Kathmandu Valley Ridge hike

Kathmandu, being a historical and cultural heart of Nepal, is a popular destination for tourists, trekkers and adventure seekers. The city presents a wonderful mixture of Hinduism, Tibetan Buddhism and Western influence in the Valley. The ancient cities Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur are the major attractions, with their evocative city squares and represent an epitome of harmony in urban design, elegant architecture and refined culture.

Today we have an option of an early morning mountain flight before breakfast – this flight is a truly spectacular 1-hour flight along the Himalayan Range to unforgettable Mount Everest and back! After a hotel breakfast we will explore the must see UNESCO sites of Kathmandu and its surroundings – the holy Hindus Temple of Pashupatinath, Kathmandu and Patan Durbar Square plus the holy Buddhist Stupa of Swayambhunath and Boudhanath.

Pashupatinath, which houses a sacred lingam, or the phallic symbol of Lord Shiva is one of the holiest temples in the Hindu religion and was first mention in 365 AD. The Aryaghat alongside Pashupatinath and on the banks of the Bagmati River is a famous funeral site for the Hindus. It is such an important pilgrimage site that any Hindu should visit it once in their life and there is a constant stream of sadhus coming and going from Nepal and India. Non-Hindu visitors are only permitted to view the temple from the east bank of Bagmati River, as entrance into the temple is strictly forbidden to all non-Hindus.

Kathmandu Durbar Square was the palace of the medieval Kings who ruled over the then Kantipur Kingdom. Inside the Durbar Square complex, we will visit the residence and temple of the Living Goddess ‘Kumari’. Born to Buddhist parents, is a young girl who is considered sacred as long as she has not reached menstruation. Every year, the Kumari makes just 3 public appearances, during which she is carried through the streets by a large chariot. We will also see the Kasthamandap, the impressive resting place from which the name “Kathmandu” is said to have come and made from a single tree.

Swayambhu meaning the “The self-existent” is said to be 2000 years old and is one of Nepal’s most important Buddhist sanctuaries located on a hill top. It is popularly known as ‘Monkey Temple’ as the area owing to the large number of monkey population residing in the area. The oldest inscription discovered dates back to the 5th century and refers to the founding of a monastery. The whole hill is a mosaic of smallChaityas (memorials) and temples and it is one of the only places that you can see the Stupa, Pagoda and Shikar style of temple. It is a sacred Buddhist place of worship, but it is also holy to Hindus and you can also find Hindu shrines here – a fine illustration of the religious tolerance found in Nepal.

Patan Durbar Square is one of the three ancient cities from which Kathmandu Valley was made up of – located at the south of Kathmandu city commonly known as the city of fine arts. According to legend, the founding of Patan dates back to Pre-Christian times. As opposed to the Malla Kingdoms of Kathmandu and Bhaktapur that were mainly influenced by the Hindu religion, Patan was for many years a major Buddhist city. It is believed that it was founded in the third century B.C. by the famous Buddhist emperor, Ashoka – who visited the town while on a pilgrimage from Northern India and built four stupas that enclosed the centre of the old town. This would make it the oldest continuing Buddhist town in the world.

The Buddhists shrine of Boudhanath is one of the largest Stupas in the world and one of the holiest Buddhist pilgrimage plus a tourist destination in Kathmandu. It stands with four pairs of eyes in the four cardinal directions keeping watch for righteous behaviour and human prosperity. Boudhanath is part of the shared history of Nepal and Tibet, with Tibet having held ruling privileges over the site until the last century. It is built on an octagonal base inset with prayer wheels and the stupa is ringed by houses of Lamas or Buddhist priest, monasteries and shops. The area of Boudhanath is also famous for over 50 Tibetan Gompas or monasteries.

After breakfast this morning, we leave the Kathmandu city behind and drive about an hour to Sundarijal, a stunning lakeside town with incredible mountain views, 200 km west of Kathmandu. The reservoir here supplies most of Kathmandu Valley’s drinking water. Commence with a steep up cline stone steps passing shops and huge pipelines as we steadily climb up to arrive at Army check post. The trail then passes through mixed forest and Mulkharka village to Chisapani Danda. During a clear day, Chisapani offers magnificent views of the Northern Himalayas and demarcates the northern limits of Kathmandu Valley.

Meals: Lunch and Dinner Sleeping: Dorje Lhakpa Lodge

After the teahouse breakfast, an interesting trail takes us to the hill retreat of Nagarkot, perched on a ridge 32 kilometres east of Kathmandu. It commands sweeping views of the Himalayas. Five of the world’s ten highest peaks – Mt. Everest, Mt. Lhotse, Mt. Choyu, Makalu and Manaslu are visible from here. Nagarkot is one of the most scenic spots in Kathmandu Valley and beyond. It is a favourite place to relax and pamper oneself and to enjoy the spectacular sunrise and sunset over the snowy peaks along with its lovely weather. Nagarkot accommodates finest of resorts, hotels, restaurants and cafes. We will spend our night at one of the best resort or hotel in Nagarkot.

Before breakfast, we can enjoy the sunrise with the Himalayan Range, stunning views that we will be able to capture with our cameras. We then will drive to Telkhot and hike to Changunarayan – the oldest temple in the Kathmandu valley, and a UNESCI World Heritage Site. It remains a milestone in Nepali temple architecture with rich embossed works. The temple is all surrounded by sculptures and arts related to Lord Vishnu. In addition, we can find the temple of Lord Shiva, Ashta Matrika, Chhinnamasta, Kileshwor and Krishna inside the courtyard of main temple. There are four entrances to the temple and these four entrance gates are guarded by life size pairs of animals such as lions, sarabhas, graffins and elephants on each side of the entrances. The ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu and the other idols are carved in the struts, which support the roof. On the main entrance gate (western gate), we can find the Chakra, Sankha, Kamal and Khadga all at the top of a Stone pillar. These stone pillars has inscription in Sanskrit. This inscription is considered the oldest inscription of Nepal and Lichhavi King Manasdeva erected the stone inscription pillar in 464 AD.

After the visit to the temple, we drink local chaya- tea at Changunaryan overlooking the Kathmandu valley. After that we drive to Bhaktapur for Lunch. Bhaktapur – one of the three ancient cities within the Kathmandu Valley. This old city is also known as Bhadgaun, meaning the city of devotees and is the home of true medieval art and architecture in the Valley. Lying 14 km east of Kathmandu city,

Bhaktapur was founded in the 9th carved peacock windows but also due to its museum. Bhaktapur is the centre of traditional Nepalese woodcarving. Compared to other royal cities in Patan and Kathmandu, Bhaktapur is the most original and is without a doubt the most historically authentic as it is literally a living museum where farmers dry their harvest, potters turn their wheel and people go about live, as they have done. Tonight we are staying in Thamel- the tourist district of Kathmandu. Where you have easy acess to shops until you drop.

After breakfast at your hotel, you are free until it is time for us to transfer you to the airport in time for your flight home.

we will drive straight to airport in time for our flight home. (3 hrs before flight departure time)