The Nagarkot sunrise to Changu Narayan hike is one of the shortest and easiest hikes on the outskirts of the Kathmandu valley. The hike which takes around 3-4 hours to the most begins from the hill station, Nagarkot.
The Tamang Village as per its name is filled with the Tamang community that is particularly known to be kind and warm to outsiders. Generally their three stories thatched houses are built by their local craftsmen. Local wine making is also a common practice in the area.
The initial part of the hike encounters with the cultural aspect while the second half is all about natural beauty and tranquility. Since Changunarayan is located at a height, the views of the valley far down below can be witnesses along with the hills and mountain ranges up above.
The Nagarkot sunrise to Changu Narayan hike is one of the shortest and easiest hikes on the outskirts of the Kathmandu valley. The hike which takes around 3-4 hours to the most begins from the hill station, Nagarkot.
With distinctive views of the Himalayas surrounding the miniature yet fascinating Kathmandu valley, the Nagarkot to Changu Narayan hike is a paradise walk for enthusiastic hikers. The hike trails along a Tamang village and presents the unity among the people amidst cultural diversity.
About Nagarkot and Changu Narayan
Nagarkot is a hill station which is a well-known tourist destination. Every year thousands of tourist flock the area to view the mesmerizing scenes of the high standing peaks and the Kathmandu valley below it.
Dedicated to Lord Vishnu, Changu Narayan is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is known to have been around since the ancient time of Kirat. The Changu Narayan temple is a holy pilgrimage for many cultures and has been around since thousands of years.
The Route
The hike begins early in the morning after breakfast. The starting point of the hike is Nagarkot which is a hill station located at 2100 meter. The trail descends through the terraced fields through the Tamang Village.
As you walk downhill we get a view of the majestic mountains all along the way. After 4 hours of walk, you reach the Newar Village which is home to the Newari community and their ancient brick houses.
A short walk takes you to the oldest pagoda style Hindu temple in Nepal, the Changunarayan Temple.After sightseeing around the Changunarayan area, you can drive up to your desired destination.
The Scenery
Nagarkot is a popular tourist destination due to the change to observe the majestic views of the Himalayan range surrounding the Kathmandu Valley down below. On a clear day, the snowy peaks can be visible around the crest.
The Tamang Village as per its name is filled with the Tamang community that is particularly known to be kind and warm to outsiders. Generally their three stories thatched houses are built by their local craftsmen. Local wine making is also a common practice in the area.
The initial part of the hike encounters with the cultural aspect while the second half is all about natural beauty and tranquility. Since Changunarayan is located at a height, the views of the valley far down below can be witnesses along with the hills and mountain ranges up above.
Lily S.
7th Aug, 2022
Beautiful sunrise from the top of the tower. A great guide who takes you through beautiful villages, highly recommend!
Marie F
7th Aug, 2022
It's a pleasure to trek with a guide, Ganest, who have always a smile!! The different views are beautiful and the food in the hostel is just very good ! Great nepali' welcoming ! Merci Ganesh pour ta patience ;) et ta bienveillance ! Maybe see you soon :)
Aili
24th Feb, 2023
Absolutely beautiful views and tour guide was funny! Took me to local restaurants which were fantastic.
Andrew R
24th Feb, 2023
Had a great time on the day hike. The sunrise was really enjoyable to watch with great views of the distant surrounding mountains with some awesome photo opportunities. Day hike wasn't too hard by any means and just really refreshing and a fantastic opportunity to see the local countryside. Guide was very friendly and knowledgeable and just all around good company. I'd highly recommend it! Written November 2, 2022
Jake M
24th Feb, 2023
Fantastic trip, Ghan was really helpful and informative. The first half is downhill through villages and a temple. The trek then goes slightly Uphill, but is not too challenging. Breakfast was also tasty. Highly recommended!
Kadie L
24th Feb, 2023
Great guide, informative and kind. Lovely driver. Fab hike seeing mountains, temples, local villages, rice paddies and a beautiful sunrise. Would recommend.
Pierre M
26th Oct, 2022
A really nice half day with a friendly guide and Amazing sunset in the perfect place at the perfect moment. And then really cool hiking through typical nepal landscape! We finish the hike by visiting the impressive old city of Bakthapur. I recommand!
Sergii
10th Dec, 2019
The best trip I have ever had!!! Dec 2019 This year, me and my wife were lucky to visit Kathmandu :) It was absolutely spontaneous trip and a week ago I would never have thought that I would go to Nepal. Honestly, I did not expect that I would see something incredible, but how wrong I was. An interesting culture, people, local food, and of course mountains .. This is why I want to come there again and again. And these are not the mountains that we are used to see in our country. But th... See more e real, powerful and majestic. Everyone who wants to see the real mountains, you need to visit Nepal at least once in your life. We started our trip by finding guide, as we were completely unprepared, and didn't have experience in hiking. Walking around Kathmandu and travel agencies we found out that prices are from $100 to $150 per person. The program was for the half day and included morning trip by taxi to the mountain observation point to meet the sunrise, lunch and of course hiking. Honestly, 200 bucks was a bit expensive for us. But we were lucky as the owner of our hostel Shan offered the same trip but almost twice cheeper. At first I doubted, but still decided to try. In addition, he lent his winter jacket since my wife didn't have it. For this, by the way, a special thanks to him. So we woke up at 4 in the morning. Met us a young guy named Anjan. Very nice and polite. Despite the fact that I constantly work with English, his English language was much better. From him I learned a lot of information about the mountains and Nepal. So after sunrise, we went down the mountains along the forest down to the road. At first I thought it would be a little bit boring but our guide was communicative and constantly supported the conversation. He told a lots of interesting things about mountains, culture, people, In general, I learned much more from him than from all other people. The coolest thing is that we began to go down through the local village where I had a good look at the local life of Nepalese. After some time it turns out that we needed to get to the hotel before lunch. After I told Anjan about this, he began to call the taxi driver so that he would drive as high as possible to the mountains and pick us up there. And then we went through the forest where as it turned out even Anjan has never been :) It was very cool and unforgettable. I've never had such interesting trip. So guys, if someone wants the same adventure, contact our guide, he is really a cool guy Read less See less...
Genelyn
23rd May, 2019
I have a good experience on travelling to nepal. I really enjoy it while im watching sunset and sunrise view on the Nagarkot mountain. Then we go to bahktapur durbar Square i see many ancient temple there and i also watch how they make clay pot. People are so friendly and religious
Scruffy
24th May, 2019
Fun early morning hike with an amazing guide that was able answer all my questions and tell lots of interesting things about the hike and Kathmandu. The hike is along a trail in good condition that has a couple of hills but isn't difficult. At sunrise it was kind of cold but once the hike started things warmed up.
rmausa
24th Jan, 2019
We only did this as an afternoon for $40 to see Everest mountain range from nagarkot tower because our morning flight had been canceled for three mornings in a row. This option was offered as we had afternoon sun. Here is a picture of the view!
Andrew
14th Sep, 2018
If you enjoy a moderate hike, breath taking views, and want an authentic Nepal experience, book this! I’ve never been so mesmerized by nature and culture all at once. Ghan made it SO simple to book and plan. We had such an amazing time, I can’t say it enough. Bring water and comfortable shoes!!
Ksenia
10th Sep, 2018
It was a beautiful sunrise tour. First we went by car to Nagarkot to see the sunrise, then had some tea there and went trekking around the Kathmandu valley. It was fun. Ghang is a friendly, talkative person. He organized everything and was being a really good guide. I enjoyed it!
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