Phulchoki Day Hike

About Phulchoki Day Hike

A day hike to Phulchowki hill is perfect for hiking around Kathmandu to explore the excellent flora the fauna of Nepal.  Phulchowki combines Phul and Chowki, where Phul means flower and chowki means hill. So the literal translation of Phulchowki is ‘the hill of the flowers.’

Unlike any other hiking trail around Kathmandu valley, Phulchowki hike is well renowned for its best hiking trails, including Botanical Garden and bird watching experience in Nepal. The views of Kathmandu valley and the mountain sceneries from Annapurna to Everest ranges in excellent weather conditions will leave you stunned.

Phulchowki hill (2782m) is the highest hill around Kathmandu valley which offers the outstanding sights of Kathmandu valley, natural wildlife, and magnificent views of Dhaulagiri in the west Manaslu Langtang, Ganesh Himal, and Gaurishankar and Mahalangur range in the east. In addition to the natural beauty, this place is also blessed with religious values. Hikers shall find a beautiful shrine of Phulchowki Bhagwati, a popular Hindu goddess decorated with colorful prayer flags.

Phulchowki hill hiking trail

A beautiful hike to Phulchowki hill begins after a short drive to Godavari (Lalitpur), which sits 14 km southwest of Kathmandu's center. First, visit the Botanical Garden in Godawari, which owns thousands of fauna species, including flowers housed inside a sprawling land. Then, buy a couple of water bottles and nutritious snacks before tying your laces for the journey.

Now, follow the footsteps of your leader and move gradually upward, passing the beautiful trekking route surrounded by the lustrous sub-tropical vegetation, following the lustrous sub-tropical green jungles with proper staircase, rough trails, and widening up off-road. In the months between late March and May, the full blossoming rhododendron flower (the national flower of Nepal) makes the journey awe-inspiring, changing the entire hills into green and red.

Throughout the journey, you shall witness species of birds and animals. It is often called bird’s paradise, where walkers will see birds like Flycatcher, Rufous-bellied Niltava, Yellow-browed Tit, Grey-headed Woodpecker, Black-winged Cuckoo-shrike, Spinnery Babbler, and many more. In addition, it has sheltered numerous wild animals like Sambar Deer, Black Beer, Spotted Leopard, Jharals, Bengal Fox, Pangolin, Jackal, Hyena, Langur, and Barking Deer; on the way, you will spot some of them.

Reaching atop, you will be welcomed by the majestic sceneries of mountain ranges and surrounding landscapes. Now, you are at 2782m above sea level and almost 1400 m above the Kathmandu valley; you will find yourself at the highest point of each hill around Kathmandu valley.

Furthermore, Phulchowki Dada has a temple, a Buddhist shrine adorned with fluttering colorful prayer flags. Therefore, it is considered a pilgrimage site with religious and cultural values. The temple is of Phulchowki Bhagwati at the top of the hill, encircled by the multi-colored prayers flag. Thus, hiking to Phulchowki is to experience a natural, cultural, and religious blend.

Phulchowki Hill

After a few hours of a hike from Godavari (around 4 hours), you will reach the top of Phulchowki hill. You can witness a camp of the Nepal Army, the shrine of Phulchowki Bhagwati goddess, and panoramic views of the mountains from the Dhaulagiri range in the west to the Mahalangur range in the east, including some of the tallest peaks of the world, are visible from the top of the hill. In addition, the small settlements just below the hill and an incredible view of the entire Kathmandu valley (most of the parts of all three districts- Kathmandu, Lalitpur, and Bhaktapur) are visible from the top of it.

If you plan to go hiking in the winter, please consider having a layer of clothing as the atmosphere at the top is freezing. It occasionally receives snowfall in the mid-winter days (late December to early February). It may take rainfall while hiking in the summer, so bring a raincoat/umbrella or a waterproof cheater is recommended.