Kopan & Shivapuri


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January 31st 2015
Published: February 2nd 2015
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I've been spending a lot of my time cycling here in Kathmandu now that I know the area better. Buses are very cheap but don't always get you close to your destination and taxis are too expensive for trips within the city. I haven't been doing much more than about 20km a day but some of the hills here are really hard work.
I've recently been to some really relaxing places and the contrast between the tough cycle there and the peaceful nature of the destinations has made the experience even more rewarding.

Shivapuri is a national park on the northern side of Kathmandu and is a mostly untouched forest although there are some areas accessible by motor vehicle. The park is named after the Shivapuri peak of 8,963 ft, barely a molehill compared to the Himalayas but its still reasonable hike (the summit of Ben Nevis is 4,409 ft).
Unfortunately I didn't get to explore the entire park but I did get to the peak and also a little deeper into the unspoilt forest. The road up to the park and the little village you come to before the main gate are both quite scenic but once you cross the border into the park it's like entering a different country.
They don't recommend the national park for solo travellers but I spoke to some locals walking through the area and they had never seen any big cats or bears or heard of anyone who had, I think it's more likely an excuse because they have no signposts in the entire park and I can imagine people have got lost (Shivapuri 61sq mi, Richmond Park 3.6 sq mi)
The national park hills look down across the entire Kathmandu valley but I had chosen a pretty miserable day and although the views were still impressive I knew it had a lot more to offer.

Kopan Monastery was the second destination which deserves a mention. Once again peaceful meant it had to be placed right on top of a steep hill to overlook the city. The cycle there really wasn't too bad except the ring road which looks and feels very polluted during busy hours. This was another destination straight out of a fantasy story, the buildings on the outside were large characterless slabs of concrete and the area at the bottom of the hill could have been anywhere in the outskirts of Kathmandu. The door opened and inside sat an impressive monastery surrounded by flourishing gardens and a waterfall producing a pleasant harmony. The inside of the monastery was even more spectacular, the entire ceiling was painted with elaborate patterns and pictures which ended with a wall covered in statues of the Buddha and pictures of the Dalai Lama.
It would take me eternity to try and describe all of the visual detail of this magnificent place but I hope these pictures will give you a better idea


Additional photos below
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KopanKopan
Kopan

just a small section of the decorative ceiling
KopanKopan
Kopan

inside the monastery
KopanKopan
Kopan

The gardens to the side of the monastery, almost gaudy but certainly beautiful


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