Gorkha Durbar and Manakamana Walk

The Gorkha Durbar and Manakamana walk is a two-day plan around the hill town of Gorkha: the 1,500-step stairway from the bazaar to the hilltop palace where Prithvi Narayan Shah was born, and the pilgrim climb from Anbu Khaireni to Manakamana temple on Kafakdada hill (about 1,300 m). On our map the first day is 2.3 km with about 270 m of climbing and the second is 6.8 km with about 1,030 m of climbing, mostly on a track beside the cable car line. Guides give 30 to 45 minutes up to the palace and about 3 to 4 hours up to the temple, and the cable car is the way down. No permit, flight or altitude is involved, the walks suit families and anyone resting between bigger treks, and October to December and March to April are best.

What the walk is like

Day one is a short, steep morning on stone steps from Gorkha bazaar to the palace compound, with the Kalika temple, the Gorakhnath cave shrine and wide views of Manaslu, Himalchuli and Annapurna on a clear day. Day two is a drive to Anbu Khaireni on the Prithvi Highway and a long climb in the open on stone steps and a track to Manakamana, where pilgrims queue at the Bhagwati shrine. You can come down on foot to Kurintar or take the cable car, which opened in 1998.

Day by day

Day one: 2.3 km, 1.5 to 2 hours round trip with time at the temples, plus the Gorkha Museum in the lower palace if it is open. Day two: 6.8 km up, 3 to 4 hours, then the cable car or the steps down.

Getting there and away

Buses from Kathmandu take about 6 hours to Gorkha, or a tourist bus to Anbu Khaireni takes 3.5 hours and a local bus about 1 hour more. From Pokhara it is about 4 hours. Gorkha is also an easy overnight between Kathmandu and Pokhara.

Permits, guides and costs

No trekking permit or TIMS card is needed, and the walks lie outside any national park, conservation area or restricted area, so no guide is required; one is optional. Gorkha Durbar is free at present according to one guide, the museum charges NPR 100, and the cable car fare is not listed in our sources, so see the cost section for ranges.

Season and safety

October to December has the clearest views. Heat is the main hazard on the Manakamana climb, and worn stone steps are uneven and slippery in the monsoon. See our guide rule page for the rule in full.