Sunrise over the Himalaya

Nepal was absolutely stunning and completely unique. I’ve wanted to go for years and not even only because of the Everest but something so peaceful about the culture and the nature.

I decided to go very spontaneously because Dhaka just emptied just before Christmas, and I was able to work remotely. You can fly to Kathmandu in just over two hours from Dhaka for like 150 euros.

I stayed my first three days in Kathmandu in an area called Patan. It was the perfect location: I could see the Patan square from the hotel and I was surrounded by fantastic restaurants and a car free zone.

Kathmandu is very walkable and it’s great to just stroll around and eat momos and drink ginger tea and admire architecture. You can also use two different taxi apps: Taximandu or DriveIn. Uber works too but there are very few drivers on the app.

You should visit Thamel area for shopping, Swoyambhu Mahachaitya aka the monkey mountain to check out some amazing views and pagodas.

Dhaka was extremely polluted at the time and Kathmandu definitely also has the issue, too. I just wanted to enjoy the fresh, crispy air so I took a taxi to Bhaktapur which is a small ancient town within the Kathmandu valley. The taxi cost 1000 rupees and took about an hour. I stayed at the Hotel Rupakot & Rooftop Restaurant which was excellently located in the centre. Bhaktapur is super small and cute and has some of the best temples and coffee and shopping.

When you enter Bhaktapur you have to pay 15 dollars per day for entry. The city is a UNESCO heritage site and it's beautiful to walk around: you should also enjoy the sunrise and sunsets and you'll be able to see Himalayas in the horizon.

I did a day trip to the Changu Narayan Temple. There are public buses that take you there but I wanted to walk so I spent almost two hours walking up to the temple and enjoyed the views there. The walk was 6 km long. I took the bus back and paid 20 rupees to get to the town.

I took another taxi from Bhaktapur to Nagarkot which is another hour out and cost 1200 rupees. The ride out is a serpent mountain road. I stayed in the Hotel Village View Nagarkot which was a bit shabby but perfectly located. It's just south of the village itself but directly at the corner to view a sunrise over the Everest.

I woke up early to watch the sunrise. It was extremely cold in the dark but the sunrise was absolutely stunning. I sat there around an hour and thoroughly enjoyed the fresh air and the quiet.

I met these two amazing Australian hikers and we went searching for waterfalls and view points. It was a great final hike and then we shared a taxi back to Kathmandu where I spent one last night. The ride cost 2500 rupees for three people and took two hours. All went super smoothly and I stayed near the airport the final night eating some momos and doing some final grocery shopping for Dhaka.

I would highly recommend Nepal and am looking to go back and doing some of the longer hikes!

Best wishes,

Mira