Monks live a simple spiritual life to achieve “Nirvana” or peace of mind. And, Shamans are religious practitioners who can heal people through sacred practices. Getting to know two distinct kinds of masters is a new experience on its own. That is what this hand-made tour by Sabbatical Explore Nepal wants to offer.
The tour begins with a sightseeing trip to the UNESCO cultural and historical sites of Kathmandu, Patan, and Bhaktapur, the three pieces of Kathmandu Valley. Out from the valley, the journey reaches a village of Shamans called Jhakri or Shamans Village. You will live in the community like the locals by enjoying the traditional lifestyle, practicing shamanism, celebrating their rituals along with greenery and panoramic view of the Himalayas.
After that, the tour guides you to a Buddhist monastery to live with the monks there. A full day will be there to experience the lifestyle of monks and know their wisdom.
As you leave the monastery, you will have nothing but peace and good vibes to take along. Taking lots of learnings and experience, you will return to Kathmandu to depart. And this is how the 10 days long Meet the Monks and Shamans tour gets done.
In brief, Meet The Monks and Shamans is an experiential tour through which one experiences a peaceful way of living and a religious healing method. Alongside, the tour enables one to traverse rich Nepalese art and culture heritages distributed across Kathmandu Valley. So, this trip is for anyone who wants to find the meaning of life in the surroundings of Monks and Shamans.
If you feel like doing this tour after reading this much, ring us for more details.
Day 1: Welcome to Kathmandu
We will be there to welcome you to Nepal on your arrival. Together, we’ll head towards your hotel in Kathmandu. You’ll rest and get refreshments at the hotel. Later, we’ll pick you for a welcome dinner with the entire team of the tour. Overnight in Kathmandu’s Hotel.
Day 2: Kathmandu & Patan Sightseeing
On the second day, we’ll start the tour from the important cultural heritage sites of Kathmandu and the Patan area. We’ll guide you to the places like Pashupatinath Temple, Boudhanath Stupa, Basantapur Durbar Square, Patan Durbar Square, Swaymbhunath Stupa. You’ll explore the cultural and architectural sides of these UNESCO Cultural Heritages sites, which date back ages. After this watchful sightseeing tour, we’ll return to the hotel for the night. Overnight in Kathmandu’s Hotel.
Day 3: Explore Bhaktapur Cultural city
Now, we will leave our hotel to visit the cultural Bhaktapur City. Just like Patan and Kathmandu, Bhaktapur is a must-visit place inside Kathmandu Valley for cultural heritage. We’ll reach Bhaktapur after a short city ride. The sightseeing will start from Bhaktapur Durbar Square, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the royal palace of old Bhaktapur. From there, we will drive a little up to a hill where Changu Narayan Temple resides. The temple is one of the oldest temples in Nepal, which displays centuries-old architecture. After exploring both of the places, we’ll make a return to our hotel for the night.
Day 4: Hike or Drive to Jhakri Village
After breakfast at the hotel, we’ll leave for Jhakri Village, a village of Nepalese Shamans. We can reach the village via two ways, drive and hike. As per your liking, we’ll manage things. En route to the village, we’ll get a breathtaking mountain panorama of the towering mountains of Nepal. Enjoying the walk/drive, we’ll reach the community, where we’ll get a warm welcome from the locals. The rest of the time will be around the settlement among locals. Overnight in the village.
Day 5: Meet the Shamans (Dhami/Jhakri)
Now, finally, we’ll get to meet the Shamans or Dhami/Jhakri in Nepali. It will be the day when you’ll spend time interacting with the Shamans. You’ll know their wisdom and Shamanism practices. If you are one of them, you’ll have a great time with them sharing each other’s experiences. As we’ll spend the whole day in the village, we’ll go out for walks around the settlement for more interactions. Besides, we’ll witness the natural and cultural beauty of the community. Overnight in Jhakri Village.
Day 6: Special celebration day
After spending a whole day together with the Shamans of the village, we’ll be ready for a special celebration day. On this day, the Shamans will perform their rituals to display spiritual powers and healings. The shamans will celebrate the time by forming a circle, playing drums, humming chants, and dancing jointly. You’ll enjoy and participate in the unique practices of the Shamans of Nepal. Another overnight in the village.
Day 7: Farewell to Shamans & meet the Monks
Following two days in the Jhakri Village, it is time to bid a farewell to the Shamans and the village. We’ll drive towards the Buddhist monastery to meet the monks. The monks will greet us with a lovely welcome into the monastery. We will communicate with the monks about how they do things from dawn till dusk at the monastery. They will impart to us their learnings and philosophies throughout the time. We will also observe Buddhist Ceremonies, perform meditation, join prayers, dine with the monks. Overnight in the monastery.
Day 8: Living with Monks in monastery
We’ll wake up with the monks at their times to perform morning prayers. After that, we’ll have breakfast with them before doing other things at the monastery. We will use the day to learn more things about life from the monks. We will repeat performing prayers and meditation. We will spend the day as one of them, doing their daily things from waking up to sleeping. It will be a well-spent day with the monks. You will know yourself better than ever as the Buddhist Monasteries teach you to explore yourself. Overnight in the Monastery.
Day 9: Back to Kathmandu
We will thank the monks and monastery for their hospitality and teachings. Saying them goodbye, we’ll trace back to Kathmandu. On our journey back, we'll explore some ancient cities like Panauti and Nagadesh Thimi breifly. Next, We’ll arrive at our hotel for a rest. The remaining time will be free time in Kathmandu. If you want to explore some more places in the valley or do some shopping, this will be the time. Overnight in Kathmandu’s hotel.
Day 10: Fly back home or join next trip
If you want to return home, we’ll leave you at the airport for your departure. We’ll bid farewell to you until your next trip. Or if you want to join another trip with us, we’ll start preparing for the next one.
