Nagarkot Sunrise Tour with Sallaghari-Changunarayan Hiking

4.9(9)

Duration

5 Hours

Day tour

Group Size

2–15

people

Trip Highlights

Nagarkot (2,195m) — one of the finest Himalayan sunrise viewpoints near Kathmandu, with a panorama stretching from Dhaulagiri to Kanchenjunga on clear mornings
Early departure from Kathmandu (4:00–4:30am) to reach Nagarkot before sunrise; watch dawn light ignite the snow peaks including Everest (8,849m) and Langtang Lirung (7,227m)
After sunrise, descend on foot to Sallaghari and hike to Changunarayan Temple (1,541m) — Nepal's oldest surviving Vishnu temple (UNESCO, 4th century CE)
3–4 hour ridge hike through terraced farmland and forest; moderate difficulty, suitable for most fitness levels
Explore Changunarayan's stone sculptures and inscriptions, including a 5th-century Licchavi stone pillar — among Nepal's earliest historical artefacts
Return to Kathmandu by early afternoon; breakfast stop en route and all transport included

Trip Overview

Hightlights

Escape the bustling city life and enjoy a peaceful retreat.
Admire views of the Himalayas from Nagarkot.
Visit the UNESCO Heritage site: Changunarayan Temple.
Enjoy an early morning panorama over the world-renowned peaks from Nagarkot.

Overview

Escape away from the commotions of Kathmandu life with this Nagarkot-Sallaghari-Changunayaran Tour.

Situated in a peaceful atmosphere surrounded by green forests, Nagarkot is one of the most lively places around Kathmandu. Nagarkot sunrise tour offers travelers a serene beauty of the snow-capped Himalayas, including the Gaurishanker Himal, Ganesh Himal, Sisapangma, and Annapurna mountain range.

Then we start our trek passing pleasant green meadows along the way first to reach Sallaghari to end our trek in Changnarayan. Changunarayan, a municipality in Bhaktapur District, is part of the urban agglomeration of the Kathmandu Valley. The municipality was created by merging the former Village development committees Old-Changunarayan, Chhaling, Duwakot, and Jhaukhel in 2014. The municipality of Mahamanjushree Nagarkot was then merged into Changunarayan in 2017.

The municipality also houses the UNESCO World Heritage Site: The Changu Narayan Temple. This temple is dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu and considered the oldest temple in Nepal. It’s a peaceful and lovely destination that travelers must visit while in Bhaktapur.

On this tour, you can enjoy an early morning panorama over the world-renowned peaks from Nagarkot before a scenic hike to Changu Narayan. This is perfect for those who are short of time and want a glimpse of the beautiful mountain ranges and a break from the hustles of Kathmandu.

Tour Plan

Our transportation will take us from the hotel to Nagarkot in the early morning (2100m). After a scenic one-and-a-half-hour drive, you'll arrive in time to see the sunrise with views of the Himalayas. Our hike then begins after breakfast at Hotel Mountain Vista Retreat. We pass nice green meadows along the way to first reach Sallaghari. We then end our hiking after reaching Changunarayan. Hike across the country's scenic hillsides and stop at several villages before arriving at the UNESCO-listed temple. Inside the pagoda-style temple, get a peek at Nepal’s oldest stone inscriptions. After the tour is over, transportation will drop you back to your respective hotel.

What’s Included

Included

Private transportation as per program

Experienced English speaking guide

Breakfast at Nagarkot

Visit Changunarayan Temple

A bottle of drinking water

Not Included

Monuments fee

Personal expenses

Traveler Stories

KimEverest Base Camp Trek

Deck and StrebellaNagarkot Sunrise Tour with Sallaghari-Changunarayan Hiking

DavidKathmandu - Pokhara Sightseeing with Everest Scenic Flight & Annapurna Heli tour

View all experiences →

$60per personFree cancellation

Enquire us

Traveler Reviews

Overall rating

4.9/5

Based on 9 reviews

Cedric S

Verified booking

5.0

I was fortunate to be assigned Ramsaran Simkhada for this trekking adventure. It felt like two friends taking a little hike in the forest/up the mountains. Ram shared stories of his life in Nepal which was both insightful and entertaining and made for a very f…

Kasia

Verified booking

5.0

Very nice tour where you can see more peaceful area outside of the city. Our guide Pradip was super professional and kind. We also talked a lot about Nepal, so for me it was a highlight of the trip to know more about life here in Nepal. Sunrise was super prett…

Mina L

Verified booking

5.0

Travelling with abyss tours was again one of my best experiences... this time we visited nepal, everything was great especially the hotels and I wanted to thank ebrahim and binod for their full care and kindness. hope to see them again in china maybe :)))

zeynep_guide

Verified booking

5.0

I and my husband decided to be in Nepal for new year celebrations. We visited Katmandu,nagarkot and phokara. I made a research on tripadvisor before we go and picked up this company because of the good reviews. I think they are more professional in camping, tr…