Enroute – Chisapani Trekking

Chisapani hike is one of the shortest trek which is to the north of Kathmandu valley. This trek Is famous for the spectacular views of snow tipped mountains and green terraces of Nepali Villages. You need to pass through Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park (formerly Shivapuri National Park) which is 159 sq Kms via Mulkharka village on the top of Sundarijal which is at the height of 1800 meters. On a clear day you can view the whole Kathmandu Valley from there. You need to pass through the enchanting forest of Rhodendron and brown oaks.

Sundarijal – Mulkharka

You can start off by hiring a vehicle to the base of Sundarijal. Make sure you have had some light breakfast before you leave. You will have to walk steadily for almost 20 minutes along the water jumping trails of rocks and cliffs until you reach the entrance of the National Park. You will be asked to pay for the entry before you continue. Shortly after, you will have a chance to witness a beautiful waterfall. You will probably want to take a rest and enjoy the waterfall there. Then you continue along the stairs. The stone stairs makes the trail much easier to walk.  After that you will have to pass through an army barrack and take a few steps down to Sundarijal Reservoir. Then in another 10 minutes or so you will have reached Mulkharka Village.

Mulkharka Village

Mulkharka   has recently been a hotspot for Internal tourists. People mainly from Kathmandu visit Mulkharka for the weekends. It’s a nearby peace zone especially for those who indulge in 6 day workdays system. One can see the whole valley from here. It is only about 45 minutes of trek from Sundarijal to Mulkharka. There is also a roadway to Mulkharka but people often prefer hiking. Even though there are stairs through to help you walk, you are going to sweat a lot. The village seems to have settled in a steep geography. It will cost you a hard 1.5 hrs to cross the village. You could always take a rest in one of the inns you find in the trail of Mulkharka. The last inn you will find is at the end of the village before you scoot off to the jungle.  You won’t find any place to buy food until you reach Chisapani you will have plenty of places to rest.

Shivapuri National Park

Now you will have to walk another uphill at least for 1.5 hours through the dense national park forest. You are unlikely to have any human contact after that as there are no villages after you cross Mulkharka. The trail starts to go easy on you after this point. You will see lots of vegetation, some even covering the sun in some parts of your trail. You can snack on what you have carried but do not litter. Shivapuri National Park has been declared as plastic free zone. So it is better you carry your little along with you until you find a place to dump in Chisapani.

Chisapani Downhill

The trail elevates to the altitude of 2500 meters after which you will to start to descend. A total of 4 hours will have passed until this point. Also, you will have completed the hardest part of the journey. After another 1 hour downhill you will reach Chisapani which is at 2000 meters above sealevel. Chisapani has few but good lodges to stay in. You can cash into one of them for your night’s stay. During peak tourist season you might not find sufficient rooms for accommodation. In such case you can camp instead. You might find food a little expensive but don’t worry it will not cost you a fortune.

If you are not that unlucky you will witness of the best sunrises of your entire life. So prepare to go to bed early and wake up with an alarm. The mesmerising majestic mountain range will make you feel the hike was worth it. Take pictures if you want. But you will have to get back to Mulkharkha before you share it in your social medias. Cellular networks don’t really support 3G and the free wifi you will have will also not be that good to upload your photos. You could hike for another day to Nagarkot or go back the same trail on your way back.