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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.
We recently made trip to Nepal. Shiva from Sabbatical Explore Nepal helped us finalizing trekking itinerary. It was a great trek to Langtang Region. We started it from Syafru Beshi and Gatlang and made very interesting and impressive Tamang Heritage trails. Completing Tamang Heritage trek, we reached to Lama Hotel through Thuman, Bhridim, Nagthali and Surka. We all enjoyed our time in Langtang Valley, Kenjing Gomba, Kenjing Ri, and Tsergo Ri. Our Porter and Guide were good & kind. They did the best care of us on trek and we already miss them.
We highly recommend this trip and company
Anna, Lena & Maria
Philip Hoffmann
We had a great time with Shiva and his team, from being picked up from the airport to being dropped off there, everything was just perfect! We had "culture tour and a trip to Shaman Village" Hiking. Got to see many cultural sites around Kathmandu and was an incredible experience in monastery visiting monks. The program was great and fantastic as far as we wanted away from the tourist crowds, all accommodations were good. It’s really a great opportunity to explore Nepal as local.
The “TeamSabbatical” were very helpful and friendly as well. When we have a questions or a problem can find someone on the spot immediately to find a answer and solve it. We highly recommend the trip Meet the Monks with Boudhanath Stupa tour, and the Kathmandu Cultural tour together.
Magda, Terese and Group
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