The Shang Shung Institute U.K. and the Museum of Oriental Art and Culture (MACO) are pleased to present the Maratika and Kathmandu Valley 2026 tour. On our fifteen day trip, we will explore the bazaars and ancient temples around Kathmandu, before heading to Maratika to the sacred caves where the great master Guru Padmasambhava, and the female guru deity Dakini Mandarava are said to have attained immortality in the 8th Century. Come admire and learn about the three mediaeval kingdoms of Kathmandu, Patan, and Bhaktapur as well as the sacred site of Pharping. This trip takes you to a mystical land where rituals from the past are still very much alive and tradition and modernity blend seamlessly in everyday life. The program offers not only heritage sites tours but also an insight into different religions and artistic works of Kathmandu Valley.
From - to: 21st March - 5th April 2026
Trip Duration: 16 days - 15 nights
Starting: Kathmandu, Nepal
Finishing: Kathmandu, Nepal
Trip Grading: Regular itinerary, moderate walking
Accommodation: Hotels
Trip’s cost: 1900 euro per person (double room, on a two person sharing basis)
Single room supplement: 400 euro
Please note:
For those who are interested only in going to Maratika, there is also this possibility.
You arrive on March 24th in Kathmandu and leave for Maratika the next day on March 25th.
Then you leave on April 4th from Kathmandu.
The total for the Maratika segment of the trip is 1650 euro on a twin sharing basis.
2000 euro for a single room.
A total of 12 nights, 10 nights in Maratika and 2 in Kathmandu.
BOOK NOW
Registrations close on february 1st, 2026.
Places we will visit:
Kathmandu, Nepal.
Bouddha (Standard Tibetan: བྱ་རུང་ཁ་ཤོར།, romanized: Jarung Khashor), also known as Boudhanath, Khasti Chaitya and Khāsa Chaitya is a stupa in Kathmandu, Nepal. Located about 11 km (6.8 mi) from the center and northeastern outskirts of Kathmandu, its massive mandala makes it one of the largest spherical stupas in Nepal and the world.
The stupa is said to entomb the remains of Kassapa Buddha. It is located on the ancient trade route from Tibet which enters the Kathmandu Valley by the village of Sankhu in the northeast corner and continues to the ancient and smaller stupa of Chabahil named Charumati Stupa (often called "Little Boudhanath"). It then turns directly south, heading over the Bagmati River to Lalitpur, bypassing the main city of Kathmandu (which was built later). Tibetan merchants have rested and offered prayers at Boudha Stupa for many centuries. Following the 1959 Tibetan uprising, a large number of the Tibetan refugees migrated to Nepal and settled down around Boudhanath. The influx of the Tibetan refugees has seen the construction of over 50 gompas (Budhhist monasteries) around Boudha. As of 1979, Boudha Stupa is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Along with Swayambhu, it is one of the most popular tourist sites in the Kathmandu area.
(Source)
Pharping, Nepal.
Pharping is a small town lying above the Bagmati river on the southern edge of the Kathmandu valley, about 20 km from the capital. From the top of the hill, the view of the entire Himalayan range. Here we will visit Padmasambhava Cave and Vajra Yogini Temple.
BOOK NOW
Registrations close on february 1st, 2026.
Maratika, Haleshi, East Nepal
The Halesi-Maratika Caves (also the Haleshi Mahadev temple) are located next to the village of Mahadevasthan, in the Khotang District of eastern Nepal, 3,100 ft. – 4,734 ft. above sea level. The cave and temple are about 185 km south west of Mount Everest. The temple is a venerated pilgrimage site for Hindus, Buddhists and Kirat. In Buddhism Mandarava and Padmasambhava realized a number of terma that had been elementally encoded in the cave by dakini Sangwa Yeshe. These terma numbers among the longevity teachings of Buddha Amitabha, and were given at the behest of Bodhisattva Avalokiteswara. It is here, at the cave, that Mandarava and Padmasambhava attained the Vidyadhara of longevity (or long life). (Source)
For all information please contact: tour@macomuseum.org
FULL ITINERARY
Itinerary
(The tour will be led by Jamyang Oliphant, Jacobella Gaetani and a local guide)
DAY 1 - 21st March
Arrive in Kathmandu and transfer to hotel in Boudhanath.
Small tour, exploration of Boudhanath Stupa, monasteries, temples, shopping.
Optional massage.
Welcome dinner and a brief presentation of the trip.
DAY 2 - 22nd March
Day Visit to Bhaktapur and Patan.
Back to Kathmandu.
DAY 3 - 23rd March
Triten Norbutse Bön monastery, interaction with Bon Master.
Swayambhu stupa and hill.
DAY 4 - 24th March
Tour of Kathmandu, Durbar square, Bijesvari Vajra Yogini temple, lunch in Thamel, shopping at Asan Thole traditional market.
DAY 5 - 25th March
Early departure to Maratika (Haleshi) East Nepal – whole day drive crossing two Himalayan rivers.
Evening arrival at Haleshi, transfer to hotel.
Please note: all meals in Maratika are included in the price (vegetarian, simple yet healthy).
DAY 6 (26th March) until Day 13 (2nd April)
Group meditation practice, exploring the various caves, hoisting lungta flags, practicing yoga and breathing exercises.
DAY 14- 3rd April
Return to Kathmandu.
DAY 15 - 4th April
Pharping “Asura Cave” and Vajra Yogini Cave.
Optional morning flight to see mount Everest.
Last minute shopping.
DAY 16 - 5th April
Departure.
BOOK NOW
Registrations close on february 1st, 2026.
For all information please contact: tour@macomuseum.org
About the Tour Guides
Jacobella Gaetani
Jacobella was born in Naples. While living in Nepal, she began studying the Tibetan language at Tribhuvan University in Kathmandu. In 1982, after returning to Italy, she continued to study Tibetan at the Oriental University of Naples with Chögyal Namkhai Norbu. She graduated with a thesis on the comparative analysis of two ancient Tibetan funeral rituals from the Buddhist and Bon traditions, after carrying out field research in northern India. Among other Tibetan texts, she translated and edited The Long Life Practice of the Immortal Dakini Mandarava, Chögyal Namkhai Norbu's mind terma, and The Temple of Great Contemplation, the Gonpa of Merigar by Chögyal Namkhai Norbu. She has taught English language and literature at High schools in Tuscany. She is the curator of the Museum of Oriental Art and Culture of Arcidosso (MACO). She is currently finishing a book on the life and poetry of Jamyang Chöying Drönma, the elder sister of Chögyal Namkhai Norbu. She has guided various tours in Nepal, Central Tibet, and Eastern Tibet on behalf of the Maco Museum.
Jamyang Oliphant
Jamyang Oliphant studied Tibetan religion, language and culture at the University of Oxford. His doctoral thesis examined rejuvenating Tibetan medical practices. At Shang Shung Institute UK he runs the lecture seminars and conferences and coordinates the institute’s programs. He is co-editor of Sharro: Festschift for Chögyal Namkhai Norbu and of About Padmasambhava: Historical Narratives and Later Transformations of Guru Rinpoche. He has lived and traveled in Asia since his youth and continues to lead groups to explore religious sites in numerous Asian countries.
Shang Shung Institute UK, a non profit institute, connects people for the support of Tibetan and Himalayan culture in person & online.
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