Nepal Cultural Hiking tour

Get ready for the ultimate outdoor and cultural adventure with Nobel Holidays’ Nepal Cultural Hiking tour of 11 days! During this incredible adventure, you’ll visit places such as Kathmandu and Pokhara. The entire itinerary is filled with cultural sightseeing activities and outdoor hiking. Perfect for families, friend groups, or couples, this Nepal Cultural Hiking tour promises you incredible mountain views, visits to some of Nepal’s most famous landmarks and a great holiday!

What can you expect?

Your Nepal Cultural Hiking tour of 11 days with Nobel Holidays starts in Kathmandu. This incredible cultural city and capital of Nepal has some amazing landmarks and cultural sights for you to visit! After arriving and meeting up with our team, the first day in Nepal is completely free for you to explore the alleys of Thamel. Known as backpackers’ paradise, this is the tourist hotspot of Kathmandu! You’ll find all types of shops and restaurants here. Rikshas (a sort of bicycle with a carriage for 2) will be able to transport you everywhere in easy and style!

Sightseeing in Kathmandu:

On our second day of the Nepal Cultural Hiking tour, we’ll go sightseeing at Kathmandu’s most famous 4 landmarks: the Swayambunath Monkey Temple, Kathmandu’s Durbar/Palace Square, the Boudhanath Buddhist Stupa, and the Pashupatinath Hindu Temple.

Swayambunath’s Stupa is located atop a hill overlooking the city and is just perfect to start our sightseeing day in Kathmandu! It is believed that atop the Stupa one can find peace and serenity. Furthermore, the hill is filled with monkey families, making it extra adventurous to walk up the stairs to the Stupa.

Our second stop is at Kathmandu’s Durbar Square. Durbar, meaning palace in Nepali, is where the ancient rulers of Kathmandu resided. There used to be 3 kingdoms in the valley: Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Patan. All 3 having their own Durbar or Palace Squares. Interesting to see is the architecture used to build these incredible temples and palace buildings.

Furthermore, near the Durbar Square, one can explore the alleys and markets. Third up is the famous Boudhanath Stupa. This giant white Stupa is one of Kathmandu’s most important Buddhist pilgrimage sites and is visited every year by devotees from across the world!

Lastly, we have the Pashupatinath Hindu Temple. Known as a burial site, this famous temple is located on both banks of the Bagmati River that runs through Kathmandu. Here we can go sightseeing, take a fortune telling from one of the gurus and see the sights before heading back to your hotel.

Drive to Pokhara and Phewa Lake:

The next day we head for Pokhara. This incredible city is located about 5 hours from Kathmandu by vehicle. While the journey might seem long, it’s definitely worth it! The highway winds and bends around and between green hills, following a great part of the Trishuli River. On the way, we pass the famous Manakamana Temple, located across the river and accessible via cable car. Lunch will be held on the way at one of the riverside buffet restaurants. A great place for some photoshoots as well.

In the afternoon, we’ll reach Pokhara and check in to our hotel. WE don’t wait too long and head out to explore and go boating on Phewa Lake. During our boating trip, we also plan a visit to the Tal Barahi temple. This Hindu temple is located on a small island and is only accessible via boat or canoe. After this scenic and peaceful boat ride, we head back to shore.

The rest of the evening is free to explore, and Nobel Holidays does recommend one of the lakeside BBQ restaurants for a great evening and dinner!

Hiking to Dhampus and Sarangkot:

For the fourth and fifth days of the incredible Nepal Cultural Hiking tour, we plan an easygoing but adventurous hike up to Dhampus and Sarangkot. We start with a short drive from Pokhara to Phedi. The road is all paved, and after a good half an hour we reach Phedi, located below the hill of Dhampus. It’s a short hike of about 2 to 3 hours uphill via a zigzag trail.

Dhampus is famous for its views of the Annapurna Range and for access to the famous Australian Camp (2,400m/7,874ft). After checking in to our local guesthouse, we prepared to hike up there. From the Australian Camp, depending on the season, we can view 8 of the highest mountains in the Annapurna region, including Mt. Annapurna I (8,091m/26,545ft) and Mt. Dhaulagiri (8,167 m/26,795ft).

In the afternoon, we head back to Dhampus and our comfy guesthouse. Do let your Nobel Holidays guide know if you want an early wake-up call to view a stunning sunrise from Dhampus!

For our second day of easy hiking, we head mostly downhill towards the Ghatte Khola River. Crossing over the long suspension bridge adds to the adventure and is required to head up towards Naudanda. From here we can enjoy a lunch with a great Himalayan view!

A bit further ahead atop the hill is Sarangkot. Famous for its viewpoint and as a paragliding starting point, Sarangkot laying just above Pokhara, has some great lodges and hotels to choose from. We enjoy the rest of the day enjoying the views and exploring around Sarangkot Hill.

Do try to get an early sleep today, as the next morning we have an early wake-up call. The viewpoint is just a short walk away, and we head out during the dark early morning with torches in hand. At the viewpoint, the moment the sun starts to appear, you’ll see the entire Pokhara Valley and Phewa Lake light up with a warm and welcoming glow.

The snowy Himalayan Peaks start to appear, making this truly one of the world’s most beautiful sunrise views! After breakfast, we head back down the hill towards Pokhara and drive back to our hotel for check-in.

Sightseeing in Pokhara:

It will be afternoon before we head out and see the incredible Davi’s Falls waterfall and the Gupteshwor Mahadev cave that runs below it. Depending on the season, the waterfall will be in full force or not, and it’s truly incredible to see it falling within the cave below! 

After this, we visit the International Mountain Museum. Here, the Nepal Mountaineering Association records, documents, and displays the mountaineering activities of the world and the Nepalese Himalayas. Quite interesting! The next day we visit the Shanti World Peace Stupa across Phewa Lake. We’ll need to cross the lake again and hike a bit uphill through some lush jungle terrain, but the views from the Stupa are definitely worth it!

Overlooking the entire Phewa Lake, Pokhara City and the Himalayan Mountains in the background, there could not be a more perfect and peaceful place for this one of the two World Peace Stupas! In the afternoon, we visit the Tibetan Refugee Center and 3 famous Monasteries.

The Matepani Gumba, the Jangchub Choeling Monastery, and the Pema Dechenling Monastery. There are four other monasteries spread around Pokhara, making it a total of 7. In the evening, we enjoy the last of Pokhara as the next day we head back to Kathmandu.

Back to Kathmandu and a visit to Bhaktapur and Patan:

Depending on your booking option, we either fly or drive back to Kathmandu from Pokhara. If you choose to fly, we’ll be back earlier in Kathmandu, giving you more free time to rest or to go out during this day. Driving back can take most of the day but allows you to enjoy the scenery for the last time.

The next morning we plan a visit to the last remaining Durbar or Palace Squares of the Kathmandu Valley. First up is Bhaktapur. This old Newari town is still practicing ancient traditional crafts and traditions. Famous for its pottery and yogurt (curd, Bhaktapur is completely different from the previous visited Kathmandu Durbar Square. We visited Bhaktapur’s Durbar Museum, pottery square and the old paper factory.

You can either enjoy lunch in Bhaktapur or Patan; both have charming and nice restaurants to choose from. The last Durbar Square we visit is Patan, located in Kathmandu’s Lalitpur district. Also a Newari town, Patan’s Durbar Square is famous for its Krishna Temple. This Hindu Temple is not only proof of devotion, but also of extraordinary architecture and craftsmanship!

In the late afternoon, we return to our hotel in Kathmandu. And enjoy the next day free. During your last day, Nobel Holidays can organize various activities in and around the Kathmandu Valley; just let us know!

Embark on one of the best cultural and hiking tours in Nepal with Nobel Holidays’ 11-day Nepal Cultural Hiking tour! And enjoy 4 days of sightseeing and 2 days of hiking around Pokhara and Kathmandu. Don’t hesitate; book the Nepal Cultural Hiking tour today with Nobel Holidays.