Your Mindfulness Journey in Nepal

Welcome to your adventure! You will land at Kathmandu airport, which, with a bit of luck, will offer you your first breathtaking view of the surrounding mountains, and our Englishspeaking guide will be waiting for you. She will take you to the beautiful Darbar Heritage Inn hotel, which is located right in the centre of Kathmandu, in Thamel. We have checked the hotel for you on site! We want you to feel comfortable and welcome straight away, and the super friendly staff on site will make sure of that! You will be welcomed with a cup of tea or coffee and (depending on your arrival time) you can spend your first day unpacking and relaxing or taking a walk through the lively streets of Kathmandu. In the evening, we’ll get to know the others – your guide will pick you up at the hotel and take you to the restaurant, where delicious Nepalese and Western dishes await you!

We start the day with a mindful session to get to know each other. After that a city tour is on the programme today – Kathmandu is an incredibly exciting and particularly charming city that shows life in Nepal in a very authentic way. There is a lot to discover, so we set off straight after breakfast at the hotel. First, we explore Durbar Square, the old city centre of Kathmandu, which is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Durbar Square is close to your hotel, so we can walk there (approx. 20 minutes). This part of the city also has a lot to offer: Our tour guide will show you the most beautiful corners and you can leave the hustle and bustle of the streets behind you over a cup of tea. She will then take you to her personal favourite restaurant at lunchtime. In the afternoon we will explore the Tergar Oseling Monastery from where you can get a great view of Kathmandu. We then head to the Swayambunath Stupa – one of the absolute highlights of Kathmandu: a huge Buddhist temple complex in the centre of the city! In the evening, you can optionally participate in a meditation session to relax after the first sightseeing day. Afterwards, you can enjoy a meal in one of the city’s many interesting restaurants and we’ll round off the evening together.

Start your day with a breathwork theory session, where you’ll learn the basics of breath control and connect with the calming practice of pranayama. After a delicious breakfast at the hotel, we will explore the former royal city of Bhaktapur, located around half an hour outside the center of Kathmandu. Known for its vibrant culture and rich history, Bhaktapur is an enchanting place with traditional Newari architecture and bustling markets. Our first stop is Taumadhi Square, where we’ll immerse ourselves in a hands-on pottery course, learning the traditional craft that has been passed down for generations. Afterward, we’ll enjoy a group lunch, savoring the flavors of local Nepali cuisine. In the afternoon, we’ll visit the home village of your tour guide, Changunarayan, where you’ll tour a wool factory run by local women, providing a unique insight into their daily lives and the local craftsmanship. Following this enriching experience, we’ll gather for a meditation session, allowing you to unwind and reflect on the day. In the evening, we’ll enjoy a meal together at Momo Mazza— if you fancy, you can try momos, a dish particularly popular in Nepal alongside dhal bhat! It’s the perfect way to end a culturally rich and spiritually refreshing day.

After your breathwork session and a delicious breakfast in our beautiful hotel, we head to a Nepalese cooking class for lunch to immerse ourselves in the culture and learn some new skills from the talented local women. Of course, as a reward, you will be able to eat your home-cooked food for lunch. Once we’re back at the hotel, you’ll have time to prepare and pack for the hike. Have you forgotten something? No problem! Kathmandu has a shop with cheap and good hiking equipment on every corner! Packing: Each of you has the option of packing a maximum of 7kg of your luggage in a bag to be carried by the porter – this makes the tour easier for you! We are particularly keen to create fair working conditions for the porters, which is why we have set a maximum carrying weight of 14kg and pay the porters an above-average wage. Porters in Nepal often carry up to 65kg and are not well paid – we want to change that! Only pack what you need for the day (sun protection, water etc.) in your day pack. You can find more information on what you should pack in the 5th section “Packing list”!

Today we finally set off! After two exciting days in Kathmandu, we’re heading into the Himalayan mountains! After and breakfast at the hotel, your guide will pick you up at 7am and drive with you in a jeep to Syabrubesi, the starting point of the trek! Depending on traffic, the jeep journey takes around 6 to 8 hours and can sometimes be a little bumpy, as the roads in the rural areas of Nepal are sometimes littered with large potholes, some of them are not tarred roads but dirt roads and the roads are not generally up to European standards. We also take a break on the way for lunch and tea – so you are always well catered for! During the journey, you can discover rural life in Nepal – we drive past beautiful landscapes, quaint villages, rivers and various natural spectacles! Once you arrive in Syabrubesi, you have the day at leisure! 

In the early morning, we start our hike in the Langtang Valley along the beautiful Langtang Khola river. “Khola” is Nepalese and means river. If you wish, your guide can arrange for 6 you to receive a bag from the Let’s Clean Up Nepal campaign for a donation of $20 and you can help clean up Nepal’s mountains of rubbish! Although there is comparatively little rubbish in the area, it cannot be recycled and is often burnt. To combat this, we’re working with Let’s Clean Up Nepal, an organisation that aims to get every tourist to collect rubbish and bring it back to Kathmandu. There it will be recycled by our partner organisation. It is also possible to simply take your own rubbish with you – true to the motto: leave nothing behind but footprints. Of course, the campaign is voluntary and no one has to participate! Today’s hike takes us to Bamboo in around 4-5 hours. The path today is relatively easy, mostly uphill, sometimes steeper, sometimes less steep. We will arrive in Bamboo around lunchtime and then have time in the afternoon to bathe in the natural hot springs or relax by the river. An insider tip from us: If you walk about 5-10 minutes after Bamboo, you will find a great spot behind a beautiful forest where you can dip your feet in the ice-cold river and relax with a book!

Today is a strenuous day, but one that rewards us with a wonderful destination and amazing views! The first two and a half hours to Rhimche are a steady, steep climb. After that, it flattens out and when we reach the small village of Lama Hotel after around three hours, we’ve earned a break! After that, the climb continues, but it’s not so steep! The destination of today’s hike is the Riverside or Woodland Hotel, which we reach after another two hours or so. Both inns are close to each other and offer the opportunity to end the afternoon in a beautiful natural setting and recover from the strenuous hike

The 3000 metre mark awaits us today and we climb slowly and steadily until we arrive at the beautiful village of Goatabela after around two hours. Views of snow-capped peaks await us here and we can take a break and relax by the river. After a fortifying lunch, we continue on to Langtang. We continue to hike uphill and arrive at our destination for the day after another three and a half hours! Soon we have made it and Kyanjin Gompa is waiting for us. Nature is changing more and more and we sense that we have arrived at 7 higher altitudes. The animals are also changing, the yaks have longer fur up here and it gets a lot colder at night! But in the evening we can warm up in the fire-heated dining room!

Today is finally the day – we reach our destination: Kyanjin Gompa! A mountain village with a breathtaking view of the surrounding Himalayan mountains! We enjoy the last strenuous ascent until we finally arrive after a maximum of four hours! In Kyanjin Gompa, we can now either spend the day doing short acclimatisation tours and enjoying the incredible view or – if the weather cooperates and there isn’t too much snow – you can also climb to the summit of Kyanjin Ri. However, this involves a further 600 metres of uphill and downhill hiking – you can decide on the spot whether you’re up to it! However, both options promise to be the absolute highlight of our hike! We are looking forward to it!

Today is the first day on which we descend – for some this is a relief, others of you will feel it in your knees! From now on, the hiking poles and possibly bandages for your knees will also be a great help. The return journey is definitely quicker and the view of the surrounding mountains sweetens our day. After a six-hour hike, we reach Ghodatabela and spend the rest of the afternoon here. From Ghodatabela, you can lie down by the river, read, relax or dangle your feet in the ice-cold Himalayan water. By the way, Ghodatabela means “horse stable”. Even today, many horses still graze on the meadows here alongside the yaks.

Today we walk from Ghodatabela along the river and mostly downhill back to Bamboo, where we already spent the night on our outward journey. After around two hours, we reach the beautiful Riverside Hotel, where we can enjoy a break in the sun. After a further two hours, we arrive at the Lama Hotel, where we have earned ourselves a lunch. After that, 8 Bamboo is only about another two hours’ walk away. You already know Bamboo and can make yourselves comfortable at your favourite spot – either you try out the natural hot springs, which you have more than earned after the hard hike, or you relax by the river – your choice!

Today is the last day of our tour! We walk the last stretch back to Syabrubesi. It’s leisurely downhill and occasionally slightly uphill – we’ll definitely end the tour on a relaxed note! We arrive in Syabrubesi for lunch and are picked up there by our personal driver in a jeep after a delicious lunch. On our return journey along picturesque villages and the beautiful nature of Nepal, we can relax and reflect on the hike and the new impressions we have gained. In the evening, after about 6-8 hours by jeep, we are back in Kathmandu and at our hotel Darbar Heritage Inn.

The last day is yours – you want to buy presents for your loved ones after your last breathwork session? You want to pack your bags in peace or simply write down your best travel stories over a cappuccino in a nice rooftop bar or relax in the hotel or at the spa (we can organise a massage for you on request for an extra charge)? Holidays should also be about relaxation, so there’s not so much on the agenda today. However, after our evening meditation we would like to spoil you with an absolute highlight of the city – we will enjoy the sunset overlooking the Bodnath Stupa during our last dinner together.

On the last day of the trip, it’s time to say goodbye! Depending on when your flight departs, you will either have some time in Kathmandu or you will leave for the airport after breakfast! Transport is provided in any case and you don’t have to worry about anything. We hope you have unforgettable memories and adventurous stories in your luggage when you arrive back in your home town! Thank you for choosing to tour with us! Namaste!