Jamacho Hiking

Jamacho hiking is the best day hike in Kathmandu. Explore the Jamacho Gumba situated at an elevation of 2130 m in Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park. The hiking in the national park leading to the viewpoint of the Kathmandu Valley is impressive. You can enjoy the diverse flora and fauna in oxygen-rich surroundings in a peaceful environment in Kathmandu.

Jamacho is the best hiking destination to explore the national park, Gumba, and the countryside of the Kathmandu district. Starting the hiking after a 20-minute drive from Thamel is advantageous over long-distance travel. If you want to hike but don’t want to travel long distances, then always choose Jamacho hiking.

Fulbari gate is the entry point of hiking. After driving 5 km from Thamel, we can reach the entrance of Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park in Tarkeshwor Municipality, Goldhunga. The forest trail, variety of birds, diverse plants of the hilly region, and colorful butterflies make your trail much more exciting. After walking for around 2.5 km—3 hours—you will reach the summit of Jamacho. The countless housing of Kathmandu Valley appears small from the view tower of Jamacho. You can visit Gompa, spend around an hour on the Nagarjun hill, and encounter the valley and its countryside. The mountain ranges above the hills around Kathmandu Valley are wonderful. The dense Nagarjun forest expands up to Shivapuri far in its eastern direction. We can return to Phulbari following the same trail in the Nagarjun forest.

We can continue to Osho Tapoban as a side trip. Osho is located three kilometers far from Phulbari Gate. We can hike through the Trishuli highway and reach Osho Tapoban, passing Mudkhu Bhanjyang. After visiting Osho Tapoban, we can return to our hotel within 20 min.

Additionally, we can also hike to Goldhunga View Tower, which takes around 1 hour from Osho Tapoban. You can have amazing views of Kathmandu Valley, Kakani Hill, Nuwakot landscape, and terrace farming with greenhouses in the Kathmandu district. You can easily analyze the urbanization shifting towards the countryside. The windy environment and pine forest of the view tower are amazing, and everyone enjoys the natural beauty of the place. After enjoying the view from the view tower, we can return to our hotel within half an hour in a private car/taxi.

When is the best time for Jamacho hiking?

The best time for Jamacho hiking is spring (March, April, and May), autumn (September, October, November), and winter (December, January, February). In short, we can hike to Jamacho throughout the year except for the summer season. In the rainy season, you will face difficulties due to slippery paths and leeches on the Jamacho hiking route.

Cloudy and foggy weather is unfavorable, as you will not get a proper view from Jamacho. Thus it is always best to choose the spring and autumn seasons for enjoying the whole day. You can enjoy the blooming rhododendron in the spring season.

Jamacho Mela occurs every year on Baishakpurnima, which generally lies in April. You can also enjoy the mela, where thousands of people hike to Jamacho Gompa. The trail remains busy from Balaju to Jamacho on this special day.