Nagarkot Day Hike- Nagarkot to Changunarayan

Nagarkot Day Hike- Nagarkot to Changunarayan

Nepal is a beautiful country with many tourist destinations. The country is incredibly famous for mountains and marvelous destination. Nepal with the mountains and hills has one of the most amazing trekking and hiking routes. There are so many trekking and hiking routes in the country that it is hard to even say which among them is the best. Mainly the trekking routes and hiking destinations are located away from Kathmandu valley in the deep Himalayas, where yearly many internal as well as external tourists come to take the majestic view of the mountains.

The country that is blessed with the high Himalayas, green hills, and amazing plains are worth visiting. These popular destinations generally lie outside of the Kathmandu valley which is also the capital city of the country. However, Kathmandu valley is also full of wonders and hides the most beautiful destinations. Nagarkot day hike, Lakuri Vanjyang hike, Chandragiri hike, Phul chauki hike are some of the major hiking routes of the Kathmandu valley. Kathmandu valley is closer to nature if you have the eye to see it.

Kathmandu valley

Kathmandu valley is the capital of the country and also its economic center. It is also the biggest settlement in the country and people from all over the country come here for a better lifestyle and to find more opportunities. Aside, from being the supreme economic point in the country the place is also the cultural center of the country.

It is a living example of art and the combination of the culture of many centuries and various religions. Nepal has eight UNESCO-listed cultural heritage sites in its territory and seven of them lie inside Kathmandu valley. Sometimes, the seven sites are considered also as the one cultural heritage site. However, that just makes the entire city the cultural heritage site as the locations is scattered all around the territory of the city.

Kathmandu has many gifts it is the cultural center, economic center. However, there is more to the valley as it has natural beauty also. It is true that Kathmandu is very populated around the center and has no forest and resources. However, the valley is surrounded by hills on all sides and the corners of the valley are rich in resources. Nagarkot day hike, Shivpuri hike, Sundarijal hike, are some the hike that lets one enjoy the natural beauty of Kathmandu valley.

Among the many hikes of Kathmandu valley, the Nagarkot day hike has its importance and beauty. Various people mainly the people of Kathmandu valley come here for the Nagarkot day hike. Most people do not know about the beauty of the area surrounding the Kathmandu valley so hikes like Nagarkot day hikes are still not much popular. However, the Nagarkot day hike still has all the potential to be the perfect short hike to take out the brief period of refreshment in these busy periods.

Nagarkot

Nagarkot is the name of the village located at the edge of Kathmandu valley at the center of Nepal. The village is located at the hill and the place is famous for its sunrise view and view of the mountains. Nagarkot is located 27.9km away from the center of Kathmandu valley. People can get here in many ways there is a local bus route to the top of the hill, can take private vehicles, tourists can hire the vehicles to get here or can hike there as Nagarkot day hike is also extremely popular.

Nagarkot is located at the Bhaktapur district which is among the three districts which make up the Kathmandu valley together. The height of Nagarkot is 2175 m from sea level. The elevation of this hill is amazing and is one of the highest places near the Kathmandu valley. Elevation of Nagarkot is pretty decent and the place even occasionally had snowfall in the past during the period of mid-winter.

Nagarkot is incredibly famous for the Nagarkot day hike but people visit here for several reasons. This is also a popular picnic spot and in the winter period various schools, organizations take their people and students for a picnic in Nagarkot. Nagarkot also has some lavish hotels and destinations.

The tourists who go for Nagarkot day hike can hike to the peak of the hill and relax at a luxury hotel if they wish for it. They also can only enjoy nature by going to the Nagarkot day hike and just avoid the hotels also. There are many ways Nagarkot day hike can go and it is entirely dependent upon the hikers to decide what they want with it.

Changu Narayan

Changu Narayan is also another hill located in the district Bhaktapur. It is located 22.3km away from the center of Kathmandu valley. It takes around 47 minutes to get to the Changu Narayan area from the center of Kathmandu valley. Changu Narayan area is incredibly famous and is one of the UNESCO cultural heritage sites of Nepal.

The top of the hill consists of a temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu and is very magnificent. Changu Narayan temple is surrounded by the old Newar settlement which is also magnificent. Changu area is extraordinarily rich in history and traditions. The temple of Lord Vishnu is centuries old and contains sculptures, idols, and monuments that tell the story of the culture and arts.

Changu Narayan is one of the most visit sites of Kathmandu valley. The temple is surrounded by the village on one side while is surrounded by trees on the other side. The forest of Salla is a community forest and it is prohibited to cut the trees. Salla trees are all around here and it is amazing to spend time here. Past the trees also the area is surrounded by human settlements.

Nagarkot day hike to Changunarayan is an amazing hike and people who have completed the hike would not regret it in any other way.

Nagarkot day hike

The morning of the Nagarkot day hike begins in Kathmandu. The breakfast is taken at Kathmandu valley. From Kathmandu, there are many ways one can get to Nagarkot. There is a bus route that can get you to Nagarkot if you like. However, the bus route of that area is not that convenient and may take some time to get there that may disturb the hiking schedule. So, one can always hire vehicles to get there. Also, there is the option to hike to Nagarkot.

Nagarkot is not that far from Kathmandu valley if gone by vehicle and can be reached within 45 minutes. However, the Nagarkot day hike from Kathmandu can take time. It is best to start the hike from Bhaktapur if you are planning to reach Nagarkot also by hiking.

To Nagarkot

Nagarkot can be reached in about 45 minutes if you went by vehicle. However, if one starts the journey from Bhaktapur on foot in Nagarkot day hike then it is going to take two to three hours to reach there. There are two options here if you want to enjoy nature to Nagarkot in Nagarkot day hike or enjoy the sunrise.

If you take the vehicle in Nagarkot day hike to Nagarkot then you can go before sunrise and enjoy the famous sunrise from Nagarkot. However, if you decide to Hike to Nagarkot early in the morning you cannot enjoy the view and nature so you have to go after sunrise. By what method you go to Nagarkot day hike it is fine.

There are two ways one can reach Nagarkot. Both of these ways need to be passed through Bhaktapur to get. One was the old route and the new route that goes through the route of Chareli. Both ways have the bus on the routes if one wants to go by them.

Nagarkot

After reaching Nagarkot the hikers will enjoy the view at Nagarkot for some time before beginning the way to Change Narayan. Nagarkot is known for its views and luxurious hotels where people can go to relax. View of the eight different mountain ranges can be seen from the top of Nagarkot. Annapurna range, Manaslu range, Ganesh Himal range, Langtang range, Jugal range, Rolwaling range, Mahalangur range and Numbur range. Mahalungur range is the famous range that has Mount Everest in it.

Nagarkot has a view spot on top of its hill. It is the main spot from which the mountains can be seen. The peak of the Nagarkot hill is one of the highlight spots of the Nagarkot day hike. There are many activities in Nagarkot like there is also the facility of paragliding, Nagarkot panoramic hiking trail however these activities are for another time. In this Nagarkot day hike, we set our course to Changu Narayan and will move towards thereafter having food.

The hikers will take food at Nagarkot and set their sight to Changu Narayan. Nagarkot has various resorts and restaurants one can choose where they want to have the food. From typical Nepali food to foreign foods everything is available here. Now, the trekkers will rest here for some time after having food as moving immediately after having a heavy meal is not good for walking distance. After resting and gaining energy the trekkers will again start their journey of Nagarkot day hike to Changu Narayan.

Nagarkot to Changu Narayan

The distance from nagarkot to Changu Narayan is 9.6km. This is a short hiking distance but is by far one of the most memorable hiking around Kathmandu valley. This path joins the two of the most beautiful destinations of Kathmandu Nagarkot and Changu Narayan. The time needed to complete this trail depends completely on the pace by which the hikers travel. If they are experienced hikers then Changu Narayan Nagarkot day hike can be completed between 2 to 3 hours.

If you are a beginner hiker then it may take some time but make no mistake it is not one of the difficult hiking and is an easy one. Even moving at a slow pace enjoying the environment this trail can be completed within 4 hours. If the hikers move according to schedule, then they will reach Changu Narayan completing the Nagarkot day hike at around 2 to 3 pm.

Reaching and exploring Changu Narayan

After reaching Changu Narayan before anything else the hikers will have lunch. After having lunch, they will rest for some time and begin exploring Changu Narayan area. First, the hikers will visit the high light of the area Changu Narayan area. There is the main temple of Narayan (Lord Vishnu) and other smaller temples that are dedicated to the various gods and goddesses. If they like the hikers can worship at the temple of Narayan, as it is one of the holiest Hindu temples.

It is among the four brothers of Narayan living in various parts of Kathmandu valley according to the mythology. One can see the various idols made by the finest artists of the ancient Bhaktapur. The temple was partly damaged by the earthquake of 2014, and sadly is still getting repaired. Most of the work is done but some parts are still to be completed. As the last part of the Changu Narayan Nagarkot trail activity, the hikers will visit the newar community that surrounds the temple.

The houses are made in newar style and resemble the way the ancient people lived in this area. The hikers also can-do shopping here as the area has a good market. From the things made of wood, masks, ornaments, many things can be found here. The caps made from wool, socks, etc. are also available here so if one wants to buy the items as the memory of completing Changu Narayan Nagarkot day hike they can buy them here.

Returning from Nagarkot day hike

Our one-day Nagarkot day hike is about to end here as the hikers had reached their ultimate point of the journey. Now, from here the hikers will return to Kathmandu valley. There are some ways they can return to Kathmandu. They can get either go on the local bus from here to Bhaktapur or hire a taxi to return to Kathmandu. They can choose either way they are comfortable with returning.