Overview
This Gorkha, Bandipur and Kathmandu heritage tour follows Nepal's story over four days, from the hill palace where the country's unification began to the temples and stupas of the capital. You drive from Kathmandu to Gorkha on the first day, climb to Gorkha Durbar next morning and continue to Bandipur, the old Newar trading town with a car-free stone bazaar. On the third day you return to Kathmandu, and the fourth is a guided day at Swayambhunath, Kathmandu Durbar Square, Boudhanath and Pashupatinath, all part of the Kathmandu Valley World Heritage Site. It suits first-time visitors, families and anyone more interested in history than trekking.
The itinerary
- Private drive west of about 142 km, usually five to six hours
- Leave the Prithvi Highway for the 24 km branch road up to Gorkha
- Check in and settle into the hill town in the afternoon
- Evening walk through Gorkha bazaar, with the Gorkha Museum if time allows
- Morning climb of about 1,500 stone steps to Gorkha Durbar, or drive to the rear entrance
- See the palace, the Kalika temple courtyard and the view north to Manaslu
- Drive back to the highway and up the 8 km road from Dumre to Bandipur
- Sunset from Tundikhel, a short walk from the car-free bazaar
- Early walk through the quiet bazaar and its old Newar houses
- Drive back to Kathmandu, about 143 km and usually four to six hours
- Tea and lunch stops along the Prithvi Highway
- Afternoon free to rest or explore Thamel
- Swayambhunath, the hilltop stupa west of the city known as the Monkey Temple
- Kathmandu Durbar Square, the old royal palace square at Hanuman Dhoka
- Boudhanath, the largest spherical stupa in Nepal, at the heart of the Tibetan quarter
- Pashupatinath on the Bagmati River, viewed from the terraces across the water
Things to carry
- Comfortable walking shoes with grip for the stone steps
- Easy-to-remove shoes and socks for temple courtyards
- Clothing that covers shoulders and knees
- A warm layer for cool hill evenings and mornings
- A scarf or mask for dusty city streets
Good to know
Complete guide
This Gorkha, Bandipur and Kathmandu heritage tour is for travellers who want to understand Nepal as well as see it. In four days you visit the hill palace where the country's unification began, an old trading town that has kept its bazaar, and four of the Kathmandu Valley's great temples and stupas. There is no trekking, and the pace leaves room to take things in.
What the Gorkha, Bandipur and Kathmandu heritage tour covers
On the first day you drive about 142 km from Kathmandu to Gorkha, usually five to six hours, leaving the Prithvi Highway for a 24 km branch road into the hills. Next morning you climb to Gorkha Durbar, then drive to Bandipur, at the top of an 8 km road that climbs from the highway at Dumre. On the third day you drive about 143 km back to Kathmandu, and on the fourth a guide takes you to Swayambhunath, Kathmandu Durbar Square, Boudhanath and Pashupatinath.
How it differs from the three-day Bandipur and Gorkha tour
We also run a three-day Bandipur and Gorkha tour, which visits the same two towns in the opposite order and returns to Kathmandu without a sightseeing day. This four-day version starts with Gorkha, so you climb to the palace with fresh legs in the morning light, ends the hill section with an evening in Bandipur, and then adds a full guided day in Kathmandu. If you have already seen Kathmandu's main sites, the three-day tour is enough; if not, this one ties the whole story together.
Gorkha Durbar and Bandipur
Gorkha Durbar was built in the 16th century by Ram Shah and stands on a hilltop above Gorkha bazaar. Prithvi Narayan Shah was born here in 1723 and went on to begin the unification of Nepal. The climb is about 1,500 stone steps, around 45 minutes with rests, or you can drive to the rear entrance. At the top are the old palace, the carved Kalika temple, which is closed inside to non-Hindus, and views north to Manaslu, Himalchuli and Ganesh Himal.
Bandipur was built up by Newar traders from Bhaktapur as a stop on the route between India and Tibet. Their brick and timber houses still line the stone-paved main street, which is closed to traffic. From Tundikhel, a short walk away, clear evenings show the Himalaya from Langtang to Dhaulagiri.
The Kathmandu day
All four Kathmandu sites belong to the Kathmandu Valley World Heritage Site, listed by UNESCO in 1979. Swayambhunath sits on a hilltop west of the city and is known as the Monkey Temple for the monkeys that live there. Kathmandu Durbar Square, at Hanuman Dhoka, was badly damaged in the 2015 earthquake; almost all of its big structures have since been rebuilt, though some inner buildings are still under repair. Boudhanath is the largest spherical stupa in Nepal, surrounded by monasteries built after Tibetans settled there from 1959. Pashupatinath, on the Bagmati River, is open only to Hindus, so non-Hindus watch from the terraces across the river.
If you want the full set of seven listed zones, the Kathmandu Valley UNESCO World Heritage day tour adds Patan, Bhaktapur and Changu Narayan in one long day.
When to go and what to combine it with
October to November and March to April give the clearest hill views and the most comfortable weather; December and January work well too, with crisp mornings. The monsoon, from June to August, often hides the mountains. If you would like to continue west instead of returning to Kathmandu, the Bandipur, Pokhara and Kathmandu tour takes Bandipur on to Pokhara. Tell us your dates and interests, and we will suggest the right fit.
