Bandipur: the town that stepped off the highway

When the Prithvi Highway was cut through the valley below in the 1970s, Bandipur lost its reason to exist. The mule trains stopped. The traders left for Dumre. What remained was a Newar bazaar town, largely untouched, sitting on a ridge at 1,030 metres.

That accident of neglect is now the reason to climb the eight kilometres up from Dumre. The main street is closed to vehicles. The buildings are the original shuttered Newar houses, most now restored. On a clear morning you can see from Dhaulagiri to Ganesh Himal without leaving the bazaar.

Getting there. Any Kathmandu–Pokhara bus will drop you at Dumre. From there it is a thirty-minute jeep ride, or two hours on foot if you take the old stone stairway.

What to do. Walk to Tundikhel at the western end for the mountain view. Visit the Bindebasini temple. Take the twenty-minute path to Siddha Gufa, one of the largest caves in Nepal.

Where to stay. The restored heritage houses on the main street cost more than the guesthouses on the approach road, and are worth it for one night.

When to go. October to December for the clearest mountain views. Avoid July and August, when the cloud sits on the ridge for days.