Nagarkot Sunrise - Changu Hike - Bhaktapur - 1 Day

Day 1: Kathmandu, Nepal

Stop At: Nagarkot View Tower The trip starts early morning, usually an hour and a half earlier than sunrise. It takes approximately 1 hour to reach Nagarkot. So, we will schedule the pickup time around 4:00 am. Your transportation and guide will pick you up from the pickup location and head to Nagarkot. Even if you reach half an hour early, you can see the beautiful night sky. Enjoy the night view with a cup of tea. As the sunrise approaches near, the colors start to change from orange to red, and the snowy mountains seem to come to life. Then comes the next best part of this early morning trip, the panoramic mountain views of many ranges like Annapurna Range, Ganesh Himal Range, Manaslu Range, Mahalangur Range, Rolwaling Range, Numbur Range, Langtang Range, and Jugal Range. The views of Kathmandu Valley and Shivapuri National Park are an additional bonus from the view tower. After sunrise, take a quick stop for breakfast and then continue the hike towards Changunarayan temple. Stop At: Nagarkot Buddha Peace Park After breakfast, we will hike down to Changunarayan temple. But along the way to Changunarayan, we will visit a Buddhist Park. The park is situated along the hilltop as we hike down to Changunarayan. The Nagarkot Buddha Peace Park is a beautiful stop for a little bit of relaxation. The garden with Buddha Statue as the centerpiece is very beautiful. Tiled floors and managed garden is a popular resting spots for all the hikers following the route. Stop At: Changunarayan Temple As we continue the hike down through beautiful local villages of Tamang and Newar ethnicity, we will find many local eateries which are family-run businesses. The way is off-road, through terraced farms and old villages. After a few hours of walking, we will reach Changunarayan temple. But, if you are tired and unable to walk, we can also walk to Telkot and call our ride there which will take us directly to Changunarayan temple. The temple is one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites because of its religious and historic importance. The architecture of the temple is distinctive with very few notes throughout Nepal. Many groups of people studying history and architecture are drawn toward the temple. The temple is artistic with many carvings and stone statues at the four entrances of the temple. Lord Vishnu is worshipped in the temple with many statues of other deities around the temple. After exploring the temple, we will drive to our final destination for today, Bhaktapur Durbar Square. Stop At: Bhaktapur Durbar Square Bhaktapur is the oldest city of Kathmandu Valley. The city itself is an open museum with many old architectural buildings and red-stone paved roads. Bhaktapur Durbar Square is in the heart of the city with many important landmarks and buildings. The Durbar Square is the royal courtyards of previous dynasties and kings but is now open to the public for gathering and recreation. The major attraction we will focus on is the Palace of 55 Windows, Vatsala Temple, Nyatapola Temple, Siddhi Laxmi Temple, Golden Gate, and many other monuments and statues along the way. Other attractions around Bhaktapur are many ponds distributed around the area. We will visit Siddha Pokhari, one of the man-made ponds in Bhaktapur marking the end of our hike and tour for the day. Finally, we will drop you off at the hotel or your designated place.