Kathmandu UNESCO Heritage Tour - 4 Days

UNESCO has declared 7 World Heritage Sites, all are inside Kathmandu Valley. The cultural heritage of the Kathmandu Valley is demonstrated by seven groups of monuments and buildings that display the full range of historic and artistic achievements for which the Kathmandu Valley is world famous. The seven UNESCO sites include the Durbar Squares of Hanuman Dhoka (Kathmandu), Patan Bhaktapur, the Buddhist stupas of Swayambhu Bauddhanath The Hindu temples of Pashupati Changu Narayan. Tucked into the heart of the world’s greatest mountains Kathmandu sits in the center of a valley that is roughly shaped like an oval bowl that legend says was once a lake surrounded by hills. One day, the Bodhisattva Manjushree from Tibet visited on a pilgrimage and saw a bright flame coming from a huge lotus in the center of the lake. Wishing to worship the flower, he cut a deep gorge in the hills with his sword, allowing the water to drain from the valley ( Chovar Gorge near Kritipur). Then the valley was developed as fertile land to live. Over the ensuing centuries, three separate kingdoms arose within the fertile valley. The rulers of each Kingdom and dynasty constructed magnificent medieval palaces surrounded by plazas known as Durbar (Palace) Square. Today we know these royal cities as Kathmandu, Bhaktapur, and Patan (Lalitpur ) District. In 1769, Prithvi Narayan Shah the original king of Gorkha took and unified the three kingdoms, creating the country of Nepal today. The sightseeing tour of Kathmandu Valley is a very interesting and rewarding experience. Today UNESCO has declared 7 World Heritage Sites, all inside Kathmandu Valley. These seven World Heritage Sites are all amazing man-made wonders still standing majestically – some of them as old as 2500 years. These sites are a huge surprise to visitors who only go to Nepal to trek the Himalayas and represent one of the best twofer bargains you will ever find. If trekking in the Himalayas is just beyond your interest or physical capability, please focus on “trekking” the streets of Kathmandu and the nearby world heritage sites. These places are alive and flourishing and not at all mausoleums of a dead culture. Entering the temples or stupa grounds or holy sites, you become a welcome part of a carousel of worshippers bringing their offerings and saying their prayers. Meandering the roads and famous squares of Kathmandu, you are part of the living history of cultural rituals and ceremonies as well as small mom and pop and grandma and grandpa and old aunties and whoever shows up stores open to the street