Kakani

You can see a fantastic view of the northwestern Himalayan ranges from Kakani. You can see Ganesh Himal (7,111m), Manaslu (8,163m), Garuishanker (7,134m) and Annapurna I (8,091m). The sunrise and sunset are especially impressive. It is no where near as popular as Nagarkot. Besides viewing the mountain there is nothing really to do. It is a good idea to stay overnight, because usually the views are better in the morning, before the cloud cover the scenery.
It is located 29km northwest of Kathmandu at an elevation of 2002m. The 1½ hr journey from Kathmandu goes up a beautiful scenic road.

Where to Stay and Eat
There are only two places to stay here.
The government runs Tara Gaon Kakani Hotel (290-812) is an older place with comfortable but small rooms with bath for Rs $25/30. Some rooms have views. There are great views from the front lawn. It has a restaurant, where non-guest should arrange meals in advance.

Kakani Guest House is a basic, friendly place with double rooms for Rs 300. They serve Dal bhat, but not much else.

Travel
Kakani is 3km off the main Dhunche road. It takes about 1½ hours to get to Kakani from Kathmandu by car. Buses to Kakani (Rs 25) depart from the Kathmandu bus station on Ring Road. You can also catch from there a bus to Trisuli or Dhunche and get down at Kaulithana and then walk 3km to Kakani.

It is a long, but interesting bike ride from Kathmandu. The road is paved all the way and is not that tough of a climb, but it is constant. It is a downhill ride all the way back.

To get to Kakani, you turn off the Dhunche road a little before the Kaulithana police checkpoint. There is a sign for the Tara Goan Kakani Hotel and a police training college at the turnoff.

Copyright ©2001 John Howley and Spiritual Guides