ROCK
CLIMBING
Introduction
If you want a cliffhanger experience out here in Nepal, the Kathmandu
valley perimeter offers some prime spots. There are some terrific,
dizzying places for those who get their kicks from crawling up
vertical cliffs. If you are not making it to some of the kingdom’s
high peaks, here’s another opportunity to get a high.
Of
late, rock climbing has found increasing popularity among the
tourists coming into Nepal as well as for local enthusiasts. Trekking
agencies too have jumped into the bandwagon and some of them now
offer the rock climbing experience.
Most
of the spots are situated to the North and Northwest of the valley,
in the vicinity of the Nagarjun Royal forest and the Shivapuri
Watershed and Wildlife Reserve. Your rock climbing trip can therefore
be combined with bird watching, game watching and experiencing
some of the last of the Valley’s wilds.
Where
Nagarjun
Nagarjun (also known as Jamacho) is a verdant hill located to
the northwest of the Swayambhu stupa, and believed to be the place
where the famous Buddhist philosopher Nagarjun meditated. The
cliff here is located inside the Nagarjun forest reserve (or the
Royal Forest), suitable for both beginners and wallrats. The limestone
rockface is about 12-15 m high and bears the remnants of earlier
climbs, what purists would describe as `piton scarred’ or a `defaced
face’. You could always do a free climb if experienced enough
or use the friendlier chocks.
Shivapuri
watershed and wildlife reserve
The Shivapuri hill, to the north of Kathmandu, has a
fine rock wall on its slope. This is the valley’s second highest
mountian and a hike here is complete with village life, a Buddhist
monastery, virgin oak and rhododendron forests and grand mountain
views. This is also a protected watershed area and you may choose
to visit the source of the Bagmati River. The summit of Shivapuri
also commands a spectacular view of Ganesh Himal (7,111m), Langtang
Lirung (7,245m) and Dorje Lakpa (6,966m). Your rock-climbing trip
here can combine all these experiences.
The
granite faces of this hill lie scattered about and the central
big cliff is the challenge. It has an `equipped’ route, the regular
climb, but you could go ahead and do a free climb and go exploring
around.
Getting
there
To get to Nagarjun, take a tempo or taxi to Balaju (3
km from downtown Kathmandu), near the new bus park. From there
you can take a hike to the entrance of the Nagarjun wildlife reserve.
The park is open from 7 am to 10 pm, but the gatekeeper there
has been known to refuse entry until 10 am. Admission is Rs.5
for a person, Rs.15 for a motorbike and Rs.50 for cars. There
are a number of picnic shelters around and a viewing tower. The
road there also has a number of shops and wayside restaurants
if you are looking for a bite.
From
the gate, follow the dirt road to the army checkpost where a path
branches off to the right. Follow this wooded trail for five minutes
and the looming rock face will greet you.
To
get to Shivapuri, take a taxi or minibus to Budhanilantha (9km
from Kathmandu), where the shrine of Sleeping Vishnu is located.
Walk westward from here, past the bus stop and past the Budhanilkantha
School on your right. The trail then leads along the left bank
of the Bishnumati stream and runs through terraced paddies before
entering the watershed and wildlife reserve. The cliffs are conspicuous
and you won’t have any difficulty locating them. The road up to
Shivapuri has a few eateries and shops.
Other
Trekkers
and river runners have brought back accounts of prime rock climbing
faces in the deep canyons of some of the rivers, but little information
is available. Some of the spots are reported along the Bhote Kosi
and Karnali Rivers. However, it would be best to cross-check this
information with agencies and other rock climbing buffs and check
out the qualities of the face before actually crawling up there.
