Classic Nepal tour

This tour gives a comprehensive overview of one of the world's great holiday destinations. With its huge range in altitudes and countrysides from the plains bordering Nepal to the top of Mt. Everest, a trip through Nepal gives you views of spectacular mountain scenery, adventures in wildlife rich forests, visits to ancient hilltop villages, and a rich culture with Hindu and Buddhist temples to discover. This two-week trip starts by exploring Kathmandu on foot before heading to the lowland Terai region of Nepal and Chitwan National Park. If you're keen you can do an afternoon of exciting white water rafting on the Trisuli river on the way. We spend two nights in Chitwan and the tour includes a jungle walk, elephant safari (or jeep safari if you prefer) and river canoe trip. You'll also take a rural village walk outside the park to see how the local Tharu people live. Chitwan is most famous for the high numbers of the endangered Asian Rhino living there, and you should also see several species of deer and monkeys, numerous birds, gharial and mugger crocodiles, and if you're lucky, wild boat, sloth bear, wild elephants and even a tiger. Our next stop is Bandipur, a Newari hilltop village which is well worth exploring around on foot to see how rural village life in Nepal carries on. We then head to Pokhara, Nepal's adventure capital, which sits next to a lake at the foot of the Annapurna mountain range. Our 5-day Poon Hill trek through the foothills of the Annapurnas starts from here. You'll stay in locally owned trekking lodges and our experienced guides and porters will escort you. The trek is of moderate difficulty; there are a couple of long days and plenty of uphill and downhill (hard to avoid in Nepal!), but you don't need to be superfit at all. The circular trekking route passes through a wide variety of different landscapes, rhododendron forests, ridges and terraced farmland, with great views of the Annapurna range available every day, and especially from your sunrise walk up to the top of Poon Hill. You have a little free time in Pokhara to relax after your trek before we head back to the Kathmandu valley and the hilltop village of Nagarkot which sits perched on a ridge on the rim of the valley. Nagarkot is famous for its sunrise mountain views, and you can even see the top of Everest from here in the far distance. Next is the ancient centre of Bhaktapur, where we take time to enjoy the wonderful, intricately carved, wooden architecture of the traditional Hindu temples and surrounding buildings. Bhaktapur was hit hard by the recent earthquake and you'll see evidence of this and the rebuilding that is being carried out. Our tour of Nepal then finishes back in Kathmandu. 2 to 3-star hotels Trekking lodges