Mythic India and Nepal Trip

Touch down in Delhi to begin your India and Nepal trip. It’s been a very long travel day, so we receive you right at the jetway. You’ll be whisked through customs alongside a VIP escort, and bags are loaded into a waiting vehicle. A private driver brings you to The Oberoi New Delhi. After a five-star welcome, tuck into plush linens for a restorative sleep. 

Rise early as Delhi stirs to glimpse the capital’s contemplative side. Skip what’s expected. Visit Yamuna Ghat to grasp the Hindu spiritual significance of the Yamuna River; delve into cattle reverence at a cow shelter; and step into an Akhada wrestling school to learn how a sport rooted in mythology is empowering women in a historically male discipline.  

Sip chai, meet a master Urdu calligrapher, and explore Kabootarbaazi (pigeon sporting).

Travel from New Delhi to Agra, once the resplendent Mughal capital and current guardian of three UNESCO sites. Settle into The Oberoi Amarvilas, a palatial sanctuary with uninterrupted Taj Mahal views, before lunching on the terrace. Later, a private guide brings you to Mehtab Bagh, the “Moonlight Garden.” Framed by the Yamuna River and perfectly aligned with the Taj Mahal, it’s a photogenic sunset viewpoint.

Rise early to experience the Taj Mahal at first light, as marble shifts from pale gold to blush to fleecy white. With ticketing handled, you’re among the first though the gates. Absent the crowds, stand in silent wonder. Feel the monument’s dizzying scale while pondering how stone can appear so impossibly delicate. Between photos, your guide reveals the enduring love story behind this singular masterpiece. Afterward, drive to Jaipur.

With a local insider, delve into “the Pink City.” Wander the Flower Market where petals pile high, before ascending the hill to Amber Fort, perhaps overtaking elephants. Stand spellbound beneath the intricate glass mosaics of Sheesh Mahal. Later, drift past Jal Mahal and Hawa Mahal to reach City Palace for an enchanting tour. Dinner is an invitation into Durga Singh Ji's family haveli. Lend your hands in the kitchen, preparing Rajasthani plates, then sit for dinner. 

Trade frenetic India for the stone cathedrals of the Himalayan Mountains. Fly to Kathmandu, where you’re met on arrival and seamlessly guided through customs. Transfer to Dwarika’s Hotel, a marvel of wood-carved architecture. Corridors and courtyards adorned with Newar ornamentation whisper of Nepalese culture and craft. Afternoon is at leisure. Revel in the courtyard’s secret garden atmosphere or make the easy walk to Pashupatinath Temple.

After breakfast, drive to Bhaktapur, a beautifully preserved medieval city where cobblestone lanes and temple squares bring past into present. Your guide deciphers Hindu shrines and sculptures from Buddhist ones, and in Pottery Square, you’re invited to sculpt clay using centuries-old techniques alongside artisan potters. Back at Dwarika’s make, then eat, momos (dumplings) in the kitchen. Later, follow your guide through labyrinth alleys, palace courtyards, and temples in Durbar Square. It’s a delight for the senses. 

Fly by helicopter to the isolated Mustang Valley, “the Forbidden Kingdom.” Home to Tibetans who escaped persecution, this mythic pocket feels more Tibetan than Nepalese. Touch down at Shinta Mani Mustang, your mountain sanctuary and base camp for culturally imbued adventure. Spend five marvelous days steeped in breathtaking mountain terrain, warm hospitality, and unlimited spa treatments. Collaborate with your concierge to shape your days around bespoke experiences. 

Set off on a morning hike past Dumba Lake to arrive at Khutsab Terenga Monastery, where a picnic breakfast awaits. Then drive, walk, or bike to Marpha Village, a southern Mustang gem of whitewashed lanes, Buddhist monasteries, and apple orchards. Wander narrow flagstone streets and browse handicrafts, imbibing village life. Later, Mrs. Kamala, a chef and civic leader invites you to her kitchen table for a Thakali lunch.

Follow your guide along forested Jomsom Valley trails, crossing streams and marveling at  snow-capped Himalaya peaks. Reach a gin-clear glacial lake overlooked by a crown of lofty peaks. Your guide sets out a picnic lunch with chilled rosé. On your way back, glimpse Thakali traditions in a Thini Village. Back at the lodge, melt beneath kneading hands during a SoRig massage, then relax in an herb-infused steam bath.

Arrive at Muktinath, a sacred site for both Hindus and Buddhists pilgrims. Enter the temple to view the eternal flame and then pass beneath a fountain fed by 108 brass taps in a ritual believed to purify body and spirit. Continue to Kagbeni, a remote Tibetan village situated on the Annapurna Circuit Trek. Here, the Shinta Mani culinary team hosts a splendid lunch set in the monastery.

Hidden in the Mustang Valley, Lubra is one of Nepal’s last remaining strongholds of the Bon Buddhist tradition, a practice that predates Buddhism. Cross a suspension bridge and then hike the final stretch into the hamlet. With your village guide, explore its ancient gompa and mountainside cave monastery, learning about shamanic rituals and sky burials. A traditional Bon lunch unfurls in a family teahouse. Visit fortress ruins before returning to Shinta Mani. 

Lift off for a helicopter tour and transfer, trading Mustang’s arid peaks for the emerald contours of the Kathmandu Valley. Dwarika’s Sanctuary, near Dhulikhel, welcomes you into a world of wellness shaped by Himalayan holistic healing and refined Nepali design. Seated on a forested ridge, settle into your sylvan suite. Dinner (and all meals served here) is a parade of farm-to-table plates guided by the idea that food is medicine. 

Write your own prescription for wellbeing. Begin with sunrise yoga or guided meditation, then choose from a menu of holistic experiences: sound-bowl healing, crystal therapy, or time spent in the Himalayan salt room. Wander forest trails, visit a local village, or practice forest bathing. Creative workshops (pottery, painting, block-printing), cooking classes, farm visits, birdwatching, and terrace lounging let you shape a day as active or restorative as you like. 

Your extraordinary journey comes to a gentle end. A private driver brings you to the airport in Kathmandu to board your international flight home.