Things to do in Kathmandu

As you know Kathmandu is reaching for cultural diversity and tradition. Nepal has 10 world heritage sites. Among 10, 7 heritage sites lie in Kathmandu. Kathmandu can be the best destination to explore hundred-year-old temples, durbar square, stupas, architecture, culture, and tradition. Looking at the world heritage sites, there are 3 Durbar squares (royal places of ancient kings), 2 most important temples of Hindu, and 2 Buddhist cultural stupas in Kathmandu. These are the names of the heritage sites of Kathmandu.
Three Durbar Squares of Kathmandu

Kathmandu Durbar Square

Kathmandu durbar square is a UNESCO heritage site, one of the three durbar squares of Kathmandu valley located at a close distance (around 2 km) from the tourist town of Thamel. It is full of ancient palaces, temples and shrines also called Hanuman Dhoka and Basantapur Durbar Square. It has two courtyards, inner and outer. Outer has Kasthamandap, Ghumari Ghar, and Shiva Parvati Temple similarly Inner has the main palace and Hanuman Dhoka.

Patan Durbar Square

Patan Durbar Square is one of the popular durbar squares of Kathmandu valley located in the Lalitpur district southeast of Kathmandu. It has many popular attractions like golden temples, durbar, Krishna temples, courtyards, and museums.

Bhaktapur Durbar Square Bhaktapur

Durbar Square is located in the eastern part of Kathmandu valley on the way to the popular hill station of Nagarkot. It is also one of Kathmandu's UNESCO world heritage sites with many historical monuments. 55 windows temple, Tyatapol temple, Bhairavnath Temple, and Golden gate are the major place of Bhaktapur Durbar square.

Temples and Stupas

Pashupatinath Temple

World's Popular Hindu Temples Pashupatinath Temple is the most sacred holy place of Lord Shiva and one of the main Hindu pilgrimage sites for millions of Hindu devotees from around the world. It was listed as a UNESCO world heritage site in 1976, located in the north of Kathmandu. Pashupatinath Temple is the most ancient temple for devotees of Hindu as well as Jain, Shik, Vaishnav, Buddhist, and Shaiva. Pashupatinath Temple has about 492 temples, 12 Shrines, and 15 pagodas (temple of Lord Shiva).

Changu Narayan Temple

Changu Narayan Temple is the oldest temple of Kathmandu Valley located in Bhaktapur district 22km northeast of Kathmandu valley. The temple shows that it is a great representation of the culture, history, and civilization of Kathmandu Valley. People believe that this temple was built in the 4th century where we can see excellent examples of woodwork sculptures.

Swoyambhunath Stupa

Swayambhunath (Monkey Temple), one of the oldest religious pilgrimage sites of Kathmandu valley which is a major attraction of Kathmandu for thousands of tourists every day, is located on top of the hill towards the west of the center of Kathmandu. According to Swyambhu Puran, there was a huge lake across Kathmandu from which lotus flowers grew, this valley came to be known as Swayambhu which means self self-originated originated Bouddhanath Stupa

Bouddhanath Stupa is one of the historic, stunning, spiritual places for Buddhist and Hindu devotees. It is the largest stupa in the world located around 11km northeast of the center of Kathmandu and is listed as a UNESCO heritage site. It is built in Mandala style also called "Khasa Chaitya"

Kathmandu is the main gateway to go to hundreds of trekking routes in Nepal. Hiking/trekking is the Kathmandu most popular recreational outdoor activity in Kathmandu. About 70% of international tourists who enter Kathmandu go on various short and long-distance treks.
Trekkers go trekking to see the stunning view of sunrise and sunset, experience local culture and heritage, see beautiful landscapes, gorges, rivers, and waterfalls, and encounter the high Himalayas as well as their flora and fauna.

Some long-distance trekking from Kathmandu

Everest Base Camp Trek (Difficult grade, 12 to 16 days)

Annapurna Circuit Trek (Difficult grade, 12 to 17 days)

Annapurna Base Camp Trek (Moderate grade, 7 to 13 days)

Manaslu Circuit Trek (Difficult grade, 11 to 19 Days)

Langtang Valley Trek (Moderate grade, 5 to 9 days)

Dolpo Trek (Difficult Grade, 13 to 30 days)

Everest Three Pass Trek ( Difficult Grade, 14 to 17 days)

Kanchenjunga Base Camp Trek (Difficult Grade, 15 to 20 days)

Some popular short, easy treks suitable for beginners as well as families from Kathmandu

Everest view trek (Easy grade, 4-6 days)

Ghorepani Poon Hill Trek (Easy grade, 3 to 6 days)

Gosaikunda Lake (Easy grade, 4 to 6 days)

There are many days to multi-day hiking around Kathmandu valley Check out the blogs Best Hiking Around Kathmandu 

It seems that Nepal is only a country of mountains but it is also the perfect destination for jungle safari tours to experience rare wild animals inside the dense forest of Tarai (flat land). Chitwan National Park, Bardia National Park, and Parsa Wildlife reserve are popular destinations for jungle safari tours in Nepal, 3 to 7 days of safari can be done to observe endangered wildlife in these destinations.
Royal Bengal Tiger, horn rhino, Sloth bears, monkeys, deers crocodiles, various kinds of birds, and water animals can be easily observed at these destinations. Jungle walking, elephant safari, jeep safari, night tower staying, canoeing, rafting, and local culture shows are popular activities while doing safari tours in Nepal.

Some Popular Jungle safari Tours in Nepal are

Chitwan National Park Jungle Safari ( 3 to 5 Days )

Bardia National Park Jungle Safari ( 4 to 5 Days)

Koshi Tappu Jungle Safari Tours ( 3-4 days) Note:

Generally, the total Days of the tour depend on activities and the traveler's interest contact us for any safari tours in Nepal at +977-9849615880

Helicopter Tours are the most popular luxury tours of Nepal to experience a very close view of the Himalayas within short-time travelers to reach their destination. You can join a day helicopter trip from Kathmandu to various mountain regions.
Visitors who have a strong desire to experience a close view of the Himalayan ranges but don’t want to hike for a long time in the Himalayas then join the Helicopter tour from Kathmandu to reach the lap of the Himalayas. Kathmandu to Everest Base Camp, Gosaikunda, Langtang, Muktinath, and Annapurna Base Camp is the most popular helicopter tours in Nepal.

To enjoy the aerial view and to get close to the snow-capped mountains like birds, you can join a helicopter tour with Bold Himalaya. We are operating a daily Helicopter flight to Mount Everest for group join as well as private with reasonable prices.

Rafting is the most interesting outdoor sport (activity) to do in Nepal. You can join various river rafting trips from Kathmandu. Rafters go rafting for short to long distances as well as on a day to multi-day rafting from Kathmandu that comes from the Himalayas and their glaciers.
Himalayan rivers hit the deep gorge of high hills in that rafters follow the rhythm of white rivers and the paddling while enjoying pristine scenery, landscape makes your rafting trip a lifetime experience.

You can join the adventure rafting trip at Charaudi and pick it up from Kathmandu. Bhotekoshi, Tirshuli, Sunkoshi, Marshyangdi, and Kaligandaki, Karnali rivers are the most popular rafting rivers in Nepal where you can experience from normal 2 to extreme 6-grade rapids.

We are operating day rafting trips with a daily departure in Bhotekoshi and Trishuli.

Feel free to Contact us at +977-9849615880 (WhatsApp, Viber, line, and WeChat available)

If you want a close view of the long Himalayan ranges without spending much money, a mountain flight can be the best option then you can join a mountain flight with us from Kathmandu. Every day we send groups for mountain flights. Travelers can have a beautiful view of tall mountains.
It is a much easier way to reach the Himalayas than trekking up to the mountain's Base Camp and high passes. Mountain flight saves you time and energy to experience the Himalayan range.

The most popular mountain flight from Kathmandu is the Everest flight. Everest is the world's tallest peak with a height of 8,848.86m. For a close look at Everest without any hard work of trekking, you can enjoy the Mountain flight.

Nepal is one of the most popular mountain biking destinations on earth for the downhill and Kathmandu is its gateway. Mountain biking is the activity of riding mostly mountain areas on downhill off-road routes.
Nepal has normal few days of cycling routes to an extreme level of mountain biking routes that pass through the Himalayas. For a few days, mountain bikers go mountain biking surrounding Kathmandu.

Pokhara while for the long days and to the high Himalayas and its region long Nagarkot, Dhulikhel, Kakani, Namobuddha, Chisapani, CHampadevi, and Phulchoki are the most popular mountain hiking hills surrounding Kathmandu for one-day to multi multi-day mountain biking.

Kathmandu is a city that has been covered it’s all four sides by hills Shivapuri hills 2,732m, Nagarjun 2,095m, Chandragiri 2,551m, and Phulchowki 2,695m. Kathmandu has both indoor and outdoor rock climbing in Kathmandu. In-door means the sports center where they have prepared the wall or area for rock climbing and out-door means climbing the rock on a natural hill.
The best hill for natural rock climbing is Nagarjun hill which is just 3 km from Kathmandu. There are plenty of artificial climbing walls for rock climbing in Kathmandu. Rock climbing is an activity to climb up to a rock or wall (in-door climbing) by using proper safety equipment to the end-point of a pre-defined route.

This activity is generally difficult because it requires more strength, balance, and how long the climber can hold their body weight.

A rickshaw Tour is one of the interesting things you can do while staying in Kathmandu. Risa is a three-wheeled vehicle that is driven by the driver's feet like a bicycle that can carry two people at a time. You can see the culture and economic environment of Kathmandu on the Rickshaw Tour.
Especially in the early morning, the Rickshaw tour will be very interesting. Exploring the Thamel to Kathmandu Durbar Square area by Rickshaw is one of the unique things you can do in Kathmandu.

If you are looking for more adventurous activities, you can also paraglide in Kathmandu. You can have a view of the Kathmandu valley from the eyes of the birds. Paragliding was established in 2007 in Kathmandu. You might wonder if it is safe to paraglide in Kathmandu. You don’t need to get worried. You are safe with our experienced pilots and instructors.
Take-off is easy and much less scary than you think once your foot leaves the ground. You will have a mind-blowing experience on the fly. It will be a memorable way to experience Kathmandu valley's beauty. The Godavari at an elevation of 2,100m is the best place for paragliding in Kathmandu.

There are many Ziplines for short and long distances in and around Kathmandu valley. Ghampe Danda and Dhulikhel are the popular zip lines near Kathmandu valley. The Zipline is getting popular activities to do in Kathmandu as well as all over Nepal. It was first started in Pokhara in 2010 which is the world's most popular high-speed jeep line.
From there it is getting popular all around Nepal. Near Kathmandu, you can go to Dhulikhel for the Dhulikhel Zipline. The specialty of the Dhulikhel Zipline is two people can do it at the same time and along with that it also has a superman zipline of 1,100m. Very near Kathmandu, Yoyo Zipline, Ghyampe Danda, in Bhaktapur

If you love nature and want to stay in the peaceful environment of Nature then, book a tour to Nagarkot Hill 2200m or Chandragiri 2550m to spend overnight for Sunrise and Sunset. Nagarkot lies around 26 km east and Chandragiri is 14km west of Kathmandu. From Nagarkot as well as Chandragiri, you can have beautiful mountain ranges of Manaslu range, Ganesh Himal Range, Langtang Himal Range, Rolwaling Range, and Everest Range.
For both destinations, after driving for a few hours we can start hiking to reach the top of the hills. Chandragiri is surrounded by forests on all sides while Nagarkot is surrounded by local settlements on 3 sides and forest on the other side by the community of Newari people. From Nagarkot, You can see the cultivated agricultural land of Newari inhabitants you can have a mind-blowing view of sunrise and sunset from this hill.

Bungee jumping is one of the thrilling outdoor sports activities that involve a person jumping from a height while connected to a large elastic, rubber cord on the leg near the ankle. Bhotekoshi Bungee Jumping is one of the nearby Bungee jumps near Kathmandu Valley. In Nepal 4 Bungy Jumping spots in Nepal 2 in Pokhara, 1 in Kushma, and 1 in Bhotekoshi.
It is the sport of brave people. This sport requires good health, strength, and bravery. People who have physical injuries like high blood pressure, or heart problems, and pregnant women are not advised to do bungee jumping.

Canyoning in Kathmandu is one adventurous sport that gives you off the beaten track and cannot be missed by the adrenaline seeker and water sports. It is the sport of repelling down from the waterfalls.
You can do Canyoning on the riverside of Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park. The National park is a conserved and protected area. You can have the best experience in canyoning with the help of professional guidance.

Kathmandu is a community of Newar people. Here most of the ethnic people are Newar, they have their traditions, meals, and culture. So, you can taste Newari food over here. Newari food is really popular in most hotels and restaurants in Kathmandu. You can see many Newari food stores and restaurants in Kathmandu. Samay Baji, Yomari, Chila, Chatamari, Aku Tama, Bara, Ju: and Ju Dhau, and Lakhamari are some of the popular Newari foods.

Related Blog Best food to try in Nepal

Visiting the museum is also one of the best things you can do in Kathmandu. You can have a memorable time inside the museum. Narayanhiti Palace Museum, The National Museum, and Taragaon Museum are the top three museums you can visit in Kathmandu. You cannot click photos inside of the museum but we can take outside of the museum

Thamel is the main tourist hub of Nepal and is also a popular hub for tourists and shopping, there are many shops related to tourism. You can find many souvenirs and handicrafts here. Pashmina, handicrafts, hemp clothes, singing bowls, statues, Khukuri, Dhaka cloths, and woolen clothes are the major goods that tourists buy.
If you are interested in the cultural dress of Nepal, then you can find cultural dresses in fashion. Especially you can wear a cap name called Dhaka topi and if you love Nepal’s national weapon (khukuri) then you can buy it in Thamel with good quality It is a popular place to buy varieties of souvenirs, trekking, tourist, and climbing gear.