Included excursions
- Walking tour of Kathmandu
- Old Kathmandu and Durbar Square
- Boudhnath Stupa and Pashupatinah Temple
- Patan with the Krishna Mandir and Hiranyavama Temples
- Bhaktapur 'the city of devotees'
- Chitwan National Park - Game drive
- Chitwan National Park - boat ride
- Scenic drive through the Pokhara Valley
- Boat ride on Lake Begnas
- Himalayan hike (for intermediate walkers) along the Sundari Danda Ridge
- Daduwa village and school project visit
- Dhampus Gurkha village visit
- Newari twin villages of Bungamati and Khokana
- Dukuchhap Donkey Sanctuary visit
Optional excursions
Scenic Everest flight approx $295 - bookable locally
Included extras
- Hotel porterage
- Local guide and drivers’ gratuities
- All restaurant and hotel gratuities
- Other small local gratuities
- Personal audio guiding system
Included meals & drinks
Meals: all meals are included. Throughout your pilgrimage you will enjoy some meals in the hotels and some in local restaurants. Lunches are usually in local restaurants and dinners in the hotels. The farewell dinner in Kathmandu will be in a local restaurant. Complimentary meals are served on your flights.
Drinks: welcome and farewell drinks. Complimentary drinks are served on your flights. All other drinks are at own expense.
Your journey
The flights are via Doha with Qatar Airlines from London Heathrow. Regional flights to Heathrow from some UK airports and flight seat upgrades, for that extra comfort and ease through the airport, can be arranged at a supplement. A higher deposit will be required, please enquire at time of booking. An overnight stop at Heathrow may be required which we can assist you with.
Outbound journey
Flight QR4/QR652 departs Heathrow: 15:05
With a two hour 45 minute transfer time in Doha
Flight arrives Kathmandu: 10:05 (next day)
Inbound journey
Flight QR647/QR911 departs Kathmandu: 22:45
With a two hour transfer time in Doha
Flight arrives Heathrow: 06:25 (next day)
Flight times are subject to change
Hotels
KATHMANDU - SUMMERHILL HOUSE BOUTIQUE HOTEL
Three nights
A friendly family-run welcome in the Nepalese capital. Located off the Catholic church "Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary", the Summerhill House Boutique Hotel is set near Central Zoo. This guest house is also a 25-minute walk from the tiered Krisnhna Mandir Hindu Temple in Kathmandu. Summerhill House Hotel is a 5-minute stroll from the restaurant Sam's Cafe.
Your room: complimentary Wifi, desk, fan, and homemade furnishings and textiles.
Your bathroom: shower cubicle, hairdryer, slippers and complimentary toiletries.
CHITWAN NATIONAL PARK - JUNGLE VILLA RESORT (4*)
Two nights
Jungle Villa Resort is surrounded by lush greenery and located on the edge of the Rapti river, providing all residents’ splendid nature views and wildlife sighting from the property. At the northern edge of the Chitwan National Park, the resort provides comfortable amenities enriching your jungle experience. Blending into nature, the resort has wildlife views from the deck and rooms. You can capture a glimpse of herds of deer, the one-horned rhinos, the royal Bengal tiger, birds, and other amphibians & aquatic animals at sunrise or sunset by the Rapti river.
Hotel facilities: outdoor swimming pool, gym, massage rooms with ayurveda therapies, terrace restaurant and bar overlooking the river and wildlife.
Your room: private balcony or terrace, air conditioning/heating, desk, flat screen TV with international channels, complimentary WiFi, fridge and safety deposit box.
Your bathroom: shower over bathtub or shower, hairdryer slippers and complimentary toiletries.
LAKE BEGNAS - BEGNAS LAKE RESORT (4*superior)
Four nights
The unique location guarantees that you are at a safe distance from the daily bustle. Surrounded by tropical jungle on three sides and the beautiful lake on the fourth. So although, only 11kms from Pokhara City, it feels like an otherworldly paradise! You reach the resort by driving to Sundari Danda and walking down for 10 minutes through the forest or the preferred mode of transport – a relaxing boat ride from Begnas Bazar boat station.
Hotel facilities: outdoor swimming pool, gym, massage rooms with ayurveda therapies. The in-house bars, Saili – Maili and Kudo serve the choicest foreign liquors, wines and beers. Jimire, the in-house restaurant offers guests a variety of local, Tibetian, Indian, Chinese and Continental Cuisines.
Your room: terrace, air conditioning/heating, fan, comfortable seating area and desk, flat screen TV with international channels, complimentary WiFi, tea & coffee making facilities, fridge and safety deposit box.
Your bathroom: shower cubicle, hairdryer, bathrobe, slippers and complimentary toiletries.
KATHMANDU - HYATT PLACE HOTEL (5*)
Two nights
Kathmandu Durbar Square is 2.4 km from Hyatt Place Kathmandu, while Swayambhu is 2.5 km from the property. The nearest airport is Tribhuvan International Airport, 7 km from the accommodation.
Hotel facilities: outdoor swimming pool, gym, restaurant, bar, in-house market and poolside bar.
Your room: air conditioning/heating, comfortable seating area and desk, flat screen TV with international channels, complimentary WiFi, tea & coffee making facilities, fridge and safety deposit box.
Your bathroom: bath tub or shower cubicle, hairdryer, bathrobe, slippers and complimentary toiletries
Entry requirements
Entrance to Nepal is by means of a 'visa on arrival' and the procedure is very quick and simple and included in the cost of the pilgrimage. On arrival you will complete an arrival card (often distributed on flights before landing), and proceed to the immigration desk with your completed form and payment receipt which your Tour Leader will give you on landing.
Please note your passport must be valid for six months after the return of your holiday.
For the latest and most up to date travel advice including entry requirements: www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice
Health & wellbeing
Although at the time of writing there are no compulsory vaccinations required for travel to Nepal. It is recommended that your Polio, Tetanus, Diphtheria and Hepatitis A immunisations are up to date. We will send up to date information on entry requirements and with your final paperwork approximately 14 days before departure.
Adequate insurance cover will be required for all hospital emergencies and doctors’ visits.
Climate
In Kathmandu and Pokhara the temperature in October will be from 16 degrees at night to 25 during the day with a low rainfall precipitation. Going up in altitude, both temperature and rainfall vary with altitude. In theory, they also vary with slope exposure, however, since most of the mountains of Nepal are situated on the southern side, the temperature is relatively mild even at high altitudes. Some particularly sheltered inland valleys receive an even lower amount of rainfall, and have a desert or semi-desert landscape, such as the kingdom of Mustang, which is located in an arid valley north of the massifs of Annapurna and Dhaulagiri.
Clothing
Daytime dress is casual and as comfortable as possible. Cool cotton clothing is best and a cardigan or fleece for early mornings and late evenings and inside some air-conditioned buildings. For evening meals, we recommend smarter casual dress. Some hotels will require that gentleman wear trousers and closed shoes for dinner and that ladies dress modestly with knees and shoulders covered.
On a few days, some historic sites and places of worship require that shoulders are covered, skirts extend below the knee and shoes are closed shoes and not sandals or flip flops. Some visits will require you to remove your shoes, therefore shoes that are easy to slip on and off are advisable. Our Local Guide will inform you the day before such visits are made so that you have the correct attire.
Mobility
There is a certain amount of walking (and stairs) involved on a daily basis on this holiday so please make sure you pack comfy footwear for this so that you are prepared. Your Local Guide will keep you updated on a daily basis with what to expect the following day. If you are finding it difficult to keep up then please make sure you tell your Local Guide who can help you to find places to rest and relax and then you can re-join the group at a later stage. No particularly high altitudes are involved.
Where possible we have added touches such as tuk tuk rides, boat rides, elevators to some temples and up hills to avoid stairs and excessive walking. This will still involve getting on bard these modes of transport and some deep steps are required as they may also be in some temples, pagodas, historical sights and embarking and disembarking from other forms of transport.
Some streets in towns and cities that you will visit will have uneven surfaces or rough ground. We suggest you take a pair of comfortable shoes with good grips or trainers. For some guided walking tours, you must be prepared to be on your feet for up to 90 minutes without the need to sit, walk a mile and be able to climb to to three flights of stairs as a minimum. In some areas, there will be a number of steps to climb (some uneven) and not always a handrail.
Travel insurance
Ensuring that your holidays are appropriately protected is one of our main priorities. That’s why we have specifically chosen Holiday Extras as our *preferred travel insurance provider to ensure that you are protected before and whilst you are travelling. Holiday Extras offer McCabe Travel guests favourable rates for single trip, multi-trip and annual policies.
For more information or to obtain a quote click below for their website
https://www.holidayextras.com/travel-insurance
Or call them on 0800 083 3551 to speak to a friendly advisor.
Please quote AG628 upon calling to receive the best rates
The McCabe Educational Trust
The McCabe Educational Trust is an independent registered charity with the aim of helping inspiring people we meet on some of our pilgrimages. As ‘the haves’ encounter the ‘have nots’ the Trust has become a practical tool for one to help the other.
McCabe Pilgrimages invite all travellers to become partners in this work. A £20 voluntary donation to the Trust’s work is added to every pilgrim’s invoice and all money raised in this way is given in full to the projects the Trust supports. This scheme is voluntary and confidential with nobody put under any pressure to participate.
Full financial security
All money paid to McCabe is fully secure. Holidays including flights are covered by our ATOL license from the Civil Aviation Authority, and holidays without flights are protected by our membership of the ABTOT bonding scheme. If a pilgrimage is cancelled, for instance through lack of numbers or for political considerations, McCabe will promptly refund all monies paid.
AITO Quality Statement
McCabe Pilgrimages is a member of the Association of Independent Tour Operators. The Association represents Britain’s leading independent tour operators and encourages high standards of quality and service. McCabe abides by the Association’s Code of Conduct and adheres to the AITO Quality Charter.
You can read McCabe reviews on the AITO website here
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