Nagarkot - Chisapani Trek
Also known as Sundarijal - Chisapani - Nagarkot Trek / Kathmandu Valley Rim Trek.
Nagarkot - Chisapani Trek is an easy 2-3-day teahouse trek in the Kathmandu Valley Rim region of Nepal, reaching 2,440 m. It starts at Sundarijal and ends at Nagarkot.
Key facts
- Region
- Kathmandu Valley Rim (Kathmandu, Nuwakot, Sindhupalchok, Bhaktapur)
- Duration
- 2-3 days, 4-8 hours walking per day
- Distance
- 33 km
- Maximum altitude
- 2,440 m
- Difficulty
- Easy — Low altitude (max ~2,440 m at Borlang Bhanjyang pass) and lodges each night, but the Chisapani-Nagarkot day is long (7-8 hours, ~24 km partly on dirt roads), which lifts it above pure beginner grade. No remoteness — villages and roads throughout.
- Trek type
- Teahouse, point-to-point route
- Best season
- Autumn (Oct-Nov) and Spring (Mar-Apr); winter also clear
- Guide
- Not mandatory
- Restricted area
- No
- Budget cost
- NPR 6,000–10,000
- Comfortable cost
- NPR 10,000–18,000
- Guided cost
- NPR 15,000–25,000
- Getting there
- Kathmandu (Ratna Park/Chabahil) → Sundarijal (local bus ~1h, 15 km, or taxi 45 min) → trek → Nagarkot → Kathmandu (local bus via Bhaktapur ~2-3h total, or taxi 1.5h)
- Altitude sickness
- Low — maximum ~2,440 m at the Borlang Bhanjyang pass; AMS essentially not a concern.
Weather
Clearest Himalayan panoramas (Langtang, Ganesh Himal, Jugal, on clear days Everest from Nagarkot tower) Oct-Mar. Monsoon brings leeches in Shivapuri forest and haze; spring can be hazy by late April. Nagarkot famous for sunrise views.
Permits
- Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park Entry Permit — NPR 1,000 for foreigners. Where to get it: Park entrance gate at Sundarijal (army checkpost), pay on the spot
Itinerary
- Day 1: Kathmandu / Sundarijal to Chisapani, 4-5 h, 2,140 m — Sundarijal waterfalls and reservoir, Shivapuri NP entry, Tamang village of Mulkharka (1,895 m), forest climb over Borlang Bhanjyang pass (~2,440 m), Langtang/Ganesh Himal views from Chisapani
- Day 2: Chisapani to Nagarkot, 7-8 h, 2,175 m — Ridge and dirt-road walking via Jhule and Chauki Bhanjyang, terraced farmland, sunset from Nagarkot; optional sunrise at Nagarkot view tower next morning