Bandipur's bazaar and Tundikhel at dusk

Bandipur's main bazaar is a single street of tall brick houses, built by Newar merchants who came from the Kathmandu Valley in the 18th century to profit from the trade route between India and Tibet. Many houses still have their carved wooden windows, shopfront shutters and upper balconies. Our walk starts at one end in the late afternoon, as day visitors from the highway leave and families come out to sit on their steps. With no traffic, the street is quiet and easy to walk.

Along the way we stop at the Bindebasini temple, a pagoda at the centre of the bazaar, and look closely at the carved doorways and windows of the old houses. The guide explains how the town grew prosperous on trade in cloth, salt and grain, how it declined after the Prithvi Highway bypassed it in the 1970s, and how visitors have given it a second life. A few shops sell local textiles, honey and spices, and the cafés set tables out on the paving.

As the sun drops we reach the Tundikhel, an open terrace at the edge of town shaded by large trees, said to have been a meeting ground for traders. On clear evenings the Himalaya turns pink above the darkening valley. We finish at a café on the bazaar for tea or a cold drink before dinner. The walk is easy and flat, about 1.5 km in all, and suits all ages, including grandparents and young children.