Luxury Kathmandu Valley trek

Flying into Kathmandu on a clear day is in itself an unforgettable experience. The Himalayan peaks are only a short distance north of the capital of Nepal as seen from the plane. After customs, you will pass into the passenger pick-up area outside the building. You will see a Mountain Company signboard. Our representative will be waiting to welcome you to Nepal.

After transferring to your hotel we will give you a full trek briefing. The rest of the day will be yours to explore Kathmandu and to make final preparations for the trek. You will hear the Nepalese word for hello ‘Namaste’, you will never forget that word after this holiday.

This is a one day guided sightseeing tour of the Kathmandu Valley. We visit three out of the seven World Heritage Sites. You start off by visiting Patan Durbar Square. Afterwards you drive to the Buddhist stupa at Boudhanath. The last stop of the day at the Hindu shrine of Pashupatinath. The tour is likely to finish around 4pm and the rest of the day is free to further explore Kathmandu.

Three major towns in the valley, Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur. Each place has great artistic and architectural traditions. Kathmandu is the capital and the largest city in the country. Patan, the second largest separated from Kathmandu by Bagmati river. Bhaktapur, the third largest, is towards the eastern end of the valley. Its relative isolation reflected in its slower pace and more medieval atmosphere. In Kathmandu there is a bustle of activity especially in the bazaars and markets. While the city has expanded over the last 10 years it is still possible to see traditional buildings and temples.

After passing Bhaktapur we drive up a ridge to Changu Narayan. This is an important Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Visnu. This is the oldest temple in Nepal dating back to the 5th century. After a visit to the temple we start the trek along a forested ridge. There are views of rice fields down on the valley floor. After Tilkot Forest Reserve we join the road to Nagarkot. After walking on the road for a short section we turn off onto a trail. This ascends through fields to Nagarkot town. A short distance above the bazaar is our hotel for the night at Club Himalaya. 

From Nagarkot we walk along the ridge on the edge of Bageshwari Forest Reserve. Soon we pass the Nagarkot View Tower. We continue walking along a tranquil trail to the junction at Rohini Bhanjang.  From here we keep going straight along the ridge. After ½ hour we descend passing through terraced fields and farms towards Tanchok village. Before arriving at Tanchok you turn left on the road to ascend a ridge with Buddhist stupa on the summit. There is a superb 360 degree view of the Himalaya peaks and also down to Kathmandu valley. From the stupa we follow the ridge through Opi Village and onto the View Tower. From here we descend to Dhulikhel town. As The Dwarika's Resort is beyond Dhulikhel it is best to get picked up by our vehicle for this drive.

Dhulikhel is at the eastern rim of Kathmandu Valley at 1,550m above sea level. The oldest area of the town is an assembly of fine old Newari houses. These are often occupied by twenty or more members of the extended families. The houses have fine Newari craftsmanship with carved windows and doors. The panorama from Dhulikhel is majestic with Himalayas spreading from East to West. There are views of more than twenty Himalayan peaks. These include Ganesh Himal (7,429m), Langtang (7,234m) Gaurishanker (7134m) and Lhotse (8,516m).

We have a later start today in order for you to enjoy spending time at The Dwarika's Dhulikhel. This place has large grounds with a range of facilities so it is well worth exploring the property. We have lunch here before starting our afternoon hike to Namo Buddha. We walk up through Dwarika's and exit on a trail at the top. From here we follow the ridge before descending to the road near the village of Kabrechhap. We cross the road and walk up a small trail to Namo Buddha. This walk is lovely as we pass through farmhouses and terraced fields. We arrive at Namo Buddha Resort located on the ridge before the monastery. In the afternoon we will visit the monastery. Namo Buddha is one of the most important Buddhist sites in Nepal.

We walk back towards the monastery and from here we have the choice of a long or short trail to Baltali village. The shorter trail starts from the lower stupa whereas the longer one starts from upper stupa. Both of these are lovely trails as we descend through traditional villages. We see ochre coloured farm houses surrounded by orange trees. Around Balthali there is rhododendron forest, magnolia and Sal trees. Baltali village is at the junction of Roshi and Ladku Khola River and stands on a fertile plateau.

Today we have a short walk to Khopasi village crossing two suspension bridges along the way. We meet our vehicle and drive to Panauti. This is an old Newari town with narrow streets and ancient buildings. Its location is at the confluence of two rivers called Roshi khola and Punyamata khola.

Panauti has many temples dating back to the 15th Century. The Indreswor temple is one of the largest pagoda style temples in Nepal. It is one of the oldest surviving temples in Nepal. Roof struts on the temple show distinct Nepalese wood-carving and architecture. Pots and pans hang from the upper section. These are offerings from couples hoping for a happy and prosperous family life. After lunch in Panauti we drive for a couple of hours to the Himalayan Heights Resort at Hattiban. The location is superb as we look out over Kathmandu and to the Himalayas to the North.

After breakfast we hike up to the peak of Champadevi at an altitude of 2,285m. We follow a trail from the hotel up through pine forest onto a grassy ridge. Further up we walk on stone steps to the top. There is a Buddhist stupa and a Hindu shrine at the summit and pilgrims visit here on full moon day. From here we descend a steeper trail through the jungle to the road.

We meet our vehicle and drive to Bhaktapur. This is an ancient Newari town. It is a World Heritage Site due to its rich culture, temples and traditional artwork. The main places to see are:

• Layaku (Durbar Square) has pagoda and shikhara-style temples
• Nyatapola Temple is a pagoda with five storeys built by King Bhupatindra Malla in 1702 AD. It stands on five terraces and on each of which squat a pair of figures. There are two wrestlers, two elephants, two lions and two griffins. Plus also Baghini and Singhini known as the tiger and the lion goddesses.
• Bhairab Nath Temple is another pagoda temple of Lord Bhairab. He is the dreadful aspect of Shiva.
• Dattatraya Temple built out of the trunk of a single tree and  consecrated by King Yakshya Malla in 1427 AD.

Transfer to Kathmandu airport for the flight back home. End of trip.