LGBTQ+ Nepal Art History Tour

We will take today to rest after our international flights (or our India tour). In the evening we meet for a welcome dinner with traditional Nepali foods (e.g. curries and momos) and a show of traditional dances from all across Nepal.

Hotel for 3 nights: Dusit Princess, a supremely comfortable hotel blending tradtional design with modern comfort in a quiet location, only a short drive from all of Kathmandu’s sights.

Kathmandu is home to some of the holiest temples of Hinduism and Buddhism. Today we will visit the three most important: Pashupatinath, where the head of Shiva rests (and where his lingam can fulfill all wishes!)—a 500+ temple complex where many devout Hindus come to die and be cremated, so as to be purified by the holy waters of the Bagmati river; the Boudhanath Stupa, a vast spherical stupa that is the mother of Tibetan Buddhism and considered the embodiment of the enlightened mind of all the Buddhas; and Swayambhunath, the so-called monkey temple, named for the flock of macaques that plague visitors on its steps—the 2nd holiest shrine of Tibetan Buddhism.

But Kathmandu consists of three historic cities. And today we will also visit Bhaktapur, the most well-preserved and traditional of the three, where we will be able to watch traditional artists and craftsmen at work: this will also be a great day for buying souvenirs, singing bowls, pashminas, and thanka paintings.

After our intense introduction to Kathmandu yesterday, this morning is yours to rest. But we have two optional possibilities for you. First, you can have a session of sound healing, done with singing bowls—an ancient Nepalese tradition mixing Buddhist and Shamanic practices. But we have another option, which could be the experience of a lifetime: an early morning helicopter trip over the Himalayas to the Everest Base Camp, for unparalleled views of Mt Everest. This trip will consist of several phases, each with amazing views, and we will make stops at several of the best viewpoints, and finally have a lovely breakfast at the amazing Everest View Hotel. Note that the final phases of this excursion will take place in 3-seater helicopters, so everyone will have a window view!

And at the Everest View, we can also toast George Mallory, the Bloomsbury nudist mountain climber who may have been the first person to reach the summit of Mt Everest (before he died there…) and may also have been the painter Duncan Grant’s lover: he certainly inspired quite a series of homoerotic portraits….. Oh, and btw, he was the person who, when asked why he tried to climb Mt Everest, said, “Because it was there.” Score one for the gay (or bi, questioning, whatever) guy!

Today we fly to the city of Nepalgunj, in the Terai, the plains adjacent to India, and then drive to our hotel by the entrance to Bardiya National Park—the best location in South Asia for spotting Bengal tiger. On arrival, we will have an introductory talk about Bardiya park and a walk through the village to learn about the lives of the Tharu people, an indigenous people of the terai. And we will go to bed early, so we can get an early start on our exploration of the park tomorrow!

Hotel for 3 nights: Babai Resort Bardia is a modern and comfortable motel-like hotel right across the river from Bardiya park in the village of Thakudwara. It has a lovely swimming pool, good food, and many modern conveniences, such as wifi, window and door screens (and mosquito nets), and 24 hour hot water. More importantly, you can sit on the terrace and watch the river, with crocodiles–and at night, possibly a leopard!

Over the next 2 days, we will explore the park and try to find its most famous animals: crocodiles, rhinos, elephants, and tigers. We will do jeep safaris, a canoe ride on the river, and possibly a Bardiya specialty, the walking safari—something that is only available here in South Asia and often gets the best animal viewing. Also, with Professor Lear leading the group, we will learn about some of South Asia’s coolest birds, such as Great Hornbills and Emerald Doves.

Many tours only stay one day in Bardiya. But that puts a lot of pressure on the wildlife spotters!–so we are staying for 2 days. Fingers crossed–but chances are good….

Today we fly to Pokhara, Nepal’s “tourism central,” a charming city on beautiful Lake Phewa, which has stunning views of the Annapurna mountain range and has long served as the take-off point for Himalayan trekking. We arrive in time for a stroll by the cafés and yoga centers of Lakeside Road (about a 15 minute walk from our hotel).

Hotel for 3 nights: Bar Peepal Resort is a peaceful hotel set in an acre of beautiful gardens, but right near the attractions of downtown Pokhara.

We start today by driving up to Sarangkot Hill (5250 feet) for beautiful views of Pokhara, Lake Phewa, and the Annpurna range (with Dhaulagiri, Manaslu, and Annapurna, respectively the 7th, 8th, and 10th tallest mountains in the world). We then return to the hotel for breakfast before setting off to explore the sights in and around Pokhara: we take a boat ride on the lake out to the Tal Barahi temple, on a small island facing the city, then after lunch visit the Gupteshwor Cave shrine to Shiva, the spectacular Davi’s waterfall, and the beautiful gorge of the Set River. In the late afternoon, we learn about the life of the large Tibetan refugee community at the Tibetan cultural center, where we can also watch Tibetan artisans at work and possibly buy their handicrafts, especially their famous carpets.

We spend our final evening in Nepal at a dinner with our own LGBTQ+ community, including a traditional hijra dance.

Today we fly back to Kathmandu. You can transfer directly to the international terminal for your flight out of Nepal, but please let us know if you want help with further travel arrangements, in Nepal or elsewhere!

Professor Andrew Lear accompanies all of our tours. He is our founder; a famous scholar of same-sex love in the ancient world; and a master guide. Early in his career, Professor Lear won the Harvard Certificate of Excellence in Teaching five times, and on our tours you will see why! He really has the knack of making complex issues comprehensible—and entertaining. In most places, we are also required to have a local guide, and Professor Lear has developed a cadre of specially trained guides to work alongside him.

Professor Lear doesn’t have the time to do 10 tours a year, so our tours are not offered on an annual basis. Our general advice is: if you are interested, come on the tour!  You never know when our tours will be offered again.

Absolutely. Our tour groups consist of a mix of singles and couples, usually about 50/50. One thing we can guarantee is that no-one will be left out of any conversation or plan because they are single. On the very first tour we did, we came downstairs in the hotel and found the entire group hanging out in the hotel bar. And that is the way our groups are. They make lots of plans in the evening, and everyone is always welcome.

Absolutely. The average age of our guests is in the 60s, and we often have guests in their 80s.

If you are worried about this, please contact us to discuss. This tour involves a fair amount of walking, in museums, city centers (which in Italy are pedestrian zones), and archaeological sites (which may of course have uneven ground). However, we have had many guests with difficulty walking or climbing stairs, and we generally manage to accommodate them, with a little flexibility on all sides.

Absolutely. Just let us know in advance, and we will handle it.

Our tours cover all kinds of LGBTQ+ history and art.  The cultural material on some of our tours (especially in Italy and Greece) is more about gay male issues—but this is not true on other tours, for example, in England or Germany, where we cover a wide spectrum of LGBTQ+ material.  Our groups are also very welcoming. We have had a great variety of guests in our groups (incuding even a few allies!) and they have been very much part “one of the family.”

We don’t believe so. Of course we don’t know everything that goes on, but our impression is that our tours are GREAT for making friends instead. Note:  we include tours of gay nightlife in a few cities (Berlin and Tokyo so far), but in any case, we provide information about gay bars, saunas, etc.  And we know what many of our guests go, often with others from the tour group.

Our hotels are gay friendly, absolutely.  In Europe and Japan, our hotels are generally carefully chosen 4 star hotels. As a rule, we choose hotels for modern comfort, historic charm, and central location. In India and Nepal, we use almost exclusively 5 star hotels (except for one restored palace).

We are big foodies, and the meals on our tours are generally very good. In fact, we have often been told we could sell our tours as gourmet experiences. We are particularly concerned to include local specialties and regional cuisines.

All meals are included in our Asia tours, and our meals will include many local specialties!

Our tours are not 100% all-inclusive, although pretty close.  We include all hotel accommodation during the tour, transportation as per the itinerary, all admissions, and guiding. We include breakfast every day and on European tours generally one other substantial meal (though occasionally none or two).  Note:  we are NOT in the business of “upselling” our guests. There are very few optionals on our tours—and they are only things we really believe that some guests may not want to do (e.g. helicopter trips).

 We generally leave the group free in the evenings, and when we are in a major city, we include a free afternoon, for shopping, more museums etc.

Our tours are based on a very high level of knowledge about LGBTQ+ history and art, and indeed about history and art in general.  As a result, we include many places that are interesting and/or important but not well-known.  Some of these, like the bar where Oliver plays cards with the locals while Elio watches him in Call Me By Your Name, may be closed to the public or difficult to access; others, like the penis temple of Nagoya, are simply not on the beaten tourist path.

Yes.  Buddhist influence is strong in Nepal, and the Nepalese generally have a live-and-let-live attitude.  Homophobia is not a big worry in Nepal.

YES.  A tour is a big investment, so you need insurance in case you are forced to cancel too late for a refund.  This doesn’t happen often, but it has happened a few times in the 13 year life of this company, and the travel insurance companies have been very helpful.  But note:  you also need travel insurance in case of medical emergency.  Your US insurance probably does not cover you abroad, and as we all know, you never know when something will come up.  A friend of mine fell on a trip a few years ago and ended up being medivaced from Tunisia to Germany and ultimately back to the US.  This would have cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, but luckily, he had good travel insurance, and it was covered 100%.  Note:  You can buy travel insurance from our ticketing platform, WeTravel, but that that is not obligatory.  You should get an insurance policy, but it does not need to be from WeTravel.

Our cancellation policy is flexible.  Before the full-payment deadline, we will return any of your deposit that hasn’t been put down in deposits—which generally means we can return 100%.  After the full-payment deadline, it is critical (again) that you have travel insurance, as travel insurance will refund your trip in an emergency more completely than we can.  We can assure you that it works, because we have seen it work several times:  a few guests have had to cancel at the last minute, have been completely reimbursed by their insurance, and in most cases have taken the same tour with us the next time it was offered.

Yes, we can make a payment plan according to your needs.