Tribhuvan Memorial Park

Two separate charges apply: a per-person entry ticket, and, if you want a reserved spot with a shelter, a group booking fee on top. The figures below were compiled in August 2026 and should be confirmed with the park office before you plan a group day out, because picnic rates in particular are revised season to season.

Spots are graded into categories, commonly listed as Ka, Kha, Thati and open ground, which differ by shelter, size and how close they sit to water and toilets. The park publishes a booking contact number on its own site; ringing ahead on a Friday for a Saturday is normal practice, and in the peak picnic months of November to February the good spots go early.

Published hours vary between sources. The widest window quoted is 7am to 7pm, and a narrower one of 10am to 4pm also circulates. The practical answer is that the gate is open through the working day and the park empties around dusk. If you are booking a picnic, the park office will confirm the hours that apply to your date.

Season

The Nepali picnic season runs roughly from November to February, when the air is dry, the sun is pleasant rather than punishing and the whole valley heads out at weekends. That is when the park is fullest and liveliest. March to May is hotter and hazier but still comfortable under the pines. During the monsoon, June to September, the grass is green and the crowds are gone, but an afternoon downpour is likely and the ground stays wet.

Day of the week

Saturday is the busiest day by a wide margin, followed by public holidays. A weekday morning in December will give you a large pine wood essentially to yourself.

• The Tribhuvan monument, the memorial to the king the park is named for, near the centre of the grounds.
• Mature pine plantation with paths through it, the main source of shade and the reason the park stays cool in spring.
• Designated picnic spots with concrete platforms and shelters, water points and space to cook.
• Open lawn for anyone without a booking, and space for a football or badminton game.
• Children's play equipment, basic rather than elaborate.
• Toilets near the main picnic areas.

There is no substantial restaurant inside. Groups bring their own food, and many bring gas and cook on site, which is the standard Nepali picnic. Small shops near the gate sell water, biscuits and cigarettes but not a meal.

1. Book ahead for a weekend. Ring the park office earlier in the week. Turning up on a December Saturday without a booking means open ground at best.
2. Bring everything. Mats, food, water, cooking gas if you plan to cook, a speaker if you want music, and rubbish bags. Take your waste out with you.
3. Come early. Traffic on the Tribhuvan Highway through Kalanki is heavy from mid-morning at weekends, and the best light under the pines is before noon.
4. Layers. The park sits above the valley floor, so December mornings are cold in the shade and warm in the sun.
5. Combine it. The park is roughly 1 km from the Thankot checkpoint and a short distance from the cable car base station, so a morning on the ridge and an afternoon in the park is a workable single day.

Honestly, it depends what you want. If you are a visitor with two days in Kathmandu, the cable car and Bhaleshwor Mahadev are the better use of a morning. If you are living in the city and want somewhere green, uncrowded on a weekday and cheap to enter, this is one of the few large parks within half an hour of the Ring Road that is not a temple precinct.

What it is not is a manicured botanical garden. The lawns get worn, the shelters are functional concrete and after a busy weekend there is litter until the staff clear it. Judge it as what it is, the valley's big communal picnic ground, and it does that job well.

The park lies on the Thankot side of the valley rim, about 3.3 km beyond the Ring Road at Kalanki.

• By bus or micro: take a westbound service from Kalanki towards Thankot and Naubise and get down at Thankot. The park gate is a short walk or a very short taxi hop from the highway.
• By taxi: from central Kathmandu, budget into the low thousands of rupees each way. For a group with picnic gear, hiring a vehicle for the day is usually cheaper than two taxis.
• By private vehicle: there is parking inside, charged separately at the gate. Arrive before 10am on a weekend or you will queue.

See the getting to Thankot guide for bus stands, fares and how long each option takes at different hours.