Godawari Botanical Garden – Nepal

It was the last day before I leave the Nepal. So I have decided to visit the Godawari Botanical Garden, the Royal Botanical Garden of Nepal. It is located around 19 kilometer South-East from the Kathmandu city, beneath the Phulchawki hill (another trekking destination for the trekkers). This place is also a popular picnic spot for the groups, and Saturday (only weekend in Nepal) is the unpleasantly crowded around here. So I have planned to visit this at Sunday to avoid the rush.

These are ferns.

It was around 11:00 am at the morning when I started my traveling. I didn’t have enough money in my hand so went to exchange my dollars with Nepali rupees. After that I have hired a taxi near from the Jamal and it was 900 rupees for one way ride. First few kilometers were through the Lalitpur city which has a bit of traffic jam and it took a while for that. After that it was through a nice small calm meandered roads with lots of minor ups and downs.

This section is known as Rock Garden.

After nearly an hour of taxi ride, I have reached near the gate of the Godavari Botanical Garden. For the South Asian people the entry fee is only 25 Nepali rupees and another 10 rupees for using camera. Unlike other tourist spots I think it was fairly cheap enough to enjoy.

Yellow Cactus flower inside the Rock Garden.

The Godavari Botanical Garden is a huge one but compare to its size the flora collection is not enough I think. But the whole garden is planed and organized nicely into several sections (i.e. Fern garden, Rock garden, Rose garden, etc). I have tried to cover as much as possible. Had a lazy stroll through the walking paths inside the garden. I was observing the flowers from the garden and taking the picture with my cell phones. Also I have observed lot of weed plants around the grasses which I haven’t seen before.

A passage through the rocks!

Inside the Botanical Garden, it has a small water stream and that creates a small water fall as well. Most of the tourists use to play or sit around that water stream. I have seen few ebullient locals where having showers on that mini stream. Other than us, only 2/3 foreign tourists were seen that day.

A little water stream inside the Godawari Botanical Garden.

Motor bikes are the main vehicle for the locals at Nepal. So most of them came to visit this garden using their own bike. Others came by arranging their own or private vehicles. So it was very easy for them to return back to home. But for me, it was totally unknown. I have left the taxi driver early and the garden is near to the village area, so hardly seen any taxi over there.

So, I have started walking for 10/15 minutes (actually was following few locals) and it leads towards the stoppage of Godawari. I found several micro buses (Nepali says mini bus or bus) were standing over there. They were basically covering the route between Godawari and Lagankhel. So jumped inside one of those. It was only 28 rupees. If you are not familiar with the local bus riding, then I am afraid these kind of services are not suitable for you.

From Lagankhel, I have hired a taxi for 400 rupees that dropped me near my apartment at Kathmandu city.

It’s a narrow one.

How to Go to Godawari Botanical Garden:

If you hire a taxi from the Kathmandu city it’d be easier for you to reach over there. It is around 800-1200 Nepali rupees from the Kathmandu and it’s around an hour of taxi ride. I’d suggest you to hire the taxi for round trip so that you do not find any difficulties during your return. It’s a village like place and you’ll hardly find a vehicle like taxi over there.

If you prefer to visit by local bus, then you have that option too. Here is how you can do it:

1. Go to Ratna Park (27°42’24.20″N, 85°18’55.73″E) bus stoppage and find the one that goes to the Lagankhel. It will be around 8-10 rupees.

2. From the Lagankhel (27°40’1.39″N, 85°19’22.93″E) find the micro bus that goes to the Godawari. Just get inside that micro bus and the last stoppage of that ride will be Godawari (27°35’39.61″N, 85°22’41.93″E).

3. From there start walking for 10/15 minutes and it will lead you towards the gate of the Botanical Garden. GPS Coordinate of the Botanical Garden is (27°35’30.67″N, 85°23’19.71″E).

Finally the water is falling. Local teenage girls are enjoying their time over there.

Where to stay:

Tourism is one of the main incomes of Nepal in recent days. That’s why there are plenty of hotels and resorts all over the country. Here is a list of hotels near Kathmandu for you. It is always better to reserve your room before traveling anywhere.

List of hotels in Kathmandu