Namobouha Day Hike in Nepal, Tours, Tourist Activities

The Kathmandu valley is renowned for its abundant temples and shrines visited regularly by both the local people and visitors from abroad. Apart from the religious attractions Kathmandu has a variety of other beautiful places that are of great interest historically within and around the valley. There really is so much to see and experience in the capital of Nepal. The name Kathmandu comes from Kasthmandap, which means "house of wood" or sacred temple, a name well suited to this region.

There are many hiking trails available for those who really want to experience the Kathmandu valley and the surrounding Himalayan Mountains to the full. Depending on your fitness capabilities you can attempt hikes that take you exploring for a couple of days or you can attempt the more popular one-day hikes. One of the recommended one-day hikes is the one-day Namoboudha hike, which will take you 1750 meters high into the hills. The Namoboudha hike is about 38 km out of Kathmandu and promises to provide you with the experience of a lifetime.

The hike starts off with a big breakfast at a nearby hotel before you begin your one and a half hour trip to Dhapasi. Here you will get out of the vehicle and begin your trail up the Namoboudha hill. On your way up you will come across a suspension bridge which will take you through rice fields that are looked after by a local village nearby. This gives you a great opportunity to see how local Nepalese people live and if you are here during the harvest season you can see them harvesting the crop. From there it is another hour before you will finally reach the top and have a chance to eat your lunch.

Although many visitors go on this hike to see the picturesque surroundings many local people use this route as an important Buddhist Pilgrimage to get to the Buddhist shrine located there. This site is considered sacred and is thought to be the place where Prince Mahasattva gave himself up as a sacrifice to a Tigress and her cubs that were all starving and undernourished. Today visitors to the shrine are reminded of what happened via a slab of stone depicting the legendary event.

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