Sunset walk along the Nagarkot ridge

Most visitors to Nagarkot arrive in the afternoon. Instead of waiting in your room, walk the ridge road north from the hotel cluster, where pine forest opens onto terraces and views across the valley. The road is quiet in the late afternoon, and you pass small tea shops, farm houses and the occasional school group.

As the sun drops, the Kathmandu valley floor turns gold and then grey, with the lights of Bhaktapur and Kathmandu coming on. To the north, the snow peaks may turn pink for a few minutes if the sky is clear. Bring a warm layer; the temperature drops quickly after sunset.

Return by torchlight to your lodge for dinner. This walk is easy and flat enough for most ages and is a good way to get your bearings before the early start to sunrise the next day.