Video: The Dwarika’s Hotel
The Kathmandu Valley and the Himalayan foothills: seven UNESCO World Heritage sites, living Newari craft and ritual, and the stillness of the hills at Dhulikhel, with the snow peaks on the horizon.
Now in Nepal
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Nepal · Kathmandu Valley and Dhulikhel
Nepal holds the highest mountains on earth, and the Kathmandu Valley at their feet is one of Asia’s oldest urban cultures. The Newars, master artisans, builders and philosophers, shaped a civilisation of carved timber, brick courtyards and temple squares whose architectural language travelled across the Himalaya and as far as China and Japan. With seven UNESCO World Heritage sites in a single valley, Kathmandu remains a rare place where the past is vividly alive, and where private galleries, courtyard restaurants and design studios now share its old streets.
In the city, The Dwarika’s Hotel has been a living museum of Newari craft since 1972, its courtyards set with the world’s largest private collection of Newari woodwork. About an hour east, on the hills of Dhulikhel above the Indrawati valley, Dwarika’s Sanctuary is an all-suite Himalayan wellbeing retreat facing the snow peaks. Together they make a natural journey: the courtyards and temples of Kathmandu first, then the stillness of the hills.
Dwarika’s Sanctuary also belongs to our Wellness Retreats collection, beside Amanemu, Amanpuri and Amangiri. Both houses also open our Sacred Journeys collection, which can take in Lumbini, the birthplace of the Buddha.
Why visit
Featured properties
Your advisor works directly with Dwarika’s, from a courtyard room in Kathmandu to a suite or a whole-property retreat in Dhulikhel, and sequences the nights, the transfers and the festival calendar. Nepal pairs naturally with Bhutan for a longer Himalayan journey, or with the temple landscapes of the Temple Paths collection.
Kathmandu, in the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal · heritage rooms and suites around Newari courtyards
Kathmandu’s living museum of Newari craft since 1972: courtyards of rescued, centuries-old carved woodwork, a bath inspired by the Malla kings, Krishnarpan’s Nepali feasts and a working restoration workshop.
Dhulikhel, east of the Kathmandu Valley · about an hour from Kathmandu, Nepal · four categories of suite on a terraced hillside
An all-suite Himalayan wellbeing retreat on the hills of Dhulikhel, about an hour from Kathmandu: Ayurveda, salt, crystal and sound, food from the family’s own farms, and the Himalaya across the valley.
The house
A first reading of the stay: rooms, light, and the quiet between them. Each still is a note, not a catalogue.
When and how
Each season keeps its own calendar. We plan the transfer around it.
Best time to visit
Autumn, after the monsoon, brings clear air and the sharpest mountain views, along with Indra Jatra and the great festivals of the Valley. The monsoon, from early summer into September, turns the terraces green and the courtyards quiet.
Seasonality
Winter mornings are cold and bright, and spring brings warmth and blossom to the hills. Festival dates follow the lunar calendar and courtyard concerts are held only twice a year. Your advisor confirms the dates with Dwarika’s when you inquire.
Airport / logistics
Fly into Tribhuvan International Airport (KTM) in Kathmandu, with connections across Asia and the Gulf. The Dwarika’s Hotel is in the city; Dwarika’s Sanctuary is about an hour east by road on the hills of Dhulikhel. Helicopter mornings to the high Himalaya can be arranged from the Sanctuary.
Month by month
Seasons follow the notes above. Average daily high and monthly rainfall for 2015 to 2024 from ERA5 reanalysis, via Open-Meteo.
Luxury experiences
Traveler questions
Suggested journeys
Days held in sequence, not a list of nights.
Related destinations
Landscapes that sit well beside this one.
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Destination
Southeast Asia country by country: Phuket in Thailand, Angkor from Siem Reap, Luang Prabang in Laos, Vietnam’s south-central coast and Pamalican in the Philippines.
Destination
Vietnam’s south-central coast in two bays: Six Senses Ninh Van Bay, reached by boat across from Nha Trang, and Amanoi above Vinh Hy Bay in Ninh Thuan.
Plan My Trip
Tell us the season, the company, and the feeling you want to keep. We will write back with a considered path, not a link to a search.
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