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Do you want to ramble into Nepal's scenery, history, and art in just one day? Or are you exhausted from searching for the best one-day hike around Kathmandu? The quest ends here. Sabbatical Explore Nepal presents Dhulikhel Panauti Hike via Namo Buddha, an easy but fabulous walk for you.
Dhulikhel Panauti Hike via Namo Buddha is an outstanding short trip around Kathmandu within one day. On this voyage, we will explore three must-visit tourist spots around the Kathmandu Valley, Dhulikhel, Panauti village, and Namo Buddha. Within one day, we will visit all the sites an finish the tour. We will enjoy highway drives, we'll do hikes, we’ll watch mountains, we will explore art & culture, and ultimately, we’ll have a great one-day tour.
The Dhulikhel to Panauti Hike starts from Kathmandu by leaving for Dhulikhel. It will be a one-hour drive to reach Dhulikhel(1,550m), the hike's starting point. Dhulikhel is a famous hill station and tourist destination for the people in Kathmandu valley. From here, we can catch glimpses of diverse landscapes and peaks such as Langtang, Lhotse, Gaurishanker, etc.
After exploring Dhulikhel briefly, we’ll start our hike to Namo Buddha(1,750m). It is an easy hike of around 3 hours. During the walk, we’ll enjoy the visions of the Himalayas, green landscapes, terraced fields, and hamlets. Half of the walk happens on a short trail most of the time.
The three hours of enjoyable hike brings us to Namo Buddha, another hill station, to enjoy the Himalayas. Nonetheless, Namobuddha is more known for its sacred Thrangu Tashi Monastery. Inside the monastery, we will find the monks doing their daily activities, incredible architecture, etc. And from the roof of Namobuddha, we will catch a glorious panorama of the outskirts.
From the top of Namo Buddha, we will do a downhill hike of around 2.5 hours to reach Panauti, a Newari town full of temples. The walk happens via vegetation, terrace fields, and villages. Stepping inside Panauti, we’ll explore the rich architecture and culture of the town. It will also be a chance to visit around 40 different temples. Moreover, we will taste the local food and see the living style of the town. What a worthwhile visit it is!
After Panauti sightseeing, we’ll drive around one hour back to Kathmandu valley. The scenic drive will bring us back to the city to conclude Dhulikhel Panauti Hike via Namobuddha.
An end note: This tour is a hand-made package to give the best cultural and natural experience that lies near Kathmandu Valley. You can also customize or add days to this tour. So let's talk more about this tour?
Day 1: Dhulikhel Panauti Hike via Namo Buddha
We will pick you up around 7 in the morning for this outing. After the pickup, we’ll take a one-hour-long drive to Dhulikhel. We will drive past Bhaktapur and Banepa to reach Dhulikhel. We’ll catch views of the city, villages, farm fields, hills, and more on the highway ride. After getting to Dhulikhel, we’ll do short sightseeing of the hill station and the mountain panorama. Following, we’ll start an easy 2-3 hours hike to Namo Buddha. We will cross forested areas, several scattered settlements, winding roads, and terraced fields. Throughout the walk, we’ll also celebrate iconic mountains and landscapes. Shortly, we’ll reach Namo Buddha to explore the monastery side and have lunch. While at the monastery, we’ll learn about the monastery\'s history, its architecture, and the monks. Plus, we’ll have a breathtaking panorama of the surroundings from the top of Namo Buddha. After exploring Namo Buddha, we’ll take a downhill route to Panauti village. For half an hour, we’ll walk through the forested area. Later, we’ll hike on green terraced land and towns. It will be 2-3 hours of easy walking to reach Panauti village. As we reach Panauti, we’ll start experiencing the rich history and architecture of the town. The Newari village has around 40 historical temples dedicated to various deities. We will explore as many of them as possible. Then, we’ll enjoy local food and drinks. Likewise, we’ll walk through the streets of Newari people to know their lifestyle and culture. After all of this, we’ll join a drive back to Kathmandu. The motor ride of 1 hour will transport us back to the hotel.
Do I need a visa to visit Nepal?
Yes, a visa is necessary to visit Nepal for all tourists except Indian nationals. You can get a visa from the Nepalese Embassy in your country or an on-arrival visa from Kathmandu (TIA) Airport. For that, you will need a valid passport before 6 months, some passport-sized photos, and a visa fee.
How much is a Nepalese Visa fee?
The up-to-date visa fees (as of 6/6/2024) for a Nepalese visa is: US$30 for 15 days, US$50 for 30 days, US$125 for 90 days. For Visa Extension: 3 USD per Day(minimum 15 days) 5 USD per day as late fine in the case of delay
Which time is best for a Nepal tour?
The best times to visit Nepal are September to November and March to May. If you are not doing any high-altitude tours, you can visit Nepal all year round, including Monsoon and Winter.
What is Nepal best known for?
Nepal is known for multiple reasons. The country is geographically, culturally, architecturally, and religiously a gifted one. It is the birthplace of Buddha, home of Mt Everest and eight other world & highest peaks, the world best trekking trails, the land of brave Gurkhas, and more. Therefore, multiple reasons make Nepal popular across the globe.
Will I get WiFi on this Tour?
Yes, most of the hotels, resorts, guesthouses and homestays have Wi-Fi facilities. But quality of service may be different.
After Everest Base Camp Trek, I did tour to Pokhara and Chitwan National Park. I am thankful to Shiva and his Sabbatical Explore Team for managing a great guide for my trek. I knew the trek is beautiful but not entirely. All the prayer flags, busy farm fields, like traditional hamlets, and yes giant peaks, these all are running through my mind while writing this. Thanks for this amazing trek. The guide helped me deal with the challenges of the trek without getting anxious. Thanks to him and the team! I suggest this group of experts to everyone reading my experience. You won't regret joining them. I am not!
Stefanie Zendler
Sabbatical Explore Nepal's team planned this excursion, which went excellent and was exceptionally well planned. We had the best guide on this trip who was friendly, humorous, and professional. He made us feel easy throughout the excursion. He was always there to explain the new things of the journey from the unique hanging bridges to the rapid Dudh Koshi River. The entire team for the journey was great. I can say the trip to Everest Base Camp is a trip for my lifetime. Thanks a lot to the entire team of Sabbatical!
Sarah Green
We have just finished the Annapurna Base Camp trek with Sabbatical Explore Nepal. Our guide Shiva and Samir were excellent, very friendly young men with good English. The looked after us very well, staying with us and supporting us as we trekked, and making sure our meals and accommodation were sorted each day. Shiva and Samir were very knowledgeable about the mountains, the areas we visited and Nepal in general. It was lovely to share stories with them, and I’m sure they will make excellent guides as well.
Harish Gupta
Every tour is designed to deliver the highest possible value
24/7 support by the local staff from arrival to departure
Local experiences from the local experts and know the land better
Together with you, we can craft an itinerary molded to your needs & budget
Data safety and security, Online easy booking facilities
Interact with locals, get to know their culture & traditions for an inside view of the Nepalese lifestyle