Muktinath Pilgrimage Tour

• Darshan at Muktinath: One of the eight self-manifested shrines of Vishnu and a Divya Desam of the Tamil canon.

• The 108 Water Spouts: Pass beneath the bull-head spouts and bathe in the two Mukti Kunda pools.

• Jwala Mai Eternal Flame: The natural gas flame burning over water, the meeting of the elements.

• Kali Gandaki and Shaligram: Walk the riverbed at Kagbeni where the sacred ammonite fossils are found.

• Built for Older Pilgrims: Road and air throughout, with a night at Jomsom to ease the altitude.

Dress modestly at every site — shoulders and knees covered, and shoes removed before entering a shrine. Leather is not permitted inside many Hindu temples, so leave belts, bags and camera straps in the vehicle where your guide advises. Walk clockwise around a temple, a stupa or a mani wall.

Photography is restricted in most inner sanctums and forbidden at cremations. At Pashupatinath the main temple is open to Hindus only; everyone else views it from the eastern terrace across the Bagmati, which is where the guide will take you. Ask before photographing people at prayer, and accept a no gracefully.

October to March is comfortable everywhere on these routes, and the Terai sites at Lumbini and Janakpur are only really pleasant in those months — from April the plains become very hot and by May they are punishing.

Festival timing changes the experience entirely. Maha Shivaratri at Pashupatinath in February or March draws hundreds of thousands of pilgrims and sadhus; Janai Purnima in August fills Gosaikunda; Vivaha Panchami in Nov–Dec is Janakpur's great festival. Tell us if you want to travel for one and we will build the itinerary around the date.

Most of these routes are vehicle-based with short walks between shrines, and are suitable for elderly pilgrims — that is who they are largely designed for. Expect stairs at Swayambhunath and Namobuddha, uneven flagstones at Pashupatinath, and a good deal of standing.

The exceptions are altitude sites. Muktinath at 3,760 m and Gosaikunda at 4,380 m are high enough to cause altitude sickness, and the Gosaikunda route involves two to three days of walking. Anyone with a heart or lung condition should take medical advice before booking those, and we can substitute a helicopter for the Muktinath leg.

Offerings are personal and are not included in the tour price. Flower garlands, incense, oil lamps and prasad are sold at every site for small amounts, and your guide will show you where to buy them and what is customary rather than letting you be overcharged at the gate.

Priests at the major shrines will offer to perform a puja for a donation; the amount is up to you and your guide can advise what is normal. Carry small notes. Photography permits, where they exist, and monument entry fees are included in your package.

• Muktinath Pilgrimage Guide: The 108 Spouts and the Eternal Flame — A temple at 3,760 m sacred to both Hindus and Buddhists, with 108 water spouts and a natural gas flame burning over a spring.

• Hindu Pilgrimage Tour in Nepal: The Complete Guide — Ten days covering Nepal's principal Hindu shrines in one journey — Pashupatinath, Janakpur, Barahakshetra, Devghat and Muktinath at 3,760 m.

• Muktinath & Damodar Kunda Helicopter Tour: The Complete Guide — Two of the trans-Himalaya's most important Hindu pilgrimage sites in one morning.

• Jomsom Muktinath Trek: Pilgrimage and Desert in the Kali Gandaki — A trek behind the Himalaya into arid Mustang, through Marpha's apple orchards and the medieval village of Kagbeni to the pilgrimage temple at Muktinath.

• Lower Mustang Trek: The Complete Guide — Ten days in the accessible half of Mustang — the walled medieval village of Kagbeni, a full day at the Muktinath temple complex, and the Thakali apple village of Marpha.