I stepped on a bark the sound travelled to my right,
I looked around, stairs in front of me, the forest stretches with my sight
To the left, there is a huge rock, which I climb to see the pearly mountains’ might
I hear the sounds of birds chirping, and beetles and insects buzzing,
Its a hot summer day yet it is remarkable among the trees, hitting on my face is the breeze
The ground, the water, the air, everything so calming
And when I realise I am in Shivapuri, I rush for the top and I am seeking the light ||

It’s Shivapuri, the mystical beauty of a close wilderness to Kathmandu. Flora and fauna to your eyes and ears that will hit you with so many emotions. Every step you take on this trail is worth it. The whole experience is breathtaking and even more wonderful with people you know.

It is a protected area with a stunning altitude range of 1350m to 2732m above sea level.

We started our hike from Budhanilakantha mandir and reached the Shivapuri gate. It is a national reserve so tickets were required and a thorough checking was done. Speakers, lighters and alcohol are prohibited so we hadn’t brought any.
Upon entering, we were asked by some volunteers of the “Clean Shivapuri Campaign” if we were interested in collecting some garbages. We agreed to it and took the materials they provided; sacks and gloves. The forest started, it was a motorable way at the beginning so it was easy to walk through. There was a diversion en route where one road led us to Bishnudwar(a waterfall within ~2 hours of walk) and the other road led us towards Bagdwar and Shivapuri peaks.

Bishnudwar is incredibly beautiful but, since we had planned to go to the peak, we took the one towards there. We knew it would be a long hike but also knew that every drop of sweat would be worth the effort. And to the top, we climbed, encountering different species of trees, small waterfalls, birds and insects, incredible sceneries, long grasslands, and many more. There were naturally made passageways, shrines, ruins and much more exciting places. On the way, we stopped at only two locations. One of the stops was in a grassland hit by the warm sun on a winter day and the other was in a shrine in Bagdwar. It had small temples and a small statue of Lord Shiva.

The hilltop was about a half an hour’s climb from Bagdwar and upon reaching the top we saw one of the finest views of the Langtang range and other eastern mountains of Nepal. It was a spectacular sight.

The sensation when I fell on my back after the long hike to drown in the incredible beauty of the place was unexplainable.

So many people around, and yet I found myself at peace amidst the dreamy breezes and the beautiful sight in front of me. Mountains across my eyesight, snowcapped and cloudy around, such bliss, I wished to glance at it forever. Dripping sweats and gasping along the trail through uncountable steps, calming grasslands, and hilltop climbs were all worth it. The vibe was immaculate, the crowd was pleasant, and the atmosphere was serene.
We enjoyed some dry snacks viewing the milky mountaintops, below the warmth of the sun on a cold winter day. We explored the surrounding areas and found places which looked like a memorial.

On our way back, we collected some garbage in the sacks provided at the gate. Most of what we collected was at the peak. Seems like people are really lazy to take back the remains of what they brought in. I hope the ones who littered the place change their ways.
Back to the hike down and we were descending very fast. We collected as much garbage as we could and brought it down. It was about 4 p.m. when we reached the gate exit. We got a few gifts for collecting the garbage; two metal water bottles and some badges.

The golden-coloured Kathmandu evening during the sunset was really beautiful to look at on our way down.

Exiting the gate and back to the smoggy evening of Kathmandu, our day hike was complete. Such a wonderful experience it was to reach the summit of this mighty beauty. The day was spent well. Highly recommended.

More snaps of the hike: