Kathmandu Hiking Tour
Hiking Adventure in Kathmandu
Embark on an Enchanting 3-4 Hour Hiking Adventure in Kathmandu
The Kathmandu Hiking Tour is a one-day day tour starting and finishing in Kathmandu. We run it as a private trip on your own dates, or as a small group departure.
Seven UNESCO monument zones inside one valley. Newar architecture, living Hindu and Buddhist practice, and a festival calendar that runs all year. Newari khaja sets, momo, and a restaurant scene in Thamel and Jhamsikhel that outstrips the rest of the country.
This is a cultural trip, not a trek. Expect vehicle transfers, guided site visits and short walks of an hour or two, with the option to add a longer hike where the itinerary allows. Nothing beyond ordinary city travel. Winter air quality in the valley is the main comfort issue, and we plan the outdoor sections for the morning.
Best time to go. Year round. October to March gives the clearest air; the monsoon from June to August is green and quiet with afternoon rain.
Permits and getting there. UNESCO World Heritage site entry fees for Durbar Squares, Boudhanath, Pashupatinath and Swayambhunath, all included in your tour price. Everything is within an hour's drive. We use private air-conditioned vehicles with a licensed cultural guide.
Where you sleep. This is a day trip, so you keep your own hotel. We can book Kathmandu or Pokhara accommodation for you separately if you want it handled in one place.
Why book with us. Trekking Team is a family company in Gongabu, Kathmandu, running trips since 1991 under TAAN licence 1106. About ten thousand people have travelled with us and we hold more than 630 TripAdvisor reviews. Every departure runs with a government-licensed guide, permits arranged before you arrive, insured and equipped staff, and a fixed price. If the dates or the route do not suit you, write to us and we will rebuild the itinerary around what you want.
Trip Summary
Duration
Difficulty
Max Elevation
Start point
End point
Daily Activity
Group Size
Best Season
Included
- Hotel pick-up and drop-off in a private vehicle
- Government-licensed guide for the day
- All entry fees and permits required for the activity
- Lunch and drinking water during the activity
- All safety equipment and instruction where the activity requires it
- All government taxes and service charges
Not Included
- Travel insurance, which we require you to hold
- Hotel accommodation and meals outside the activity
- Drinks, souvenirs and items of a personal nature
- Photographs and video of the activity, where sold on site
- Tips for your guide and driver
- Anything not listed under what is included
Get started on your journey
Detailed itinerary
Kathmandu Hiking Tour
Kathmandu is ringed by hills, and a day walking on them is the fastest way to understand why the valley was worth fighting over for a thousand years. This is a guided day hike on the valley rim, chosen to match your fitness and the season, with transport at both ends and lunch on the way.
The routes we use. The Nagarkot to Changu Narayan ridge walk is the classic: about four hours downhill along a forested ridge with Himalayan views on a clear morning, ending at Changu Narayan, the oldest temple in the valley, with a stone inscription dated to 464 CE and some of the finest early Licchavi sculpture in Nepal.
Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park rises straight out of the northern edge of the city and gives the closest real hill walking to Kathmandu: oak and rhododendron forest, the Nagi Gompa nunnery on the way up, and a climb towards Shivapuri peak at 2,732 m for those who want the full day. Nagarjun forest behind the ring road is the shorter version, two hours up to the Jamacho stupa on its summit.
Champadevi, on the southern rim above Pharping, is the quietest of them and gives the best view back across the whole valley. It pairs well with the Asura cave and the monasteries at Pharping in the afternoon.
How hard. Most of these are three to five hours of walking with 400 to 700 m of ascent, on good forest trail. If you walk hills at home you will find them straightforward. They also make an excellent conditioning day if you are heading out on a trek later in the week, and a good acclimatisation day at 2,000 to 2,700 m before flying to Lukla.
What is included. A licensed guide, private transport to the trailhead and back from the finish, park entry fees, lunch and water. Bring walking shoes with grip, a light layer, sunblock and a hat.
Best time. October to April. The winter months give the clearest Himalayan views and comfortable walking temperatures, and the rhododendron on the Shivapuri trails is out in March and April. In the monsoon the trails are green, wet and leech-prone, and we go anyway if you want to, with gaiters.
Tell us your fitness, how long you want to be out and whether the Himalayan view or the temples matter more, and we will pick the route.
Altitude: 1,350 m | Travel: 3 to 4 hours
Travel duration
Elevation
Meal
Accommodation
Getting ready
No special training is needed. Comfortable shoes for uneven cobbles and stone steps at the heritage sites, and a light layer for early mornings, will cover it.
Permits and paperwork
UNESCO World Heritage site entry fees for Durbar Squares, Boudhanath, Pashupatinath and Swayambhunath, all included in your tour price.
Nepal issues visas on arrival at Tribhuvan International Airport: 15, 30 or 90 days, payable in cash in most major currencies or by card. Bring two passport photographs and make sure your passport has at least six months validity.
Money, tipping and costs on the ground
Nepali rupees are the only currency accepted on the trail. Draw cash in Kathmandu or Pokhara before you leave; ATMs have a per-transaction limit of around NPR 35,000 and charge a fee, and above the roadhead there are no machines and no card terminals.
Budget for drinks, souvenirs and any meals not listed in the itinerary.
Tipping is customary and genuinely matters to the crew, but it is not compulsory and never demanded. As a guide to the guide: around USD 8 to 12 per day for your trekking guide and USD 6 to 8 for each porter, pooled by the group and handed over at the end.
Staying in touch
Wi-Fi everywhere, 4G across the valley, and a tourist SIM at the airport.
Ncell and Nepal Telecom tourist SIM cards are sold at Kathmandu airport and take about ten minutes. Bring your passport.
Health and safety
No vaccinations are legally required for Nepal, but hepatitis A, typhoid and tetanus are sensible and a rabies course is worth discussing if you are travelling for a long time. Check with a travel clinic six to eight weeks before you fly.
Drink bottled or treated water and be sensible about street food in the first few days.
Our guides carry a comprehensive first aid kit. We hold a 24-hour operations line in Kathmandu throughout your trip, and we run rescue coordination ourselves rather than handing it to a third party.
Booking and cancellation
A deposit confirms your dates and the balance is due before departure. If your plans change we will move your booking to another date rather than treat it as a cancellation wherever the ground operators allow it.
Written quotes are fixed. We do not add fuel or permit surcharges after you have booked, and if a government fee rises between your booking and your departure we absorb it.
Questions before you commit are welcome and never rushed. Write to us with what you actually want and we will tell you plainly whether this trip is the right one, including when the answer is that a different route would suit you better.
Ready to start your journey?
Start planning your dream trip today. Enquire now for more information or customize this trip to tailor it to your needs and make it truly unforgettable.