Sundarijal – Chisapani – Nagarkot Traverse
A three-day valley-rim traverse linking Shivapuri's forests to Nagarkot's sunrise ridge — the classic doorstep trek of the Kathmandu Valley.
Know before you go
Trip readiness
Best timing
October-December, March-May
Treat this as the first planning window, then verify local trail and weather conditions.
Time needed
3 days
Include acclimatization and transport buffers for mountain routes.
Permit status
Permit required
Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park entry (NPR 1,000 for foreigners); no TIMS needed
Difficulty
Moderate
Kathmandu route. Match this to fitness, altitude experience, and daily walking hours.
Live conditions
Trail weather available
Use the weather card before starting, especially during monsoon and winter windows.
This three-day traverse stitches together two of the valley's best rim hikes into a continuous teahouse trek accessible from the edge of Kathmandu itself. It is the original 'doorstep trek' — no flights, no jeep days, and yet unmistakably Himalayan in feel.
Day 1 — Sundarijal to Chisapani (11 km, ~5½ hrs): Enter Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park at the Sundarijal reservoir and climb through dense forest past Mulkharka village to the ridge pass at Borlang Bhanjyang. Descend to Chisapani (2,140m), a tiny settlement famous for its unobstructed Annapurna-to-Everest sunrise.
Day 2 — Chisapani to Nagarkot (15 km, ~6 hrs): A superb undulating ridge walk through Tamang villages (Chauki Bhanjyang, Jhule), terraced hillsides, and open pasture. The northern Himalayan wall is in view for most of the day. Overnight at one of Nagarkot's ridgetop lodges.
Day 3 — Nagarkot sunrise and descent: Pre-dawn summit of the Nagarkot viewpoint for the full Everest-to-Langtang-to-Ganesh panorama, then descend via Changu Narayan (UNESCO-listed temple) to Bhaktapur, closing a cultural loop.
Teahouse lodges throughout; no camping required. An outstanding introduction to Nepal trekking for short-on-time visitors, and an equally satisfying local weekend for Kathmandu residents.
Planning this trek? Local operators publishing trips here can arrange it.
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