Sunrise and Sunset Photography Tour

You will meet our office representative at the Kathmandu Airport. You will easily recognize him as he will be carrying “Nepal Hiking Team” placard. He will then escort you to your trip Hotel in a private vehicle.

At the hotel, after you have check-in and got freshened up, we will conduct a small briefing session regarding your tour. After the meeting, we do not have scheduled any plans for the rest of the day. So, you can enjoy the rest of the day doing anything you would like.

Overnight at Kathmandu

On this day, you’ll be visiting three of the most famous heritage sites of Kathmandu. You’ll begin the day by driving to the center of the valley towards Kathmandu Durbar Square. This historic square is home to some of the most iconic temples, courtyards, monuments, and statues. The outer complex of the splendor old palace is always buzzing with people, rickshaws, and small markets. With all this, you won’t have difficulty finding interesting subjects to photograph.

After that, you’ll be heading west of Kathmandu city to visit Swayambhunath Stupa. The stupa complex consists of a magnificent whitewashed dome richly decorated with colorful prayer flags. Besides, this sacred pilgrimage also consists of several shrines, temples, and monasteries. You also enjoy the panoramic view of the valley if the weather remains clear.

The tour continues as you make your way to the heart of Lalitpur city towards Patan Durbar Square. Jam-packed with ancient temples, statues, monuments, and artifacts, Patan displays Newari architecture at its best. This historic landmark consists of 136 old courtyards and 55 temples.

After visiting the heritage sites, you’ll be transferred to Nagarkot in the late afternoon. Upon arriving at the famous hill station, you’ll check in to your hotel and head towards the Nagarkot View Tower to enjoy the sunset. You can also get a distant panorama of the Himalayas from the view tower.

Overnight at Nagarkot

To start off the day, you’ll once again visit the Nagarkot View Tower at dawn for a sunrise view. After enjoying the glorious sunrise over the Himalayas, you’ll make your way towards the Bhaktapur Durbar Square.

Among the three cities of the valley, Bhaktapur holds the true essence of medieval Nepal. Like the other Durbar Squares in Kathmandu, Bhaktapur homes several prehistoric buildings, shrines, temples, statues, ponds, and courtyards. The entire complex of Bhaktapur consists of four distinct squares — Durbar Square, Dattatreya Square, Taumadhi Square, and Pottery Square. Some noteworthy attractions clustered around these squares include  Nyatapola Temple, The Golden Gate, Taleju Temple, 55 Window Palace, and Kumari House.

After strolling around the narrow alleyways of Bhaktapur, you’ll head towards Khokana village. This typical Newari town in the outskirts of the valley still holds the historical essence, rich heritage, and cultures. First, you’ll visit Khokana’s most iconic Shekala Mai Temple. This triple-tiered, ochre-painted temple is located in the main square of the village. Then, you’ll explore the inner section of the settlement to observe the daily lifestyle and practices.

You can go on to spend the rest of your evening relaxing in the mustard oil farmland, watching the sunset over the hills.

Overnight at Kathmandu.

You’ll be driving along the Prithvi Highway, following the Trishuli river most of the way. The journey is quite comfortable and scenic, with occasional glimpses of small bazaars, terraced farmland, deep valleys, and mountains.

Upon reaching Dumre, you’ll take a left turn and drive uphill, leaving the highway behind. Covering almost 150 kilometers, it takes about four to five hours to reach Bandipur from Kathmandu. This small Newari town combines epic mountain views, traditional architecture, and countryside walks.

Once you arrive at Bandipur, you’ll have a short window to get some rest. After the rest, your photography guide will host an hour-long photo review and group discussion session.

In the evening, you’ll go for a short hike to the former parade ground, Tudikhel. This is among the best places in Bandipur to relish the sunset over the high Himalayas. Before dinner, you can go for a walk around Bandipur’s famous flagstone street lined with typical Newari homes and architecture.

Overnight at Bandipur

You’ll start the hike early at dawn to the viewpoint of Thani Mai Temple located on the top of Gurungche Hill. Although the temple is only 30 minutes away from the bazaar, the trail to the top is quite a challenge. Thani Mai Temple is a Hindu temple that offers great value to the locals from both religious and cultural perspectives.

Upon arriving at the top of Gurungche hill, you can enjoy the spectacular sunrise view over the mountains. On a clear morning, this viewpoint offers a stunning 360-degree panorama of the Himalayas stretching on the horizon along with Marsyangdi Valley spreading below.

After spending a brief time on top of the hill, you’ll head back to your hotel for breakfast. After a hearty breakfast, you’ll pack your bags and drive to the city of Pokhara. First, you’ll retrace the route back to the highway at Dumre. Thereafter, you’ll follow the highway all the way until you reach Pokhara. It takes more or less two and half hours to reach Pokhara from the town of Bandipur.

Since the rest of the day will be leisure, you can take some rest, stroll around Lakeside, or go boating at Phewa Lake.

Overnight at Pokhara

You’ll start the day before sunrise and head towards the viewpoint of Sarangkot. Located at 1,600 meters on the outskirts of Pokhara, this hilltop is popular among tourists for its marvelous sunrise view. Along with that, the viewpoint also offers a sweeping panorama of the Himalayas, including Lamjung Himal, Machhapuchhre, Annapurna, and Dhaulagiri.

After spending a brief time at Sarangkot, you’ll drive back to your hotel for lunch. After lunch, you’ll once again drive to the outskirts of Pokhara towards the World Peace Pagoda.

Sitting atop the Anadu Hill, this iconic pagoda-style monument is one of the most remarkable stupas in the world. In the center of the gleaming-white dome lies a shining golden statue of Lord Buddha. From the balcony of the main compound, you can enjoy the spectacular view of the Annapurna range over the horizon and Phewa Lake right below it.

After enjoying a glorious sunset from the balcony, you’ll drive back to your hotel to conclude the day.

Overnight at Pokhara

You’ll begin the day with a delicious breakfast in your hotel at Pokhara. After breakfast, you’ll set off on an hour-long drive to Dhampus, one of the most popular gateways from Pokhara. Located at an elevation of 1,660 meters, Dhampus is a typical Gurung village. It offers an expansive view of the mountains, decent accommodation, and royal hospitality.

Upon reaching Dhampus, you’ll leisurely stroll around the village and blend with the rural mountain lifestyle. Here, you can see plenty of old slate-roofed stone houses, untouched woodland, small tea gardens, and the mountain panorama.

Since you’ll have plenty of leisure time during the afternoon, your photography guide will conduct a photo review and group discussion session.

After the session, you can spend your evening enjoying the spectacular sunset over the Himalayas.

Overnight at Dhampus

On this day, you’ll wake up at dawn and hike to the popular view tower of Dhampus. The view tower is only ten minutes away from the village. Although the short walk is a steep climb, the mesmerizing view from the top makes it worth the effort.

From the top, you’ll get to enjoy the sunrise, casting its rays over the Himalayas. You can also catch a marvelous sight of the Annapurna Range, Macchapucchre, and Hiunchuli towards the northern skyline.

After spending a brief time at the view tower, you’ll head back to the hotel for breakfast. Then, you’ll pack your belongings and drive to Pokhara Airport to catch a flight to Kathmandu. The 25-minutes flight is very scenic with occasional mountain views.

Upon arrival at Kathmandu, the representative of the Nepal Hiking Team will escort you to your hotel. Here, you’ll have a final photo review and group discussion with your photography guide to conclude the trip.

Since you won’t have much to do in the evening, you can stroll around the colorful street of Thamel and buy souvenirs for your family and friends back home.

Overnight at Kathmandu

Bid goodbye to Kathmandu and head to the airport. You will be transferred to the international airport well on time to catch your flight. If you want to extend your stay, you can let us know, and we will help you further plan for you to Nepal.