Bagdwar — Attraction in Gokarneshwar Municipality

You can start the hike from the ticket counter gate (pani muhan). Still, I have seen many people returning from mid-way, so it's highly recommended that you start your journey around 7:30 am to 9:00 am, or you could use the easy trail by going to Nagi gumba on a bike so that you could explore all the places like tinchuli, Shivpuri peak. I had beautiful experiences, learned stories, and met different people on this hike. On Nagi gumba I asked Buddhist monks for the way toward the trail, but no one would answer because they all had taken a vow of silence(मौन व्रत), and met local vendors carrying different fruits and veggies on Deurali. This forest is magical, and a journalist from a reputed news channel I met on the way said it was his 50th time visiting this place. He told me about the fascinating story of Shivpuri baba, who came to Nepal when he was 100 years old and lived a spiritual life until 137 years. You can argue about the age, but the statue on peak has dated his born and demise date. When you reach Baghdwar and drink the mineral-rich Bagmati origin water from the fountains, your backpack water seems tasteless. A woman is living for more than three months alone in the baghdwar in a cave, and she shared her story that she got lost in the jungles for three days and her clothes were ripped up, got bruises from the branches of trees, the fog and the wind didn't go on her favour. Now she perfectly enjoys her solitude, and she has already found two caves where Leopard lives(brave women, ahh). she asked us to light up the candles and give some charity in the name of god and she is frustrated by people who upload her video on Youtube cause that means her family will come looking after her. Another fascinating person is Todke baba, who lives just above baghdwar in an Ashram. People say he was meditating on the todke(cave-like structure in the big trunk trees). That's how he got his name. The viewpoint of Shivpuri peak is the most worth-it moment of this trip, and you've got to be lucky to enjoy the majestic view of...

Origin of Bagmati.A rule of Nepal is that if a Nepali says you have an hour left to walk, double it. A three hour hike? It’ll take you at least five. And so it went during my Sunday hike up Shivapuri. Four-five hours? Make that a twelve-hour day out! When I and a group of friends set off towards Budhanilkantha and the Shivapuri -Nagarjun National Park early on Sunday morning, I knew we could be in for a long day. We were. But it was worth it to get away from the noise and pollution of Kathmandu.

The Shivapuri-Nagarjun National Park is on the northern edge of the Kathmandu Valley, and is an important area for many reasons: it is where much of Kathmandu’s water starts from, including the Bagmati River. The Bagmati as it runs through the centre of Kathmandu is a thick, sludgy, toxic mess, so it’s difficult to believe that it comes out of the hills in Shivapuri pure and clean and drinkable. It acquires its toxicity in a few short kilometres, which really is an indictment on Kathmandu’s management of its water supplies. But if you want to catch it pure and clean, Shivapuri’s the place.

Starting from Patan at 8, we got the regular Lalitpur Yatayat to the microbus stand outside the Kathmandu Mall (regular, that is, if you live in or around Patan Dhoka and frequently head to Thamel). We had clear instructions how to get to Budhanilkantha, at the foot of the Shivapuri-Nagarjun National Park, but were thwarted by a driver who was either stupid or just wanted our fare money. We got on the wrong micro, so had to get down and change at Lainchaur. We had it on good authority that there are direct micros from the Kathmandu Mall to Narayanthan/Budhanilkantha, eight kilometres away. Depending on the time of day and the traffic, the trip should take less than half an hour, but it’s a good idea to get started early on the hike, which means coinciding the transport...

All the way in to the jungle of shivapuri, one can pursue through Nagi Gumba or in between there is a helipad through which one can directly reach Baghdwar which will reduce hike time about 1 hr in total. We took through Nagi Gumba as we hadn't been there before. Lots of uptrails with staircase all the way to Baghdwar, if you hike around month of April, your journey will be full of gurans. I recommend to check weather before you hike and please carry umbrella or raincoat as there aren't many cottages but if it is just drizzling trees will be your umbrella😀. We had almost 7 hours total hike, as we reached shivapuri peak as well which is around 30-40 mins from Baghdwar. Overall, one day hike can't get...