# Hanok Khati

> Hanok Khati is a Nepali travel content creator, documentary filmmaker, video editor and photographer. He films village life, culture and the Himalaya — especially Rubi Valley (also spelled Ruby Valley) in Dhading — and shares the stories on YouTube and this website.

Official website of Hanok Khati (Travel filmmaker, documentary maker and content creator). Topics: Nepal travel, Rubi Valley (official name; also spelled Ruby Valley) in Dhading, Himalayan village life and culture, Kathmandu Valley, trekking and homestays, and travel filmmaking. Content is first-hand: filmed, written and edited by Hanok Khati.

- YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@hanokkhati
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100086907980067
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hanok_khati
- Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@khatihanok
- Contact & collaborations: https://hanokkhati.com/contact/
- Sitemap: https://hanokkhati.com/wp-sitemap.xml

## Key pages

- [About Hanok Khati](https://hanokkhati.com/about/): Meet Hanok Khati: Nepali travel filmmaker, editor and photographer telling slow, honest stories about Rubi (Ruby) Valley, Himalayan villages and culture.
- [Experience](https://hanokkhati.com/experience/): The filmmaking, editing and field experience behind Hanok Khati's documentaries and travel films across Nepal and beyond.
- [Work With Me](https://hanokkhati.com/work-with-me/): Tourism films, homestay and trek promos, documentaries and brand stories. Work with Nepal travel filmmaker Hanok Khati — see options and get in touch.
- [Media Kit](https://hanokkhati.com/media-kit/): Audience, content and collaboration options for brands and tourism boards working with Nepal travel creator and documentary filmmaker Hanok Khati.
- [Nepal Travel Guide: Plan Your Trip](https://hanokkhati.com/nepal-travel-guide/): A local filmmaker's Nepal travel guide: best time to visit, getting around, money, SIM cards, visas, permits and sample 7, 14 and 21-day routes.
- [Destinations](https://hanokkhati.com/destinations/): The Nepal places Hanok Khati films most — Rubi (Ruby) Valley, the Kathmandu Valley, Pokhara, the Terai and the high Himalaya — with when to go.
- [Travel Filmmaking Course](https://hanokkhati.com/filmmaking-course/): Learn to plan, shoot and edit honest travel films — online or in Nepal. A practical travel filmmaking and video editing course by Hanok Khati.
- [My Gear](https://hanokkhati.com/gear/): The cameras, audio, bags and small accessories Hanok Khati uses to film travel videos and documentaries in the Himalaya — and why each one earned its place.
- [FAQ](https://hanokkhati.com/faq/): Answers about Hanok Khati, Rubi (Ruby) Valley, travelling in Nepal, his filmmaking and gear, and how to collaborate with him.
- [Contact](https://hanokkhati.com/contact/): Story ideas, collaborations, filming or editing work in Nepal? Get in touch with travel filmmaker Hanok Khati. Every message is read personally.

## Behind the Scenes

Gear, edits, mistakes and lessons: how the films on the channel actually get made.

- [My Editing Workflow: From Raw Footage to Final Cut](https://hanokkhati.com/my-editing-workflow/): How a trip becomes a film: logging footage, the paper edit, rough cut, colour and sound — a travel filmmaker's full editing workflow.
- [Behind the Scenes: Filming Rubi Valley](https://hanokkhati.com/behind-the-scenes-filming-rubi-valley/): Planning, permissions, power cuts and patience — what it really took to film the Rubi Valley (Ruby Valley) documentary in remote Nepal.
- [What’s in My Camera Bag](https://hanokkhati.com/whats-in-my-camera-bag/): The cameras, lenses, audio and accessories that come on every shoot in the Himalaya — and why each one earned its place.

## Documentaries

Documentaries about Nepal's villages, history and traditions — Rubi Valley, Himalayan culture and the people behind them — made slowly, with the community at the centre of the story.

- [Rubi Valley Documentary: Culture, Tradition & Real Nepal](https://hanokkhati.com/rubi-valley-documentary/): A documentary from Rubi Valley — also spelled Ruby Valley — in Dhading, Nepal: stone villages, Tamang and Gurung culture and real mountain life. (video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJYk7M-BONY)
- [The 1907 History of Wolsztyn, Poland](https://hanokkhati.com/history-of-wolsztyn-poland/): A walk through Wolsztyn in western Poland and its early-1900s railway and industrial history, when the town was called Wollstein. (video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qsnhp9hS0g)
- [Hidden Himalayan Village: Borang, Ruby Valley](https://hanokkhati.com/borang-village-ruby-valley/): A short documentary about Borang, a hidden village in Rubi Valley (Ruby Valley), Dhading, and the people who live there. (video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtFQTMuomwc)
- [Buddha Chitta Farming in Rubi Valley](https://hanokkhati.com/buddha-chitta-farming-rubi-valley/): How buddha chitta — the seed used for Buddhist prayer malas — is grown around Lapa in Rubi Valley (Ruby Valley), Dhading, and why it matters to local families. (video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPVXQ0IO0hI)
- [Tatopani: A Natural Hot Spring in Rubi Valley](https://hanokkhati.com/tatopani-hot-spring-rubi-valley/): Tatopani, the natural hot spring below Neber village in Rubi Valley (Ruby Valley), Dhading — known locally for its warm, mineral-rich healing water. (video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q52uQI8b1E0)
- [History of the Newar Society in Sertung, Rubi Valley](https://hanokkhati.com/history-of-newar-society-sertung/): How the Newar community came to Sertung in Rubi Valley (Ruby Valley) and how they keep their culture and traditions alive — a documentary. (video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36eHHI0NGgY)
- [500-Year-Old Historical Gumba in Tipling, Ruby Valley](https://hanokkhati.com/500-year-old-gumba-tipling/): Tashi Chhyejong Gumba in Tipling, Rubi Valley (Ruby Valley) — a monastery more than 500 years old, being rebuilt after the earthquake. A short documentary. (video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzY5eTjfLlg)

## Experience

Moments and ways of travelling that changed how I see the world — and how to experience them yourself.

- [Homestay Life in the Himalayan Hills](https://hanokkhati.com/homestay-life-in-the-himalayan-hills/): What it is really like to stay with a family in the Nepali hills — meals, mornings, manners and why a homestay is the best way to know Nepal.
- [Festival Days in the Kathmandu Valley](https://hanokkhati.com/festival-days-in-the-kathmandu-valley/): Music in the courtyards, chariots in the streets and whole neighbourhoods coming together — experiencing festival days in the Kathmandu Valley.
- [Walking With Local Guides](https://hanokkhati.com/walking-with-local-guides/): A good guide does more than show the way. Why walking with local guides makes trekking in Nepal safer, richer and fairer.
- [Learning to Film in the Field](https://hanokkhati.com/learning-to-film-in-the-field/): What filmmaking school taught me, and what only the trail could teach — lessons for anyone who wants to become a travel filmmaker.

## Travel Blogs

Nepal travel stories, photo essays and slow-travel guides that go deeper than the videos — from Kathmandu Valley mornings to Pokhara and beyond.

- [Explore With Breaks](https://hanokkhati.com/explore-with-breaks/): Why rest days are now part of every trip — and how slowing down gives better stories, better footage and fewer bad days on the road.
- [Mountain Portugal](https://hanokkhati.com/mountain-portugal/): Portugal is famous for its coast, but its mountains — granite villages, terraced valleys and quiet trails — tell a different story.
- [Slow Mornings in Bhaktapur](https://hanokkhati.com/slow-mornings-in-bhaktapur/): Potters' Square, temple courtyards and juju dhau: a slow morning in Bhaktapur and the best things to do in the old city.
- [Why I Travel With a Notebook](https://hanokkhati.com/why-i-travel-with-a-notebook/): Cameras record what you see; a notebook records what you felt. How travel journaling shapes every film.
- [A Morning at Swayambhu](https://hanokkhati.com/a-morning-at-swayambhu/): Climbing the steps to Swayambhunath before Kathmandu wakes up — monkeys, butter lamps and the best view over the city.
- [A Week Without Wi-Fi](https://hanokkhati.com/a-week-without-wifi/): No signal, no notifications, no uploads. What a week offline in the Nepali mountains taught a travel creator about attention.
- [Pokhara Beyond the Lakeside](https://hanokkhati.com/pokhara-beyond-the-lakeside/): Most visitors never leave Pokhara's lakeside strip. Quieter viewpoints, villages and walks that show another side of the city.
- [The Joy of Getting Lost](https://hanokkhati.com/the-joy-of-getting-lost/): Some of my best days on the road started with a wrong turn. In praise of putting the map away — safely.
- [A Night Under the Stars](https://hanokkhati.com/a-night-under-the-stars/): Far from city lights, the sky over the mountains is unlike anything you've seen. How to experience it — and photograph it.
- [Chasing Light: A Day With My Camera](https://hanokkhati.com/chasing-light/): From blue hour to golden hour: how the light shapes my day when I'm filming on the road.
- [Into the Waterfall Forests](https://hanokkhati.com/into-the-waterfall-forests/): Monsoon turns the hills into a world of mist, moss and falling water. A photo essay from the green season.

## Travel Tips

Practical Nepal travel and trekking tips — first trips, budgets, altitude, packing and filming on the road — learned the hard way so you don't have to.

- [Rubi Valley Travel Guide: How to Reach, Trek and Stay](https://hanokkhati.com/rubi-valley-travel-guide/): How to reach Rubi Valley (Ruby Valley) from Kathmandu, the trek over Pangsang Pass, best time to go, permits and homestays — from a local filmmaker.
- [Budget Travel in Nepal: Making Your Money Go Further](https://hanokkhati.com/budget-travel-in-nepal/): Nepal can be very affordable if you travel like a local. Practical ways to save on transport, food, stays and treks — from someone who lives here.
- [Choosing Your First Trek: Easy, Moderate or Hard?](https://hanokkhati.com/choosing-your-first-trek/): Easy, moderate or hard? How to pick your first trek in Nepal to match your time, fitness and travel style — not every trek is Everest Base Camp.
- [First Time in Nepal: 12 Things I Wish Every Visitor Knew](https://hanokkhati.com/first-time-in-nepal/): Greetings, dal bhat refills, cash, temples and timing — 12 things a local wishes every first-time visitor to Nepal knew before arriving.
- [Staying Healthy on the Road](https://hanokkhati.com/staying-healthy-on-the-road/): Simple habits that keep me filming instead of resting in a guesthouse — food, water, sleep and listening to your body.
- [Altitude Sense: Staying Safe Above 3,000 Metres](https://hanokkhati.com/altitude-sense/): How to trek safely above 3,000 metres in Nepal: go slowly, sleep lower, drink water, know the warning signs and always descend when in doubt.
- [Responsible Trekking: Leave the Himalaya Better](https://hanokkhati.com/responsible-trekking/): Small choices add up: how to trek in Nepal in a way that respects the mountains, the trails and the people who live along them.
- [Packing for a Himalayan Trek: What Actually Earned Its Place](https://hanokkhati.com/packing-for-a-himalayan-trek/): A tested Himalayan trekking packing list from a filmmaker who carries a camera bag too — layers, sleep, water, first aid and small things that matter.
- [The Best Phone Settings for Travel Video](https://hanokkhati.com/phone-settings-for-travel-video/): Frame rate, resolution, exposure lock and stabilisation — the phone settings and habits that make the biggest difference to your travel videos.
- [Respectful Travel Photography: Asking Before You Shoot](https://hanokkhati.com/respectful-travel-photography/): Better portraits start with a conversation. How to photograph people respectfully when you travel — and why your photos improve because of it.
- [Filming Travel Videos With a Small Kit](https://hanokkhati.com/filming-travel-videos-with-a-small-kit/): You don't need a big camera bag to make good travel films. A travel filmmaker's guide to shooting more with less gear.

## Vlogs

Unscripted Nepal travel vlogs from the trail, the village and the road — Rubi Valley, hikes near Kathmandu and trips abroad. Real days, real road.

- [The Ultimate Nature Escape Near Kathmandu: Godawari Botanical Garden](https://hanokkhati.com/godawari-botanical-garden-vlog/): A day at Godawari Botanical Garden, Lalitpur — Nepal's oldest and largest botanical garden at the foot of Phulchowki, 15 km from Kathmandu. Watch the vlog. (video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Kvuitul1Lc)
- [I Found the Real Nepal in Rubi Valley](https://hanokkhati.com/i-found-the-real-nepal-in-rubi-valley/): Stone houses, warm hospitality and a slow mountain life: a travel vlog from Rubi Valley (Ruby Valley) in Dhading, a side of Nepal most travellers never see. (video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtKZkCTu_Qs)
- [I Escaped the City on My Bike… and Found This](https://hanokkhati.com/i-escaped-the-city-on-my-bike/): No plan, no destination — just a bike, a need to slow down and a ride that turned into something close to therapy. (video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8AgEkBmpJo)
- [Exploring Europe: But Which Country?](https://hanokkhati.com/exploring-europe-but-which-country/): A day of exploring somewhere new in Europe — watch and see if you can guess the country before I reveal it. (video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wnt9l7UCx6M)
- [Secret Travel: But Where?](https://hanokkhati.com/secret-travel-poznan-old-town/): Poznań Old Town in western Poland: Stary Rynek, the historic Town Hall and the two mechanical billy goats that butt heads every day at noon. (video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5IFQmui82g)
- [Sertung Village: The Hidden Himalayan Paradise](https://hanokkhati.com/sertung-village-hidden-himalayan-paradise/): A walk through Sertung, the village at the centre of Rubi Valley (Ruby Valley) in Dhading, Nepal — its people, houses and Himalayan views. (video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4XAZ2q_PN4)
- [I Didn’t Expect This in Winter (Part 2)](https://hanokkhati.com/i-didnt-expect-this-in-winter-part-2/): The second half of my winter vlog in Europe — watch this one to complete the full story. (video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tm24de53BZo)
- [I Didn’t Expect This in Winter](https://hanokkhati.com/i-didnt-expect-this-in-winter/): Winter in Europe turned out very differently from what I expected. (video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xU9Z1H8ITU)
- [Jamacho Hill Hiking, Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park](https://hanokkhati.com/jamacho-hill-hiking/): One of the shortest hikes from Kathmandu: a quiet jungle trail to Jamacho Hill (about 2,100 m) with a stupa, a monastery and 360° mountain views. (video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7r0vjwG9OGM)
- [Pangsang Pass: Trailer](https://hanokkhati.com/pangsang-pass-trailer/): A 4K first look at Pangsang Pass in Rubi Valley (Ruby Valley), Dhading: Himalayan views between the Ganesh Himal and Langtang ranges. (video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbph2Lb1gC8)
- [Jamacho Gumba Hike](https://hanokkhati.com/jamacho-gumba-hike/): A short forest hike to Jamacho Gumba in Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park, with prayer flags and views across the Kathmandu Valley. (video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRpV2ppZTrA)
- [Tudi Memorial Park, Myagang, Nuwakot](https://hanokkhati.com/tudi-memorial-park-nuwakot/): Tudi, a historical park in Myagang, Nuwakot, about 22 km from Bidur, with views of the Ganesh and Langtang mountains. (video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHP9Ptiwfxc)
- [Dahachowk View Tower: Kaji Kalu Pandey Memorial Park](https://hanokkhati.com/dahachowk-view-tower/): Kaji Kalu Pandey Memorial Park and the Dahachowk view tower near Chandragiri — forest, fresh air and Himalayan views close to Kathmandu. (video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NyVMqOZAf_U)
- [Murjan Island, Dammam, Saudi Arabia](https://hanokkhati.com/murjan-island-dammam/): An artificial island on the Corniche in Dammam, with a park, picnic areas and ferry rides. (video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1uf3M-tM3mI)

## Frequently asked questions

- Q: Who is Hanok Khati?
  A: Hanok Khati is a travel content creator, documentary filmmaker, video editor and photographer from Nepal. He films village life, culture and the Himalaya and shares the stories on YouTube (@hanokkhati) and this website. More on the About page.
- Q: Where did Hanok learn filmmaking?
  A: He graduated from the video editing master class at Omega Film Institute in Lalitpur, Nepal — and keeps learning on the trail.
- Q: Where can I watch Hanok's documentaries?
  A: On his YouTube channel and in the Documentaries section of this site, where each film has notes and background.
- Q: Is it Rubi Valley or Rubi Valley?
  A: Rubi Valley is the official government name (Rubi Valley Rural Municipality). Many travellers and trekking companies spell it Rubi Valley — both mean the same place.
- Q: Where is Rubi Valley?
  A: Rubi Valley Rural Municipality is in northern Dhading District, Bagmati Province, Nepal, between Langtang National Park and the Manaslu Conservation Area, below the Ganesh Himal range.
- Q: How do I get to Rubi Valley from Kathmandu?
  A: Most people take a jeep or bus via Trishuli to Syabrubesi (around 6 hours), then a jeep road to Gatlang or Somdang to start trekking. Full details are in the Rubi Valley travel guide.
- Q: When is the best time to visit Rubi Valley?
  A: Mid-September to mid-December, and March to May. Monsoon brings landslide risk on the roads and winter can bring snow on Pangsang Pass.
- Q: What are easy day trips from Kathmandu?
  A: Godawari Botanical Garden in Lalitpur, the forest hike to Jamacho Hill, the Dahachowk view tower and Swayambhunath at sunrise are all easy to do in a day. See the day trips list and the Godawari vlog.
- Q: What is the best time to visit Nepal?
  A: October–November and March–April are the most popular, with clear views and comfortable temperatures. Winter is quieter and crisp; monsoon (June–September) is green and wet. See the Plan Your Trip guide for more.
- Q: Do I need a guide for trekking?
  A: For some areas, yes — restricted regions like Manaslu require a licensed guide, and rules change. Even where it isn't required, a local guide makes the trip safer and far richer.
- Q: Can you recommend guides, homestays or routes?
  A: Often, yes. Send me a message with your dates and interests and I'll share what I can.
- Q: What camera do you use?
  A: A small mirrorless camera with a zoom and a fast prime, plus good audio. The full list is on the My Gear page.
- Q: How long does it take to make a video?
  A: A short vlog can take a few days to edit. A documentary can take weeks of filming and longer in the edit.
- Q: Do you teach filmmaking?
  A: Yes — see the Travel Filmmaking Course page and register your interest.
- Q: Do you work with brands and tourism boards?
  A: Yes, when the fit is right. See Work With Me and the Media Kit.
- Q: Can I use your photos or footage?
  A: Please ask first. Most material can be licensed, and I'm happy to discuss community and non-profit use.
- Q: Do you edit videos for others?
  A: Yes — editing, colour, sound and thumbnails for creators and businesses. Use the contact form and choose "Filming / editing work".

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