travel Bags
We give our passengers a simple cotton bag that reads "Say no to plastic" in English and local regional dialect depending on where you're traveling. These bags in the north are made by Karm Marg, an organisation who helps the less privileged children by providing vocational training. Our south Indian bags are made by Nesamani Women self-help groups - a group of widows who primarily stitch bags and do embroidery.
© Copyright images: Angela Canterford; Jennifer Broomhall; Jean Shaw; Hamish Cattell; Jan Kostal; Yayne Chen Xinneng
The Impacts of this Trip
Local Leaders
You will be accompanied by local leaders on this trip who will take you into temples, mosques, shrines and Gurudwaras where appropriate, and are able to teach the group about the etiquette and customs specific to the places visited, enabling a deeper understanding of the communities and cultures encountered in India. In a country where so many ethnic communities live together, it’s important to respect individual religious beliefs. Our company wants to promote this understanding through insight into religious and cultural practices. Local leaders are the cultural ambassadors, know multiple dialects of the sub-continent and can easily facilitate local interaction giving enriching experience to the passengers.
Accommodation
We try and utilise local hotel owners and small businesses through our trips. We help locals set up home stays, hotels or small lodges and try and motivate them to cater to our groups. This mutual support is beneficial in the form of economic support from our passengers and a great way to witness and interact with real local people.
Local cooking demonstration
In Orchha, one of our included activities is the local cooking demonstration by a person named Vandhana - we call this Vandhana's cooking class, a local housewife who conducts cooking classes for our groups.
Local Project Visit
One of our included activities is to visit a local project called "Taragram" that works towards empowerment of the local tribal women by training and employing them in their workshop that makes hand-made paper. We offer our passengers the chance to visit the workshop and meet the local women.
Sailing on the Ganges
This activity is unique to our itinerary; we are supporting the local boat men by employing them every week when operating this trip. Through a rotational program, every man gets the chance to sail our boat and interact with the group.
3 Reviews of Delhi to Kathmandu tour
Reviewed on 12 Jul 2019 by Kevin Minski
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Because the constantly changing landscape and places visited are so varied, and so stunning, no day stood out more than the others. I completely enjoyed
every one.
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Take into account the seasonal variations and level of accommodation when packing. I went in winter and on reflection decided to take clothes for an English autumn plus a pair of shorts, lightweight down jacket, baseball cap and beanie. Given that the lodges and hotels used on the comfort trip are truly excellent, and have battery charging sockets and laundry services at reasonable prices, there is no need to overpack. During the two night stays, you'll get what laundry you need, sorted out. Also I decided (for the first time!) not to do a lot of guide book reading beforehand. As was pointed out to me, this can be a good thing! Because of the travelling there is plenty of time to sit back, absorb and learn as the journey unfolds. There really were numerous occasions when we all just looked and shook our heads in wonder.
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Yes, but to what extent is hard to say. Certainly we're there and contributing to the local economies. And since we're sharing transport, it's an efficient way
to travel. Also by being there we are showing interest in the local places of interest, parks and landscapes that has to raise their profile and hopefully be seen as an asset by those positively affected by tourism. However the needs of tourism, should not hold back local economies to the detriment of the majority.
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Brilliant! Beautiful, interesting and educational.
Reviewed on 10 Jun 2015 by Lindsey Lavaysse
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Each day was packed with memorable moments, but if I had to pick one day it would be when we went to a very small town to stay in a fort/castle overnight. We went walking through the small village in the afternoon and the people were so lovely and friendly, very excited to see us. It was a really fantastic afternoon. Then in the evening we could hear and watch as two wedding happened in the
village, so we asked many questions and learned a lot about Indian weddings from our guide.
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
It does get very hot during the summer months, but you still need to stay more covered up. So I would suggest people bring really thin light clothes.
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Yes, definitely.
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
It was fantastic. I can't wait to go back one day.
Reviewed on 05 Dec 2012 by jenny hickey
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Chitwan as a place, seing Rhino from the back of an elephant and being sang to
round a fire by the accomodation owners 9 year old son!!
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Plenty of small notes, be prepared for the amount of rubbish and litter in India,
the walk in Chitwan, it's long and on paths and bridges that don't exist, make
sure your happpy with this kind of walk before taking part but don't let it put
you off trip, one person form our group stayed in town and got to see the
elephants come for their morning bath
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Not hugely, some aspects ie cooking lesson
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Had a great trip, exhuasted but great time
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