Located around 32 km east of Kathmandu, Nagarkot is known for its panoramic view of the mountains, which include the Himalayas and Nepal’s pride, Mount Everest.
As the sun was up and striking hot that morning, I walked out of my hostel to Ratna Bus Station, a central bus station in Kathmandu. I remember myself shivering in layers of thick clothing. I went to Nepal in late November, a season when the mountains were beginning to get frozen. And it made sense to feel way colder in Nepal since the highest peak in the world, Mount Everest, is always at the sight.
There’s no direct public transport from Kathmandu to Nagarkot. After searching online, I was told to take a bus to Bhaktapur first in Kathmandu, then take another bus to Nagarkot at Kamalbinayak Bus Station in Bhaktapur.
The different buses and unlabeled signs at the bus station were pretty overwhelming, so I was glad to bump into these 3 Nepali students who helped me find the right bus. There’s no ticketing booth nor any signage to know which bus is which, and I was just lucky they were in the same bus as I was.
However, the funny thing was, the bus collected as many passengers as it could first, so it went back and forth in Kathmandu THREE TIMES after finally moving out of the city! I was only expecting an hour and a half trip, which extended for hours. Nevertheless, it let me see many times the local commute scene too, which can get very overcrowded and uncomfortable.
When I reached Bhaktapur, I hopped into a smaller bus loaded with passengers and different items from bulky plastic containers to livestock and their cages, so much that they were squeezed into every open space in the bus including the roof! I learned that the Bhaktapur-Nagarkot bus isn’t that frequent, so most people are always in a rush to get into that bus trip.
Hours later, I finally reached Nagarkot but had to walk up for 20 minutes to reach the hotel I booked. On the way, I went through some sort of checkpoint asking for a tourism service charge. I paid some amount (around 300 NPR I think), but to my surprise there was another one. I refused to pay anymore and showed the recently paid ticket. While the guy insisted it’s a different payment, I just walked past and ignored him.
Despite all the mishaps on the way, after entering my room and being able to see the mountainside had paid it off. The Himalayas and fading Everest views were simply beautiful. Oh, did I mention it was even colder in Nagarkot? I think at some point it reached below 10°C!
The next day, I took the inclusive buffet breakfast at the restaurant’s balcony area. It was such an amazing time eating with a breathtaking view of the mountains. Though quite foggy throughout the day, it was still a relaxing view.
After eating, I trekked to check out more of Nagarkot. As I expected, I saw further how raw and simple the life is in the village. I walked past some locals who were either weaving scarves and other things in small souvenir shops or construction workers. The way I see it, Nagarkot primarily breathes livelihood through tourism, but I'm glad it has kept the tranquil environment.
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