Where to go and what to do in Kathmandu

This guest post is written by srk4you.


Location of Kathmandu

Kathmandu is the capital of Nepal and is the heart of the country. Kathmandu is the city of temples and is the home to 8 UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

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Where to Go in Kathmandu?

Obviously, temples and religious places come first in the list. But Kathmandu is not limited to temples and palaces only. Kathmandu is a valley and is surrounded all sides by mountains which are above 8000ft high. This is an inviting location for hiking, cycling and adventurous stuffs.

Visit the old Durbar Squares: Kathmandu Valley constitutes three cities (Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur) and they are all famous for the palace squares. Palaces are called “durbar” in Nepal.

Basantapur Palace in Kathmandu Durbar Square (Via Wikimedia Commons)

Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park: The national park is within Kathmandu and is home to over 177 species of birds and 19 species of animals. At the same time, it is a perfect location for hikers, trekkers, cyclers and adrenaline junkies.

More about Shivapuri National Park.

Pashupatinath, Boudha and Swoyambhu: The three-most visited temples and monasteries in South Asia are in Kathmandu. Pashupatinath temple attracts over 200,000 pilgrims from India and Indian sub-continent every year while Swoyambhu and Boudha are sacred place for Buddhists. Swoyambhunath is believed to have emerged from the ground itself and the stupa is on the hill top. Boudhanath is the largest Buddhist stupa in the South Asian sub-continent.

Sight-seeing, camping and bungee jumping: Nagarkot in Bhaktapur district is an awesome tourist place. I would not be incorrect to say that at any particular time, the population of tourists is more than the population of local residents in Nagarkot. Affordable hotels, peaceful view of sunrise and sunset, tourist activities like bungee jumping, kite fighting, boating, vintage shopping -  all these make Nagarkot a must see tourist place in Kathmandu.

Mountain Flight to the world’s highest mountains: Climbing the Everest has never been so easy. Get up early in the morning, get in a plane and you will be taken to the white snow-capped mountains like Mt. Everest, Lhotse and Makalu. The one-hour long flight is surely a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Mountain Flights in Nepal are operated everyday from Tribhuvan International Airport, Kathmandu.

A view of the Himalayan range as seen from a mountain flight

How to get to Kathmandu:

1. Via Air: Direct flights are available from most Asian countries including India, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Qatar. Europe is connected directly via Netherlands (TuiFly). Other continents don’t have direct flights. Also see airlines that provide cheap flights to Nepal.
2. Via Bus: Directly from India and China. Non-Indian citizens need a passport to get on-arrival tourist visa.
3. Via Sea: Nepal is a landlocked country.