This ten-kilometre community hiking route, starting from Sanga to Panauti, traverses the rim of the Kathmandu Valley passing through diverse natural landscapes and multiple ethnic villages. Hikers will be walking on the ridge of those hills which were considered as the shield for the ancient capitals of the Kathmandu Valley; always protected the valley from the foreign invasions. Along the way, hikers will experience the unique lifestyle, culture and tradition of Tamang and other indigenous communities. Nevertheless, the constant 'magnificent' view of the Northen-Nepalese Himalayan range is always intriguing.
Once we meet at the meeting point in Kathmandu at 9 am, we will be taking Arniko Highway to Sanga. Sanga is small hilly town, merely about 23 km away from the capital city, but the town is famous for the tallest statue of Lord Shiva in the world. We begin our hike from this town, and after a steep ascent for about half an hour, the hike mostly flattens out and takes us along ridgelines with steep drops below; views of rice fields and farmland and the beautiful sight of the town, Banepa, on the horizon.
Tamang communities are indigenous to this route. 'Tamang' which translates to 'Horse Warriors' in the Tibetan language, used to engage themselves as border patrol in the 8th century to protect Tibet, Tibetan monarchy, and its people. Followers of 'Bon' Dharma, an aspect of Tibetan Buddhism; a much-related culture to the ancient Tibet can be witnessed in this hilly trekking route. On route, we will be also passing through Brahmin's communities, who are believed to be the high caste in Hindu religion.
We will conclude our hike in a Newar community, Panauti. It is a small, but a beautiful Newari town. Local folklore mentions Panauti was an offering from a King of Bhaktapur to his sister as a dowry gift. Surrounded by green hills and holy rivers, this spiritual town is full of, both, Hindu and Buddhist temple. For such reasons, Panauti is considered as a hidden-gem of Nepal. In Panauti, we will have a lunch in Panauti Community Homestay. Established by the local women of Panauti, Panauti Community Homestay is a paradigm of successful women empowerment/entrepreneurship in Nepal. In community Homestay, we will spend some tea-time with a local host family. It is a great opportunity to experience Nepalese local lifestyle, experience its authentic hospitality, taste the local food, and in the end, we are supporting and motivating local women-entrepreneurs just by appreciating their local culture and tradition.
Inspired by this hike? Learn more about similar kinds of longer trips that Royal Mountain Travel can offer:
Mountain Bike-Escape to the Shivapuri National Park $75.00
Mountain Flight-Get close to the Himalaya $198.00
Classic Newari Village-Bungamati to Khokana $42.00
Explore the colourful City by Rickshaw $30.00
Community Hike-Sanga to Panauti $87.00
Temple and Stupas tour of Kathmandu Valley $35.00
Inspired? Find out more about this Community Hike and Panauti in Inside Himalayas and CommunityHomestay.co: Hats off to Panauti; Hike from Panauti to Namobuddha.
And want to find out more about staying in a homestay? 10 Tips for Staying in Homestays; 10 Reasons to Stay in a Homestay
| Days | Activity |
|---|---|
| Day 1 | Hike from Sanga to Panauti |
Royal Mountain Travel is a Nepal-based sustainable tourism operator. We specialize in curating once-in-a-lifetime experiences to showcase indigenous and community based tourism projects. We work with travel agents and tourism companies to help plan travel experiences that highlight authentic, local lifestyles throughout some of the most unique landscapes on earth.
Hike from Sanga to Panauti
Once we meet at the meeting point in Kathmandu at 9 am, we will be taking Arniko Highway to Sanga. Sanga is small hilly town, merely about 23 km away from the capital city, but the town is famous for constructing the tallest statue of Lord Shiva in the world. We begin our hike from this town, and after a steep ascent for about half an hour, the hike mostly flattens out and takes us along ridgelines with steep drops below; views of rice fields and farmland and the beautiful sight of the town, Banepa, on the horizon.
Tamang communities are indigenous to this route. ‘Tamang’ which translates to ‘Horse Warriors’ in the Tibetan language, used to engage themselves as border patrol in the 8th century to protect Tibet, Tibetan monarchy, and its people. Followers of ‘Bon’ Dharma, an aspect of Tibetan Buddhism; a much-related culture to the ancient Tibet can be witnessed in this hilly trekking route. On route, we will be also passing through Brahmin’s communities, who are believed to be the high caste in Hindu religion.
We will conclude our hike in a Newar community, Panauti. It is a small, but a beautiful Newari town. Local folklore mentions Panauti was an offering from a King of Bhaktapur to his sister as a dowry gift. Surrounded by green hills and holy rivers, this spiritual town is full of, both, Hindu and Buddhist temple. For such reasons, Panauti is considered as a hidden-gem of Nepal. In Panauti, we will have a lunch in Panauti Community Homestay. Established by the local women of Panauti, Panauti Community Homestay is a paradigm of successful women empowerment/entrepreneurship in Nepal. In community Homestay, we will spend some tea-time with a local host family. It is a great opportunity to experience Nepalese local lifestyle, experience its authentic hospitality, taste the local food, and in the end, we are supporting and motivating local women-entrepreneurs just by appreciating their local culture and tradition.
