Today you will be introduced to the highlights of Kathmandu (known locally as Kantipur), as you explore its ancient UNESCO World Heritage Sites with your guide.
We start with a visit to Kathmandu Durbar Square, with its array of temples overlooked by the Hanuman Dhoka Palace - the ancient place of Nepalese royalty. This is one of Nepal's seven Monument Zones, each of which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Although many of these structures collapsed during the devastating earthquake of 2015, not all areas were affected. Most of the people living here are Hindu, but there are also many Buddhist as Lord Buddha was born in Lumbini, when Nepal was under the control of India. The true soul of this city can be found in its backstreets, where you can soak up the local cultural and artistic heritage.
Our next stop is the sacred Buddhist pilgrimage site of Swayambhunath (meaning 'sublime trees'), the oldest Buddhist stupa in the Kathmandu Valley that is said to be over 2,000 years. This perfectly proportioned monument rises up through a whitewashed dome to a gilded spire, from where four iconic faces of Lord Buddha stare out across the valley. The hill is a mosaic of small shrines and pagoda temples and, as many monkeys live here, it is also known as Monkey Temple. It is also a Monument Zone and World Heritage Site. From here you will have a perfect vantage point over the Kathmandu Valley.
After lunch (own account) we travel to Bhaktapur - an extraordinarily beautiful old city which was probably founded in the ninth century. Its ancient architecture comprises pagoda-style copper roofs set on wooden and mud-brick buildings, said to represent what Kathmandu looked like centuries ago before the arrival of the modern era. You can observe local artisans shaping pottery and tour Bhaktapur Durbar Square, another Monument Zone and World Heritage Site, with its Golden Gate and Palace of 55 Windows.