2 Days Ranikot Village And Balthali Hike

  • Updated on Feb 15, 2024
  • Rugged Trails Nepal
  • 1813 views

Balthali village is a popular travel and hiking destination in Nepal, which is also recommended by Lonely Planet. Rugged Trails Nepal is promoting and connecting the new Ranikot village as a travel destination to observe the village lifestyle. Ranikot village is nearby Kathmandu Valley and easily accessible by road within 1 and a half hours.

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2 Days Ranikot Village And Balthali Hike

The Ranikot and Balthali village trek is perfect for trekking around Kathmandu Valley with family and friends. The hike starts from Bhaktapur, Suryabinayak Temple, which is 45 minutes drive from Kathmandu in normal traffic time. Suryabinayak is the biggest and most famous Hindu god, "Ganesh.”. Nowadays, people know about Ganesh because of yoga and spiritual practice. On Tuesday, Saturday, and for special kinds of events, this temple will be full of worshipers; we can also see the marriage ceremony. The 45-minute drive will give you a different kind of impression about Nepal and the people's lifestyle. We will start hiking from here, and the beginning walk will be by the roadside, but after a few minutes, we will walk through the jungles. Peaceful hike through the jungle, about 30-45 minutes uphill, and then we will connect to the roadside.

The 45-minute walk will reach the Pilot Danda (it’s the name of Yogi, who built a temple at this place). From here, we can see Bhaktapur, Kathmandu, Patan, and other valleys under the Himalayan ranges. We can see Annapurna, Langtang, Ganesh Himal, Gaurishanker, and other mountain ranges from here. The easy hike reaches the Ranikot hill station, where we can see the valleys and mountain range much better. Our destination is quite further towards Budha Pokhari, where we will stay with the local family. This is the trip to interact with the local families, where you can pick the vegetables from their farm, see how they milk the cows and buffalo, and see other castles around.


Ranikot and Ghyampe Panda are popular destinations for picnics for Nepalese people. Ranikot Hill Station has 2 nice hotels where we can arrange accommodation for a night, but our target is to stay with a local family. Once we reach the house where we are staying, they will greet and welcome you with garlands and fresh milk or tea. From this point, we can see amazing landscapes and Mt. Gaurishanker with its rolwaling range. Enjoy the fun time with the house owner by picking vegetables from the farm. Join them in their kitchen to cook food so you can learn how Nepalese meals are prepared. While preparing food, sing and dance with the family members.

The next morning, wake up to the beautiful sunrise view. Don’t forget to get a nice camera to capture the scenic view. Enjoy the local breakfast prepared by the family, and for women, they will give you the local dress to take pictures in, and sometimes they will also gift you their typical dress. After saying bye to the family, we will start hiking towards Balthali village. The hiking trail is easy and almost flat, walking through the empty road. While hiking, we can see local houses and the people working on their farms. This hike completely gives you a typical Nepalese lifestyle experience because, after a 1-hour hike, we will take a local bus (30-minute drive) up to Panauti bazaar.

Panauti is the oldest Newari town, we can see old, typical houses, temples, and the local lifestyle. There are modern houses, and the town is pretty busy, but we will be visiting temples and old historical places. After Panauti, we will take a short 20-minute bus drive and start hiking towards Balthali village.

After crossing the Roshi River suspension bridge, we will be walking through the pine forest, beautiful farms, and rivers to Balthali village. Balthali is a typical mountain village with a mixed community and is also famous for oranges and vegetables. We will be staying one night in this village viewpoint hotel. From here, we can see the panoramic Himalayan ranges and the beautiful, colorful farms. Evening enjoys the sunset and the peaceful environment, during the winter, there will be a campfire with local Nepalese music. The next morning, wake up to the beautiful sunrise and the mountain view. After breakfast, we will walk the pretty way back to Khopasi and drive back to Kathmandu. On the way, if you would like to stop for a Bhaktapur Dubar Square visit, we can add this place because we will have enough time.