Kathmandu has a new indoor option for rainy afternoons and group hangouts: Mystery Rooms by Alchi, an escape game outfit that got its break on the first season of Shark Tank, opened its doors at Civil Mall on 7 October.
The launch brought together the people behind the brand and its backers. Investor Cabinet Shrestha attended, alongside partners Manish Shrestha and Raunak Agarwal. The company is a funding recipient from Season 1 of Shark Tank, which gives it a bit of a pedigree in a scene where escape rooms are still a novelty rather than a fixture.
For anyone unfamiliar with the format: you and your group are locked into a themed room and given a set time to solve puzzles, find clues and crack your way out. It's a team activity by design, so it suits friend groups, families with teenagers, colleagues doing something other than the usual dinner, and travellers looking for an evening activity that doesn't depend on the weather.
The Civil Mall location is a practical choice. The mall sits on Tripureshwor's main drag near Sundhara, easy to reach from central Kathmandu, and a venue like this slots neatly around a shopping trip or a movie. It also adds to a slowly growing list of indoor entertainment options in a city where nightlife tends to wrap up early.
There's no confirmation yet on pricing, opening hours, or whether more branches are planned, so anyone keen should check with the venue directly before turning up. But for travellers who've done the durbar squares and the rooftop cafes, this is one more reason to stick around the city for an extra evening — and a decent fallback when the monsoon or winter haze keeps you off the trails.
Worth noting: escape rooms are inherently group activities, so solo travellers may need to join an existing booking or bring company. Groups should book ahead on weekends, when venues like this tend to fill up fastest.
Story via Nepali Times.
