A wise man once said "I found more temples and monasteries in Kathmandu Valley than houses." It might not stand true today, but the fact remains that Kathmandu, the capital city of Nepal, has something to offer for everyone. Be it people seeking to get a glimpse of history and culture of Nepal, or young party lovers looking to spend some time in pubs and clubs. This beautiful valley offers everything in the menu.
There are a lot of places that could be of your interest. Kathmandu Durbar Square, Bhaktapur Durbar Square, Patan Durbar Square are all listed in UNESCO's World Heritage List. It goes without saing that these places reflect the rich cultural and religious history of the valley. Facilitated with modern restaurants and cafes, one can spend days on these places. The architecture and carvings on these places along with temples take you centuries back and leaves one wondering how on earth did they manage to create such a wonder.
Kathmandu Valley Trek can be made by those who lead a normal active life and stay at office most of the times without mush adventure. The trail is usually not steep, and you will walk around 4-5 hours a day. This trek doesn't require any health condition and great views of mountains will come all along the trek. Not everyone has the time, drive, or stamina to make a trek into the Himalayas. This should not be a reason for feeling like you have missed out on some of the unique things that Nepal has to offer, specially Trekking in Nepal.
In fact, many visitors to Nepal leave for the mountains a little too quickly and never enjoy the treasures closer at hand. Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal and major city in the Kathmandu Valley, is replete with unique buildings, temples, sites and smells. But there are also other cities and many other temples, all within easy walking distance of downtown Durbar Square at the center of Kathmandu.
Patan, just to the South of Kathmandu and almost an extension of it, is considered the most "Buddhist" populated city of the valley's three principal center namely Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur. The city of Bhaktapur which is to the East is the most "medieval." Both have a feel similar to that of Kathmandu's, but without the population density and frenetic tourist pace.
Among the temples in the valley, Swayambhunath (also called Monkey Temple for the hordes of monkeys living in its shadow) is the closest. A quick jaunt to the west of the capital, it is on top of a hill and enjoys generous views of the surroundings. The most famous temple in Nepal, Pashupatinath, cannot be visited by non-Hindus but you can still wonder around the temple within meters of the main statue of Lord Shiva and get a first-hand view of the cultural and religious beliefs. That said, the setting, on the holy Bagmati River just to the east of Kathmandu, is very peaceful.
Boudh Nath, one of the biggest stupas in the world, is two kilometers through some hectic traffic further to the east, and can be visited in the same day. The stupa of Lord Buddha in itself is majestic to say the least. Changunarayan, a two-hour walk from Bhaktapur is visited by few foreigners, and Nagarkot, a town four hours from Bhaktapur, has some of the best Himalayan views in the area.
There is so much more. I simply could never jolt it down in a blog. Cycling around the valley is always a great activity and if you have riding experience, you could enjoy all the major destinations of the valley in no time. You could also go for treks around the hills that surround the valley, there are also National Parks very near by.
Last but not least, Thamel, a heave for tourists where one can do shopping, buy souvenirs, enjoy great diverse food, chilled beers at pubs with live music and clubbing at night is always great.
With so many options in the valley itself, it is very rude not to give this great place a chance. Do spare a couple of days for sightseeing and quick trekking around the valley. If you do not, you will be left thinking I was a couple of kilometers from World Heritage Centers and I never went there. Kathmandu Valley is a great place to be and with the only International Airport of the country, most of the visitors start their Nepal Experience from the valley itself. So, if you are planning a trip to Nepal, make sure you have a couple of days for the Kathmandu Valley Trek, do keep in mind that the trek does not need to be of 8 days at all times, depending on your time we can reduce it down.
See you in Nepal.
Cheers!
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