The Nagarkot Day hike is one of the many hikes around the Kathmandu Valley. For travelers who are short of time to explore the High Mountains and in need of some leisure time from the busy and unhealthy activities of Kathmandu Valley, Nagarkot day hiking will provide a peaceful and healthy interlude.
A 90-minute drive on a blacktop road passes by the historic city of Bhaktapur with its heritage of temples and centuries-old homes and buildings. We also encounter the green vegetation moraine inside the Chir-pine forest. We then climb up to Nagarkot (2100m), where the majestic sunrise and sunset views from the top of Nagarkot let us see many of the famous Himalayan peaks.
After we reach Nagarkot we will start hiking down to Telkot passing through the terraced fields. Telkot, an ancient and cultural village of the Tamang tribe, has houses painted in traditional Tamang Colors. Homemade organic food is an extra feature of this hike. It is really a beautiful experience to see the village and lifestyle close to the capital city.
Along the trail, we can see people working in their fields and making local wine call “Raksi” prepared by a traditional process of purification using cooking food grains, like maize, millet, wheat, and Rice. On the first part of the hike, we will encounter the Chir-pine forest and experience the local culture and lifestyle of the native group. We advise day hikes for good preparation before starting a long Adventure Journey to the Himalayas such as treks like Everest Base Camp Trek or other long trekking holidays in Nepal.
The second part of the hike is going to add more surprising natural thrills to our travel. Passing through a dense forest, a close look at the flora & fauna will give you an opportunity to encounter at close range of Mother Nature’s treasure. After half an hour of climbing upward, we then reach the top of the hill from where we will walk on a level trail for about one and one-half hours along the Chir-pine ridge with a view of Bhaktapur and backdrop views of the Jugal Himalayan, Gourishankar Himalayan, Langtang Himalayan, and Ganesh Himalayan ranges.
Then four more hours of waking will take us to Changunarayan, the oldest Pagoda-style temple in Bhaktapur, where we can see one of the most acclaimed masterpieces of stone carving in the world. Changunarayan Temple is listed as a UNESCO world heritage site. Our hike ends here where we take private transport to Kathmandu.
Nagarkot Day Hike Details Itineraries:
Day 1: Early in the morning our transport will drive us from the hotel to Nagarkot (2100m). This scenic one and one half hour drive took us to the heritage city of Bhaktapur, passing nice green meadows along the way. Our hiking starts from here. A rambling half-hour walk takes us down to the start point of the regular hike through cultivated land and a beautiful Tamang village.
The easy hiking for 4 hours takes us through local settlements. We will be able to see majestic Himalayan views as well as observe interesting flora & fauna. Then we reach Changunarayan, the end of our hiking. After lunch at Changunarayan, we will drive back to our hotel in Kathmandu.
