Motorbike trip to Nuwakot

A trip to Nuwakot from Kathmandu is ideal for a motorbike trip of a few days. The route takes you along fun and beautiful mountain roads and valleys. In Nuwakot you can unwind in The Famous Farm. Nuwakot itself is a sleepy settlement with historic significance and a beautiful Durbar (kings) square. A not yet discovered spot in Nepal.

Round trip Nuwakot from Kathmandu

Nuwakot is a perfect destination to escape the smoggy and dusty Kathmandu Valley for a few days. The historic town is located about 80 kilometers from Kathmandu, and you can drive it easily within a day. There are three rideable routes to Nuwakot. Whichever route you take, in distance and picturesqueness, it makes little difference. This makes Nuwakot an ideal tour for a few days.

Fun motorbike ride

On the way to Nuwakot we took the ‘Kakani’ route. This route takes you quickly from the valley into the mountains. The road zigzags its way through the mountains, but it is never difficult. An ideal route to test your motor skills in Nepal. The road is almost everywhere paved, quiet and Nuwakot is easily reached within a day.

Besides taking our own Royal Enfield we hired a second one through the Himalayan Enfielders in Kathmandu.

Those guys aren’t the cheapest in town, but they have excellent choice, service and good maintained bikes. We left Kathmandu in the morning and reached Nuwakot in the afternoon, spending our time with nice curves, Chiya (tea), local food and terrific Himalayan Views.

Famous farm

This is the perfect getaway in Nuwakot. From the main road in the valley take the exit for Nuwakot. This road takes you through some hairpins up into the hills and after 8 kilometers you reach Nuwakot on the ridge of a few hills. From there you follow the main road and after leaving the village it is still about 1 kilometer to The Famous Farm. Or without asking, locals will point out the way to you. Tourism is still in its early stage and the farm is the place everyone knows. It’s no coincidence that the people of Nuwakot themselves invented the name Famous Farm for the lodge.

The food comes almost all from the own gardens and tasted really good. Your room is in one of the two main buildings and they are beautiful. The Famous Farm is great to stay, but not cheap, even pricey (for Nepali standards). Therefore, we hope that some of the money goes, in whatever form to the local community.

Relax, take it easy

The Famous Farm is the perfect place to chill out after a day on the bike. The lodge is situated super nice and in a quiet place. The buildings and (kitchen) gardens are beautifully landscaped and give it an even better than Mediterranean feel. Geese, chicken, goats, a donkey and a turkey flock wander around the farm. On every thinkable place there are terraces, so seat yourself somewhere in the sun and enjoy your well deserved beer.

Nuwakot

This charming and Newar style village is located on the ridge of a hill. In some kind of way it has not been overwhelmed by the tourism tsunami that is hitting Nepal these days. It is quiet, peacefully and the people take it easy. Is it really 2015, we keep asking ourselves?

Nuwakot Durbar square

Nuwakot has historical significance. It lies on a ancient trade route between Tibet and the Kathmandu Valley. But fame it owes because it was here that king Prithvi Narayan Shah set out in 1750 to unify Nepal, which was then a collection of small kingdoms. The village is centered around it Durbar square. The main 7 storey high building on the square is a palace that was build by the great king for his family. If you walk around here in peace and quiet you find yourself back in time of kings and how their lives would have been like.

Friendly people

What stands out are the friendly people in the village. Near the royal square is an old temple. The people surrounding the temple invited us and we could share in eating. In any case, the square is an perfect place to take a terrace and see how the people run their daily lives.

Beautiful valley route

On the way back to Kathmandu we took a different route. This route follows the Trishuli River to the Prithvi Highway that runs between Kathmandu and Pokhara. The valley of the Trishuli is amazing and really fun to drive due to his nicely curved good paved rather flat roads. The pace is therefore better that on the way to Nuwakot and this route brings you the quickest back to Kathmandu.

The last 45 kilometers on the busy highway between Kathmandu and Pokhara is not really a fun part to drive, but the valley part makes it more than good.

(Thanks to our friend Lion for this last picture)