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Nagarkot Changunarayan Hiking
The Nagarkot - Changunarayan hiking is a brilliant walk in the outskirt of Kathmandu Valley. If you are in Nepal for short holiday, don't like strenuous trekking or looking for weekend outing; the hiking is the best option to get away from the hustle and bustle of Kathmandu. It is amazing to see how the villages along the trail still exhibits countryside lifestyle of Nepal even though it is so close from the city. The best of all is the Himalaya in the backdrop of all these natural settings.
Hiking
The hiking trail from Nagarkot gradually descends through the terraced fields to the 'Tamang Village.' Even though the village is not far from the road access and the city, it retains its typical lifestyle. The thatched hoses, painted with ocher are built by locally found stones hand-hewn by local craftsmen. Houses are normally 3 storied with kitchen in the ground floor, bedroom in the second and store on the top. A courtyard in front adjoining a shed for animals. The garden next to the house supply seasonal vegetables and fruits. Spring brings color to the village with off springs of goats and other animals as well as colorful blossoms everywhere. A scene of local wine making is pretty common through out the year. Wine is integral part of their celebrations. 'Tamang' are one of the ethnic group who migrated to the hills of Nepal from Tibet before Buddhism went to Tibet. So their practices are animistic and shamanistic mixed with Hinduism and Buddhism now a days.
The first part of the hiking is an cultural encounter while the second part is more natural as the trail follows the ridge with deciduous forest. The ridge is perched between sweeping valleys of Shaku towards north and Bhaktapur towards south. The Himalayas appear undisturbed. The walking is easy with gradual downhill and fairly leveled path. It will take about 4 hrs to reach Changunarayan from where one can drive back to Kathmandu.
The Nagarkot - Changunarayan hiking is a brilliant walk in the outskirt of Kathmandu Valley. If you are in Nepal for short holiday, don't like strenuous trekking or looking for weekend outing; the hiking is the best option to get away from the hustle and bustle of Kathmandu. It is amazing to see how the villages along the trail still exhibits countryside lifestyle of Nepal even though it is so close from the city. The best of all is the Himalaya in the backdrop of all these natural settings.
Hiking
The hiking trail from Nagarkot gradually descends through the terraced fields to the 'Tamang Village.' Even though the village is not far from the road access and the city, it retains its typical lifestyle. The thatched hoses, painted with ocher are built by locally found stones hand-hewn by local craftsmen. Houses are normally 3 storied with kitchen in the ground floor, bedroom in the second and store on the top. A courtyard in front adjoining a shed for animals. The garden next to the house supply seasonal vegetables and fruits. Spring brings color to the village with off springs of goats and other animals as well as colorful blossoms everywhere. A scene of local wine making is pretty common through out the year. Wine is integral part of their celebrations. 'Tamang' are one of the ethnic group who migrated to the hills of Nepal from Tibet before Buddhism went to Tibet. So their practices are animistic and shamanistic mixed with Hinduism and Buddhism now a days.
The first part of the hiking is an cultural encounter while the second part is more natural as the trail follows the ridge with deciduous forest. The ridge is perched between sweeping valleys of Shaku towards north and Bhaktapur towards south. The Himalayas appear undisturbed. The walking is easy with gradual downhill and fairly leveled path. It will take about 4 hrs to reach Changunarayan from where one can drive back to Kathmandu.