Trekking to Chandragiri Hills (Nepal)

Fitbit trekking records:

• Over 13000 steps
• 300 + storeys climbed
• 2.75 hours
• Altitude 2500 m (Approx)

Cost Rates: 

• Lunch per plate: Rs. 550/- (Veg and Non-Veg rates are same)
• Cable car:
• One way: Rs. 415/-
• Student One way: Rs. 315/-
• Both way: Not sure (Guess Rs. 750/-)

                    **(Rates may have changed now.)

Hiking to Chandragiri Hills

8^th Jan 2017 (Sunday)

We had achieved a milestone in one of our projects at Logpoint Nepal Pvt. Ltd, and hence our management committee offered us hiking as celebration. Me including my team members met at the Cable Car Station around 9: 00 in the morning. It took us 15 minutes to reach the Cable Car Station from Kalanki chowk.

Main Gate of Cable Car Station

Our office had managed us a bottle of water, a can of redbull, a packet of आलु chips and a snicker. We collected our share and started the trek. We were told that it would take us 2 hours to reach the Chandragiri Hills from there.

Tentative hiking route used

We were 19, including our CEO and Vice President of Product. First 15 min of our walk was a fairly straight but steep road with houses, factories and bridges. We were walking slowly, chatting and taking photographs. Some of our colleagues were starting to feel pain in the legs already :). We then came across jungle. The path was great, slightly slippery but fun to hike. Going through the jungle is always special. After 1 hour of trek through the forest, we got to a road. The road was gravel with some bikes and small vehicles rushing through it. Hence the road was obviously dusty.

Hiking to Chandragiri Hills

 

The hiking route was pack. There were many other groups: teenagers to elderly people. By the time, our groups were divided into three groups. Some were very fast; some were too slow :). I was in the middle sub-group, walking in comfortable pace: chatting, resting, taking photographs and eating the foods available.  We continued our hike and reached Deurali (देउराली) in 2 hours.

Mesmerizing look of mountain range from Deurali

 

The Deurali was a milestone. There is a small shop (भट्टी). Our friends ate buff choila (or Chicken, I don’t remember), beer, चिउरा, frooty, etc. and sat for a while. One friend and me decided to continue the hike without rest and took the left road from the Deurali. There were ladders, and ladders, and ladders, and more ladders. The ladders were through the jungle. We got to see different kinds of birds but no animals were seen. After 30 min of walk from Deurali, we reached the checkpoint. From the checkpoint, the road was diverted again to more ladders.

Ladders between Deurali and Chandragiri

 

After walking next 15 min, we finally reached the Chandragiri Hills.

View from Top Cable Car Station

 

There were ice-cream parlour, popcorn shop, many people taking photograph and the cable car station. We could see the beautiful mountain ranges, cable cars running and happy faces. The whole Kathmandu Valley could be seen (Not really :-) ). It was so frightening to see the pollution; smoke and dust covered the Valley. Within 30 minutes, all the colleagues reached and gathered, took group photo.

Group photo after the hike to Chandragiri hills

We decided to go for the lunch. The restaurant was 2 minutes of walk from the cable car station. There were many people there. We could see the Chandragiri temple there.

The Chandragiri Temple

Some of us decided to go and do darshan, while some decided to eat directly. The food was very costly, Rs. 550/- per plate. Fortunate to us, our company was paying the whole amount. I personally liked the chicken while many were dissatisfied with the quality of food considering the amount charged. The lunch included rice, daal, chicken, saag, achar and salad.

Self serving the lunch

 

There is also a View Tower, but that day, it was under-maintenance. So we could not go there. After the lunch, we gathered in Children Park. The park was really nice to take rest after that long and difficult walk.  No price is charged to go to the park and children could play different games. The artificial grass (similar of Futsal but with better quality) was clean, and we lay there for more than an hour. There were more photographs taken.

Rest in Children Park

Then we returned to the Cable Car Station where there was a long queue of people waiting turn to get back to the Valley. While returning, we had decided to use Cable car, and our office provided the payment. It costs Rs. 415/- for one way per person and Rs. 315/- for student. We came to know two-way ticket is relatively cheaper. After standing in queue for 15 min, we got to get in the cable car.

Queue for getting into Cable Car

A cable car holds up-to 8 people. So we had to get divided into 8-8-3 sub-groups. From the Cable Car, we could see the forest, the Kathmandu Valley and the steep rope, which was a frightening experience as well. We reached to the lower Cable Car Station within 15 minutes. Then it was time to say good-bye.

Kathmandu Valley View from inside the Cable Car

Overall, it was a great hike and wonderful experience with my colleagues. I believe the day was worth spending with awesome people. Though the cost rates are very high till the date I wrote this blog, I strongly recommend everyone to at least go there once and hope someday the prices will go down and would become easily affordable to every common people.