Sundarijal to Chisapani

Step-by-step guide to one-day Kathmandu-based hike from Sundarijal to Chisapani and back. Summary verdict: best done one-way to stay overnight for early-morning mountain views at Chisapani

Route in: taxi or bus ride from Kathmandu to Sundarijal

Start point: hike from Sundarijal bus/taxi park via Mulkharka (repeatedly mis-pronounced in the video!) to Chisapani

Mid point: Chisapani

Route out: retrace the route to Sundarijal and then bus/taxi back to Kathmandu

Map link: https://www.alltrails.com/explore/map/map-april-18-2025-2adafb1

Time: round trip took me (moderately fit and well past the bloom of youth) 7.5 hours: four hours up, three hours down plus a bit of time in Chisapani

Grading: this is a hike not a scramble so not graded. It was hard work to do all in one go: 12 miles and around 9,000 feet of combined ascent and descent

Notes: you need to buy a (NPR1,000) ticket for entry to the Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park and there are four checkpoints on the route

Warning: the hike path itself is straightforward but quite steep at the start; care may be needed in relation to sun, rain . . . and monkeys (macaques to be precise)

Gear: standard long-day hiking gear

Verdict: I wouldn’t repeat the whole out-and-back hike in one day but would consider it one-way to stay overnight in Chisapani and then get a jeep back, or as the first day of a longer trek into Helambu. The core hike was not that interesting but it’s about as good as it gets for a one-day hike if you’re staying in Kathmandu

Category: Trek

Score: 6/10

Video guide: