Nepal Trek and Temples

Rise and shine, our adventure begins today! We'll take in the magical mayhem of Kathmandu this morning, before driving up to Sundarijal, at a heady elevation of 1350m. Our 5 hour trek begins! Beyond Sundarijal our trekking trail climbs continuously through forest to a medieval reservoir and a dam. A steep climb after that brings us up to 1550m, before we reach the top of the Shivapuri ridge, the first village on the trail with the sprawling Tamang settlement of Milkshake at 1895m. We've all earned a little break at this stage, so visit one of the settlement's tea shops and relax with a cup as you enjoy a spectacular panorama over the Kathmandu Valley. We'll also enjoy an included lunch before setting off once more, towards the dense forestland of Shivapuri National Park. Awed by the beauty of the thickited pines, we'll hike through a forest of oak and rhododendron before finally reaching our destination for the night, our lodge in Chisapani, at a height of 2300m. After an included dinner, it's time to recharge for tomorrow.

There's nothing like some mountain views and the sounds of birdsong to get you out of bed in the morning. Our trek recommences after breakfast today as we head to Nagarkot from Chisapani which takes around 3 hours. After about 2 hours of pleasant walking, we reach the settlement of Chauki Bhanjyang where we can rest for a while and eat lunch. Then we'll make our way through stunning mid-hill villages and terraced farmlands to Nagarkot. Nagarkot is probably the most popular hill station around Kathmandu Valley, offering unique views of the majestic Himalayas, deep valleys, and lush pine forests. Best of all, the sunrise and sunset views from this exotic hilltop are probably the best in or around Kathmandu, and we'll make sure we don't miss the sunset today before we head to our lodge and turn in for the night after dinner.

We recommend rising before dawn today to absorb that magical sunrise from Nagarkot. Thousands of visitors throng to Nagarkot every year to witness this spectacle so it'd be shame to miss out on the golden sun stretching over the glittering Himalayas. After breakfast, our 6 hour trek begins. We'll walk along an easy trail that penetrates through dense community forests and small mid-hill settlements to Dhulikhel. After six hours of fairly leisurely hiking, we'll reach Dhulikhel, which boasts traditional Newari culture and natural delights. The views of the Northeastern Himalayas from here are utterly mesmerizing. After we've posed for some pictures and had dinner we'll retreat to our lodge for the night.

Our last day of hiking starts with another stunning sunrise view from Dhulikhel and another breakfast at our lodge. Our 4 hour trail today climbs up to the Kali Mandir - a temple dedicated to Goddess Kali - before dropping down to the village of Kavre and past a line of shops and tea houses. Through the pine woods of Phulbari we'll finally reach the hill of Namobuddha. Namobuddha rests at an elevation of 1750 m and is a sacred Buddhist Pilgrimage site. The shrines built in this lovely little hill mark a very ancient site where a legendary prince named Mahasattva offered to sacrifice himself to feed a starving Tigress with several young cubs. This legendary episode is depicted on a stone slab and placed right next to one of the holy Stupas on this hillside. After paying homage to Mahasattva, it's time to finish our trek and drive back to Kathmandu. Tonight we'll settle in for our last evening and swaps stories and photos of the adventure we've had.

After breakfast our adventure ends today back where we started. But we won't forget those Himalayan sunsets in a hurry.