Chandragiri Hill Hiking

Chandragiri hill is fast becoming one the most popular hiking destinations for tourists and locals alike. It is famous among the locals for cable car transportation. People here use the cable car to reach the top of Chandragiri hill (2540m). The total ride is about 9 minutes and covers a distance of 2.5 km. However, the hill itself is of historical and cultural significance as well. There is a very famous and sacred temple of Lord Shiva called Bhaleshwor Mahadev temple on the top of the hill. Devotees flock in huge numbers to visit this temple, in addition to enjoying the cable car ride. It is believed that Prithvi Narayan Shah, the king who unified Nepal, visited this temple to worship Lord Shiva and take his blessings before conquering the Kathmandu Valley.

Your trip begins with an hour’s drive from Kathmandu to Thankot, which is situated in the South-West of Kathmandu Valley and at the base of Chandragiri hill. From there on you take a quick walk to the Chandragiri cable car station, where our staff will arrange the tickets for the cable car ride. Through the cable car, you get a bird’s eye view of Kathmandu Valley and, on a clear day, of the faraway mountains surrounding the valley. But the best viewpoint for seeing the valley as well as the mountains is, of course, at the top of the hill. After spending a significant amount of time witnessing the sceneries of the valley and the mountains and visiting the Bhaleshwor temple, we take a short hike through the ridge, which offers us some opportunity to walk peacefully among lush green forests inhabiting various kinds of birds. Then we return back to the hill again and prepare for our journey back to Kathmandu.

Note: If you don’t want to take the cable car, you have the option to get to the top of the hill by walking all the way up or by riding on a bike or jeep.