Overview
This Chitlang Kulekhani tour crosses the ridge just south of Kathmandu into a slow, green valley that feels a world away from the city. Chitlang is an old Newar farming village around 1,835 metres, reached over the Chandragiri hills, where you stay in a family homestay, walk terraced fields and stone lanes, and visit the local goat cheese farm. The second day drops down to the Kulekhani reservoir, Nepal's largest man-made lake, for a boat ride at the waterside village of Markhu before the drive home. It is a gentle, two-day introduction to village life, home cooking and a quiet lake, with almost no crowds and no trekking involved.
The itinerary
- Drive from Kathmandu to Thankot and over the Chandragiri hills, descending into the Chitlang valley in about two to three hours
- Check into a village homestay and walk the Newar farming settlement, its stone lanes, temples and terraced fields
- Visit the local goat cheese farm to see how the cheese is made, then share a home-cooked dinner with your host family
- After breakfast, walk or drive down towards the Kulekhani reservoir through fields and forest
- Reach the lakeside village of Markhu and take a boat out on Nepal's largest man-made lake
- Enjoy a lakeside lunch, then drive back over the hills to Kathmandu
Things to carry
- A warm layer and light jacket for cool village evenings
- Comfortable walking shoes for stone lanes and field paths
- Sunglasses, sun hat and sunscreen for the lake and open trails
- A daypack, refillable water bottle and any personal medicines
- A little cash for the cheese farm, boat ride and small purchases
Good to know
Complete guide
Some of the best escapes from Kathmandu are the closest ones. Just over the Chandragiri hills, the Newar village of Chitlang and the quiet Kulekhani reservoir offer a homestay, a cheese farm and a lake within a couple of hours of the city, yet almost none of its bustle. Here is how the two days unfold.
What the Chitlang Kulekhani tour covers
The trip crosses from Kathmandu over the Chandragiri hills to Chitlang for a village night, then drops to the Kulekhani reservoir at Markhu for boating before returning. It is deliberately unhurried, built around staying with a local family and enjoying the pace of the valley rather than rushing between attractions. For a very different but equally close half-day of heritage, the 7 UNESCO World Heritage Sites day tour pairs well as an add-on in the city.
Chitlang village and its homestay
Chitlang is an old Newar farming settlement at around 1,835 metres, a scatter of stone houses, temples and terraced fields tucked into a green side valley. The heart of the visit is the homestay: sleeping in a village home, eating what the family cooks, and walking the lanes and fields at an easy pace. The local goat cheese farm is the other fixture, a small operation you can visit to see the cheese made and taste it fresh.
Kulekhani reservoir and Markhu
On the second day the valley leads down to Kulekhani, or Indra Sarovar, the largest man-made lake in Nepal, held back by a hydropower dam and ringed by forested hills. At the lakeside village of Markhu you can take a boat onto the calm water and stop for a waterside lunch. It is a gentle, scenic close to the trip before the drive back over the hills.
Who this trip suits
This suits families, couples and anyone wanting a genuine village stay and a quiet lake without trekking or long travel, all within easy reach of Kathmandu. It rewards travellers happy to slow down and share a family table rather than chase a checklist. If you would rather have a hill village with a Himalayan sunrise instead of a lake, the Nagarkot sunrise and Bhaktapur tour is a close, easy alternative.
