Shivapuri Hiking – Best Hike in Kathmandu
Shivapuri Hiking is one of the most popular and rewarding hikes in the Kathmandu valley. The Shivapuri Hill(2732 meters) lies in the north of the center of the city and treats us with the greatness and beauty of nature.
If you want an escape from this bustling city life, you can go on a Shivapuri hike to cherish the beautiful amalgamation of nature and culture. One can witness the beauty of wildlife, birds, colorful prayer flags, monasteries, and temples.
It is not an apt place for the ones who want to explore a herd of animals like in a zoo. It is the perfect place for the ones who celebrate silence. The forest looks beautiful with the view of green leaves sparkling in the sunlight. Besides, one can enjoy birdwatching.
When the rays of sunlight find their ways to enter the forest from the gaps of the tree branches, the forest looks heavenly.
Shivapuri Forest hike is a lot more than one can comprehend. People may fail to notice this
marvelous place near the city and end up making vacation plans to other places outside the
valley. There are places like Budhanilakantha temple, Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park,
Nagi Gumba, Baghdwar provides an opportunity to rejuvenate your soul.
Mythology
Many stories and myths about the Budhanilakantha temple can be heard. The temple lies on the bottom of Shivapuri peak where the statue of Lord Vishnu is Worshipped.
The word Budhanilakantha translates to Old blue throat which refers to the story of how Shiva drank the poison to save the whole world from destruction. He created Goshaikunda lake to quench his thirst, but the blue patch remained in his throat as the effect of poison.
Thus, the water around the statue of Vishnu is considered to have originated from Goshaikunda lake. In the context of the statue, it holds a great religious significance among Buddhists as it is very similar to the physical appearance of Lord Buddha.
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It is the largest stone-carved statue in Nepal which is made up of a single block of black basalt stone. A 5-meter-long statue of Vishnu floats on the water above the multiheaded snake called Sheshnaga. It was built by the early king of Kathmandu valley, Vishnugupta.
Also, It is believed that the natural spring in Baghdwara is one of the sources of Bagmati. It can be supported by the Shrimad Pashupati Puran as it says Bagmati originated from the vocal of Lord Shiva when he appeared at Shivapuri peak.
Thus, This place has religious importance as there are Shiva lingas and a statue of Nandi( vehicle/ Vahana) of Lord Shiva.
Shivapuri Hiking, Experience from Travellers
We got ready by 6:30 in the morning after a light breakfast. The park closes early! i.e 4 PM. So, if you are planning to explore this gem, you need to start early. The next reason behind starting the hike early is that the sun can be a major hindrance because the temperature keeps rising as the day hits noon.
It took us about half an hour to reach Budhanilakantha temple from Ratnapark in a private cab. We roamed around the temple for a bit. The vibe was very religious and it felt like our soul was rejuvenated with new energy.
We headed towards the Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park from the temple at 7:30. It took us around 30 minutes in a vehicle to reach the entrance gate of the National park. We need to buy tickets to enter the National par. As per the rule, the ticket prices can be listed bellows:
| People from | Fee(in Nrs) |
| Foreign nations | 1000 |
| Nepal | 100 |
| SAARC member nations | 600 |
We had our permits checked at the entrance gate and the journey started. It was a beautiful
day with the mild sun smiling at our arrival. It took us about 1.5 hours to reach Nagi Gumba. It is a rugged trail surrounded by beautiful pine and cherry trees.
We got lucky. After all, it wasn’t a rainy day because it gets all slippery during rainy days. We directed our footsteps to Nagi Gumba, a shelter of nuns. This is a perfect place to refresh your mind, soul, and body.
I still remember how everyone enjoyed washing their sweaty faces in the water taps there. The tired and weary body was all active again. The view of nuns meditating, chatting, and working together seems fascinating.
The Nagi Gumba looked absolutely stunning with the rhododendron flowers around. We sat there for a while and chatted with our fellow hikers. Short yet relatable conversations with strangers turn out good sometimes. We experienced the same back then.
Amidst the trail, we were welcomed by monkeys, a leopard, varieties of birds, etc. There are varieties of plants and trees. We celebrated the magical union of nature and culture throughout the hike.
Be it talking to the trees, or the animals, running to the lap of nature, or enjoying a short escape from the mundane life. Everything made sense and we enjoyed every bit of it.
Baghdwara is known for its religious essence. It was our next destination after Nagi Gumba. We started to ascend the trail from Nagi Gumba and it took us about 2- 2.5 hours to reach this beautiful place. The trail features an aroma of pine trees and needles that elevate the beauty of this place to the optimum level.
The site is popular among Buddhists and Hindus. There are many Shiva statues and small huts portraying religious importance. We continued walking. Then, we stopped for a while to click some pictures in the view of colorful prayer flags.
We sang together in a group because the silence of the jungle demanded our performance (Let’s say!) Baghdwara is named after the tiger-shaped sprout. The sound of water falling from this sprout calmed us down and we were on a different level of ecstasy.
We, then hiked a path up for about 30/40 minutes to reach the final destination of our hike. There were many priest residents amidst the path where we witnessed priests in a meditation state. There is a statue of Shivapuri baba.
The valley view from the top of the Shivapuri peak was breathtaking. We were all tired and low on energy but had smiles on our faces. The satisfaction you feel up there is something incomparable.
We spent some time there and returned the same way. It was a beautiful experience. If hike to some new place attracts me, it is the result of the Shivapuri Hike experience.
In a nutshell, it is the beautiful unison of nature and culture.
