The surrounding hills around the Kathmandu valley offer some of the magnificent walks that combine cultural experience as well as natural heritage. On all of those walks, you will sample the rewards of getting off the beaten tracks: the serenity of the countryside and the drama on majestic mountain views. Most walks also will take you to sites of great spiritual importance.

The typical visitors arrives by air, heads directly to his city hotel, explore the western influenced urban centre from its Durbar Square, perhaps make excursion to some of the important sites of the city and then depart for his next destination. But the visitor who really wants to know the valley, to feel its pulse and get to its spiritual roots, should start his exploration well beyond the city limits. In ages past, when the valley floor was filled with water the only settlements were near shrines and pilgrimage sites in the surrounding hills. They still remain today, more ancient than Kathmandu itself.

These ancient shrines are the key to unlocking the mysteries of Kathmandu city itself and they are not difficult to reach. Because of the valley’s compact size and its relatively flat tarrain, one can travel by foot to innumerable shrines and temples enjoying the scenic beauty and experiencing the culture and costom, each with a story of its own to tell.