After watching the video from Ghumante’s youtube channel, Bethanchowk has been on our bucket list for the past 2 years. The major attraction for us was camping at the top of 3000m hill. We always wanted to experience camping outdoors and the recent popularity of this place became a major driving force for us to go for this adventure in November 2020.
When we were planning for this trip, we had a lot of information accumulated from different people and travel videos. We had a little difficulty in separating out correct information from these piles of information. In this blog post, we are sharing all the details you need to know while planning for this trip so that you do not need to go through the turmoil that we had to.
Where is Bethanchowk?
Narayanthan, Bethanchowk
Bethanchowk Hill is situated at the height of 3000m in Dhunkharka, Kavre. It is the highest hill of the Mahabharat range and also called King of Hills. From the top, you can get stunning views of the mountains like Ganesh Himal, Langtang Range, Manaslu Himal, and surrounding forested hills and valleys. The sunrise and sunset is like the cherry on the cake. This trail is the least crowded and easiest one for beginners. This place, also called Narayanthan is equally popular among locals for the Narayan Temple.
How to reach Bethanchowk?
View from the top
There are two option to reach bethanchowk:
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Public vehicle: You have to take a bus and reach panauti bus park. From there, take a bus to Dhunkharka. There are limited buses leaving for Dhunkharka, so it is recommended to start the trip early. After you reach Dhunkharka, you have to hike for about 4-5 hours uphill to reach the top of bethanchowk.
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Private vehicle: If you have your private vehicle (bike or four-wheelers), you can take them up to a certain place from Dhunkharka bus park. There is ample space to park your vehicle but, you have to leave your vehicle there at your own risk. From this place, it is about a 1 hr 30 min hike to reach Bethanchowk top.
How can you plan this trip?
If you want to have a proper camping experience, then you can opt for 1 Night, 2 Days trip to Bethanchowk. Otherwise, a day trip is possible as well.
Masu chiura ft. Sunset
1 Night 2 Days Trip
Budget: 2000+ per person
You need to start your day early in the morning and try to reach bethanchowk by 3 pm. If you have a private vehicle, then you can start your trip from Kathmandu by 9-10 am. You can find a few hotels and lodges on your way up to few kms away from Dhunkharka bus park where you can stop for lunch. Then, you can continue your trip and reach bethanchowk by 3-4 pm. You can watch both sunrise and sunset if you plan for camping. From our personal experience, this is the best option if you want to witness everything bethanchowk offers. In order to spend the night, you must carry sleeping bags. If possible you can carry tents as well. There is only one concrete shed and a few temporary tin sheds. If the place is not crowded then you can spend the night inside the shed. But recently, this place has been quite trendy among young people, so it is likely to be crowded during the weekends. Even if you stay inside the concrete shed, a sleeping bag is a must, as the weather can get very cold at night.
A Day Trip
Budget: 1000+ per person
You can complete this trip within a day as well. If you have your own vehicle, you can start this trip by 6-7 in the morning and reach here by 11-12. For breakfast or lunch, you can go to any homestay or hotels around Dhunkharka. It is recommended to carry a few snacks like energy bars, chocolates, and lots of water for the hike. You can spend some time absorbing fresh air and the beauty around, clicking a few photos, and return back. But, doing this you will miss both sunset and sunrise from this place, which are magnificent.
To complete this trip using a public vehicle might not be possible or could be in a rush, as there are only a limited number of buses going to Dhunkharka.
Essentials to pack for this trip
Camping Essentials
The most essential thing for this trek is WATER. There are no source of water at the top or after you start your trek. It is highly recommended to carry at least 2lts of water per person.
Besides water, the following are the essentials that you need to carry.
- Sleeping bags
- Torchlight
- Tent
- Warm clothes (thermals, cap, gloves, jacket, socks)
- Dry foods (noodles, protein bars, chocolate, bread, jam, biscuits, chewing gums, or mouth fresheners)
- Moisturizer, lip balm, sunscreen
- First aid (handiplast, cetamol, moov)
- Toilet paper
- Proper Lock for your vehicle
If you are planning to cook something and wanted to get a proper camping experience, you have to include the following things as well:
- Gas stove
- Utensils
- Food items you wanted to cook
Our Experience:
Morning Tea
We went for a 1 night and 2 days trip carrying tents and sleeping bags. We started our trip at 11 am from Kamalbinayak, Bhaktapur. Since it was Saturday and we went on the bike, there was no traffic on the road. We reached Panauti at around 12 pm and bought a few essentials and set off for Dhunkharka. The road was graveled with steep uphill. Driving it through the dense forest, in a bumpy and dusty road, with peek-a-boo of sunlight here and there, overall the road experience was adventurous and effortful. But the view on the way kept getting better as we were gaining some heights. We stopped at a lot of places and to view the entire mountain range and the valley around.
At around 2 pm, we reached the place where we had to park our bikes. We left our bikes and started the hike. On the way, we stopped to have some snickers and juices and again continued walking. Finally, at around 4 pm, we reached the top of bethanchowk. We set up our tent and then hiked up to the top to have our packed lunch watching the sunset. After staying there for a few hours and clicking lots of photos, we returned back to our tents and started the campfire. We had collected a few logs and dried leaves on our hike in the afternoon, but those were not enough to light the campfire. So, few of our friends went down the hill to gather some dried leaves and logs. The rest of us stayed there trying to light the fire and cook maggie, and barbeque some snacks. Due to inconsistent heat, we had to eat overcooked maggie and burnt sausages that evening. Even with all these hassles we were enjoying the time chit chatting and playing silu music in the background. At around midnight, we went to sleep.
The next morning, we woke up early to view the sunrise and saw a lot of people already waiting at the top for the sunrise. At around 6:30, finally, the sky turned yellow and we witnessed the most beautiful sunrise. We clicked a few pictures and came down to our tents to cook some tea and maggie. With a lot of struggle, we were finally able to light the fire. But, our tea got spilled over the fire when trying to set up the kettle. We literally had to struggle a lot to make breakfast next morning. (That’s why we recommend carrying a gas stove if you are planning for camping). After having the satisfying maggie and tea, prepared with a lot of hard work, we stayed there for some time enjoying the beauty of nature, and at 10 am, started our hike downwards. We reached Banepa Bazar at 2 pm and had a hearty lunch at a Thakali restaurant, and returned home with a full belly and a happy heart.
