Trekking in Nepal

As one of the last trips of 2019, I had the opportunity to spend Christmas in Nepal.

Nepal is a country that I had originally planned on visiting a few years prior. However, the Earthquake of 2015 put those plans on hold for the last several years. Yet, in 2019, the lure of Nepal had been continually on my mind, and I knew that winter would be the best time to visit because it is the time when the weather is clear, and the temperature is not terribly cold during the day, so without hesitation, I decided to spend Christmas in Nepal.

Unlike other places that I tend to visit, I actually spent more time in Nepal than I typically would since its history, art, cuisine, culture, and landscapes all held me in awe.

Originally, I planned on resting upon arrival into Kathmandu and then spending my first full day exploring the city. However, that planned changed shortly after I arrived at my hotel in Thamel. I happened to see a bunch of tours advertised in the hotel. One tour that caught my eye was a day-long trekking tour from a Buddhist monastery to Panauti, which is on the tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage sites.

Nepal is famous for its trekking, and I didn’t think a trip to Nepal would be complete without a bit of trekking. Without much thought, I decided to do the tour for the next day. The day started early and began with a drive to a town of Dhulikhel, which is famous for its proximity to the Himalayas, which can be seen on clear days.

After a quick visit to Dhulikhel, the guide, driver, and I headed to Namobuddha Monastery (Thrangu Tashi Yangtse Monastery), which lies at the top of a hill that has wonderful views of the Himalayas.

View of the valley from Thrangu Tashi Yangtse Monastery

During our time at the monastery, we had a chance to see the monks chanting in an extremely ornate prayer hall. Unfortunately, pictures were not allowed inside the prayer hall, but it was a fascinating experience to see Buddhist monks of all ages chanting from prayer scrolls while devotees walked around the edge of the room bowing to different Buddha statues.

The visit not only included a visit to the main prayer hall but also a stop at a shrine dedicated to a tigress. According to the story, a prince came upon a tigress who was about to die. The prince sacrificed himself to the tigress and her cubs until only the bones remained. Centuries later, the Buddha came upon bones and declared himself to the reincarnated prince. Today, it is possible to see the location where the tigress was found.

After a visit to the monastery, the guide and I began a 2-3 hour hike that went for 10 kilometers (6 miles) through the valley that we saw from the top of the monastery to the town of Panauti.

To be honest, I was nervous about this part of the trip. While I am not out of shape and do a lot of walking, I was not entirely sure I would be up to a hike this long. However, prior to arriving in Nepal, I had gotten in the habit of taking long walks after work, so this was good training and preparation. Plus, this was not the first time that I had done hikes, so I was confident in my abilities.

In all honesty, the hike was one of my favorite parts of the tour. The hike went through several small Nepali villages where it was possible to see how local people live. I was amazed that even in 2019, people were still living very simply and seemed quite content. In a way, it was hard for me to imagine myself living in that kind of environment, but on the other hand, I also admired the people for the simple living that did not seem dominated by electronics or social media.

For the most part, the hike was pretty easy since it was mostly on level ground, but there were times when the hike was a challenge, especially when the road/path went uphill. It was during those times that I really pushed myself, and I was glad that I did.

Even though the guide expected the hike to be around 3 hours, we actually reached our destination of Panauti in 2 hours since we both walked fairly quick.

Panauti, which is about 20 miles from Kathmandu, is a small town of about 15,000 people. It is an important site since it is known for having many different Hindu and Buddhist temples that date from the 15th century or earlier.

Since the tour was close to concluding, we stopped at Indreswor Temple, which is a very old temple dating from the 6th century. It was amazing to walk around the area and see how devotees worshiped.

After visiting the temple, the guide and I met the driver, and we headed back to Kathmandu. Even though the drive back to the city was not that far, because of traffic, it took about 2 hours to return back to the hotel.

This was an amazing experience and a great way to start to a trip to Nepal, and I am extremely glad that I did the hike. Originally, I was not sure it would be for me, but it was fascinating to walk through small villages and see how people in Nepali villages live.

Please enjoy the photo gallery! All photos were taken by me using a DSLR and iPhone.