Spend Your Time on Popular Hills Around Kathmandu Valley
Around Kathmandu, there are several beautiful hill stations near it that you could visit and those places would provide you with an unbeatable experience.
A Kathmandu valley is a low area of land between hills or mountains, typically with a river or stream flowing through it. Similarly, Kathmandu is a valley that is surrounded with many hills all around. There are five main river streams flowing through Kathmandu.
The Kathmandu valley is at the height of 1400m above sea level. There are many beautiful hills around Kathmandu that are seen from anywhere inside the valley. They are all green tall hills which are very beautiful.
The best part is that all the Hill Stations are very easily accessible from any part of the valley and the best way to explore these hill stations is to go for the overnight stay.
A night at these hill stations guarantees the sunset and sunrise views in the Himalayas. To sight the sun setting or emerging in the horizon where Himalayan peaks lie is itself a fascinating moment.
Blessed with extremely beautiful creation of nature and bloomed with majestic scene of Himalayas, Kathmandu valley possesses enthralling, and mesmerizing scenic hilltop stations. The traveling experience around those scenic hill stations will be unbeatable.
The top hill around Kathmandu valley are –
On The South-East – The Phulchowki Hill
Phulchowki which means ‘Hill of Flowers’ in Nepali. It is the highest hill (2782m) among the surrounding hills of Kathmandu valley. The hill is located about. 14 km in the south east of Kathmandu valley. It is the name of one of the famous Hindu goddess and many Hindu people make their pilgrimage tours to this site.
This is one of the most beautiful hiking in terms of vegetation and bird watching destination in Kathmandu valley. The walk is difficult but the reward is a wonderful view and good for nature observers. The hill is surrounded by the dense forest of different plants including Rhododendron of different colors, including pure white and dark red. Because of this beautiful and dense forest different species of birds and butterflies can be found.
Not only birds, the view from the top is breath taking with every other hills and beautiful mountain range of Annapurna to Gaurishankar. Moreover, at the top of the hill there is a shrine of Phulchowki Mai which is surrounded by prayer flags and tridents.
On The South-West – Chandragiri Hills:
The Chandragiri hills lies on the south-west side of Kathmandu Valley which is 2551 meters above sea level. The hill provides panoramic views of Kathmandu Valley and the Himalayan ranges from Annapurna to Everest. It has an easy access for every people to go at the top.
The use of cable cars has made it easy for us to reach the top of the hill in such a short time. Furthermore, it also offers some of an awe-inspiring view of other hills and mountain ranges like Manaslu, Fishtail, Annapurna, Ganesh Himal and many more. Chandragiri hills please travelers of all age and have ever been considered famous day tour in Nepal.
The place also has Bhaleshwor Mahadev Temple (Temple of God Shiva) that has promoted the destination as a religious site.
On The North-East – Nagarkot Hills:
Located at a mere 28-kilometre drive away from Kathmandu, Nagarkot offers one of the best views of the Himalayas in the entire region as it has an altitude of 7000 feet (2000 metres)! Perched at the edge of Kathmandu Valley, Nagarkot gives you one of the widest panoramas of the Himalayan ranges – you can spot 8 out of the 13 Himalayan ranges from the comfort of your hotel.
The mighty Annapurna, Manaslu, Langtang, Jugal, Everest, Numbur, Ganesh Himal and the Rolwaling ranges can be seen from Nagarkot on a clear day!
An erstwhile summer retreat of Nepali, Indian and British royalty, this village rose to fame after tourists thronged the area in recent years. The idyllic village sits serenely in the midst of nature – the only sounds you can hear are the birds chirping and the breeze whistling through the pines.
One great advantage of this viewpoint is the close proximity to the capital, which means that you can easily access Nagarkot from Kathmandu without spending too much time and money on travel. Accommodation is also cheap here, as is the food – Nagarkot clearly wins on all fronts!
On The North – Shivapuri Hills:
Shivapuri is the second highest hill in Kathmandu valley after Pulchwoki hill with the height of 2523m. It is also one of the closest national park to the Kathmandu valley. The national park protects the valley’s main water source, as well as 177 species of birds and numerous rare orchids.
This is one of the last areas of primary woodland in the valley, and the forest is alive with monkeys, and maybe even leopards and bears.
It is one of the nearest hills from the valley. There is easy access and availability of transport to the base of the hill. However, from the bottom we can hike till the top of Shivapuri. On this trip, you will observe the beauty of the area’s lush surroundings as you hike to the top of the Shivapuri peak. Here are more than 500 species of animals. Your hike starts from the southern boundary of the area.
Furthermore, you have to climb stairs, as part of the trail consists of stone steps, leading you slowly but gently to the peak. On the way there is Nagi Gumpa, the only monastery where nuns can practice Buddhism, and a place that foreigners often visit for meditation.
It is a steep uphill hike along narrow trails that gradually lead up to Shivapuri. Continue on to pass by the starting point of the Bagmati River, and your surroundings will beckon you to rest and enjoy the beauty of the forest. Finally, you will reach the peak, located at an altitude of 8,963 feet (2,732 meters).
And therefore here, you can look out over toward the Langtang Mountain Range and enjoy lunch.
On The East – Dhulikhel Hills:
You can never get enough of the mountains. There is something about the scenic beauty and tranquillity of the majestic peaks that just makes you want to stay there forever and breathe in the pure fresh air.
Dhulikhel in the Kathmandu Valley is one such place, which offers picturesque views of the high Himalayas and the range of peaks that it comprises of, right from the Langtang Lirung in the west to the Dorje Lakpa, Gauri Shankar and Melungtse, and then Numbur in the east. You just have to be willing to climb a little over the village to enjoy these panoramic views.
Unlike Nagarkot, which is also a popular tourist attraction in the same area, Dhulikhel is a genuine Newari town and is thus the perfect place to visit if you want to explore the authentic culture and heritage of the area.
This is perhaps why people often prefer to stay here for about two nights so that they can thoroughly explore this quaint little area and soak in the mountain sunshine. Leisurely walks are also located all around the village, and tourists simply set on foot to wander around.
Another famous tourist attraction here in Dhulikhel is the mountain bike trip from Dhulikhel to Namobuddha, which is one of the most loved activities by tourists. The three-hour trek passes through the Kali Temple, then through the villages of Kavre and Faskot, and finally through a Tibetan monastery on the hilltop, below which one will find Namobuddha.
