Short Trek and Hike Near Kathmandu Valley

Nepal- A land of beautiful Himalaya has hundreds of trekking to the mountain base camps and a day hikes. People with limited time would like to see the scenic Himalaya, experiencing the culture, lifestyle, and explore the nature in Nepal, there are some short trek and hike near Kathmandu valley.

Trekking and hiking are the highlighted outdoor activities in Nepal. Thousands of visitors visit Nepal for trekking to the mountains base camps every year. People may have a short time with they can not visit all the way to the base camps and would like to see the Nepalese Himalaya and explore Nepal. Here is the list of the short trek and hike which can be done around Kathmandu valley.

Chisapani Nagarkot Trek

The Chisapani Nagarkot trek is 3 days short trek which can extend to 4 or 5 days. This short trek is really suitable for the people who only have about a week for Nepal. Chisappani Nagarkot trek is an easy trek to see the long-range mountain, traditional villages, a lifestyle of the country site, green nature, and much more.

The Chisapani Nagarkot trek starts from Kathmandu with a short drive to Sundarijal and hikes to Chisapani crossing some beautiful villages through the Shivapuri Nagarjuna national park. The view of the Kathmandu valley and green hills are amazing during the hike. Enjoying nature and the sounds of the birds, walking for about 4 hrs, Chisapani reached from where can enjoy the view of the Langtang, Ganesh Himal, and Gaurishankar Himalayan ranges, amazing valley, farming terraces, and much more.

After spending a night in Chisapani, the main trekking trail leads to Nagarkot through the national park which takes around 6-7 hrs. Nagarkot is a hill station to see the scenic mountain and unblocked sunrise. This short 3 days trek ends in Changunarayan (UNESCO world heritage site) on the 3rd day but trekkers can keep continuing to Dhulikhel and Namobuddha if they choose 4 or 5 days trek.

Nagarkot Changunarayan Day Hike

The Nagarkot Changunarayan day hike is one of the most famous and busiest day hikes from the Kathmandu valley. There are some numbers of hikers every day on this hike. This day hike starts from Kathmandu with a private transport early morning driving to Nagarkot to see the mountains and sunrise than hike downwards to the Changunarayan after breakfast in Nagarkot. Nagarkot is a beautiful hill station from where can see Manaslu, Ganesh Himal, Langtang, and Gaurishankar Himalayan ranges with some valleys both sides of the hill.

After enjoying the view of the mountains and valleys, the hike starts crossing local settlements. The local people during the hike are Tamang, they are farmers make local alcohol (Raksi) with rice, millet, and wheat which can be seen during the hike. The hike divides into 2 parts as descending and ascending. First descends to Telkot then ascends about a half an hour to the hill through the green forest. After walking about a half an hour upwards, the trail is flat for another 2 hrs to Changunarayan which is one UNESCO heritage site in Nepal. Visiting this heritage site, the hike ends with a drive to Kathmandu.

Champadevi Day Hike

The Champadevi day hike in Kathmandu is a nice short and easy hike to escape with a crowed and noise of the city. This hike takes with a short drive to the southern part of the valley and hikes few hours to the Chapadevi hill from Pharping. Champadevi hike offers a beautiful view of the Kathmandu valley and Pharping valley with gorgeous Buddhist monasteries. Visiting a shrine of the Champadevi and Buddhist Stupa on the top of the Champadevi hill, hike back to Pharping than drive back to the hotel.

Shivapuri Hill Day Hike

The Shivapuri hill day hike is one of the best nature hikes for the activists. Shivapuri hill is the highest hill around the Kathmandu valley. The Shivapuri hill is in the Shivapuri Nagarjuna national park to the north of Kathmandu. A holy river Bagmati is running from this place in Kathmandu.

The Shivapuri hill day hike begins from Kathmandu with a short drive to Narayanthan than starts hike all the way to the top of this hill crossing a big beautiful Nagi Gompa. There are some Kuti (small house for Sadhu) on the way to the top. This is a full day-long hike which offers a scenic view of the Himalayas, valley and escapes with nature.

Jamacho Nagarjuna Day Hike

The Jamacho Nagarjuna day hike is a few hours hike in Kathmandu. This is the nearest hike from the city centre. The Jamacho hill is one of the best hills to see Kathmandu valley well. The view of the valley from here is like watching from the plane. Not only the view of the valley from here, enjoying nature and Himalaya are other attractions. Watching birds, visiting monasteries are amazing to experience the Nepalese nature.

Kakani Suryachaur Day Hike

The Kakani Suryachaur day hike is a new hiking trail near Kathmandu valley. This is a really nice hike for nature lovers. This is one of the easiest day hikes among the other hikes in Kathmandu but the driving timing is longer. It can be 2 days hike sending a night in Suryachaur to see the mountain in a morning.
Kakani Suryachaur day hike starts from Kathmandu with a few hours drive to Kakani than the trail leads through the Shivapuri Nagarjuna national park. Watching a tea garden, beautiful flora, valley, and the mountains Suryachaur reached than another a half an hour to Tokha hill and drive back to Kathmandu to finish this day hike.