Kathmandu Valley Rim
While enjoying the comfort of your Kathmandu hotel, take a day trip
to the Valley’s edge. Mountains await you there, along with friendly
people willing to show you their more traditional ways of life. Yet
all of these trips can be done in just one day, returning you to central
Kathmandu by evening.
Nagarkot is the classic mountain viewpoint resort,
located about an hour northeast of the city. Rise early for a sunrise
panorama view of the peaks stretching from Annapurna in the west, past
Mt. Everest and all the way to the Kanchenjunga range in the East. This
is your chance to see Everest’s icy summit without leaving the
warmth of your lodge’s fire!
Also in this direction a bit farther along the Arniko Highway to Tibet,
Dhulikhel offers an exciting combination of mountain
views and an old, Newari merchant village to explore. The journey to
Dhulikhel takes you through many picturesque villages, and it is a perfect
staging point for many day-long hikes to other points of interest in
the area. A short hike to the Kali temple above the town brings you
into close contact with both the mountains and the dark goddess herself,
while a longer day-trip takes you to Namo Buddha, the
third important Buddhist stupa in the Valley in addition to Boudhanath
and Swayambhunath. Here, the Buddha is said to have offered his flesh
to a hungry tigress.
On a hill outside of Bhaktapur, Changu Narayan is the
oldest temple in the Valley, built in 323 A.D. Its hilltop position
gives a gorgeous view of Kathmandu city below, while the temple itself
basks in quiet serenity.
To the northwest of the city, Kakani is a quiet outpost
that served as a retreat for the long-ago British Residents of Kathmandu.
With few hotels, its quiet splendor lets you view the northwestern Himalayan
panorama in solitude and explore the surrounding alpine scenery as you
please. Also in this direction, the Nagarjuna Nature Preserve
offers excellent day hikes through lush green forests and wildflowers
in season.
On the southern side of the city, a day trip to Dakshinkali
and Pharping brings you into the heart of both Hindu
and Buddhist communities in a short time. The most important Kali temple
in the area, Dakshinkali is the site of blood sacrifices on holy days.
Surrounded by forests, it is a beautiful place to watch the steady stream
of Hindu devotees coming to pay homage to the goddess. Nearby is the
Tibetan Buddhist settlement of Pharping, where you can visit a number
of monasteries, as well as a sacred Vajrayogini cave - the image of
the Buddhist goddess on rock is said to be self-emanating.
Also in this general direction, one finds the Godavari Royal
Botanical Gardens and Phoolchowki Hill. The
Gardens represent unusual plants from all over South Asia and should
be a treat for any plant lover and are a pleasant retreat from the city.
Just further down the road, one begins the climb towards Phoolchowki,
the highest peak on the Valley rim and an excellent Himalayan vantage
point. This can be done in a car, but more intrepid travellers may wish
to walk at least one way so as to enjoy the wide array of wildflowers
up close. |
