Bandipur junction is a roadside turn on the Prithvi Highway, in the settlement usually called Dumre, where a side road leaves the busy highway and climbs to Bandipur, a hill town that feels like it belongs to another century. The highway here is a noisy, dusty ribbon of trucks, buses and shops, with roadside stalls selling oranges and fried snacks. The side road is a short, steep climb of about eight kilometres, with hairpins through terraced fields and forest, and at the top, at around a thousand metres, the air is cooler and quieter.
Bandipur was a trading town of the Newar people, who built a long bazaar of tall, stone-faced houses with carved wooden windows and slate roofs, and who grew rich on the trade between India and Tibet. When the highway was built in the 1970s, traffic bypassed the town, and the trade collapsed, which was a blow to Bandipur but a gift to its architecture, which was left intact. Today the main street is car-free, paved with stone, and lined with guesthouses, cafés and small shops. From the edge of the ridge, a viewpoint looks out over the valley to the Himalaya, and on a clear morning the snow peaks of the Annapurna and Manaslu ranges stand in a line along the horizon.
For a rider, the climb is easy and pleasant. The road is narrow and has a patchy surface, with the occasional pothole, and the hairpins are short and tight, so take care on the wet or dusty bends. Traffic is light, apart from local buses and the odd jeep. At the top, you park outside the town and walk in. If you have time, stay the night, because the evening light on the bazaar, the smell of woodsmoke and cooking, and the stillness after dark are worth it.
Fuel is available on the highway at Dumre, before you climb, and Bharatpur, the large city about twenty-nine kilometres away, has everything else. Bandipur has simple restaurants serving dal bhat, momos and Newari dishes, and a cup of tea at the viewpoint is a real pleasure. A cave, Siddha Gupha, lies below the town, and is a short walk for the curious. Bring a warm layer for the evening, and a torch.