Shiva Dhara: A Complete Guide to Nepal’s Hidden Pilgrimage Trek

If you are one of the trekkers in Nepal who whisper about a waterfall that pours straight out of a rock, deep inside the mountains near Makalu, then you are familiar with the story of Shiva Dhara. It is not a famous name like Everest Base Camp or Annapurna. Most foreign trekkers have never even heard of it. But for a small and growing number of pilgrims and adventure lovers, Shiva Dhara is one of the most special walks in the whole Himalaya.

Shiva Dhara is not just for pilgrims; it is also one of the most dangerous routes in Nepal, which draws the attention of adventure trekkers who are willing to grip the ropes fixed into the rock and cross the cliff edge.

What Exactly Is Shiva Dhara?

Shiva Dhara is located in the Makalu Barun National Park, a protected area in eastern Nepal’s Sankhuwasabha district. The term “Dhara” translates to “Tap” or “Spring” in Nepali and “Shiva” is Lord Shiva, one of the most important gods of Hinduism. The name simply translates to “Shiva’s Tap” or “Shiva’s Spring.

At the site, there is a huge stone cliff with a hole in it, and out of that hole falls a waterfall roughly 500 feet tall, straight down the face of the rock. Local people and pilgrims believe this is a sacred spring created by Lord Shiva himself, and many say it flows down from a dome-shaped cave near the top of the cliff. Some stories say the water even travels all the way from the Tibetan plateau before it appears here.

The shrine has three parts:

1. Shiva Cave: where the main waterfall comes down through the middle of the cave
2. Parvati Cave: a smaller cave connected to the Shiva cave by a narrow cliff path
3. Ganesh’s Abode: a third point along the same route, dedicated to Lord Ganesh

Pilgrims believe that if you take a bath under this waterfall, your sins are washed away and old illnesses can be healed. According to old legends passed down in the region, this was once the private bathing spot of Lord Shiva and his wife Parvati, where they played and bathed together in the spring season. Because of this legend, the place is treated as sacred by Hindus, and it also holds meaning for local Buddhist and Kirat communities, who have their own respect for the site.

One thing that is true to admit, the elevation of Shiva Dhara is mentioned by different sources in slightly different terms, most of the trekking companies mention that it is at – 4310m whereas some blogs place it at -5000 m near the base of Makalu. Regardless of the actual number, one thing is certain: it’s physically challenging, high, cold and far away.

Where Is Shiva Dhara, and How Do You Get There?

Shiva Dhara is located within Makalu Barun National park near to the trail of Makalu base camp, in the shadow of the fifth highest peak of the earth, Mount Makalu (approx. 8481 m). It is located in the Barun valley which is a wild and dense forest valley flowing through the Barun river.

To reach this area is an adventure itself. Most trekkers are guided to start their trek by a flight from Kathmandu to Tumlingtar; it may take about 30 to 40 minutes. Tumlingtar is a place from where you can either drive or jeep to Khandbari and then from there jeep once more, to the village of Num. The walking trek actually starts from Num.

The path then descends back down to the Arun River, crosses this river on a suspension bridge and rises to the village of Seduwa. This is also where permits are registered. From there the trail goes on to rise through forest villages such as Tashigaon before ascending to higher and colder areas such as Khongma, Dobato, Yangle Kharka and finally up to the base camp from which you launch your final push to Shiva Dhara itself.

Why Do People Make This Trek?

The trail is walked by two distinct groups of people, sometimes in the same person’s travel for two different reasons.

The first are Hindu pilgrims, primarily from Nepal, who visit the waterfall for a particular purpose to bathe in the sacred waterfall, particularly during the full moon, the most powerful and holy occasion to visit. It is their religious obligation and a means for spiritual cleansing for them, like many other Shiva pilgrimages in Nepal and India, including the Kanwar Yatra pilgrims, who walk to collect holy water for Lord Shiva in India, and Shrikhand Mahadev, one of the most difficult Shiva treks in Himachal Pradesh. Shiva Dhara is one such tradition of walking hard, high, and far to reach a place believed to be touched by the divine.

The second type of traveller is the adventure trekker, who may also go on the Makalu Base Camp trek. For travelers, Shiva Dhara is a bonus stop, one of the few sites that haven’t been overrun by tourists and is nestled deep within one of Nepal’s wildest areas, far from the hordes of tourists in Everest and Annapurna. The local guides in the area state that most of the foreign tourists passing through the area do not make the extra effort of undertaking the trek to Shiva Dhara, as they are mainly concerned about the safety on the last leg of the trek. However, some of the Nepali trekkers also extend their stay at Makalu Base Camp by a day to visit the shrine.

No matter what the reason for your visit here, nearly all people who finish the walk report the same feeling: that this is more than just a hike. Remoteness, silence, thin Mountain air, and the roar of the waterfall all make for something more than just a normal hike.

How Hard Is the Trek?

Let’s be honest and clear about this part, because it matters for your safety: it is one of the most challenging short pilgrimage climbs in Nepal by guides and travel blogs.

The trek to the base, near Yangle Kharka, in the Makalu Barun region is already a high-altitude journey through remote hills, river valleys and forest, and is a difficult trek on its own.But it’s the final approach to Shiva Dhara itself that earns the trek its tough reputation. From the last village or camp, you climb a steep, rocky cliff path for around two to four hours, depending on conditions and your pace. In several places, the path is so narrow and steep that iron rods, chains, or metal stumps have been fixed into the rock to give trekkers something to hold onto.

The local teahouse owners here have reported seeing people go up here, some of which aren’t really very fit, or very experienced with cliffs, and having to physically stop people from falling off the edge.There have been real stories and real experiences of what it’s like to see certain pilgrims, not particularly fit or experienced in climbing cliffs, attempting this climb. Some blog on trekking tells of a trek guide who saved an overweight pilgrim from a dangerous fall on this very place. Don’t be intimated, just be prepared to take the climb seriously.

This is why the same tips are followed by virtually all sources, that is: do not try the last ascent to Shiva Dhara without a local guide and preferably also a porter. The route is out of the way, weather conditions are harsh and it is hard to reach here; helicopters may not be able to operate in poor weather and a ground rescue might take days.

The walk is quite possible if you are reasonably fit, for a few days at altitude and comfortable with a few pitches of steep walking. Without any hiking experience whatsoever, this might not be the finest beginning.

When Is the Best Time to Go?

There are really 2 main windows that are suitable for this trek, and they slightly differ depending on which source you check, but they broadly agree on the same seasons.

One of the best times is Autumn (September to November). Cloudless skies after the monsoon rains provide a better view of the mountains, and the trails will not be blocked by landslides or heavy snowfall.

The other popular window is spring (March – May). The weather is mostly stable, although it may snow heavily at higher passes, such as Shiva Dhara and Makalu Base Camp, in early March; the Rhododendron forests offer some colour on the lower trail, so best not to start in the very early spring if you can.

Although this period falls within the Nepal monsoon season, some local sources mark July to September as the best time for pilgrimages to Shiva Dhara, as this is the time of the year for the full moon bathing ritual, which may become muddy and infested with leeches at lower altitudes. This window is more important to you than clear skies if you are not traveling for the photography of the mountains, but for the religious aspect of your trip.

A Simple Day-by-Day Itinerary of the Trek

The time spent on treks is quite different with various trekking companies ranging from around 12 days to 15 or even more depending on the amount of time allowed for rest, acclimatization, and side trips. The outline below is a simplified, realistic one, based on the most common routes taken by local operators.

• Day1: Kathmandu to Tumlingtar to Khandbari: You fly for a few minutes from Kathmandu to Tumlingtar, then drive around 13km around to Khandbari, a small hill town. You will meet your guide and porter and arrange permits and equipment for your days ahead here.
• Day 2: Khandbari to Num, then trek to Seduwa: A few hours’ jeep ride leads to Num. You then start walking down to the Arun river, across a suspension bridge and up to Seduwa where you will spend the night. TIMS cards and national park permits are also registered here.
• Day 3: Seduwa to Tashigaon: A four- to six-hour walk through forest and small villages, leads to the last proper village, Tashigaon, before the trail becomes wilder and goes up into higher country.
• Day 4 to 6: The trek from Tashigaon to Khongma to Dobato on Day 4 to 6 is one of the challenging parts of the whole trek. You are slowly emerging from the forest up to higher altitudes, rocky, cold areas and cross ridges and passes like Shipton La, opening up towards peaks like Chamlang and the Makalu range. Spending nights in teahouses or tents, depending on the package you have booked for the trek.

• Day 7 to 8: Dobato to Yangle Kharka Through rhododendron and pine forest to Yangle Kharka, an open area for grazing yaks, with panoramic mountain views. This is typically the final rest easy before the push for Shiva Dhara.
• Day 9: Shiva Dhara to Yangle Kharka and back, this day is the center of the whole trip. You walk up a steep, rocky path (using fixed chains or iron rods at places) to the sacred site itself from Yangle Kharka. The pilgrims soak in the cold waterfall, visit the Shiva cave, the Parvati cave and the shrine of Ganesh before going back to Yangle Kharka at night. This is an up and back route that will usually take several hours to complete.
• Day 10 onward, Return journey: From here, the trek retraces its steps back through Dobato, Khongma, Tashigaon, Seduwa, and Num, before returning by jeep to Khandbari and flying back to Kathmandu. Some itineraries combine the return route with a continuation on to Makalu Base Camp itself for trekkers who want to see both sacred and mountaineering highlights in a single trip.

Some companies also add additional days for rest and acclimatisation around Khongma and Dobato, which means one’s trip could be longer than 15 or even up to nearly 20 days if extended with Makalu Base Camp.

Permits and Paperwork

Before you set off for the Shiva Dhara trek, there are a couple of official steps you cannot skip.

You will need a TIMS (Trekkers’ Information Management System) card, which will help keep track of trekkers and also for safety reasons, an entrance permit for Makalu Barun National Park. The fees charged by various local operators are approximately $30 USD for foreigners for entrance to the national park; however, there are times when fees are listed in Nepali rupees, so be sure to check the current rate with your agency prior to travel as fees are subject to change from year to year.

These permits are typically collected at the park office in Seduwa as you enter the park. For one trekker, one blog entry said they ran into someone who had neglected to purchase the permit, and ended up getting ticketed on the trail. So it’s definitely worth making sure this is taken care of, double checking rather than assuming.

For routes that contain more of the restricted areas near the base of Makalu, a second restricted area permit may be required, similar to the first permit but typically has a flat fee for the first week of your trek and a smaller fee per day thereafter.

Food and Accommodation Along the Way

The majority of the way is now served by basic teahouses, which provide simple rooms and food such as dal bhat (rice, lentils and vegetables), noodles and hot drinks. This is a significant change from the previous years when a lot of this trail involved full camping gear. Teahouses here, however, are much simpler than the lodges you’ll come across on the Everest or Annapurna trail and have a more rustic feeling, with basic beds, shared bathrooms and basic food, not a hotel.

Those who have visited recently say that the cost of lodging and food has been on the increase, with a basic meal costing a few hundred Nepali rupees, a night’s stay a few more, so it is advisable to have extra cash on hand.

Relying on tented accommodation instead of teahouses might be necessary on the last leg of your journey to Shiva Dhara, or in certain seasons and routes, so please make sure to ask your trekking company about this factor before signing a package.

Final Thoughts

Shiva Dhara is not a very easy hike, nor is it a popular one. The hike is physically demanding, spiritually uplifting, and truly wilderness in the wilds of the Himalayas, to the detriment of many other Nepalian trails. For Hindus it’s a time to rinse off the weight of the world under the waters of the personification of Lord Shiva himself. It is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for trekkers seeking a raw, untouched experience where in they can explore trails most of the other trekking tourists to Nepal may not have been able to even hear about.