Nepal Photography Tour

This day starts with an excellent breakfast at the hotel. After breakfast, we will head to Swayambhunath, popularly known as the "Monkey Temple." Swayambhunath is one of Nepal's holiest sites, and the stupa has stood as a hallmark of faith and harmony for centuries for both Buddhists and Hindus. On a little hillock in the northwest of Kathmandu City, Swayambhunath offers a good vantage point to capture the city's panoramic view.

Next, we will head to Pashupatinath, famous as Nepal’s most sacred burning ghats, and a few of the remaining living cultural heritage sites globally. Built-in the 5th century, Pashupatinath is one of the four most important religious sites in Asia for devotees of Lord Shiva. You will witness and capture some Hindu rituals, including puja ceremonies and cremations along the sacred Bagmati River.

We will break for lunch (included) before proceeding on our tour to Kathmandu Durbar Square. The Durbar Square is one of the three old royal palaces of the former Kathmandu Kingdom, and it is Kathmandu’s most spectacular legacy of Newari traditional architecture.

Here, you will capture the beautiful Nepalese architecture of ancient times, with local people still worshipping in the shrines. We will also organize a 30-minute private photo session with local Nepalis dressed in traditional costumes or with Hindu holy men (Sadhu) for portrait photography in Durbar Square.

We will do some street photography at the bustling local vegetable and spice markets in the evening. The local markets are often an integral part of daily life for locals, and it is the best place to capture candid shots. After visiting the market, we will send you back to the hotel.

Today, we will head to Patan after breakfast at the hotel. Patan is known as the "City of Fine Arts," displaying the extraordinarily fine wooden and metal works of the Newari people. We will explore and capture the rich heritage culture of places such as the Golden Temple, Durbar Square filled with temples and statues, and the Patan Museum.

We will then adjourn for lunch (included). After lunch, we will visit the ancient and traditional city of Bhaktapur.

Among the three medieval old citadels of Kathmandu Valley, Bhaktapur is the most preserved. It is known for its cobbled streets, narrow alleys, unique architecture, and storied history.

We will look for photo opportunities while exploring the traditional Durbar Square, the 55-window palace, the Lion Gate, the Golden Gate, and other ancient monuments and observing local potters spinning their wheels and drying out their terracotta wares at Pottery Square.

We will conclude this day with a walk around the Thamel area, a lively tourist hub, where you can enjoy a walk around old alleys and capture several monuments of significance for the locals.

Optional: If you like, we can substitute the visit to Patan with an Everest Short Flight (45 min) so that you can get a closer look at Mt. Everest. However, this is optional and depends on flight availability and weather, and is subject to additional cost. 

On this day, we will leave Kathmandu Valley for Pokhara in the morning. Our representative will pick you up from your hotel and take you to the domestic terminal of Tribhuvan International Airport after breakfast.

The flight to Pokhara will take approximately 30 minutes, and it offers incredible scenic views of the Himalayas (Ganesh Himal, Mt. Manaslu, Mt. Annapurna, and Mt. Machhapuchhre) from the window.

Being the second-largest city in Nepal and the gateway to trekking in the Annapurna region, Pokhara is beautifully adorned with pristine lakes against a backdrop of high Himalayan snow-capped mountains.

The reflection of Mt. Machhapuchhre (famously known as the "Fish Tail Mountain") and the Annapurna range on Phewa Lake is an enthralling moment that every photographer would love to capture.

Upon arrival, we will have our lunch by the lakeside (included). We will explore David Fall, Gupteshwor Cave, and Seti Gorge for landscape photography and some caving activities after lunch. In the evening and before night falls, we will drive up to Sarangkot and check in at a hotel.

Sarangkot, which lies at 1,600 m, is easily accessible from Pokhara and renowned for its panoramic views of the Himalayan peaks, including Dhaulagiri, Annapurna, Fishtail, and Lamjung. It also offers a stunning bird's-eye view of the city of Pokhara and Phewa Lake.

Dinner will be served at the hotel (included). You can then have an early rest, as we will set out very early on the following day.

We will start this day very early, at around 4 a.m. We will walk up (about 15-20 minutes) to the Sarangkot viewpoint to capture the blue hour before sunrise. When the skies are clear, you will capture amazing night photography of the starry sky against the backdrop of the Himalayas or Phewa Lake. However, do note that you will require a tripod for night photography and a jacket to keep yourself warm.

Following that, we will chase the dawn and wait for the morning sun's first rays on the mighty Himalayas. It is truly a mesmerizing moment to see golden sun rays transform the mountain peaks from snow-white peaks into celestial gold. After sunrise, we will walk back to the hotel for breakfast and rest before checking out. We will then drive back to Pokhara, check into the hotel, and have lunch.

After lunch, we shall head to the World Peace Pagoda for a sweeping panoramic view of Pokhara city and Phewa Lake. Upon descending from the World Peace Pagoda, we will go boating at Phewa Lake. Phewa Lake offers great opportunities for landscape photography with its colorful boats and alluring reflection of the snow-capped Annapurna range.

The long day will end with a dinner (included) in the busy town of Pokhara before heading back to the hotel.

Before breakfast, we will start the day by chasing the sunrise and trying out long-exposure photography in Phewa Lake. After that, we will go back to the hotel for breakfast, checkout, and head to Chitwan National Park via tourist bus or private car.

Chitwan National Park is 932 square kilometers of dense forest, marsh, and grassland, home to 68 species of mammals, 544 species of birds, 56 species of reptiles and amphibians, 126 species of fish, and many more. It offers opportunities to capture the sights of endangered one-horned rhinoceroses, Royal Bengal tigers, leopards, gharial crocodiles, and rare freshwater dolphins. It is a feast for nature lovers and wildlife photographers.

Lunch will be provided either on our way to Chitwan or upon our arrival there. After checking in at the hotel, we will visit the Tharu village for some local people and nature photography. Thereafter, we will capture the beautiful sunset from the Rapti river bank.

The day will end with a scrumptious dinner (included) and Tharu cultural dance performance at the hotel.

After breakfast, we will take a jungle walk to experience the wilderness, followed by an adventurous canoe ride on the Rapti River. We will watch monkeys playing in the trees, elephants washing in the pool, and deer grazing the grass as we move along the river.

After lunch, we will further explore the inner jungle via Jeep safari to capture exotic wildlife photographs.

In the evening, we will visit the elephant breeding center or capture a beautiful sunset from the Rapti riverbank before dinner time. After dinner, we will share some general tips on photo-editing skills to further enhance your photos.

Today, we will go back to Kathmandu via a tourist bus. After breakfast, we will board the tourist bus and follow the scenic route along the Prithvi Highway back to Kathmandu. On the way, we will stop for lunch (included). Upon arrival, we will send you to the hotel to test and review the photographs you have taken during the trip.

In the evening, we will host a farewell dinner (included) and conduct a photo-sharing session among the participants.

We will send you off to the airport three hours before your scheduled flight. We hope you had a great time with us. Thank you, and have a safe journey home.