Lumbini & the Buddha's Country · Durbar squares, stupas and old towns
Heritage and temples in Lumbini & the Buddha's Country
The Kathmandu Valley alone holds seven monument zones inscribed together as one UNESCO World Heritage Site. Add Lumbini, Tansen, Gorkha, Nuwakot, Janakpur and Lo Manthang, and you can read Nepal's history in brick, wood and stone.
Trips
Buddha's Nepal: Kathmandu Stupas to Lumbini
Seven nights tracing Buddhism in Nepal from the hill stupa of Swayambhunath and the great dome of Boudhanath to the caves of …
Kali Gandaki: Ridi, Rani Mahal and Devghat
Five nights following Nepal's holiest western river through the hills of Palpa. Base in Tansen for Rani Mahal, sleep beside the Kali …
Kapilavastu Circuit: Tilaurakot, Kudan and Pillars
Three nights in Lumbini with two full days west and east of it: the walled ruins of Tilaurakot, where Nepal places the …
Buddhist Circuit: Kathmandu to Sunauli Border
The Nepal half of the Buddhist circuit in five nights. One night in Kathmandu for Swayambhunath, then four in Lumbini for the …
Lumbini Pilgrimage: Two Nights at the Birthplace
Two nights at the birthplace of the Buddha. Fly 35 minutes from Kathmandu to Bhairahawa, walk the Sacred Garden at the hours …
Lumbini to Pokhara via Tansen
Six nights that climb from the plains to the mountains. Two nights at the Buddha's birthplace in Lumbini, one in the old …
Lumbini & the Buddha's Countrymax 1,750 mNepal Buddhist Grand Tour
Twelve nights through every layer of Buddhism in Nepal: the Newar courtyards of Patan, Swayambhunath, two nights beside Boudhanath, the hilltop monastery …
Tansen and Palpa: Hill Town, Dhaka and Rani Mahal
Three nights in Tansen, the old capital of the Palpa kingdom, on a ridge at about 1,350 m above the Terai. Walk …
Places
Devdaha
Maya Devi's home town, capital of the Koliya clan
Gotihawa
A broken Ashokan pillar tied to Krakuchchanda, a Buddha of the past
Kudan
Brick stupas where tradition says the Buddha met his father again
Lumbini
The garden where the Buddha was born, marked by Ashoka in 249 BCE
Niglihawa
Ashoka's inscription for Kanakamuni Buddha, beside a village pond
Ramagrama
The one original relic stupa of the Buddha that was never opened
Rani Mahal
A Rana general's palace for his dead queen, on the Kali Gandaki
Ridi
A temple town where the Ridi Khola meets the sacred Kali Gandaki
Tansen
Newar lanes, dhaka looms and brass karuwa on a Mahabharat ridge
Tilaurakot
The walled city most scholars take for Kapilavastu, the Shakya capital
Experiences
Maya Devi's home town circuit
A morning circuit of Devdaha's main sites: the Maya Devi temple and ruins at Bhawanipur, the Kanya Mai shrine of …
NatureUnder Devdaha's giant pakari tree
A stop at the vast pakari fig south of Khaireni bazaar, one of the largest trees in the region, whose …
HeritageThe Rohini river and a war that never came
Stand on the banks of the Rohini, the river that by tradition divided the Shakya and Koliya lands, and hear …
FoodSel roti breakfast in a Devdaha bazaar
Start the Devdaha day like a local: sel roti fresh from the pan, spiced potatoes, curd and sweet tea at …
Ashoka's pillar in the middle of a village
A short guided stop at the stump of Gotihawa's Ashokan pillar and the stupa mound behind it, with the story …
Pilgrimage to the Buddhas of the past
A half-day pilgrimage linking Gotihawa and Niglihawa, the two sites Ashoka marked for the earlier Buddhas Krakuchchanda and Kanakamuni, with …
NatureWalk through the winter mustard fields
A gentle hour on the field bunds around Gotihawa in December and January, when mustard flowers turn the plain yellow, …
HeritageAshoka's pillar trail in one day
A full day from Lumbini to see all three Ashokan pillars in Nepal: the inscribed pillar at Lumbini, the inscribed …
Stays
Buddha Maya Gardens
A garden hotel on the edge of the Lumbini master plan area, a short walk from the Sacred Garden and …
Lumbini Hokke Hotel
A long-running hotel inside the Lumbini master plan area, near the Cultural Zone at its northern end, first built to …
Hotel Srinagar
A family-run hotel on the slope of Srinagar Danda above Tansen, at about 1,400 m, open for around five decades …