If you continue uphill from Balaju on the road towards Trisuli Bazaar, you’ll reach Nagarjun Hill, also known as the Rani Ban (Queen’s Forest), now formally part of Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park. This protected forest is one of the last undamaged areas of woodland in the valley, providing a home for pheasants, deer and monkeys. It’s a peaceful spot but safety is a consideration. Female visitors are discouraged from walking here alone.
The 2095m summit of the hill – accessible by the winding unpaved road or a two-hour hike on the footpath leading directly up the hill – is a popular Buddhist pilgrimage site and there’s a small shrine to Padmasambhava. The viewing tower offers one of the valley’s widest mountain panoramas, stretching all the way from the Annapurnas to Langtang Lirung (a plaque identifies the peaks).
