5 Things to do in Kathmandu (48 hours)
Nepal is a relative small country located in the north east of India, with a population of about 29 million and religion predominance of Hinduism and Buddhism together. It is located in the Himalayas, and it’s a busy destination for travellers looking for adventures like trekking or that have as goal reaching the mount Everest.
I have always dreamed of seeing the Everest and that was the main reason why I hopped on a flight to finally see it. And trust me, pictures cannot describe the greatness of that beautiful monster.
From Dubai is a very short flight (only 3.5 hrs) and ticket of not even 1000 DHS on Air Arabia to go there, making it a perfect short weekend trip.
Also the place I totally recommend for the stay is the Hyatt regency, it is convenient, prices are very good, and it is like a little retreat in the middle of the busy city.
As per my experience, here are the highlights of the city, which you can perfectly do in 2 days, and then have time to discover other cities like Pokhara, that unfortunately I didn’t have the chance to see but I have heard that has breath taking views.
1. Boudanath,
Situated on the northern part of Kathmandu, about 10km from the city centre, the Boudanath is a Buddhist Stupa (spherical type of temple), it was heavily destroyed by the 2015 earthquake and its surrounded by 3-5 stories buildings where you can find rooftop restaurants, small hotels and very interesting shops where you can buy cute handcrafts. something I strongly recommend is to go in one of the shops where they sell the hand painted mandalas, usually they have the workshop upstairs, go and take a stroll there, they will try to sell you the paintings but at least, listen to them (they are not pushy I promise) but they always have nice things to explain about the wheel of life, about karma, about life and death etc.
2. Pashupatinath Temple
This is a very interesting and big complex of small Hindu temples, dedicated to Pashupatinath. It is located on the banks of the Bagmati river (that btw, it flows to the Sacred Ganges of Varanasi) This temple is considered one the sacred temples of Hindu faith, as a tourist you, pay a fee of 1000 rupees (10 USD) to enter and we found a guide inside that charged us about 10, which is good though, it takes you around the whole temples for about 2 good hrs.
As it is located on the banks of the river, and the flows to the Ganges, it has burning Gath’s, where the Hindus come and cremate their beloved ones here, it is my second time seeing it (the first time was in Varanasi) and it is very peculiar, it’s a sensation that personally charges you with a very heavy vibe, not negative though, but heavy, in any case, as our planet earth is so diverse, it is an interesting thing to see at least once.
Here also you can find a lot of religious men (Sadhu) those men with their face painted in White and dressed in orange, that follow a spiritual discipline and devote their life to meditation.
3. Swayambhunath (or monkey temple)
It is located in the hill of the Kathmandu valley, and it is also what is called in another name the ‘Monkey temple’. The complex consists of a Stupa and a variety of other temples (shrines). The stupa has the Buddha eyes on the four sides, it is a symbol of something like ‘protecting the city from all sides’. Two ways to get there is taking the long stairs or if you go by taxi, it can drop you right in front of the door as well.
4.Durbar Square:
Is the main square in Kathmandu and is one of the UNESCO world heritage sights. It was heavily destroyed on the earthquake of 2015 but its recovering. It consists in many temples, small squares, fountains, squares, there you can buy local handcrafts for good prices and the location of the old royal palaces. To enter foreigners, have to pay 100 Rupees ($10 usd). While visiting Kathmandu is definitely a spot not to miss.
5. The Himalayas flight:
This can be one of the most amazing things I have done, remember every time that when you are on a plane the pilot says ' we are at 35.000 feet'? well ok the mount Everest, the highest point on earth is about 29.000.... so just to make it a clear picture on you head!
No I didn’t climb it or trekked it as i am not THAT adventurous, also that requires a lot of training and preparation, instead, i took the $160 usd flight that departs in Kathmandu and lands in Kathmandu.
It's about 45 mins flight around the Himalayas, there you have the chance to see:
Mount Everest: 8.848 m
K2 8.611 m
Lhotse 8.5616m
For me was pretty amazing, having the chance to be in the top of the world is indescribable, even if you see it thru a window... plus, they pop champagne, that’s a real celebration of life.
PRO TIP: book one day in advance, flight departs at 6 am so if you are there on a short trip and weather is bad, you will get more chances to hop on the little plane.
I hope yo enjoyed the ride (and the pictures)!
