Nagarkot Sunrise and Dhulikhel Hike

Overview

Nagarkot Sunrise and Dhulikhel Hike is a one day hike from Nagarkot after viewing the sunrise over the snow-capped Himalayan ranges to the north to the town of Dhulikhel to the east-east south of it. Nagarkot is a town that lies atop one of the hills surrounding the Kathmandu Valley east-east north edge of it at an elevation of 2195 meters above sea level. It is got to after going through or around from Bhaktapur. This town was once a fort town in the medieval past to monitor the activities of the kingdom of Nepal. It also used to serve as a summer hill station for the Malla kings of the valley. This is because besides, being cooler in the summer months, one gets a spectacular view of the sun rising over the snow-capped Himalayan Mountains to the north. The additional advantage is that from this vantage point more than eight ranges can be seen from here, more than any other in Nepal.

Nagarkot, besides being a place flocked for viewing the sun rising over the Himalayan Mountains, the forested area around it has a plethora of wildlife and birds, which is a haunting ground for bird-viewing enthusiasts from the valley.

Dhulikhel is another town but on the other side of the Kathmandu Valley just past the ring of hills surrounding the Valley, a little above the plains of Banepa where two highways meet for entry into the valley via Banepa below it. It was a historical town which was one of the most difficult to add to King Pritivinarayan Shah’s list of conquest in his unification. Now it is a town of Mostly Newars and Brahmins and a smaller amount of other communities. It lies at an elevation 1550 meters above sea level, lower by about 500 meters than Nagarkot. It also gives one view of some of the Himalayan Ranges.

Since both of them are vantage points one lower than the other, the Nagarkot Sunrise and Dhulikhel Hike is about 60 percent downhill at the starting half of this Dhulikhel one day trek and the remaining 40 percent somewhat uphill to the ending section. In it, you cover a distance of about 15 kilometers through mostly forested trails than should take you about six hours to cover at a moderate walking speed. This gives you the chance to spot game and birds of variant species. Plus, you pass through few hamlets on the way, where you can have local lunch if you have not packed some for this Nagarkot Dhulikhel one day hike with sunrise. You need not worry, the Nagarkot sunrise tour is so made to pick you up in time from your lodging and have you privately driven to the starting point of the trek to Dhulikhel for you to observe your spectacular sunrise over the Himalayas, then have breakfast to your taste while observing the snow-capped mountains while you eat and sip your tea or coffee. Then take off for your one day hike to Dhulikhel and when it is all said and done, you are taken back by private vehicle to Kathmandu to the point where you were picked up early in the morning.

There is much one can take away from this Nagarkot Sunrise and Dhulikhel hike. The foremost being, able to capture the spectacular and breath-taking sunrise over the Himalayan snow-capped mountains which seems to show them in different shades, hues and colors. In addition to this having tea or coffee over breakfast while getting to take in the Himalayan ranges that can be easily seen from this vantage point, puts anyone in the brightest of moods to encounter the hike ahead.

The next that one can take away from such a hike to Dhulikhel is getting a foretaste of what hiking in Nepal is all about, especially in the Himalayan Mid-Range Mountains. It is all about forest and woods with a variant species of vegetation, trees, animal life and a plethora of species of birds. Adding to it is the rural life that one pass through and notice how life is like in these hamlets where communities of various identities live in relative harmony.

Most important of it all is you getting to your destination of the hike to catch what the theme is all about, the sunrise in time before it happens in comfort early in the day and being guided through the process of the hike from start to finish by a competent guide, who shows you and points out to you things of ecological value to the heart and mind for psychological enjoyment. When it is all over, you being rejuvenated from being in the open and the fresh verdure atmosphere, you are taken back in comfort in a private vehicle. It all happens in a day to retire to a peaceful sleep at night.

What should I know about this trek?
You should get up early in order to catch the ride to Nagarkot so that you don’t miss out on the beginning of the sunrise. Plus, you ought to bring suitable clothing, as it is nippier at that elevation than it is in Kathmandu and colder still in the early morning, plus a knapsack to store your clothing while on the hike, summer is not that bad. Then some packed lunch, if you don’t like eating out from local eateries on the way, and enjoyed there while viewing the snow-capped mountain ranges to the north. Then you must be ready for a downhill walk and some walking uphill too; well that’s what trekking in nature is all about to take the natural benefits of it.

Outline Itinerary
Day 01 : Drive to Nagarkot view sunrise & hike to Dhulikhel passing over Rhonnie Bhanjyang, Kankre, Tanchok. Admire the Himalayan view from the Dhulikhel hilltop then drive back to Kathmandu.