Lumbini and the Buddha's Birthplace Tour
- Duration
- 4 days
- Max altitude
- 1,400 m
- Difficulty
-
Easy
Difficulty scale
- Easy Short walking days on good trails below about 3,000 m. Suitable for anyone in ordinary health, including families.
- Moderate 5 to 6 hours a day with some steep sections, reaching up to about 4,000 m. A reasonable level of fitness and a few weeks of preparation walking recommended.
- Strenuous 6 to 8 hours a day, high passes or altitudes above 5,000 m, and remote stretches. Good fitness, prior trekking experience and proper acclimatisation days are essential.
- Very strenuous Long days, multiple high passes or technical sections, sustained time above 5,000 m. For experienced, well-conditioned trekkers only.
- Best season
- Autumn (Sep–Nov) · Spring (Mar–May) · Winter (Dec–Feb)
- Group
- Private
- From
- $455.00
Overview
Lumbini is where Siddhartha Gautama was born in about 563 BCE, and unlike a great many claimed birthplaces this one has hard evidence: a sandstone pillar planted by the emperor Ashoka in 249 BCE with an inscription saying, in effect, the Buddha was born here.
The site is a UNESCO World Heritage property and quieter than its significance suggests. Around the sacred garden, countries from across the Buddhist world have each built a monastery in their own tradition, so a morning’s walk takes you through Thai, Burmese, German, Chinese and Korean architecture in turn.
Trip highlights
- The Maya Devi temple over the marker stone of the birth
- The Ashoka pillar of 249 BCE and its inscription
- The sacred pond and the Bodhi tree with its prayer flags
- The international monastic zone, each country in its own tradition
- Tilaurakot, the ruins of Kapilavastu where Siddhartha grew up
- Kudan, Gotihawa and Niglihawa, the quieter Ashokan sites nearby
Day by day
The itinerary
-
Day 1: Kathmandu to Lumbini 150 m 8 to 9 hours driving, or a 45 minute flight hrs Three star hotel, breakfast included Dinner
Two ways to do this. Either a 45 minute flight to Bhairahawa and a half hour transfer, which leaves you most of the day, or the drive, which is eight to nine hours down the Prithvi and Siddhartha highways through some genuinely good hill country. The flight is not included in the price and the drive is. Say which you prefer when you book.
Check in near the sacred garden. If you arrive with light left, walk into the garden itself in the late afternoon, when the day pilgrims have gone and the monks are chanting.
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Day 2: The sacred garden, the Maya Devi temple and the monastic zone 150 m 8 hours hrs Three star hotel, breakfast included Breakfastanddinner
A full guided day inside the UNESCO property, on foot and by cycle rickshaw, which is how the site is meant to be crossed.
The Maya Devi temple
The building shelters excavated brick foundations going back to the third century BCE and, at the centre, a marker stone that archaeologists identify as the precise spot of the birth. Shoes off, no photography inside.
The Ashoka pillar
Standing just outside, planted in 249 BCE when Ashoka came on pilgrimage. Its Brahmi inscription is the oldest evidence of the site and effectively settles the question.
The sacred pond and Bodhi tree
Pushkarini, where Maya Devi is said to have bathed before the birth. The tree beside it is hung with flags.
The monastic zone
A planned park of monasteries, one per country, laid out along a central canal. The Myanmar Golden Temple, the Royal Thai Monastery in white marble, the German Lotus Stupa with its interior murals, the Chinese and Korean temples. Each is active and each is different.
Late afternoon at the World Peace Pagoda at the north end.
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Day 3: Tilaurakot, Kudan and the Kapilavastu sites 150 m 7 hours hrs Three star hotel, breakfast included Breakfastanddinner
A day away from the main garden, about 27 km north west, to the places connected with the Buddha's first twenty nine years rather than his birth.
Tilaurakot
The most likely site of Kapilavastu, the Shakya capital where Siddhartha grew up as a prince and which he left to seek an answer to suffering. What stands is an excavated walled town: gateways, brick foundations, a moat line. Less spectacular than Lumbini and, to many people, more affecting, because this is the place he walked away from.
Kudan, Gotihawa and Niglihawa
Smaller sites nearby, each with a stupa mound or a broken Ashokan pillar. Kudan is where the Buddha is said to have met his father again after his enlightenment.
Back to Lumbini in the late afternoon.
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Day 4: Return to Kathmandu 1,400 m 8 to 9 hours driving, or a 45 minute flight hrs Not included on the last night Breakfast
A last early morning in the sacred garden if you want it, which is when it is at its best, then breakfast and the journey back. Fly from Bhairahawa, or drive.
If you would rather carry on to Pokhara, it is about six hours north from Lumbini and makes a natural continuation. We can arrange that instead at no change to the guiding cost.
Altitude profile
The climb, day by day
Comfort tiers
Choose your level of comfort
| Amenity | Standardfrom $545.00 | Comfortfrom $643.10 | Luxuryfrom $790.25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kathmandu hotel | 3★ | 4★ | 5★ |
| Trail accommodation | Standard teahouse | Best lodge in each village | Premium lodge where the route has one |
| Porter support | Shared porter | Private porter, lighter load | Extra porter, carry almost nothing |
| Transfers | Shared | Private | Private, throughout |
What's included
Included
- Included: All ground transport by private tourist vehicle, Kathmandu to Lumbini and back
- Included: Three nights three star accommodation in Lumbini with breakfast
- Included: Dinner on days 1, 2 and 3
- Included: Lumbini sacred garden and monastic zone entry fees
- Included: Cycle rickshaw inside the monastic zone
- Included: Tilaurakot, Kudan, Gotihawa and Niglihawa site fees
- Included: Government licensed English speaking guide throughout
- Included: All government taxes and administrative charges
Not included
- Not included: Domestic flights if you choose to fly rather than drive, about USD 125 per person each way to Bhairahawa
- Not included: Accommodation in Kathmandu before or after the tour
- Not included: Lunch on all days
- Not included: Any beverages
- Not included: Tips for your guide and driver
- Not included: Nepal entry visa, obtainable on arrival at Tribhuvan International Airport
- Not included: Travel insurance
- Not included: Anything not listed under what is included
Know before you go
Suitability & requirements
Lumbini is on the Terai plain at 150 m. April to June is punishingly hot, often above 40 degrees, and the monsoon brings heavy rain from July. October to March is the comfortable window, and December mornings can be foggy enough to delay flights.
Your team
Led by a licensed guide
Every route is led by a government-licensed guide from our team. Licences are on record with us before departure, and you'll meet your guide once your trip is confirmed.
Guide language(s): English, Nepali
Group-size pricing
Walk together, pay less
Every trip is private, so the guide, permits and transfers cost the same however many walk. Sharing them is why the per-person price falls: arithmetic, not a sale.
| Group size | per person | You save each |
|---|---|---|
| 1 trekker | $545.00 | base rate |
| 2 to 3 trekkers | $455.00 | $90.00 |
| 4 to 6 trekkers | $430.00 | $115.00 |
| 7 or more | $400.00 | $145.00 |
Per person, including permits, park fees and taxes. Nothing is added at checkout.
Weather
What to expect, month by month
- Autumn (Sep–Nov)The most reliable trekking season: clear air, stable weather and cold nights, right after the monsoon clears.
- Spring (Mar–May)Warmer than autumn, with rhododendron forests in flower and slightly hazier mountain views as the season goes on.
- Winter (Dec–Feb)Cold and quiet, with the clearest skies of the year at lower altitude. High passes and very high routes are best avoided.
Traveller reviews
What trekkers say
Why book with us
