Do it like a local · All over the valley

Join a run club

Running has taken off in Kathmandu. Free club runs go most mornings, bigger races most months, and anyone can join.

Best time

Early mornings, all year round; autumn and spring for races.

How long

An hour for a club run, longer for trail runs and races.

Getting there

Clubs meet at parks and trailheads across the valley; each listing names the spot.

Running with a club

Kathmandu's running scene has grown quickly. Run clubs meet early in the morning, before the traffic and the heat, for easy group runs through the city and longer weekend runs on the valley's roads and trails.

They are friendly to newcomers. Most runs have groups at different paces, nobody gets left behind, and many finish with tea or breakfast together.

Trails and races

The hills around the valley make for some of the best trail running near any capital city: Shivapuri, Nagarjun and the ridges to the south all have runnable paths. Trail races and road races happen through the year, more in the cooler months.

The listings below show group runs and races coming up, with where to meet and how to sign up.

Running in the city

Inside the city, the best running is early: the lanes of Patan and Bhaktapur at dawn before traffic starts, and the open roads at the edges of the valley. A club knows the quiet routes near you, which is another reason to run with one.

Air quality is worse in winter and in the dry months before the monsoon, so check the air before a long run and save the hard efforts for the hills.