Dhulikhel is situated 32 km east of Kathmandu at an altitude of 1550m on the side of Arniko Highway on the way towards Tibet. It is popular for its natural beauty and ancient traditions. There are some beautiful old buildings in this town which has culture with its old Newari heritage. The people in the village are Newars, Bhramin, Chhettri, Tamang and Dalit.
Dhulikhel was once known by the Buddhist name of Shrikhandapur and still has a few Buddhist stupas in memory of the old days. Namo Buddha is an interesting and pleasant three-hour hike from the town, and has a nice mix of Buddhist flavour and old Hindu temples. Dhulikhel also has several ancient temples dedicated to Sweta Bhairav, Hari Siddhi, Shiva, and Narayana, each with an interesting story related to how they came into being.
There are some good day walks in this area. You can take an interesting walk from Nagarkot through Nala to Banepa and there are plenty of other short hikes to undertake from Dhulikhel, but one of the best is the pleasant half-hour uphill from Dhulikhel to the telecommunication tower. Walk through a lush forest echoing with the chattering of racquet tailed drongos and turtle doves to come to a temple dedicated to Kali. If you can manage to wake up early and get up there, it is a sunrise you will remember for years. Many people come here to get warmed up before doing a longer trek.
The Himalayan ranges from the twin crest of Mt. Langtang in the west to the Mt. Everest in the east can be clearly viewed in a clear day. Dhulikhel is ideal for snow-capped peaks, sunrise, sunset and it is different from any other place. One can say Dhulikhel is where the peaks speak.
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