Best Hiking near Kathmandu

Best Hike near Kathmandu is the most common question for many travellers who have a very short period of time in Kathmandu. Most of the travellers who have a short period of time can also do short best hiking near Kathmandu. Those hikes offer a stunning view of the Himalayas as well can be great destinations for hikers to enjoy.

Kathmandu is quite a crowded and chaotic city, those who wish to have a peaceful time and enjoy nature for a day can do those hikes which is pretty easy. Kathmandu is surrounded by the giant hillside everywhere which is why Kathmandu is known as a Kathmandu valley. There are four big hills around Kathmandu, namely Fulchowki, Nagarjun, Chandragri and Shivapuri. Now, hikers can hike those hills to have a stunning view of the city and Langtang Himalayan ranges if the weather is clear. There are some hikes near Kathmandu which is easy and offers the breathtaking views of the Mountain ranges with the local people as well.

There are some best hiking routes near/around the Kathmandu valley which is absolutely stunning and worth doing. The hikers will be gaining enjoyment of nature and walking into nature. They can see the stunning mountain view from the hiking routes. There are some hike routes which are accessible through the drive first to the hiking place and then to hike into the predetermined area because Kathmandu is surrounded by Shivapuri Nagarjun national park. This area is very sensitive because of the national park rules. We have mentioned here some hiking routes which are Kakani Day Hiking, Shivapuri Day Hiking, Nagarjun day Hiking.

Here in this post, we are going discuss the top 4 best hiking near Kathmandu. That hiking is cheap, easy and short distances too.

Kakani Day Hiking

Kakani day hiking is one of the best hiking near Kathmandu which ends at Surya Chaur. Located in the Nuwakot district, Kakani is one of the best touristic spots of Nepal. The Kakani viewpoint offers an extraordinary view of the Langtang Himalayan Ranges. Kakani has very top viewpoints which are elevated at the height of 2,030 m (6,660 ft). The Kakani hiking starts from the Kakani scout camp which is 27 Km drive from Kathmandu. Local visitors also go here for the picnic where they can enjoy an extraordinary mountain view and the landscape below the Kakani. Nuwakot district most part is very visible from here. Mountain scenery Manaslu (8153m), Ganesh Himal (7446m), Langtang lirung (7245m) and 24 other peaks can be seen from here. The hiking starts from Kakani and lasts for 3 hours through the dense forest of the Shivapuri Nagarjun national park. Talking about the difficulty it is one of the easy and stunning views providing hikes where you do not need to climb the stairs.

Kakani day hike facts

Feature	Description
Maximum Elevation	2030 Meter
Hike Duration	1 Days
Trek Difficulty/ Category	Easy
Permits	Shivapuri Nagarjun National park permit
Best Season	March to May and Occtober to November and up to mid of December

Shivapuri Day Hiking

Shivapuri day hiking is another best hiking near Kathmandu which begins from famous Vishnu Shrines Budhanilkantha temple. The day hikes take you to the top of Shivapuri with an altitude of 8,963 feet (2,732 meters). From here, Hikers can enjoy the excellent scenery of Langtang Mountain Range. The Shivpuri day hike is one of the popular day hikes that hikers can do near Kathmandu. It requires to climb more than 1300 Meters because Kathmandu is located at the altitude of 1350 Meters. The hike is quite tough because of the continuous ascent through the dense forest of Shivapuri Nagarjun National park. Initially, it goes through the road till the Nagi Monastery from where you can see the beautiful view of the Kathmandu valley. The Monastery also offers education to monks where you can see the female monks mostly. The peaceful hiking goes accent to the top of Shivapuri by climbing continuously. Once you reach the top from where the Bagmati river flows. Bagmati River is one of the holiest rivers of Nepal. Langtang range Himalayas is perfectly visible from the top of Shivapuri.

Shivapuri day hiking facts

Feature	Description
Maximum Elevation	2,732 meters
Hike Duration	1 Days
Trek Difficulty/ Category	Medium
Permits	Shivapuri Nagarjun National park permit
Best Season	March to May and Occtober to November and up to mid of December

Suryachaur day hiking

Suryachaur day hike is one of the top best viewpoints to see the himalayan range near Kathmandu. Located in the Nuwakot district which is very near from kathmandu. With the drive less than 1 hours you can reach Thana Bhanjyang from where you will hike 1 hours to reach that destination. The destination is located in the hill top so from there you can see the magnificent view of the Himalayas as well as the down valley. It suits any type of the hikers or the family members as well. You can even hike with your family which is the easiest hike near the Kathmandu valley. Hikers can see beautiful himalayan ranges from the Suryachaur hike, some of the Mountains are Langtang Lirung, Dorje Lakpa and many other peaks on the eastern side. Nowadays people also do paragliding from here.

Suryachaur day hike facts

Feature	Description
Maximum Elevation	1800 meters
Hike Duration	1 Days
hike Difficulty/ Category	Easy
Permits	Shivapuri Nagarjun National park permit
Best Season	March to May and Occtober to November and up to mid of December

Nagarjun day hiking

Nagarjun day hiking is one of the best hiking which is near Kathmandu. The hiking is quite hard due to the stairs climbing all the way to the top of the Nagarjuna Hill. The Nagarjun Hiking goes through the dense forest which allows having a view of Kathmandu city and sometimes the Langtang Himalayan ranges as well. Nagarjun hiking is very good for travellers who have a day in Kathmandu but want to enjoy nature. Hiking to the Nargarjun offers a magnificent view of the city as well as the Langtang Himalayan range if the weather is very good. Jamacho Gumba is on the top of Nagarjun hill on an elevation of 2150 Meters which is also another attraction of the Nagarjun Day Hiking. The Nagarjun Hiking route is in the middle of Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park. The National park names are from the two famous hills (Shivapuri and Nagarjuna). Which is just above the Balaju and starts from Fulbari gate. The nation itself is an amazing place for flora and fauna.

Nagarjun day hike facts

Feature	Description
Maximum Elevation	2150 meters
Hike Duration	1 Days
hike Difficulty/ Category	Easy
Permits	Shivapuri Nagarjun National park permit
Best Season	March to May and Occtober to November and up to mid of December

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Are there good hiking routes near/around kathmandu?

Yes there are some good hiking routes near/around the Kathmandu valley which is absolutely stunning and worthy to do. The hikers will be gaining the enjoyment of nature and walking into nature. They can see the stunning mountain view from the hiking routes. The hikes are incredibly enjoyable for all the people who want;t to enjoy nature for a day near Kathmandu. There are some hike routes which are accessible through the drive first to the hiking place then to hike into the predetermined area because Kathmandu is surrounded with Shivapuri Nagarjun national park. This area is very sensitive because of the national park rules. We have mentioned here some hiking routes which are Kakani Day Hiking, Shivapuri Day Hiking, Nagarjun day Hiking

How difficult are the hike routes around/near Kathmandu?

Well, visitors might wonder how difficult are the hike routes near Kathmandu? For your information, those are the easiest hikes of Nepal. There are many difficult hikes rather than this which are located outside of Kathmandu and take you to the mountains. Such hikes are long durations and go very high altitude but these hikes near Kathmandu are very easy hikes. Of course, it needs some physical strength but nothing more than this. If you can walk around the 5-6 hours in a day on the accent stairs climbing then you can easily do this hiking. The hikes are pretty much safe and easy.

What clothing/apparel is required for hiking near Kathmandu?

We have mentioned above that hiking is an easier hiking route which means you do not need so many clothes. If you are good enough for walking then you do not need any types of clothes. As usual, clothes are fine but make sure that they are comfortable for you on your hikes. Normally fast-drying T-Shirt, some wind cover jackets, comfortable hiking trousers are very fine to make you hiking easier. We also recommend you to discuss with your guide prior to the departures for the rain matters. If you bring raincoats will be very good to you if there are rainfalls. Sports shoes are very good for hiking around the Kathmandu valley. We do not recommend you to have special trekking boots, sports shoes or your casual shoes are fine for this hiking.

What is the best time/month for hiking around Kathmandu?

Nepal is known as a country for all the years but there is an activity that you can do the whole year in Nepal. That is the reason why people say Nepal is a country for all the years. There are many activities you can do in Nepal in a year. Some activities can be done very nicely when there is good weather. Hiking also requires good weather so you can enjoy your hiking a lot. The same case also applies here when hiking near the Kathmandu. Hikers can enjoy the scenery very excellently in nice weather here is how the weather looks like in the seasons.

September end to December

This is the best time to hike in Nepal. It is also known as the autumn seasons in Nepal. Autumn means the best time for Nepal when there are no cloudy days. You will see the sunrise in the sky and the visibility is also good. The chance to see the mountains is very much. You can see the stunning view of the mountains if you like this month. It also gives you a good green scenery.

February to May

This is the second-best season to hike and trekking in Nepal. If you are coming to Nepal during this month then you have a great chance to get the good experience of the great hiking in Nepal. During this month the weather is very nice there is less chance of the rainfalls and clouds in the mountains. You can see the great mountains scenery during this month. If you are coming to Kathmandu during this month then you can have a great hike.

Winter season

Winter season in Nepal is not that good to get a good hiking experience because of the cloudy weather in the mountains. The visibility is also poor at this time and fog is regular around the hillside of the Kathmandu valley.

Summertime

Rainfalls happen most of the time. The regular monsoon lasts for three months in Nepal. The clouds and fogs are regular, it is very rare that you can see mountains during this time. Leeches are also a threat at this time. We don’t recommend the hike during this time but in some exceptional cases, it might be open as well. But generally, the clouds cover-up.

Foods facility during hiking around Kathmandu

Hikers need to bring the dry foods for their hiking because it is day hiking and there is no food restaurant in between the hiking routes. Yes, there are some local restaurants but it is not good for the hikers. We recommend you to have some dry foods or fruit with you for your hiking which would be very good for you. You are also required to get at least 2 litres of water to drink during the hiking period. You can not buy the water on the way. Those things can be also managed before you go hiking by a discussion with the guides. Guides will tell you everything. But we recommend you to have some food and water with you before you go hiking near Kathmandu.

What are the top liked hike near Kathmandu?

Talking about the top liked hikes near Kathmandu are the hikes that are preferred by the hikers a lot. Everybody has a different taste of their preference. But talking about the hikes which are liked by the hikers near the Kathmandu valley which offers the most scenery, landscape natures. There are many hiking routes around the Kathmandu valley but we are going to talk about the top hiking trails which are liked more by the tourists and they are following with the descriptions and the itinerary as well as highlights.