The hike begins at Budhanilkantha, where the Sleeping Vishnu rests in his stone bed, half-submerged in water. The trail starts easy, weaving through thick trees with sunlight slipping through the leaves. Every now and then, monkeys can dash across the path, watching you from the branches, waiting to see if you’ll drop some food. Birds call out from hidden places, and the air smells fresh. But then the climb starts, the real one by the way. Stone steps, winding endlessly up, testing your legs, making your breathing heavy. You stop to take a break, turning back to see the city below, already distant and small.
That’s when it starts to feel worth it. Near the Shivapuri summit (2,732m), the trees start to thin, and the world opens up. If the weather is on your side, the Himalayas appear in the distance, their white peaks cutting through the sky like something out of a painting. The quiet here is something else, so still, it feels like even your thoughts slow down. Some hikers continue to Nagi Gompa, a small monastery nestled in the hills, where monks sit in meditation, their chants carried by the wind. Others just sit, breathe, and take it all in.
And then, after a while, you start the journey back down. The climb that felt so long on the way up now seems shorter. Kathmandu comes back into view, and with it, the familiar noise of daily life. But something feels different, you feel different. Maybe lighter, maybe clearer, maybe just a little more at peace. And you know, in the back of your mind, that you’ll be back again.
Photo Credit-adventuredevo.com,visithimalayastrek.com.
