4 days in Kathmandu

Dear Lilioftheworld.com reader, here is Dimo, your co-editor. Today I take you to Nepal, which is a home of some of the highest peaks on the planet. Normally, people go there to do trekking or climb its wonderful mountains. It is less popular amongst the general tourist population and that is why you can still find local people, culture and nature as genuine as they can be. Having said this, I find Nepal to be a hidden gem and worthy contender for the top of the bucket list of every keen traveler. My first visit there was focused mainly on Kathmandu and its surroundings, therefore, the next paragraphs give you a detailed agenda for what to do when having 4 days in Kathmandu.

Short info on Nepal and Kathmandu

Nepal spans on about 147 thousand sq.m. and to put it in perspective that makes the country slightly bigger than England in terms of territory. The population is around 30 million people, out of which 80% are Hindu. But this isn’t representative for the huge diversity of ethnic group and cultures that populate Nepal: 125 ethnic groups! While the country hosts a variety of unique languages, the official language is Nepali, close to Indian. The country divides itself to several regions, which differ by elevation and climate, hugely varying throughout the country.

Kathmandu is the capital city of Nepal and is located in the Kathmandu valley at altitude of 1300-1400 meters with mild sub-tropical climate.

Some interesting facts about the country:

It is the birthplace of Buddha
It has 8 out of 10 worlds’ highest mountains
The Nepali flag is the only triangular flag in the world
Odd time zone: Nepal is 5 hours and 45 minutes ahead of GMT, because it sets the meridian of Nepal Standard Time at Gaurishankar, a mountain east of Kathmandu.

Planning the trip

1. Get in and get out

Unless you come from the bordering India, chances are that you need to get a flight to and from Kathmandu. The airport isn’t big, but offers sufficient tourist and travel amenities.

2. Deciding what to see and a sightseeing plan

If you have less than five days in Nepal, please see my recommendations below. If you have more than five days, you should definitely consider doing the Annapurna/Everest base camp trekking in addition.

3. Transportation

Driving is on the left side, but chances are that you won’t be driving. Hiring a car with a driver is a standard in Nepal and is very inexpensive, therefore, this is the primary mode of transportation.

4. Accommodation

Pick hotels that score high on hygiene. Thamel area has various good places to stay, which include also good restaurants. We stayed at the Flock Hostel Kathmandu, which I highly recommend.

5. Going through all the details:

• Visum requirements – depends on your passport. For the majority of EU member states there is a Visa-on-arrival. Keep in mind that you need to submit an online form to be able to obtain it and also pay the visa fees in cash at the airport (local currency and USD accepted).
  Vaccinations requirements – as of March 2023 COVID vaccination status was still checked and either full vaccination or negative test required for entry.

Important note: There is a high risk of Hepatitis A in the country, therefore, make sure your vaccination status covers it. Other vaccination to consider is typhoid fever, which also represents a very high risk in Nepal.

• Safety level – We felt safe in all areas of Kathmandu, but of course one should still exercise common sense and look out for suspicious behavior, as you would do anywhere in the world.
• Currency – Local currency is Nepalese Rupee. I didn’t bring any cash with me (as always). Card payments were accepted at most places (subject to an additional charge of about 3.5%). However, some places, such as food kiosks and souvenir shops accepted cash only. So prepare accordingly. Local ATM fees are normally in the range of 4 to 8 euro per transaction. Keep in mind that your home bank might also apply some fees for ATM transactions abroad.
• AC outlet – see here. The website lets you know if you need a travel adapter.
• Local SIM card – Tourist prepaid data and call SIM cards are available at very low prices at the Kathmandu airport and throughout the city. I paid about 4 euro for 9GB data and unlimited calls for a week.
• You need to prepare with sun protection, mosquito repellent (depending on the season), comfortable shoes, appropriate clothing, etc.

A note on Eat & Drink

Make sure that you ONLY drink bottled water that is properly sealed. Also brush your teeth with bottled water. Last thing you want to deal with is some form of stomach discomfort. If you are doing trekking, bottled water might not be an option. Hence, you need to either boil water or use purifying tablets. When it comes to the food, I would strongly recommend to avoid foods that didn’t go through thermal treatment.

Now that we checked the list, we are good to go and see what to do in 4 days in Kathmandu!

Day 1 (UNESCO Heritage sites)

This is a standard one-day activity that is offered by every tourist office in Kathmandu. We had a good experience with Good Vibe Adventure. When you consider local tourist agency always check the tripadvisor rating and comments. It seems they provide a fair assessment for the service quality in Nepal.

With some variations the UNESCO Heritage sites excursion includes visiting four to seven temples. I would recommend to take the following four in your first day and allocate sufficient time to see and enjoy.

Patan Durbar Square and King’s Palace

Patan Square offers an amazing density of temples and shrines surrounded by lots of history and culture:

One of the highlights is the Royal palace, where you could see lots of Hindu related attributes and statues:

Some interesting facts about Hindu (as presented by our local guide)

In the Hindu religion there are thousands of different gods. The main or supreme ones are:

Brahma – the God of Creation

Vishnu – the God of Preservation (known also as Krishna or Rama)

Shiva – the God of Destruction

Each Hindu god has an animal vehicle, be it a bird, bull, lion, etc.

One of the most worshiped gods in Nepal is Ganesha (human body and elephant head), a son of Shiva. The legend says that Shiva’s wife created a human form out of turmeric paste and breathed life into it, thus creating a boy. The mother instructed the boy to not let anyone pass through the door until she was bathing. It happened that at the same time Shiva was returning from a trip and stumbled upon the boy. Shiva got angry as the boy wouldn’t let him to his wife, so in his anger he decapitated the boy.

When the mother came out from her bath she was devastated and asked Shiva to bring their son back to life. However, even for the mighty Shiva it wasn’t possible to just connect the body to the head, so he sent his animal vehicle (a bull) to find another head. The bull returned with an elephant head and the boy was brought back to life with it. Ganesha is a symbol of intellect and wisdom and his animal vehicle was a demon-turned-into-mouse.

Pashupatinath Temple

Pashupatinath temple is one of the most sacred Hindu temples not only in Nepal, but in the world. This temple complex is located on the banks of the Bagmati River, which itself is considered a holly one, flowing directly into the Ganges. The temple area is home to many shrines, statues, and cremation sites. There are about 500 temples some of which date back to the 4th century AC.

The temple is dedicated to Shiva and serves the purpose of a crematorium for Hindu people.

One of the striking senses that you cannot see on the photos, is the smell of burning tissue from the cremations.

Boudhanath Stupa

Boudhanath Stupa is a Buddhist temple with the typical Buddhist stupa, which is quite high at 43 meters.

According to our guide the legend says that a long tike ago an old and poor woman wanted to build a big temple and asked the king to give her a piece of land to do it. The king understood that if he granted the wish of the old woman, he will make her very famous and rich. On the other hand he didn’t want to just reject the holly purpose of the request. Therefore, the king gave the old lady a piece of bull skin and told her to place the skin anywhere in the kingdom and assume ownership on the place. What the old woman did, was that she carefully cut a rope from the bull skin and used the rope to make a huge circle. This is where the Stupa is seen today 😊

Swoyambhunath Stupa

Check out our Instagram post for this temple:

Day 2 (Local markets and Bhaktapur)

Kathmandu is famous for its markets, which offer a wide range of goods, from handcrafted souvenirs to colorful textiles and spices. On your second day, you could head to the Thamel neighborhood. It is famous for its narrow streets full of shops and restaurants. Here, you can wander around the bustling market stalls and browse through the colorful array of handicrafts, clothing, and jewelry. You can also sample some of the local street food, such as momos (steamed dumplings), samosas, and chana masala. These photos should help you feel the spirit:

Bhaktapur village is another UNESCO Heritage site about 45 minutes drive from Kathmandu. A long time ago it was the capital of Nepal. The magnificent temples and squares are well preserved and you could easily spend at least half a day on its beautiful streets, full of artisan and apparel shops:

A guide is a good and relatively cheap option, however, we have consumed such huge amount of information during our first day, that we skipped it as we wanted to just walk, enjoy and take photos 😊

Keep your entrance ticket always with you, as there are officials who check them occasionally (this is valid for all temple visits in Kathmandu).

On your way in or out of Bhaktapur, you could also visit another Hindu temple – the Changu Narayan.

Day 3 (A day trip to Chandragiri or Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park)

In our third day, we went to Chandragiri, because we wanted to climb all the way to the peak. The climb takes about 4-5 hours, depending on your fitness level and consists of thousands of steps. Just so you get some idea about the amount of steps: my smartphone has registered a total 150 floors climbed on that day 😊

There is also a cable car going all the way up and we decided to use it on our way back. It is a less than 10 minutes ride in stark contrast with the time that you need to actually climb.

See our impressions:

We didn’t have the time to do it, but you could also consider Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park for a day trip from Kathmandu.

Day 4 (Trekking in Nargakot or helicopter flight to Everest base camp)

Having done the Chandragiri climb, we were all set for bigger adventures. So we went to see the sunrise at Nargakot and then did a long trek with stunning Himalaya views.

It is always good to check the weather forecast in advance when visiting Nargakot. The Himalayas are only visible if the sky is clear and there are no clouds or rain.

While the trek itself could be considered as boring at long stretches, the views of Himalaya were great. Furthermore, passing by some local villages gives a great opportunity to know better local culture:

An alternative for your fourth day could be a helicopter flight to the Everest base camp. I didn’t do it, because I felt like coming back to Nepal one day to do the full Everest base camp trekking itself. So I wanted to keep the Everest photo for the moment when I “really deserve it”. Yet, all the reviews and feedback for the heli-ride were very positive and despite being a bit pricy (around 1000 USD depending on the high/low season), it is a good recommendation.

An overwhelming mix of culture, spirit, nature and great people, Kathmandu and its surroundings rewarded us with unique and memorable experiences. However, our business in Nepal isn’t finished: it would be wonderful if we get the chance to visit again and do the Annapurna or Everest base camp treks. So, stay tuned!

We hope you enjoyed our guide for spending 4 days in Kathmandu! For more interesting trips check out our Long Haul Trips and Weekend Escapes sections.