Walk out of the bazaar to Tundikhel, the open field north-east of town, and take in the view of Dhaulagiri, Manaslu, Ganesh Himal and Langtang if the sky is clear. From there, climb to Thani Mai, a roofless shrine on Gurungche Hill; guides give 15 to 30 minutes from the bazaar for this climb, steep on stone steps. On our map the whole loop is 4.3 km with about 260 m of climbing, with extra time for tea, the library and the temples in town. Sunset from the hilltop is the classic hour, and the walk back is on the same paths in the dusk, so take a torch.
Bandipur Hill Walks
A two-day plan from the Newar hill town of Bandipur: a loop to Tundikhel and Thani Mai temple on Gurungche Hill, and a 3.2 km walk down to Siddha Cave, with no permit and no flight.
- Days2
- Max altitude1,100 m
- Distance7.5 km
- Ascent350 m
- DifficultyEasy
- Best monthsOct–Nov, Dec–Feb
Photo: Maesi64 · CC0
This itinerary is a draft and hasn't been verified yet. Always confirm stages with your guide.
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Bandipur Hill Walks is a 2-day trek in the Bandipur region of Nepal that climbs to 1,100 m. Foreign trekkers can find a partner for it on FindTrekkingPartner by posting a trip with their dates, budget and pace. Matches stay private until both trekkers agree, and the service is free. At mid-range rates a licensed guide costs about USD 19 per person over 2 days when four trekkers share, against USD 75 for one trekker alone. The best seasons are Oct–Nov, Dec–Feb. The Nepal Tourism Board April 2023 rule requires a licensed guide in national parks and conservation areas. Local practice differs (checked 19 October 2026): the Khumbu municipality opted out and issues its own trek card, and day hikes are rarely checked, but follow the rule and hire a guide; confirm with your agency. Last verified: October 19, 2026. Sources: Nepal Tourism Board, DNPWC, Department of Immigration.
Sources:Department of Immigration, NepalNepal Tourism BoardDepartment of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation
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Overview
Starts from Bandipur2 days · max 1,100 m
Best seasons: Oct–Nov, Dec–Feb
Bandipur Hill Walks is a two-day plan around the Newar hill town of Bandipur (about 1,030 m): a half-day loop to the Tundikhel viewpoint and Thani Mai temple on Gurungche Hill, and a walk down to Siddha Cave at Bimalnagar. On our map the first day is 4.3 km with about 260 m of climbing and the second is 3.2 km with 430 m of descent, with a stiff climb back up if you return on foot. Sources give 15 to 30 minutes to Thani Mai from the bazaar and 1 to 2 hours down to the cave, so both days are easy and can be squeezed into one. The route needs no permit and no flight, and works best between October and February, when the mountains are clear.
What the walk is like
You stay in Bandipur for both nights. Day one is a sunset walk: through the bazaar to Tundikhel, a field about the size of a football pitch with views of Dhaulagiri, Manaslu, Ganesh Himal and Langtang, then on to Thani Mai, a roofless shrine on Gurungche Hill. Day two goes down the hillside through forest to Siddha Cave, a large unlit cave that Wikipedia gives as 437 m deep. You need your own headlamp, and a jeep from Bimalnagar saves the climb back.
Day by day
Day one covers the bazaar, Tundikhel and Thani Mai: 4.3 km with about 260 m of climbing, 2 to 3 hours with time in town for the library, the temples and tea. Day two goes down to Siddha Cave: 3.2 km one way with 430 m of descent, 1.5 to 2 hours each way. Walkers who want a single day can do Thani Mai at dawn and the cave in the afternoon, but keep an hour in hand for the climb back, which is the hardest part of the whole route.
Getting there and away
Buses from Kathmandu (5 to 6 hours) and Pokhara (3 to 4 hours) stop at Dumre on the Prithvi Highway; local buses and jeeps cover the last 8 km to Bandipur. A 2016 guide gave about NPR 20 for the local bus and NPR 500 for a 4x4, shown here as items to check.
Permits, guides and costs
No permit or TIMS card is needed and Bandipur lies outside any national park, conservation area or restricted area, so no guide is required; one is optional for the cave trail. Costs are mostly the guesthouse night and the transfers; see the cost section for ranges.
Season and safety
October to February is clearest. The stone paths and the cave trail are slippery in rain, the cave is cold, and direction signs on the cave trail are scarce, so ask at your guesthouse after wet weather. See our guide rule page for the rule in full.
Highlights
- Newar bazaar of Bandipur at 1,030 m, with a covered main street and old merchant houses
- Tundikhel viewpoint over Dhaulagiri, Manaslu, Ganesh Himal and Langtang
- Thani Mai shrine on Gurungche Hill, a sunset spot 15 to 30 minutes from the bazaar
- Siddha Cave, given as 437 m deep and 50 m high, reached on foot from town
- No permit, no flight and easy walking
Route map
Route data from OpenStreetMap, not yet checked by our team. Use it for planning, not navigation.
Day by day
Walk down through forest from Bandipur to Siddha Cave, where Wikipedia gives the cave as 437 m deep and 50 m high. Sources give 1 to 2 hours down, and our map shows 3.2 km with 430 m of descent on mostly footpath. Direction signs are scarce, so take the more travelled branch where local paths split. Go in with your own headlamp: the cave is unlit, cold and full of bats, and the lights at the entrance are weak. Come back up on foot in about the same time or two, or arrange a jeep from Bimalnagar and return by road to Bandipur or on to Dumre.
What it costs
Estimated all-in cost per person: lodge and food by altitude, transport, permits, and the guide and porters. The more trekkers share a guide and porters, the less each person pays. As of October 2026.
| Style | 1 trekker | 2 trekkers sharing | 4 trekkers sharing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Budget | $30–$60* | $30–$60* | $30–$60* |
| Mid-range | $80–$150* | $60–$110* | $50–$100* |
| Comfort | $100–$170* | $90–$150* | $80–$130* |
Share a guide, save money
At mid-range, a solo trekker pays about $80–$150; four trekkers sharing one guide and two porters pay about $50–$100 each (33% less at the top of the range).
Breakdown for 2 trekkers sharing
| Item | Budget | Mid-range | Comfort |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lodge and food | $30–$60 | $40–$80 | $50–$100 |
| Guide | — | $10–$30 | $10–$30 |
| Porters | — | $0–$20 | $10–$30 |
Budget uses public transport and no porter; mid-range shares one porter between two trekkers and a private vehicle; comfort gives each trekker a porter. A guide is included where one is required or the style is mid-range or comfort.
Nightly lodge and food (room and a dal bhat meal)
2 nights Below 2,500 m: room $2–$9, dal bhat $4–$7
Not included
No published price found for: Dumre to Bandipur by local bus or jeep; Bimalnagar back to Bandipur by jeep (optional). Totals marked * leave these out; ask your agency. A short walking trip with no permit: the costs are the guesthouse nights and the transfers. A guide is optional, mainly for the cave trail.
Cost sources
- PriceNepal: Nepal Travel Cost Guide 2026 (2026-05-14)
- Third Rock Adventures: Nepal trek budget planner (2026-05-09)
- Himalayan Partner: Guide and porter price in Nepal 2026 (2026-02-10)
- Shikhar Adventure: Annapurna Circuit trek cost (2026-02-03)
- Nepal Tourism Board: Trekking Permit (2026-10-18)
Estimates from operator guides, not quotes. Tips, insurance, gear and Kathmandu hotels are not included; USD at the platform exchange rate.
Photos
Frequently asked questions
The plan is two easy days. Day one is a 2 to 3 hour loop to Tundikhel and Thani Mai (4.3 km on our map), and day two is 1.5 to 2 hours down to Siddha Cave (3.2 km). You can do both in one long day.
Guides give 15 minutes to 30 minutes from the bazaar, depending on the start point; the climb is steep on stone steps. A local operator says less than an hour.
Yes. The cave is unlit, and sources say the lights offered at the entrance are not bright enough. Bring a headlamp and a warm layer, as it is cold inside.
The way down is easy, with 430 m of descent on our map, but the climb back is steep and takes about as long or longer. Many visitors take a jeep from Bimalnagar for the return.
October to February is clearest, right after the monsoon. The stone paths and the cave trail are slippery in rain.
Sources
Along the trail
Stays, medical help, water and sights on each day of the route.
1. Bandipur
- Garima Organic Homestay · Stays · 1,003 m
- Bahidar Ghar · Stays · 1,005 m
- Pradhan Hotel · Stays · 1,020 m
- Bandipur Hospital · Medical · 1,021 m
- Tundikhel · Viewpoints · 973 m
- Best mountain's viewpoint · Viewpoints · 1,095 m
- Bandipur Guest-House · Stays · 992 m
Show all 24 places
- Garima Organic Homestay · Stays · 1,003 m
- Bahidar Ghar · Stays · 1,005 m
- Pradhan Hotel · Stays · 1,020 m
- Saurya Hotel & Lodge · Stays · 1,037 m
- Bandipur Hospital · Medical · 1,021 m
- The Durbar Himalaya · Stays · 1,004 m
- Heritage Guest house · Stays · 1,008 m
- Bandipur Mountain Resort · Stays · 996 m
- Tundikhel · Viewpoints · 973 m
- Bandipur Eco Hotel · Stays · 993 m
- Green Park Resort · Stays · 999 m
- Hotel Aagaman · Stays · 1,004 m
- Hotel Himalayan Hide Way · Stays · 990 m
- Hotel The North Face · Stays · 1,006 m
- Annapurna face guest house & all mountain view · Stays · 1,003 m
- Himchuli Guest House · Stays · 1,010 m
- Milan Guest House · Stays · 1,012 m
- Samira Homestay · Stays · 1,010 m
- Rakshya Lodge · Stays · 1,012 m
- Family Guest House · Stays · 1,012 m
- Bandipur Village Resort · Stays · 1,012 m
- Best mountain's viewpoint · Viewpoints · 1,095 m
- Sunset view point · Viewpoints · 1,125 m
- Bandipur Guest-House · Stays · 992 m
2. Bandipur → Siddha Cave
- Bandipur Adventure Camp · Stays · 1,057 m
- Bindabashini Homestay House No. 14 · Stays · 1,017 m
- Mountain view · Viewpoints · 1,043 m
- Sunshine Hotel · Stays · 1,055 m
- Bandipur Inn · Stays · 1,010 m
- Viewpoint · Viewpoints · 1,200 m
- Drinking Water · Practical · 647 m
Show all 12 places
- Hotel Red Rose · Stays · 1,002 m
- Hotel Maya & Restaurant · Stays · 1,001 m
- Gaun Ghar · Stays · 1,003 m
- The Old Inn · Stays · 971 m
- Kriti Home Accomodation · Stays · 1,005 m
- Bandipur Adventure Camp · Stays · 1,057 m
- Bindabashini Homestay House No. 14 · Stays · 1,017 m
- Mountain view · Viewpoints · 1,043 m
- Sunshine Hotel · Stays · 1,055 m
- Bandipur Inn · Stays · 1,010 m
- Viewpoint · Viewpoints · 1,200 m
- Drinking Water · Practical · 647 m
Last verified on Oct 19, 2026Report outdated info