Day Trips in Kathmandu

Have you got one free day in Kathmandu before or after any long trip to Nepal? If yes, you may be wondering how to spend that spare time. Several day trips in the valley allow you to use your new schedule rather than just hanging around the city center.

What kinds of Day Trips can you do in Kathmandu? There are seven UNESCO world heritage sites to visit, nature hikes, a sunrise trip, mountain fights, and some cultural tours. So, there are many activities to spend your free time in Kathmandu.

Many people visit Nepal for mountain trekking, and most have at least one or more days before or after their treks in Nepal. You see attractive landscapes, mountains, and other natural attractions visiting Everest base camp or other adventure treks. Still, you may miss learning about ancient history, culture, tradition, the early lifestyle of Kathmandu Valley, art, architecture, and more if you do not visit those heritage sites while traveling to Nepal.

Different people might have a distinct desire to see and visit, so there are wide varieties of Single-Day Trips in Kathmandu that suit all types of visitors. Then, what kinds of activities are available there? Check below, and pick any that can be your first choice for your free day.

Visit Heritage Sites in Kathmandu

Out of Seven world heritage sites in Kathmandu Valley, there are four places you can visit during one day tour. Two are Buddhist sections, a Hindu temple, and the next is an ancient historic royal palace. We are operating this heritage tour every day privately and with group departures. Our experienced tour guide will take you to those places on private transport. He provides much information about the areas, history, culture, religion, art, architecture, wood carvings, etc. See general information about those tour sites here:

Hanuman Dhoka Royal Palace

Hanuman Dhoka-Also known as the Kathmandu Durbar Square is a historical palace where King Jaya Prakash Malla ruled before King Prithvi Narayan Shah unified Nepal. Then, the Gurkha king moved his place to lead the country from this place after uniting the country.

The most interesting to see and visit in Kathmandu Durbar Square is the Kumari (Living Goddess) place. The system was established in 1757 by King Jaya Prakash Malla. You will know how it started, the myth, beliefs, and worship of this living goddess system.

You can see beautiful Pagoda temples (12th to 18th century), the royal palace, wood carvings, beautiful yards, icons of deities, and more attractions while visiting Kathmandu Durbar Square.

Monkey Temple (Buddhist Site)

The Monkey temple-Originally named Swayambhunath (the earth is god itself), is located on a hill station in Kathmandu. It is surrounded by forests, where you can see a historical Buddhist stupa, monasteries, temples, Chhorten, and much more monuments with beautiful decorations of colorful prayer flags.

On a clear day, you can see beautiful views of the Kathmandu Valley, surrounding green hills, and white mountains from this place. Hundreds of visitors are daily for worship, time pass, and dating. This area has several big festivals, like Buddha's Day (the full moon of May) and Shree Panchami (the offering day of goddesses Saraswati and Manjushree) in January.

The main question is, Are monkeys aggressive in the monkey temple in Kathmandu? They are not attacking people at all, mostly. But, if you make extended eye contact or go too close to those holding the baby, they might be hostile. We suggest not visiting withholding fruit and food in this area. You can take and provide for them if you like to feed them.

Open Cremation Place in Kathmandu

During a One-Day Kathmandu Trip, you can see an open cremation (burning dead body) in the Pashupatinath area (on the Bagmati riverside). It is also a UNESCO world heritage site. The temple is a very sacred Hindu site, where hundreds of pilgrims visit to worship Shiva. However, it is strictly prohibited to enter the main temple for non-Hindu people. You can visit the cremation area to see beautifully decorated temples and other monuments.

There are festivals like Shivaratri in February, Janai Purnima and Teej (women's festival) in August, and more. There are thousands of pilgrims in the Nepali month of Shrawan (half July and half August) each Monday because the Nepalese Hindus believe the god Shiva comes on earth that month.

You can see people doing cultural and religious rituals around this area while visiting Pashupatinath. Our tour guide briefs about the cremation, Hinduism, tradition, practice, and culture here.

The Tallest Buddha Stupa in Bouddhanath

Another attraction of historical sites visiting Trip in Kathmandu in one day is the Bouddhanath stupa. It is one of the most remarkable Buddhist temples in Nepal. The Stupa stands in the middle with many colorful Tibetan Buddhist prayer flags and Mani wheels, surrounded by private buildings and monasteries.

According to the story, in the late 5th century, King Manadeva from the Lichchhivi dynasty constructed this great Stupa. It was smaller then, and a Tibetan Lama a thousand years later made it more prominent. During your one-day heritage site visit, you will learn more about this temple from our tour guide.

Visit Artistic Royal Palaces (Bhaktapur and Patan)

The other cultural and historical UNESCO heritage sites in Kathmandu Valley are the Bhaktapur and Patan Durbar Squares. During a One-Day Lengthy Trip in Kathmandu, you can see more artistic buildings, carvings, and more in these two places. How are those historical areas, and what to see there? Check them now:

Patan Durbar Area

The Patan Durbar area is in Lalitpur City, inside Kathmandu Valley. It is the wealthiest town for fine art, so you can find beautiful artwork while you visit this place. This palace square has numerous ancient architecture with well-carved temples and palaces.

You can see stone and wood architectural temples in this area with beautiful yards, gardens, and museums. Walking a few minutes north from the main Durbar area, you can reach Kumbheshwor and Bangalamukhi temples. The Kumbheshwor is the tallest five-roofed Hindu Pagoda architecture in this place.

Golden Temple (Hiranyavarna Maha Vihara) is another attraction in this place, an ancient Newar Buddhist temple, and monastery. You love this—an excellent place to make a Day Trip in Kathmandu Valley.

Visit the First Royal Palace of Kathmandu Valley (Nepal)

Before the 14th century, the Kathmandu Valley was one country, and the capital was Bhaktapur. After the 14th, the valley was divided into three countries: Kathmandu, Patan, and Bhaktapur. You can see four different squares on the Bhaktapur trip. Dattartaya, Daumadhi, pottry, and the main palace squares.

The wood carving started from this place, so you can see many masterpieces of wooden work in the Bhaktapur area. The royal palace with 55 windows, the golden gate, the five-roofed tall temple (Nyatapola) clay pot making, and more attractions are here in Bhaktapur to see during the Bhaktapur day trip.

Exciting Day Trip from Kathmandu

The mountain flights can be the most Exciting Day Trip from Kathmandu to spend your free time. Everyone who travels to Nepal is very much interested to see the high mountains because Nepal is known as the Himalayan country and has a lot of tall snow-capped mountains.

There are scenic mountain flight trips that you can take according to your budget and interest. These are special for those who lack time and visit other mountain regions like Annapurna base camp, Manaslu circuit, and of-beaten trails, and like to see the Everest Himalayas in one extra day. What are those mountain flights trips, and how exactly is it? See the information below:

Landing Helicopter Tour to Everest Base Camp

An Exciting Day Trip from Kathmandu is a helicopter Tour to the Everest Base Camp with some landings on vantage viewpoints. There are group departures every morning from Tribhuwan international airport so that you can join our departures for this flight trip.

It is a 4-5 hour flight tour, which takes off from Kathmandu and lands in Lukla for fuel filling. You can see magnificent mountain views, attractive landscapes, and green hills flying over traditional villages. After around a 10-15 minute break in Lukla, you fly to Pheriche, passing Phakding, Namche Bazaar, Tengboche, and Pangboche villages following the Khumbu Valley.

Pheriche landing is for a subtle change. The Kalapatthar is the most exciting landing because you can see the nearest look of the world's most famous mountain Everest and many other high mountains in 360° views. Then, you fly over the base camp and Khumbu glacier towards the hotel Everest view for a breakfast stop. Then you fly to Lukla for refueling again before flying back to Kathmandu.

Scenic Everest Mountain Flight Trip

A scenic flight tour is a low-priced trip to see Everest and a lot of other high snow-capped mountains from Kathmandu. Several airline companies operate this from Tribhuwan international airport (domestic terminal) every morning, so you can enjoy the great Himalayan experience from this flight if you are on a budget trip.

The plane for this scenic trip has a single seat on both sides, so just one traveler can sit on one side. Then, the airplane flies in both directions, so everyone on the plane can see stunning mountain views. But, if you sit close to the wings, you might have a different idea.

Hiking Trips in Kathmandu

Numerous hiking trails around Kathmandu Valley take you to untouched nature and keep you far away from the city noise and crowds for a few hours. A One-Day Walking Trip around Kathmandu Valley offers the hikers fantastic natural, cultural, and religious experiences.

Is a hiking trip challenging? What are those nature trails available in Kathmandu to escape into nature? The questions can arise for you, so check the information about those routes now:

Champadevi Hill Hiking

The Champadevi is a religious site for Hindus and Buddhists on the top of the hill. The trees surround the shrines, Stupa, and prayer flags, the last destination of this one-day hiking.

Our guide takes you from the city center to Pharping on private transportation, which takes around an hour's drive to the south. It is a long day hike, so you can spend a few hours in untouched nature. There are several entries and exits of this trip. You can start walking from Pharping and end at the same place, Kritipur or Machchhegaun. You can also begin the hike from opposite the sites mentioned above.

You can see beautiful landscapes, a Kathmandu valley view, white mountains (on a clear day), religious monuments, beautiful birds, green forests, and wild animals like leopards and deer (sometimes).

Jamacho Hiking in Shivapuri National Park

Beautiful, short nature walk around Kathmandu Valley is the Jamacho hiking. It is the nearest nature trip to the city center. Hundreds of domestic hikers are on this trail every Saturday, but the other days are a quitter.

The walking journey begins from Phulbari (National park protection force) Army gare after about 20 minutes drive from the city center. Then the trail ascends on stone steps inside the Shivapuri Nagarjun national park for about 3 hours to the top, where you see a little temple, Buddhist prayer flags, Stupa, and a view tower.

You can see stunning views of the high mountains, Kathmandu Valley, and beautiful landscapes from the top. Also, you can see some beautiful birds, wild animals, green vegetation, and hills on this day trip.

Nagarkot to Changunarayan Hike

Nagarkot to Changunarayan hiking is popular among foreign hikers compared to the others routes. It is more than 30km east of Kathmandu. Then the hike begins towards Changunarayan Hill (a cultural UNESCO world heritage site).

The Nagarkot is a hill station from where you can see unblocking sunrise and sunset. You start driving early to catch the morning sun, which takes around an hour and a half. Or you can start hiking from Changunarayan to see the sunset. The trail from Changunarayan goes ascending, so most hikers walk from Nagarkot because it is easier.

This one-day hiking trip goes through traditional villages, where you see the local village lifestyle and domestic animals around the trail, like goats and chickens, farming, and making local alcohol (Raksi). You can also see captivating landscapes, valleys, green hills, and white mountains during this walking journey.

The second part of the hike begins with ascending the trail for about half an hour inside the forest. After crossing this ascending area, you have a level, flat path between Bhaktapur and Sankhu cities. You can see a fantastic view of the valley. And the trip ends with visiting Changunarayan temple and driving to Kathmandu.

Kakani Suryachaur Hiking Trip

Kakani to Suryachaur hiking is the most accessible nature walking trip near Kathmandu Valley. You do not have many ascending trails here, so you mostly have flat and descending paths. It is less popular than other hiking trails because it is a new route, but you will love this.

The trip begins with about an hour and a half drive from Kathmandu to Kakani. Then it starts walking towards Suryachaur through the tea plantation and Shivapuri Nagarjun national park. You can see beautiful views of Manaslu, Ganesh Himal, Langtang, and Tibetan Massif.

You love walking on this trail listening melodic sounds of the birds, and seeing some wild animals and vegetation. Seeing urban villages, farming terraces, and valleys are the other attractions of this hiking trip. You reach Suryachaur after walking around 3 hours from Kakani, in an open area with the significant ground, where you have unblocked nature views. You stop here for lunch and then drive back to Kathmandu.

Shivapuri Hill Hiking Trip

The most adventurous and long-day hiking destination around the Kathmandu Valley is Shivapuri Hill. It is the second-highest elevated peak near the city. If you want to escape nature for a whole day, this trip can be one of the best options.

You drive a few kilometers north from the city to Budhanilakantha, which takes around half an hour. Then the walking journey begins through the army gate. After walking for around an hour on the road, you start hiking on the stone steps. If you leave these stone steps and walk for another half an hour, you reach a famous female monk's monastery Nagi Gumba. Walking steep stone steps, you can cross toward the hill through this monastery. You see many chestnuts, pine, rhododendron, and oak trees along the way.

After hiking for around 4 hours, you reach Baghdwar, where the holy river Bagmati begins. You walk another half an hour to the top from Bagdwar, passing a monastery and the house of Yogi (Kuti). The top has an open space surrounded by big trees. There is a statue of Shivapuri Baba, which is protected by an iron net.

Now, you have an option whether return the same way or go the other direction to make a loop. Conversely, the forest is entirely different, with many rhododendron trees. You might see some Himalayan Langur (monkeys), deer, and birds during this nature hike.

Namobuddha to Panauti Hikng

Namabouddha to Panauti hiking route is an easy descending trail. Still, it begins with a two-hour drive from Kathmandu to the east through Banepa and Dhulikhel. The Namo Buddha is on a hill station. You can see a beautiful monastery, Stupa, colorful prayer flags, and other shrines.

You can see magnificent views of the high mountains, green hills, landscapes, farming terraces, valleys, and more from this hill station. Then, walk downwards to Panauti through traditional villages. You walk most of the time on the road during this hiking trip. Panauti has a historical temple, where a big festival is celebrated every twelve years. After visiting this temple and a small museum in Panauti, you drive back to Kathmandu. You can also see a giant Shiva statue in Sanga if you have time on the way back.

One Day Beautiful Religious Sites Trip

You can drive to Dakshinkali and Pharping, a few kilometers south of the central city of Kathmandu, for this day trip. You visit two different Hindu and Buddhist religious sites. On this tour, you can see animal scarify in Dakshinkali and visit a very sacred Vishnu temple Shesnarayan and beautiful Buddhist monasteries.

You can also see one of the most mighty cremation sites in Dakshinkali, colorful Buddhist prayer flags in Pharping Hill with beautiful views of green hills, landscapes, and the valley. Guru Rinpoche (Padhmasava) and some Hindu Sadhu (Nath community) meditated around Pharping. You can also see those places during this one-day trip. Our guide takes you on private transport to these places and provides lots of religious information.

Museum in Kathmandu

Besides the Patan art museum visit during the Bhaktapur and Patan places day trip, You have some more exciting museums in Kathmandu to see, where you can even walk from your hotel. Then, what ate those popular glean places then?

National Museun Chhauni

Chauni national museum is rich in history, which was constructed by Nepal's first prime minister Bhimsen Thapa in 1824 A. Then, Rana prime minister Chandra Samser added two buildings to the north and south of the main building in 1926 and named it the Shilkhana Museum. Another Rana Prime minister Juddha Samser Named it in 1938 Nepal Museum and opened it to the public in 1939. Then it was renamed a national museum in 1968.

If you are very much in art, history, and religion, it can be one of the best places to visit to spend your free time and learn a lot about ancient Nepal from this place.

Narayanhiti Palace Museum

The Narayanhiti palace museum was Nepal's king's workplace and residence, constructed by King Mahendra (father of the last two kings, Birendra Birabikram Shah and Gyanendra Birabiram Shah) in 1963. Before this palace was made, the kings ruled the country from the Hanuman Dhoka royal palace (Kathmandu Durbar).

The royal massacre in 2002 was inside this palace area. Then the brother of the king, who was killed in that massacre, became the ruler of Nepal. He ruled the country from 2002 until the 2006 revolution. Then, the palace was changed into a museum in 2008.

It is very close to the tourist town Thamel, so you can walk there from the place where you stay in Thamel. It takes a maximum of 10 minutes to walk. You can see how the Nepalese king family's lifestyle was visiting this museum. You can also hang around its beautiful colossal garden area.

Conclusion

You can easily spend several days exploring Kathmandu's cultural, historical, and natural sites. There are a lot of different places and things to see in the valley, which you can pick as your interest and time. Go for a mountain trek, and do not visit these heritage sites in Kathmandu. You will only know about Nepal about nature. We suggest visiting these ancient sites and learning more.

If you are interested in visiting the places and love to explore any of them listed above, please get in touch with us. We provide an experienced tour guide who gives you lots of information about Nepal.