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Nagarkot – Best Place in Nepal to Watch Stunning Sunrise Over the Himalayas 

Visit Nagarkot, Nepal and Enjoy an Absolutely Stunning Himalayan Sunrise over Breakfast

For many travelers, the sole visit to Nepal is to enjoy the magnificent Himalayan mountains. Truth be told, I can easily have the Himalayas for breakfast, lunch, and dinner! Luckily there are places here in Nepal that can cater EXACTLY THAT. Our visit to a small village Nagarkot – just over an hour's drive from Nepal’s capital Kathmandu – did not disappoint and served us with once-in-a-lifetime epic sunrise over the Himalayan mountains. When we are to travel to Nepal next time, we’ll definitely come back to Nagarkot. And you should visit this village too! One thing is for certain: the Himalayans sunrise photography opportunities in Nagarkot are mindblowing.

My post shares our Himalayas Breakfast & Sunrise experience from one of Nagarkot's mountain hotels in December 2013. I share tons of photos of the Himalayas during sunrise, some travel tips too!

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Himalayas Mountains 

The incredible Himalayas mountain range has some of the planet's highest peaks – 8 (!) Peaks towering over 8,000 meters over the sea level can be found here. You may know at least one of them – Mt. Everest, or Jomolungma (translated as “the Goddess Mother of Mountains”), which is the highest peak in the World, rising 8,848 meters high over the sea level.

Nowhere else do Himalayan mountains are so accessible to tourists, lovers of the Great Outdoors, adventurers, and trekkers of all levels, as in Nepal. There are plenty of “Himalayan” things to do in Nepal, enough to fill even the longest of the itineraries. Yet some things are at the top of the bucket list, such as flight over Mt. Everest, or seeing the sun rising over the Himalayas.

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Nagarkot

Many little villages are located all over the mountain slopes in Nepal. Any such mountain village which has an East-facing resort may have served the purpose. Yet, after some digging, we’ve settled on Nagarkot.

Nagarkot is located 32km East of Nepal's capital Kathmandu – just over an hour's drive. It sits at an elevation of 2,195 meters, overlooking the breathtaking Kathmandu Valley, and is considered one of the most scenic spots in Nepal. 

“Nagarkot commands one of the broadest views of the Himalayas in the Kathmandu valley (8 Himalayan ranges of Nepal out of 13 from here). The ranges include Annapurna range, Manaslu range, Ganesh Himal range, Langtang range, Jugal range, Rolwaling range, Mahalangur range (Everest range) and Numbur range with views of the Kathmandu valley and Shivapuri National Park.”

from Wikipedia

Just over 4,000 people live here permanently, yet the village swells with tourists coming to see the sunrise over the Himalayas. 

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Where to stay in Nagarkot for the Best View of the Sunrise over the Himalayas?

Nagarkot has plenty of nice places to choose from when your goal is to enjoy the sunset.

When we traveled to Nepal in 2013, we chose the Hotel Country Villa for our stay and it was absolutely superb. 

Located on the mountain slopes, each floor is built into the landscape; all rooms at this resort face East. 

The sun usually rises over the Himalayas as seen from Nagarkot between 5:00 am and 6:55 am, depending on the season. The breakfast at the Villa is served as a buffet on the restaurant deck and starts early enough for you to have a coffee in hand when the sun is about to come up. The patio is large enough to accommodate all guests, yet my advice is to come early to get the best table.

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What to Expect: Personal Experience Notes and Photos

We’ve only had a few days in Nepal – visited Nepal on a short 3-day trip before continuing on to New Delhi to attend an Indian wedding. Hence, once the Mt. Everest flyover tour was completed on Day 2 and the iconic Monkey Temple of Kathmandu thoroughly photographed, we’ve arranged for a car to take us to Nagarkot for just one night. 

We actually got lucky twice, as on the way to Nagarkot that evening we also caught a glimpse of Himalayan sunset.

TRAVEL TIP: when booking private transportation from Kathmandu to Nagarkot, arrange your taxi two-way right away, as it will be challenging to get a taxi into a remote village in the morning, especially if you are on a schedule. 

We ended up renting a car with a driver through the Hotel Country Villa hotel front desk via email. Our driver picked us up from Norbulinka hotel where we were staying and drove to Nagarkot. Then he stayed overnight in Nagarkot and picked us up sharp on time the next morning to drive to Kathmandu airport so we could leave for India.

The cost of such a car arrangement in 2013 was $30 USD each way – $60 USD total + we gave the driver a tip of $20 (he was stunned! that was BIG money for him back then).

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Hotel Country Villa, Nagarkot

Check-in was smooth. We had dinner and went to bed early getting ready to have an early start to catch the sunrise over the Himalayas.

In the morning, up at 5:00 am (sunrise was at 6:21 am), bundled in layers of warm clothing we had with us, we were ready.

TRAVEL TIP: Just before the sun is up, it is VERY VERY INCREDIBLY COLD. If you really want to enjoy the Himalayan sunrise, definitely bring a warm hat or a scarf that can be wrapped up around your head, gloves, heat pack hand warmers, heat pack insole toe warmers, and warm merino wool socks.

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Photos of the Sunrise

Without further due, let’s enjoy the view!

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Sunrise over the Himalayan mountains in Nagarkot experience is likely a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Hence when traveling to Nepal, it is recommended you stock up on good photo and video equipment.

By the way, you can DOWNLOAD our Nepal 3-day trip itinerary below completely free. This way you'll know you made the best of your limited time in Nepal!

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Concluding Notes

We are a “spoiled kid” kind of travelers – we’ve been to many places and have seen a lot. But let me tell you, the Sunrise over the Himalayas is worth the entire trip to Nepal. It joins our collection of incredible nature experiences, alongside the Haleakala Sunset in Maui Hawaii, the sunrise over Lake Moraine in Alberta Canada, the climb to Santa Ana Volcano in El Salvador, the Crocodile River tour in Costa Rica, bungee jumping in Whistler Canada, attending a large Indian Wedding in India, seeing the Great Pyramids in Egypt. 

In our opinion, if you are traveling to Nepal even for a short 3-day trip, popping up in Nagarkot for breakfast and sunset is absolutely worth it. While the experience itself is through the roof – those of you who are into travel photography will r4eally enjoy how many cool photo opportunities the Himalayas present.

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Enjoy!

Cheerfully yours,

Alexandra, Alex & Cosmos

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