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Lumbini
Three quiet days at the Buddha's birthplace — the sacred garden, the international monastic zone and a dawn birding morning in the Terai wetlands.
Lumbini is flat, hot and unhurried, and it rewards a slower visit than most itineraries give it. This retreat spends real time in the sacred garden and the monastic zone, where thirty Buddhist nations have each built a monastery in their own architectural tradition — a walk through it is a walk through the whole Buddhist world in an afternoon.
The third morning goes into the Terai wetlands with a birding guide: sarus cranes, painted storks and, with luck, a Bengal florican. Deepak guides in English, Nepali, Hindi and Japanese.
Day by day, as it actually runs.
Arrive from Bhairahawa or Kathmandu and settle in. Late afternoon we enter the sacred garden — the Maya Devi Temple over the excavated marker stone, the Ashoka Pillar, and the Bodhi tree beside the pond where tradition holds Maya Devi bathed before the birth. Quiet at that hour, which is the point.
A full day by rickshaw and on foot through the monastic zone — Thai, Myanmar, German, Korean and Japanese monasteries, each unmistakably built by its own country. Midday break during the heat. A guided meditation session with a resident monk, then the World Peace Pagoda at sunset.
Out before sunrise into the Terai wetlands and grassland with a birding guide — sarus cranes, painted storks, kingfishers, and if the season is right a Bengal florican. Back for breakfast and transfer to Bhairahawa airport or onward road travel.
4.7
Based on 38 reviews
Kenji Watanabe
8 Feb 2026
Japan
Deepak guided our group in Japanese, which meant a great deal to the older members. Unhurried and respectful throughout.
Anna Petrova
21 Jan 2026
Latvia
Peaceful and genuinely moving. The birding morning was an unexpected highlight. Do bring a hat — there is very little shade.
Lumbini
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$295
per person · 3 days