Where is Sundarijal & Mulkharka Trail?
Sundarijal & Mulkharka Trail is near Kathmandu Valley, Nepal, with Kathmandu Valley used as the route reference point on WanderBees.
The gateway to Shivapuri National Park, known for its waterfalls and the 'Sweet Sixteen' canyoning spot.
From Kathmandu Valley
16.1 km
From Kathmandu Valley
47 min
Elevation
1,956 m
Activities
5
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Sundarijal & Mulkharka Trail is a mapped place to visit near Kathmandu Valley. WanderBees tracks it as a 16.1 km trip from Kathmandu Valley, with typical travel time around 47 min. Compare the listed activities, difficulty, cost, season, weather, local reports, and emergency contacts before leaving.
Sundarijal & Mulkharka Trail is near Kathmandu Valley, Nepal, with Kathmandu Valley used as the route reference point on WanderBees.
Yes. Sundarijal & Mulkharka Trail is listed as a place to visit near Kathmandu Valley for travelers comparing route distance, travel time, activities, cost, season, and local condition signals from Kathmandu Valley.
Sundarijal & Mulkharka Trail is about 16.1 km from Kathmandu Valley, with a typical travel time of 47 min.
Sundarijal & Mulkharka Trail may appear in searches such as "Sundarijal & Mulkharka Trail adventure camp" when people are looking for outdoor activities, picnic spots, camps, or guided experiences nearby. WanderBees treats it as a destination area and lists the available activities on this page.
Listed activities include Sundarijal Dam, Waterfall & Forest Walk, Sundarijal MTB Forest Loop, Sundarijal Waterfall Canyoning, Sundarijal Waterfall Picnic.
What to do
The easiest nature escape from Kathmandu — a 30-minute uphill walk from the Sundarijal road terminus to the dam, waterfall, and forest edge of Shivapuri National Park. Sundarijal sits inside Gokarneshwar Municipality, 15 km northeast of Kathmandu via Gokarna. The trail begins at the bus terminus / vehicle parking where the road ends, and follows stone-paved steps alongside a cascading stream uphill through dense forest. Within 1.5 km you reach the Sundarijal Dam — the historic water supply reservoir that has fed Kathmandu's drinking water network since the 1960s — and the waterfall immediately above it, where the Bishnumati tributary pours down from the Shivapuri forest. The dam wall and reservoir infrastructure create an unexpected industrial backdrop against the forest — photogenic in a way few visitors expect. The waterfall beyond is two-tiered, visible from a stone platform beside the water treatment station. During monsoon the falls thunder; in autumn they run clear and cold. The trail ends at the Shivapuri NP entrance gate (where a separate park ticket is required if you want to continue inside). Most people spend 1.5–2 hours here total — the walk up, time at the dam and falls, and the shorter descent. A perfect add-on to a Gokarna or Boudha visit.
A challenging 3-hour mountain bike loop from the Sundarijal reservoir — enter the national park on the jeep track to Mulkharka, branch onto the singletrack that contours the ridge above the reservoir, and bomb the technical descent back to the dam road. Rocky, rooted, and steep in places; one of the best technical MTB loops close to Kathmandu. Entry permit: Shivapuri-Nagarjun National Park fee — NPR 100 Nepali / NPR 600 SAARC / NPR 1,000 foreign, paid at the main gate. No TIMS required.
Challenge yourself with a vertical descent through the waterfalls of Sundarijal. This adventure combines trekking, sliding, jumping, and rappelling down rocky gorges inside Shivapuri National Park. Entry permit: Shivapuri-Nagarjun National Park fee — NPR 100 Nepali / NPR 600 SAARC / NPR 1,000 foreign, paid at the main gate. No TIMS required.
A half-day family outing to the Sundarijal waterfall — a 100-metre cascade on the Bagmati's upper tributary that plunges into a boulder-strewn pool surrounded by sal forest. The flat area beside the reservoir dam is Kathmandu's most popular riverside picnic ground; arrive early on weekends for a shaded spot. The waterfall itself is a 15-minute walk from the road-end.
Enter Shivapuri National Park at Sundarijal and climb through old-growth forest to Chisapani at 2,215 m — a Tamang ridge village with panoramic views from Ganesh Himal to Annapurna. A steady 5-hour ascent, good camping or lodge option at the top, and a different route (Pati Bhanjyang) for the descent. Entry permit: Shivapuri-Nagarjun National Park fee — NPR 100 Nepali / NPR 600 SAARC / NPR 1,000 foreign, paid at the main gate. No TIMS required.