Breakfast
At the hotel, served early so that you reach the trailhead before the day warms up
All destinations
All destinationsKathmandu Valley Day Hikes
4.814 reviews
Four different hills on the rim of the Kathmandu Valley, walked one a day from a single hotel base, with a night at a monastery at the end.
- Duration
- 6 days
- Grade
- Easy to moderate
- Max altitude
- 2,762 m (9,060 ft)
- Start and end
- Kathmandu
- Walking time
- 2 to 7 hours a day
- Best season
- Oct to Apr
- Accommodation
- Hotel and guesthouse
- Meals
- Breakfast and lunch
- Group size
- Private, from 1
- Getting around
- Private vehicle
Kathmandu Valley Day Hikes Overview
Four different hills on the rim of the Kathmandu Valley, walked one a day from a single hotel base, with a night at a monastery at the end.
Tour overview
Five days of walking on the hills around the Kathmandu Valley, based at a hotel in the city rather than on a trail. The trip includes four summits, two of them close to 2,750 m, and a night in a working monastery, with no permits, porters or domestic flights. It offers the most walking you can do in Nepal without going on a trek.
The hills around the valley
Many visitors see only the valley floor and assume the surrounding hills are suburbs. In fact, Shivapuri is a national park where leopards live. Phulchowki has around three hundred recorded bird species and the finest broadleaf forest within fifty miles of the city. From either summit on a winter morning, you can see two hundred kilometres of the Himalaya.
Ending at a monastery
After four days of out-and-back walks, the final walk leads to a destination. The route from Dhulikhel to Namobuddha is a one-way walk, and Namobuddha is one of the three most important Buddhist sites in Nepal, set on a hill among fields and receiving few visitors. The guesthouse is simple, and the evening prayers are the part most travellers remember.
Who this trip is for
Walkers with a week available, travellers with a gap in their Nepal itinerary, families with teenagers, and anyone who wants days in the hills without living out of a duffel bag. It also works well in the week before a Himalayan trek, because four days of climbing to 2,700 m is proper preparation.
Key highlights of the Kathmandu Valley Day Hikes
- Shivapuri at 2,732 m, through the national park forest above Budhanilkantha
- Phulchowki at 2,762 m, the highest hill on the valley rim and the best birdwatching forest near the city
- Champadevi at 2,285 m, from the Pharping monasteries down to the old town of Kirtipur
- The walk from Dhulikhel to Namobuddha, and a night in the monastery guesthouse
- No repeated packing, no permits and no early flights. You sleep in the same bed for four of the five nights
Itinerary
We meet you at the airport and take you to your hotel. The afternoon is free. In the evening we go through the four hills with you, check the weather forecast for the week and decide the order of the walks, so that the clearest morning is used for the highest hill.
- Altitude
- 1,400 m (4,590 ft)
- On foot
- None, arrival day
- Night in
- Hotel, Kathmandu
- Meals
- Dinner
Drive half an hour north to the Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park gate at Budhanilkantha, then climb steadily through oak and rhododendron forest. Nagi Gompa, a Tibetan nunnery on a shoulder of the hill at 2,300 m, is an hour and a half up and a good place to stop. The summit at 2,732 m is two hours further, with views of Ganesh Himal and Langtang to the north. You descend by the same route and are back at the hotel for tea.
- Altitude
- 2,732 m (8,960 ft)+1,332 m
- On foot
- 6 to 7 hours, 16 km
- Night in
- Hotel, Kathmandu
- Meals
- Breakfast, packed lunch
Drive forty minutes south-east to Godavari and the botanical garden, then walk four hours up through the finest forest near the city: subtropical at the bottom, oak and laurel in the middle, and moss and rhododendron near the top. Phulchowki, at 2,762 m, has a shrine, an army post and, on a clear day, a view of Everest to the east. The descent in the afternoon is easier.
- Altitude
- 2,762 m (9,060 ft)+30 m
- On foot
- 6 to 7 hours, 18 km
- Night in
- Hotel, Kathmandu
- Meals
- Breakfast, packed lunch
Drive south to Pharping, where the Asura cave and the Tibetan monasteries above it are worth an hour before you start walking. You then climb the pine ridge to Champadevi at 2,285 m, which has a stupa, prayer flags and a view over the whole valley. The descent follows the ridge north and down into Kirtipur, a Newar hill town that few visitors reach.
- Altitude
- 2,285 m (7,500 ft)−477 m
- On foot
- 5 to 6 hours, 14 km
- Night in
- Hotel, Kathmandu
- Meals
- Breakfast, packed lunch
Drive an hour east to Dhulikhel, an old trading town on the road to Tibet with a Himalayan view from its ridge. The walk to Namobuddha takes four hours through terraced farmland and Tamang villages, and ends at the stupa where, according to legend, a prince gave his body to a starving tigress. You stay at the monastery guesthouse, which is simple, and can attend the evening prayers.
- Altitude
- 1,750 m (5,740 ft)−535 m
- On foot
- 4 hours, 10 km
- Night in
- Monastery guesthouse, Namobuddha
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner
You can attend the morning prayers at six if you wish, then walk two hours down through the fields to Panauti, a Newar town at the meeting of two rivers, with a thirteenth-century temple and very few visitors. From there the vehicle takes you to the airport or back to your hotel, an hour away.
- Altitude
- 1,400 m (4,590 ft)−350 m
- On foot
- 2 to 3 hours, 8 km
- Night in
- No overnight
- Meals
- Breakfast
What's included
- Airport transfers, and a private vehicle with a driver to and from every trailhead
- Five nights: four in the same Kathmandu hotel and one at the Namobuddha monastery guesthouse
- A licensed hiking guide on all five walking days
- Breakfast every morning, a packed lunch on each day hike, and full board at Namobuddha
- Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park entry, and the Phulchowki and Namobuddha fees
- A valley hiking map, and the option to change the order of the hills to suit the weather
Not included
- International flights and the Nepal visa
- Dinner in Kathmandu, which is inexpensive and best chosen yourself
- Drinks, tips and personal expenses
- Travel insurance
- Optional extras: the Everest scenic flight, a valley heritage day, Nagarkot at the end
Route map
The trail from start to finish, at a glance.
Packing list
Luggage stays at the hotel
On this trip you only unpack once. Bring a daypack for the hills and a small overnight bag for the single night at Namobuddha. Everything else stays in your Kathmandu hotel room, which we keep for you across the two nights you are away from it.
- A sun hat with a brim, for the open ridge on Champadevi
- A warm hat for the summits between November and February
- Sunglasses
- Layers rather than one warm coat. You start in the valley at 1,400 m and finish at 2,700 m
- A light waterproof jacket, in any month
- A warm layer for the summits and for evenings at the monastery, which has no heating
- Clothes that cover shoulders and knees for the monasteries at Pharping and Namobuddha
- Boots with ankle support and good grip, for forest tracks with roots and loose stone
- Three pairs of walking socks
- Trekking poles, which we can lend you if you prefer not to fly with them. Both descents are long
- Comfortable clothes and shoes for evenings in Kathmandu
- Sun cream, factor 30 or above. The valley is at altitude and the sun is stronger than the temperature suggests
- A blister kit, to be used as soon as you feel rubbing
- A dust mask or buff for the traffic on the drive out of Kathmandu
- Insect repellent, which is needed on the forest hills in warmer months
- Your own prescription medicines in their original packaging
- A 20 to 25 litre daypack with a rain cover, which is all you carry
- A small overnight bag for the one night at Namobuddha
- Bottles or a bladder holding two litres of water, as there is nowhere to buy water on the hills
- Binoculars, which are especially useful for birdwatching on Phulchowki
- A passport valid for at least six months, and two passport photographs for the visa
- US dollars in clean notes for the visa counter
- Travel insurance details, on paper as well as on your phone
Getting there and back
The flights and long drives on this itinerary, and what happens if one is delayed or cancelled.
Getting to Kathmandu
You fly into Tribhuvan International Airport via Delhi, Doha, Dubai, Istanbul, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur or Singapore. There are no direct flights from Europe or North America. There are no activities on day 1, so a late arrival is not a problem.
Visa on arrival
Fill in the form at the kiosk, pay US$30 in cash for a 15-day visa at the bank counter, then go through immigration. Bring clean dollar notes. Indian nationals do not need a visa.
No domestic flights
This is an advantage of this trip. Nothing can be cancelled by weather at Lukla or wind at Jomsom, nothing needs to be rebooked, and no spare day is needed for delays. Everything is within an hour's drive of your hotel.
Departure
Day 6 finishes at Panauti in the late morning, and the vehicle takes you to the airport, an hour away, or back to the hotel. If your flight is in the evening, we will arrange a day room for you.
Accommodation
You stay four nights in a Kathmandu hotel and one night in a monastery guesthouse, which keeps the logistics of this trip simple.
5 nights, and where
| Where | Nights | Type | Room | Bathroom |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kathmandu | 4 | Three-star hotel, in or near Thamel | Twin or double, the same room throughout | Private, hot water |
| Namobuddha | 1 | Monastery guesthouse | Twin, plain and quiet | Private, hot water, and no heating |
- Kathmandu
- Nights
- 4
- Type
- Three-star hotel, in or near Thamel
- Room
- Twin or double, the same room throughout
- Bathroom
- Private, hot water
- Namobuddha
- Nights
- 1
- Type
- Monastery guesthouse
- Room
- Twin, plain and quiet
- Bathroom
- Private, hot water, and no heating
Heat, hot water, power and signal
- Hot shower
- Every night, in your own bathroom, which is one of the main advantages of this trip after a day on the hills.
- Wifi
- Available at the hotel and, with a good connection, at the monastery. There is none on the hills, and mobile signal is patchy above 2,400 m.
- Charging
- Mains power at both, with round-pin sockets. Bring an adaptor.
- Heating
- There is no heating at the monastery, and Namobuddha at 1,750 m is cold indoors in January. Thick blankets are provided.
- Drinking water
- Filtered at the hotel and boiled at the monastery. The guide carries a filter on the hills, and you should carry two litres.
- Food on the hill
- There is no food available on Shivapuri or Phulchowki above the gate. A packed lunch is provided every day, and there are teahouses at Pharping and on the Namobuddha walk.
- Laundry
- Same-day service at the hotel, charged by the kilo and inexpensive, which is useful after four days of walking.
- Luggage
- Your luggage stays in the hotel room. You carry a daypack, and you only need an overnight bag for the night at Namobuddha.
Meals
Packed lunch
Prepared by the hotel: sandwiches, boiled eggs, fruit, a snack bar and juice. Usually eaten at the top
Dinner
Your own choice in Kathmandu, where there are many good restaurants. Included and vegetarian at Namobuddha
Tea
At a teahouse near the trailhead on the way back, chosen in advance by the driver
If you eat differently
- Vegetarian
- Easy. Namobuddha is entirely vegetarian, and the hotel will prepare a vegetarian packed lunch on request.
- Vegan
- Straightforward in Kathmandu. Tell us when you book so that the packed lunches can be prepared to suit you.
- Gluten free
- Manageable. The packed lunch is rice, eggs and fruit instead of sandwiches, which needs a day's notice.
- Nut allergy
- Tell us when you book. The hotel kitchen will keep nuts out of the packed lunches and the guide will inform the monastery.
- Halal
- Available in Kathmandu. The monastery meals are vegetarian, which covers the one night away.
A typical day
You leave at seven, climb a hill, have a packed lunch at the top, return by four and have dinner wherever you choose in Kathmandu.
6:30Early breakfast at the hotel
7:15Leave by vehicle, early enough to avoid about an hour of Kathmandu traffic
8:00Arrive at the park gate, pay the entry fee and start walking
12:30Reach the top and have a packed lunch
13:30Descend, which on these hills takes about two thirds of the time of the ascent
16:00Tea at a teahouse near the trailhead, then the drive back
17:00Back at the hotel, with a shower and a free evening
Difficulty and preparation
There are two demanding hill days, one moderate day and two easy days. Shivapuri and Phulchowki each climb about 1,300 m and take six to seven hours out and back, which is a full day's walking. The other walks are gentler, and any day can be swapped or skipped without affecting the rest.
- Two climbs of about 1,300 m, each in one continuous ascent and descended by the same route
- Forest tracks with roots, loose stone and, after rain, mud
- A high point of 2,762 m, which is low enough that altitude sickness is not a concern
- You carry only a daypack, every day
- A vehicle waits at the trailhead at the end of every walk, so a day can be shortened at any point
Getting ready, week by week
Written for somebody who walks a bit and does not train. If you already run or cycle regularly, start partway through. Nothing here needs a gym.
- Trek
8 weeks before, stage 1 of 3
Build up to six hours
Two of the walks climb 1,200 m or more and take six to seven hours. If your usual walk is two hours on flat ground, increase it gradually. One long hilly walk a week for eight weeks is enough.
Weather by month
The figures are for the valley floor. On the summits of Phulchowki and Shivapuri, expect temperatures about eight degrees lower, with wind.
- Best
- Good
- Hard
- We do not run it
January
Best- Day in the valley
- +18°C
- Night in the valley
- +2°C
- Day at the summits
- +8°C
Cold, bright mornings and the clearest views of the year, with Everest visible from Phulchowki on the clearest days. Frost on the summits.
Averages for the valley floor at 1,400 m, with the summit figure alongside. Phulchowki and Shivapuri run about eight degrees colder than Kathmandu, and windier.
Guides and porters
Your guide
One licensed hiking guide accompanies you on all five days and knows which of the many forks on Shivapuri leads where. One driver takes you to the trailhead and, when the route crosses a hill, meets you at the end of the walk.
Why a guide is needed near the city
There are two practical reasons. The forest tracks on Shivapuri and Phulchowki branch often and are poorly signed, and there have been occasional robberies on the quieter trails of the valley rim over the years. A local guide deals with both, and also knows the good places to stop for tea.
Bird guide option
Phulchowki and Shivapuri are two of the best birdwatching forests in central Nepal. We can provide a specialist bird guide instead for $25 a day. The walking is then slower and quieter, and the focus of the trip changes.
Responsible travel
National park fee
Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park protects the forest you walk through as well as the catchment that supplies much of Kathmandu's water. The NPR 1,000 gate fee directly supports this.
Waste
Your packed lunch leaves the hotel in a box and comes back in the same box. There are no bins on these hills, and litter left on Shivapuri stays there, as you can see on the lower track at weekends.
Local customs
The Namobuddha guesthouse exists to support the monastery, and the money stays there. Meals are served at the monks' times, prayers are religious practice rather than a performance, and you should ask before taking photographs inside the shrine. Visitors who sit quietly at the back during evening prayers are welcome.
Drinking water
The hotel provides filtered water for refilling your bottle, and the guide carries a filter on the hills. Over six days, this avoids around fifteen plastic bottles in a valley that has no proper way of disposing of them.
Booking and payment
How to book
Write to us or send a WhatsApp message with your arrival date and the number of people in your group. A week of notice is enough. We confirm within a day.
Deposit
A deposit of twenty per cent secures the hotel and the monastery guesthouse, and the balance is paid on arrival in Kathmandu. Very little is booked in advance for this trip, which keeps it flexible.
Cancellation
If you cancel more than fourteen days before the start, the deposit can be transferred to another date within a year. Within fourteen days, the rooms have been paid for and we keep the deposit. As it is a short trip, the amount at risk is small.
Changes during the trip
You can change the plan freely. You can swap a hill, skip a day, add the heritage day, or go to Nagarkot instead of Namobuddha. We decide the order on the evening of day 1 based on the weather, and we can change it again on day 3.
Training for a longer trek
Tell us, and we will adjust the week. We will schedule the two hardest hills on consecutive days rather than spacing them out, which is good preparation for Everest Base Camp but less suitable for a holiday.
Optional extras
Priced per person, arranged before you travel, and none of them included in the price above.
- 1 extra day
A valley heritage day
$95Patan, Bhaktapur and Swayambhunath with a cultural guide instead of a hiking guide, added as a rest day between the two long hill days. This is the most popular addition.
- 1 morning
Everest scenic flight
$220An hour-long flight along the range with a guaranteed window seat, returning before eight, so it can fit before any of the hill days. It depends on the weather and is refunded in full if it does not operate.
- 2 extra days
Two nights at Nagarkot at the end
$210A ridge hotel at 2,175 m with a north-facing room, two sunrises, and a walk down to Changu Narayan on the last morning. It is the gentlest way to finish the trip.
- replaces a day
Chandragiri, up on foot and down by cable car
$65A 900 m climb from Thankot to the ridge at 2,550 m, with a temple and a very good view at the top, and a cable car for the descent. It takes half the effort of Shivapuri and offers most of the views.
- same length
A bird guide instead of a hiking guide
$25 a dayPhulchowki and Shivapuri are two of the best birdwatching forests in central Nepal. If birdwatching is your main interest, we provide a specialist guide, and the walking becomes slower and more focused on birds.
- same length
Upgrade to a garden hotel in Patan
$180A quieter base than Thamel, in a Newari courtyard house, and ten minutes closer to the two southern hills. Recommended if you prefer to avoid the noise of central Kathmandu.
Other ways to walk near Kathmandu
4 versions of this journey. They use the same guides and the same lodges; what changes is the length, the comfort and how much of it you walk.
- Kathmandu Valley Day HikesYou are hereThe trip on this page: four hills from one base, and a night at a monastery.6 days$497
- Chisapani Nagarkot TrekThe same area walked from end to end rather than out and back, with two nights on the ridge.5 days$349
- Kathmandu Valley Cultural TourThe same Kathmandu base, visiting the seven monument zones instead of the hills.5 days$447
- Annapurna Panorama TrekA short trek, if you would like to follow a trail over several days rather than walk single hills.7 days$687
Reviews
Exceptional5.0 out of 5Reviews from Tripadvisor
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A unique experience of spiritual combined with adventure.
August 2024, Tripadvisor
Rajan Ji, I'm writing to personally thank you & your wonderful team for the once in a lifetime spiritual & adventure experience during Kailash Manasarowar parikrama. Your leadership and management style, good humour & positive spirits in difficult situations, your knowledge, passion and pride in your work and your country is inspiring. All the very best for the future. I look forward to other trips with you in the coming years. All the best. Amit
AmitNamjoshiRead on Tripadvisor
Excellent service| Hassle free journey
July 2024, Tripadvisor
My Manasarovar and Mt.Kailash trip with Earthbound was a great experience overall. I was very pleased with the hospitality and flexibility and care the team took towards accommodating all the guests and making sure all of us maintained good health throughout the journey. It was very important in such a trip to eat well and take care of health at high altitudes and Earthbound team is experienced and took very good care of all the essentials. They were patient in addressing all our concerns and always had a smile. Overall, they serviced us with all heart and would love to go back on another expedition with them!
V.DuggiColoradoRead on Tripadvisor
Best travel agency
July 2024, Tripadvisor
Rajan ji and his team are excellent in taking care of yatris. The room service during the parikrama was exceptional. The way they took care of team by not getting wet and made sure that everyone wore cap and jacket all the time. I highly recommend this travel agency as the best customer centric one. Rajan ji is very flexible and made a custom travel/ itinerary according to the individual requirements.
Rani PRead on Tripadvisor
Divine journey to Mount Kailash & Manasarovar: Unforgettable Experience
July 2024, Tripadvisor
I recently had the profound privilege of visiting Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarovar, and it was an experience that exceeded all expectations in terms of divinity, bliss, and exceptional service. The service provided throughout the trip was exceptional. Earthbound guides were knowledgeable, compassionate, and attentive to every need, ensuring that the journey was smooth and comfortable. The accommodations, considering the remote location provided all necessary amenities. The food was nutritious and thoughtfully prepared, catering to various dietary preferences. Trip couldn’t be any better without efforts of Rajan ji and his team. Thank you Rajan ji Praveen Yellapragada
Praveen YRead on Tripadvisor
Frequently asked questions
Answers to the 12 questions travellers ask us most often. If your question is not here, contact us and we will answer it.
Two of them are full hill days. Shivapuri climbs 1,300 m and Phulchowki 1,200 m, both in one continuous ascent, and each takes six to seven hours. Champadevi is shorter and Namobuddha is a gentle walk through farmland. If you walk in hills at home for five or six hours at a time, you will be comfortable on all four.
Yes. Some travellers walk three hills and spend the fourth day in Patan. We can plan this when you book or on the morning itself. The hotel is paid for either way, and the guide can take you round a city instead of up a hill.
A trek involves a domestic flight, permits, a porter, a week of packing and unpacking, and a fixed route. This trip gives you five days of proper walking, with a hot shower and the same bed at the end of four of them, ten minutes from a good restaurant. It suits travellers who have a week, and those who want to walk without committing to a single trail.
From Shivapuri and Phulchowki on a clear morning, yes. From the north rim you can see Ganesh Himal, Langtang and Dorje Lakpa, and on the clearest winter days Everest is visible from Phulchowki. From October to February this is usual. In the monsoon you will see cloud, although the forest is very good.
Some of them are, but poorly. The forest tracks on Shivapuri and Phulchowki branch often, and there are several routes up Champadevi. This is the main reason for having a guide. There have also been occasional robberies on quiet trails on the valley rim over the years, and walking with a local guide is the simplest precaution.
You only need the Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park entry at NPR 1,000, the Phulchowki forest fee and the small Namobuddha donation, all of which are included in your price. There is no TIMS card and no trekking permit, because these walks are not classified as trekking.
Simple, clean and quiet. You have a twin room with a bathroom and blankets. There is no heating and no bar. Meals are vegetarian and served at the monks' mealtimes. Prayers are at six in the morning and visitors are welcome to sit at the back. Many travellers find it the most memorable night of the trip.
Yes. Nagarjun and Jamacho are a shorter half-day walk above the ring road. Chandragiri can be climbed on foot with the descent by cable car, and Nagarkot to Changu Narayan is a pleasant ridge descent. Tell the guide the evening before and it will be arranged.
Phulchowki is one of the best birding hills in Nepal, with around three hundred species recorded, and the Godavari end of the forest is particularly rich in March and April. Bring binoculars. If birdwatching is the main purpose of your trip, we can provide a bird guide instead of the hiking guide.
October and November have clear air. December and January have the clearest mountain views, with cold, bright mornings. March brings rhododendron on Phulchowki and Shivapuri. April is hazy. During the monsoon the hills are green, but the forest trails have leeches, and we do not recommend this trip at that time.
Yes, with the right choice of hills. We would replace Shivapuri and Phulchowki with Nagarjun, Chandragiri and the Nagarkot ridge, which involve half the climbing and offer most of the views. Tell us who is travelling and we will plan the week to suit your group.
Yes. It works well at the start of a longer trip, because four hill days at 2,700 m are useful training before a Himalayan trek. Several travellers use it as the week before Everest Base Camp. Tell us when you book and we will combine them into one itinerary.
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6 days
$497 per person
