Nagarkot Sunrise and Bhaktapur Day Tour
Pre-dawn to the valley rim for the Himalaya, then down into the best-preserved medieval city in Nepal
Nagarkot Sunrise and Bhaktapur Day Tour
Nagarkot sits at 2,175 m on the eastern rim of the Kathmandu Valley, 32 km from the city and about ninety minutes by road. On a clear morning the view from the ridge runs more than 300 km of Himalaya, from Everest in the east through Langtang Lirung, Ganesh Himal and Manaslu to the Annapurnas and Dhaulagiri in the west.
The sunrise itself takes about twenty minutes and it works from the top down. Everest, Lhotse and Makalu catch the first light while the sky behind them is still dark blue, then the glow works down the faces and across the nearer ranges until the valley below finally comes out of shadow.
We leave Kathmandu in the dark to be on the ridge before first light, then come down the eastern side to Bhaktapur for the rest of the day. Bhaktapur is the reason this pairing works. It is the best-preserved of the three royal cities, the one where the medieval street plan is still intact and people still live in it.
Be clear about the one thing we cannot promise. Between late December and March the odds of a clean Himalayan sunrise are good. In the monsoon they are poor. We will tell you honestly what the forecast looks like the evening before and you can decide.
Trip Summary
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Included
- Hotel pick-up and drop-off anywhere in Kathmandu or Patan in a private air-conditioned vehicle
- Government-licensed English-speaking guide for the full day
- All monument and temple entry fees listed in the itinerary
- Bottled drinking water through the day
- All government and local taxes
- Pre-dawn departure and a private vehicle for the full day
- Breakfast at a Nagarkot ridge lodge after sunrise
- Lunch in Bhaktapur old town, including juju dhau
- Bhaktapur Durbar Square entry fee
Not Included
- International and domestic flights
- Nepal visa, available on arrival at Kathmandu airport
- Hotel accommodation in Kathmandu
- Travel insurance
- Camera and video fees where a site charges them separately
- Personal expenses, drinks and souvenirs
- Tips for the guide and driver
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Detailed itinerary
Nagarkot Sunrise and Bhaktapur Day Tour
04:30 | Departure from Kathmandu
An early start, and there is no way around it. The drive east takes about ninety minutes and the roads are empty at that hour, which is the one advantage of leaving in the dark.
06:00 | Sunrise on the Nagarkot ridge
We get you on the ridge before the light comes. Depending on the season and the crowd we use the view tower or a quieter spot along the road. Bring a warm layer: at 2,175 m before dawn it is cold enough to matter, often near freezing between December and February.
07:00 | Breakfast with the view
Hot breakfast at a lodge on the ridge once the light is up. This is when the peaks are at their sharpest and most people take more photographs here than at sunrise.
08:30 | Down to Bhaktapur
A forty minute descent through terraced farmland and brick villages on the eastern slope.
09:15 | Bhaktapur Durbar Square
The royal square, the Golden Gate and the fifty-five window palace. Bhaktapur took the worst of the 2015 earthquake among the three cities and the rebuilding here has been the most careful, done in brick and timber by local craftsmen rather than in concrete.
10:30 | Taumadhi and Nyatapola
The five-storey Nyatapola, built in 1702 and standing on a five-tier plinth, is the tallest temple in Nepal. It came through the 1934 earthquake and 2015 essentially intact, which tells you something about how it was built.
11:30 | Pottery Square
Working potters, not a demonstration staged for visitors. Clay drying in the sun in rows, kick wheels, kilns fired with rice husk. You can try the wheel if you want to.
12:30 | Lunch and juju dhau
Lunch in the old town, then juju dhau, the king curd, set in clay pots and the thing Bhaktapur is actually famous for among Nepalis.
14:00 | Dattatreya Square and the woodcarving quarter
The oldest part of the city, with the Peacock Window and the workshops where the carving is still done by hand.
15:30 | Return to Kathmandu
About an hour back, arriving late afternoon.
Optional: walk instead of drive. If you would rather hike, the trail from Nagarkot down to Changu Narayan is four to five hours through farmland and villages along the ridge, and it ends at the oldest temple in Nepal. Tell us when you book and we will swap the morning drive for the walk.
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