Nagarkot - Changunarayan Hiking - a day hike around Kathmandu

Hiking from Nagarkot with snow peaks in the backdrop

The Nagarkot - Changunarayan hiking is a brilliant walk in the outskirt of Kathmandu Valley. If you are in Nepal for short holiday, don't like strenuous trekking or looking for weekend outing; the hiking is the best option to get away from the hustle and bustle of Kathmandu. It is amazing to see how the villages along the trail still exhibits countryside lifestyle of Nepal even though it is so close to the city. The best part is the Himalayan backdrop that is immanent throughout the trip.

On the way to Nagarkot

Nagarkot at the altitude of 2,100 m is the famous hill station in the suburb of Kathmandu Valley. It is 35 km away from the central Kathmandu. The sunrise and sunset view from Nagarkot is magnificent. So people plan a night's halt in Nagarkot. Bhaktapur, the medieval town is located half way to Nagarkot. So one can also plan an afternoon discovering the Newari architecture, culture and lifestyle wandering through the maze like alleyways of Bhaktapur. This is known as living museum as it still exhibits the medieval look and lifestyle of the people. Majority of the people are farmer and the city is self sufficient. One can see old women weaving their traditional textile, pottery, handmade paper production, wood carving, Thanka Painting and metal sculpting. There are hundreds of monumental buildings around Bhaktapur.

From Bhaktapur it takes about 40 mints to drive to Nagarkot. The road passes through the green fields and climbs through terraced fields towards Nagarkot. The drive is scenic with the green valley view on one side and Himalayas on the other side. Hotels are perched atop the hill facing Himalayas. Walk or drive to the tower at the top of the hill for the best sunset view.

Himalayan range seen from Nagarkot in the dawn  

Hiking

The hiking trail from Nagarkot gradually descends through the terraced fields to the 'Tamang villages. Even though the village is not far from the road access and the city, it retains its typical lifestyle. The thatched hoses, painted with ocher are built by locally found stones hand-hewn by local craftsmen. Houses are normally 3 storied with kitchen in the ground floor, bedroom in the second and store on the top. A courtyard in front adjoining a shed for animals. The garden next to the house supply seasonal vegetables and fruits. Spring brings color to the village with off springs of goats and other animals as well as colorful blossoms everywhere. A scene of local wine making is pretty common through out the year. Wine is integral part of their celebrations. 'Tamang' are one of the ethnic group who migrated to the hills of Nepal from Tibet before Buddhism went to Tibet. So their practices are animistic and shamanistic mixed with Hinduism and Buddhism now a days.
The first part of the hiking is an cultural encounter while the second part is more natural as the trail follows the ridge with deciduous forest. The ridge is perched between sweeping valleys of Shaku towards north and Bhaktapur towards south. The Himalayan view appear undisturbed. The walking is easy with gradual downhill and fairly leveled path. It will take about 4 hrs to reach Changunarayan from where one can drive back to Kathmandu.

Changunarayan

Changunarayan is the oldest pagoda style temple in Nepal. It is believed that the area hosted an early settlement when Kathmandu valley was a lake. In the premises of temple exists fine stone sculptures, all over 1,000 years old. These idols are masterpieces of stone sculptures and are praised by experts from all over the world. This is also known as open museum. The temple is dedicated to Hundu God Bishnu and is a perfect example of Nepalese Pagoda Style temple. The site is listed by UNESCO as World Heritage Site.
The hiking ends at Changunarayn. There are few restaurants where one can buy their lunch. From here one can drive back to Bhaktapur or Kathmandu.

Short trek around Kathmandu

One can also start from Changunarayan and hike to Nagarkot. It is also possible to continue walking towards Shivapuri national park, making it a short trek around Kathmandu. This 3 - 4 days 'Kathmandu valley trek' traverse the sub-tropical forest in the northern wall of Kathmandu valley coming to the ridge top view point. Panoramic view of central Himalayan range makes the highlight of the trek. Pleasant walk through the Rhododendron, Oak and pine forest, leads to charming village of Tamang people in the outskirt. The trek is combination of both cultural encounter and the Himalayan scenery.


Writer is avid trekker with an experience of over twenty years. He is working as tour and trek consultant at 'i Tour Nepal P ltd'. Visit our website or write us if you need more information on Nepal Tour.