Stretching our legs, taking DW DSLR camera and buying some drinking water, we were all set to experience some great hiking. It was early in the morning and the sun was about to shine in the clear blue sky. Deerwalk van commenced its journey to one of the historic places of Nepal called Gorkha. Gorkha is the birth place of king Prithvi Narayan Shah, who unified the kingdom of Nepal during the eighteenth century. It is a picturesque hill town that has a rich history of its own. The place is situated on a small mountain at the height of about 3,500 feet from the sea level, and it offers a magnificent view of the Himalayan peaks.

It was about 7:45 in the morning when we left Thankot to head towards our destination. We were sixteen hikers in all, and we began the journey with full of enthusiasm and excitement as it was the first long hike for many of us. After about a couple of hours of driving, we stopped to buy some banana. We then resumed our journey before we stopped again at Malekhu, where we had Malekhu special fish, which was simply too delicious to put in words. Having stayed there for about forty five minutes, we set off again with our stomach full. Kedar’s folk song on the stereo and our full belly together put many of us to sleep in the van.

We reached our destination, Gorkha, at about 11:15 AM. The weather was foggy. However, that did not dampen the enthusiasm of the hikers, who were excited to climb up to the famous Gorkha Durbar without losing any time. In just fifteen minutes we reached Thulo Angan, where Tallo Durbar is located. From there our real hiking began, because we had to climb steep stairs for about forty minutes to reach the Gorkha Durbar. Step by step, mounting each stair and not losing our energy and enthusiasm, we slowly approached the Durbar. The first ones to reach the Durbar were Basant, Suraj and Sajjan. Finally, everyone caught up. However, we were a little disappointed because of the foggy weather that obstructed the magnificent view of the Himalayan peaks and Gorkha bazzar. Since the hike was only forty minutes of climbing steep stairs, some of the Deerwalkers were not satisfied and wanted to hike more, whereas others were too tired to hike further. So, half of the hikers went up towards Upallo Kot, which is about thirty minutes away from the Durbar, while the rest descended down towards Ram Shah Chautara. Although the weather condition was not in our favor, on a positive note, it did help us to move our legs, since the environment was cool and pollution-free because of the foggy weather. Ultimately we arrived at Thulo Angan from where we had started our hiking. We also explored the museum to see some of the historic things that were used in Prithivi Narayan Shah’s time. It was amazing to see such old and antique things in the 21st century.

With pain in the legs and sweat soaking our clothes, we concluded our unforgettable Gorkha hiking by arriving at a restaurant to have “Masu Bhat & Ghee” as lunch. After having our lunch, we happily returned with a big smile in everyone’s face, and with full of jokes and pranks on the way back to Kathmandu.

Saroj Neupane:

It was my first hike from Deerwalk and, to be honest, I really enjoyed it. I can’t forget the humor of Rupesh and Jeevan on the way back to Kathmandu. So, to express this Gorkha hiking in one word, I would probably say – gratifying.

Sumit Shrestha:

Since it was my first hike, I really enjoyed it. I also got the opportunity to bond with senior members of Deerwalk. So, thank you Deerwalk for organizing such a wonderful event.

Suman Shrestha:

It was my first hike after joining deerwalk, which was a really good experience for me. During the journey, it was nice to see fantastic view on the way to Gorkha from Kathmandu. It was nice to travel with the senior guys of Deerwalk, and the fun part of our journey was never ending talk of Rupesh in the van. It felt good to be in such a historic place like Gorkha, and the fantastic weather of Gorkha provided extra excitement for our hike.

Nawaraj Singh Thakuri:

The hike was full of fun and I enjoyed a lot. I also got a chance to know about the Gorkha palace and the museum, which clearly have historical importance in the context of Nepal. Thanks to all the fellow hikers for making this hiking a wonderful and memorable one.