It is 7 am on a winter morning in Kathmandu. As the gate of Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park opens, it reveals numerous trails leading up to different nooks in the forest. Not all treks in Nepal are nestled high up in the Himalayas; some lie right at the fringes of the cities, and this is the hike to Nagi Gompa. The hike begins with a wide trail which rests cool at daybreak with the shade of the dense rhododendron and oak foliage but keeps getting warmer as dawn turns to morning and the sunlight begins filtering in through the trees. With fresh, chilly winds on the face, the leafy scent of the forest envelops hikers. As the calming sound of water from rivulets makes the hike meditative, the crunch of loose mud beneath the feet keeps one aware of each step.
Being uphill throughout, the trail is an easy one and after an hour, culminates in a short fleet of stairs, leading up to a Buddhist monastery—Nagi Gompa—and a nunnery for the Annis—Buddhist nuns. On reaching close to the crest, the silence of the forest gradually begins to get punctured with not just the lingering hum of chants, gongs, dong chen trumpets from a monastery ritual, but also the giggles of young nuns. With magnificent golden idols of the Buddha inside, the monastery is surrounded by big old trees. Clad in red robes, the nuns are always in action—the older ones praying in the monastery, some carrying up the grocery supplies, and the younger ones playing in the gardens.
Established in the 1960s by the 16th Karmapa—the head of a lineage of Tibetan Buddhism—the Nagi Gompa Monastery and nunnery was given to Kyabje Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche—a Buddhist master who lived here all his life. Set in the midst of a forest, the monastery not only offers a secluded landscape, but also meditation retreats for those seeking forest silence only interrupted by Buddhist chants.
While going uphill takes an hour, the way back on the same trail takes less. Post the hike, a quiet swim at the nearby Moxy Kathmandu's rooftop pool can melt away all fatigue. And their breakfast buffet is perhaps the perfect end to an already rejuvenating morning. With the intertwined experience of the outdoors and spirituality, the trail to Nagi Gompa Monastery is the right blend of nature’s richness, Buddhist culture, and meditative bliss.