The Best Things to Do in Gorkha, Nepal

Are you wondering what are the best things to do in Gorkha, Nepal?

Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered! I live in Nepal and Gorkha is a hidden gem that remains a less visited destination in Nepal.

Gorkha is located about halfway between Kathmandu and Pokhara in the hilly region of Nepal. Gorkha is 145 km from Kathmandu and it takes about 5-6 hours to get there.

Gorkha is a historically significant place as it was the king of the Gorkha Kingdom, Prithvi Narayan Shah, who started the unification of Nepal in 1768.

In addition, the Gurkha soldiers also originate from Gorkha and it is where their name is derived from.

Here is everything you need to know on how to plan your trip, things to do and best places to visit in Gorkha, Nepal.

Best Time to Visit Gorkha, Nepal

Between October – May: The skies are clear between October – May so you will have the best views of the Himalayas during this time. 

Gorkha is in the hilly region of Nepal and gets plenty of sunshine during the day even during winter months (December-January). It does get cold in the evenings during the winter but the daytimes are sunny.

How Many Days Should I Spend in Gorkha?

Gorkha is a small town and I found the ideal time to spend in Gorkha is maximum 2 nights.

You can cover all the attractions within 1-2 days, so if you are short on time, it can be a quick stop between Kathmandu and Pokhara.

How to Get to Gorkha

Gorkha is located about halfway between Kathmandu and Pokhara. You have two options to get to Gorkha:

1. Take a direct minivan from Kathmandu or Pokhara to Gorkha
2. Take a tourist bus from Kathmandu/Pokhara/Chitwan to Aanbu Khaireni and then change to a local bus to Gorkha

Kathmandu to Gorkha Distance:

Gorkha is about 145 km from Kathmandu. The journey from Kathmandu to Gorkha by minivan (hiace) takes about 5-6 hours and costs Rs. 585.

Kathmandu to Gorkha by Minivans (Hiace)

There are daily, frequent minivans going from Kathmandu to Gorkha.

Where to buy the ticket for the minivan? Gongabu Bus Park (also called New Bus Park/Naya Bus Park).

The ticket counters for minivans (hiace) are on the right-hand side of Lotse Mall. I recommend to get your ticket one day before your travel so you can select your preferred seat.

🚗 For more information, read my guide on how to get to Gorkha.

Tourist Bus from Kathmandu/Pokhara/Chitwan to Aanbu Kahireni and then local bus to Gorkha

The tourist buses operating between Kathmandu-Pokhara, Pokhara to Kathmandu, and Chitwan to Pokhara (via Mugling) pass by Aanbu Khaireni. Aanbu Khaireni is a small town, 1 hour from Gorkha.

The tourist buses are more comfortable and once you get to Aanbu Khaireni, the trip with the local bus to Gorkha is only 1 hour (costs Rs. 50).

Best Things to Do in Gorkha, Nepal

1. See the Sunrise from the Gorkha Durbar

How to get to the Gorkha Durbar:

• From Gorkha Bazaar: Walk up the stairs (around 1,500 steps) to reach the Gorkha Durbar from the Gorkha Bazaar. It takes about 45 minutes to get to the top and is a pretty good workout.
• From the car park behind the hill: if you come to Gorkha with your own vehicle then you can go around to the other side of the hill of Gorkha Durbar. There is a car park and from there it’s just a few minutes’ walk to the Gorkha Durbar.

The Gorkha Durbar (1,450 m) was damaged during the 2015 Nepal Earthquakes but has since been rebuilt. It sits on the top of a hill, so it does take some effort to reach.

The Gorkha Durbar used to be the palace used by the kings of the Gorkha Kingdom and apart from the Durbar (“palace”), there are also temples and places of religious significance in the area.

From the Gorkha Durbar, you get some really beautiful views of the Himalayas and the surrounding hills. Make sure to visit it for the sunrise even if the walk up the stairs seem tiring.

Kalika Temple

The building of Kalika Temple is adjoined to the Gorkha Durbar. During festivals and holidays, the Kalika Temple is quite busy.

They also do animal (goat) sacrifices here, so if you see a goat being walked up to the temple, they will surely be performing a sacrifice later.

Siddhapaailaa

The best views of the Gorkha Durbar and mountains are from Siddhapaailaa. Siddhapaailaa is near the Gorkha Durbar and you can find it if you continue walking on the path towards the forest (as if you were walking towards Upallo Kot).

Hanuman Statue

There is also a statue of Hanuman near the Gorkha Durbar. Usually, there is a sadhu there to perform blessings for visitors. 

2. Hike to the View Tower

• Starting point: Gorkha Durbar
• Duration: 30 minutes
• Difficulty level: easy
• App to have: Maps.me is good to have for the trail
• Best time to Hike: October – April

I was a bit disappointed as the View Tower is not so well kept and most of the trees are taller than the view tower. So due to the trees, you can’t get a proper clear view of the mountains. It is a shame as otherwise, on a clear day, the Himalayas could be seen very well.

Nevertheless, the hike to the View Tower is pretty nice and I enjoyed the hike more than the tower itself. The hike takes you through a forest and the path is easy to follow.

I would not recommend this hike during monsoon as I think it would be full of leeches during that time.

3. Hike to Upollo Kot

• Starting Point: Gorkha Durbar
• Duration: 20 minutes
• Difficulty level: easy
• Best time to Hike: October – April

The hike to Upallo Kot (“kot” means “fort” in Nepali) starts from the Gorkha Durbar and follows the same path as if you were going to the View Tower.

You will arrive to Upallo Kot after about an easy 20 minutes’ walk. I was a bit disappointed by Upallo Kot as you cannot get any views from here from all the trees.

There is a small shrine here, the Bajra Bhairav, but to be honest, as there are no mountain views here, I was not too impressed with Upallo Kot.

4. Check out Tallo Kot

The stairs from the Gorkha Durbar also lead to the Tallo Kot, you will just have to check on the map to find the right path to Tallo Kot.

Although Tallo Kot is not a massive building, I liked that it is in the nature in a quiet, less-visited part of the Durbar. Here, you can also find a statue of Ram Shah who was one the kings of the Gorkha Kingdom. 

5. Visit the Gorkha Museum

• Opening times: Mondays: 10:30-2:30 pm, other days: 10:30-4:30 pm
• Entry fee: Rs. 100 for foreigners, Rs. 25 for Nepalese

The Gorkha Museum is built in traditional Newari architecture using red bricks and wodden carved windows. If you have been to Bhaktapur or Patan, the Gorkha Museum will remind you of buildings there.

Inside the museum, the exhibition displays the different ethnic groups of Gorkha district, fold musical instruments, oil paintings, old military equipment and copper and bronze items.

Chill in the Gorkha Park

The Gorkha Park is just behind the Gorkha Museum but you can only enter to the park if you buy the ticket to the museum.

The park is pretty big, well-kept and is a nice place to hang out with friends. On Saturdays, it is a popular place for picnic and hangout for locals. There is also a playground for children.

See the Prithvi Narayan Statue

The Prithvi Narayan Statue is also within the premises of the Gorkha Museum.

Prithvi Narayan Shah is an important historic figure in Nepal. He was a ruler of the Gorkha Kingdom and he started the unification of Nepal into one Kingdom.

6. See the Himalayas from the Bhimsen Thapa Park

Bhimsen Thapa was a Nepali politician serving in the early 1800s. He is regarded as a National Hero of Nepal, who was the longest serving Prime Minister in Nepal.

At that time it was called “Mukhtiyar” but it would be the equivalent to the position of prime minister. He was born in Gorkha District and the Bhimsen Thapa Park is dedicated to him.

How to get to the Bhimsen Thapa Park?

The Bhimsen Thapa Park is about 45 minutes’ walk from the Gorkha Durbar. It is a concrete road but with very little traffic, and no public transport.

The park itself is small and not so impressive, however, you get really nice views of the Himalayas from the park.

7. Check Out the Temples in Gorkha

There are a couple of temples in Gorkha that are worth checking out.

Two of them, Gorkha Bhimsen Mandir and Mahadev Than, are near the Gorkha Museum and are two of the nicely built temples.

The Bhimsen Mandir has a traditional pagoda-style architecture. While the Mahadev Than is built in a different style than other temples in Nepal – so I liked it a lot.

Other Things to Do in the Gorkha District

Take the Manakamana Cable Car to the Manakamana Temple

• Manakamana Cable Car Price: Rs. 2,620 for foreigners (2-ways), Rs. 770 for Nepalese (2-way)
• Manakamana Cable Car Opening Times: 8 am – 5 pm (with a break at 12-13:30 pm)
• Best time to visit: weekdays (it is way too busy on weekends and public holidays)

I must say I did not know how popular the Manakama Temple and Cable Car was before going there. It is really much more than just a cable car and a temple – it is like the centre of religion.

🚡 Forget about the stress of organizing everything yourself and book a day trip from Kathmandu to the Manakamana Temple and Cable Car here!

Most people seem to come here to perform rituals at the Manakamana Temple and nobody seemed to care much about the cable car – it was just a way to transport people to the temple.

The queues to the cable car can be very long (even as much as 2-3 hours wait time) on public holidays, so it is best to come on a weekday when there are no festivals.

Hike from Aanbu Khaireni to the Manakamana Temple

There is also a hiking trail from Aanbu Khaireni to the Manakamana Temple. I did not have time to go on this hike but it is supposed to be a pretty tiresome, 3-hour uphill hike.

One option is to take the cable car up to the Manakamana Temple and hike down to Aanbu Khaireni instead of taking the cable car back.

How to Get Around Gorkha

Walking or Renting a Scooter

Gorkha is a relatively small town and it is easy to get around on foot. Although some of the attractions (like the Bhimsen Thapa Park) are a bit further away.

If you are comfortable driving a scooter, you can also rent a scooter. There are no specific shops for renting scooters but you can ask your hotel about renting one for a few hours or a day.

In the Universal Hotel and Lodge, they rent scooters for about Rs. 500-600 for a couple of hours, or Rs. 1,200 for a whole day.

Restaurants in Gorkha

Gorkha is not your usual tourist town in Nepal so the restaurant business has not developed as much as it has in other towns like Pokhara or Chitwan.

On the positive side, the prices are not inflated and for every meal I had (including drinks), I could get it under Rs. 250. Most of the hotels also function as restaurants and serve Nepali and continental dishes.

Cafe de Gorkha Chautari

Best for: great views of the Himalayas and hills

The Cafe de Gorkha Chautari is about a 15 minutes’ walk from Gorkha Bazaar, slightly uphill. It has pretty great views of the hills and mountains.

You get really nice sunset views here. In addition to the restaurant, they also have hotel rooms.

Cake Mystery Bakery Cafe

Best for: bakery products

This cafe and bakery is on the main street of Gorkha Bazaar. They serve very delicious cakes and bakery items. I had such a good chocolate cake here, it made me so happy.

Apart from bakery products, they also serve lunch and dinner items (momo, burger, pizza). The staff here were also very friendly and spoke one of the best English I met while staying in Gorkha.

Hotels in Gorkha

There are not many hotels available for online booking in Gorkha. Gorkha is not a massive tourist town and you can book a place in person even after arriving in Gorkha.

Budget Hotels (USD 6-8/night)

Cafe de Gorkha Chautari: There is no online booking available, but you can call ahead to book. The price is starting from Rs. 1,000/night.

Universal Hotel and Lodge: check prices and book here!

FAQs: Best Things to Do in Gorkha, Nepal

What is Gorkha famous for?

The Gorkha District in Nepal is a historically significant place. Nepal used to be made up of various smaller kingdoms.

Then, Prithvi Narayan Shah, the king of the Gorkha Kingdom, started the unification of Nepal in 1768. Nepal was later unified and Gorkha remains an important place in the history of Nepal.

The famous Gurkha soldiers also originate from Gorkha. If you are curious to learn more about the Gurkha soldiers, check out the Gurkha Memorial Museum in Pokhara.

How many kilometers from Kathmandu to Gorkha?

Gorkha is around 145 km from Kathmandu and takes 5-6 hours to get there by minivan.

Where is Gorkha located?

Gorkha is located about halfway between Kathmandu and Pokhara. Gorkha is 145 km from Kathmandu and takes about 5-6 hours to get there.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Gorkha remains one of the off secret tourist destinations in Nepal as it is less visited by foreign tourists.

The town of Gorkha is not as touristic as places like Pokhara or Chitwan, but you get one of the best Himalayan sunrise views from the Gorkha Durbar.

As you can cover the main attractions in about 1.5 days, if you are short on time, you can spend just 2 nights in Gorkha.