Monkey Temple - Swayambhunath Tour - Private/Small Group
- 3 hours
- Free cancellation up to 24h before
- Guided in English
- Instant confirmation
Highlights
The private walking tour is NOT sold out, you can book for 1 person and can come with more people. The private tour with transportation is for max 3 people because of the vehicle limitation. Also here you book for 1 person. Your guide will contact you with 24h after your booking and we have 100% refund policy with cancelations. This small group tour of max 5 participants focuses on the myths and legends of Swayambhunath and the origin of the Kathmandu valley. While enjoying the glorious ancient architecture that you will pass during this tour, your knowledgeable and helpful local guide will lead you through the neighborhoods of Swayambhu and Saraswotithan. Highlight of this tour is Swayambhunath Temple, one of the holiest Buddhist stupas in Nepal, on a hilltop in the center of Kathmandu.Your guide will give you a better understanding of the place, especially when religious ceremonies are taking place.
Inclusions
What's included
- English speaking guide
What's not
- Coffee and/or Tea
- Entrance fee Swayambhunath is 200 Rupees (about US$1.50) in cash paid directly to Temple authorities
Itinerary
This will be our meeting point, in the heart of Thamel. It takes approximately 30 minutes to reach Bhagwan Pau.
It is said that in the 13th century when Licchavi King Gunakamdev made Kathmandu city, he established eight Matrikas in the shape of Khadga. And this temple of Indrayani / Luti Ajima is one among them. On the Way we also go through the story How Indrayani got the another name Luti Ajima and the story of other Matrikas.
Bijeshwori Temple is considered sacred to both Hindu and Buddhist followers. It is a significant pilgrimage for Tibetan Buddhists since the temple is affiliated to Buddhism. Some of the Hindu disciples also regard the place as a sacred Shaktipeeth. More during tours.
Bhagwan Pau as name for the feet of Lord Buddha is at the bottom of Swoyambhu hill, from where the main entrance which consists of 365 stairs begins. We will take a rest for a while, drink water and prepare ourselves to climb the 365 stairs to get to the top of the hill and explore SwayambhuNath Stupa.
This is our main attraction. Swayambhunath, self originated one. We will explore this neighborhood and know about origination of Swayambhunath as well as kathmandu valley, also go through lore and legends about Manjushree, Basics about Buddhism like prayer flag and five elements, four noble truths, eightfold paths and thirteen steps to nirvana. We will explore the various Shrines, Temples and stupas around the Swayambhu premises encircling the stupa itself.
You will explore the unique Nepalese pagoda style architecture of the Temple and our experienced tour guide will tell the story how the demon named Harati became Mother Harati and why people around the valley worship her.
World Peace Pond is located on the western side of the Swayambhunath Temple . A brass statue of a Buddha standing on a Lotus flower is right in the middle of the pond. The words on the wall, written in English and Nepali, say May Peace Prevail On Earth.
A small temple dedicated to Maha Manjushree in Swayambhu Hill. We will go through legends about how Kathmandu Valley is turned into a city from a great lake and enjoy a panoramic view of western side of Kathmandu valley. From here we will climb down the swayambhu hill and go towards Amideva Buddha Park which houses 3 big Buddha Idols.
Amideva Buddha Park, featuring the 3 gigantic idols of Amitabha Buddha (Amideva) 67 Feet in center, Chenrezig and Padmasambhava 64 Feet in two sides. We will walk around this park and share the story of Siddhartha Gautam, who later became Gautam Buddha , Avalokitesvara and The Precious Master. This is the last place we stop at before going around the Swoyambhu Hill towards Bhagwan Pau and back to Meeting point, where our tour ends.
Shova Bhagawati is a holy shrine devoted to the goddess Bhagwati on the bank of the Bishnumati River in Kathmandu, Nepal. This temple is one of the four major Bhagwati temples in Kathmandu built in the Licchavi regime. More about religion and history during the tour.
From Bhagwan Pau we will walk back to Kathmandu Eco Hotel, Thamel, our Meeting point. If any travelers want to explore around the Swayambhu and want to walk back to the meeting Point on their own, they can end the tour at any point.
Cancellation
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the experience starts, for a full refund.
Reviews
5.0
- 578
- 41
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Ratings come from 79 reviews collected by our booking partner. They are travellers' own words, in the order they were written — never reordered to flatter the experience.
Showing reviews written in English.
5An amazing tour and time with Sandip!
I honestly couldn’t recommend taking a tour with Sandip enough! Within minutes of meeting him, I knew I was going to have an amazing time. It genuinely felt less like I was on a guided tour and more like I was exploring Kathmandu with a friend. Sandip is incredibly knowledgeable and so passionate about Buddhism, and the history & culture of Nepal. He has an amazing personality, a great sense of humor, and made the entire experience so enjoyable. We walked through the city while he shared the history of Kathmandu, stopped for a drink along the way, and then prepared ourselves for the stairs up to Swayambhunath Temple! Once we reached the top, we took some time to sit and talk while Sandip explained the history of the temples, the meaning behind the symbols, and the significance of everything around us. And just a heads up—there will be a quiz later, so make sure you have your listening ears on! 😂 I absolutely loved this experience and had such an amazing time. I feel incredibly grateful that I got to experience Swayambhunath with Sandip as my guide. His knowledge, humor, and passion made the experience truly special, and I would 100% recommend him to anyone visiting Kathmandu! You will not regret it!!
5Swayambhunath Temple
Great tour, learned so much! You will not be disappointed if you visit
5Monkey Tempke
We had a great tour with Sandip! He was a lot of fun and showed us so much on our tour. He was so knowledgeable and passionate about the history. I would highly recommend booking this!
5Highly recommend this tour!
We had a wonderful day with Sandip. Our meeting spot was easy and our walk to the temple was really nice. We stopped for a beverage before climbing the stairs and then Sandip gave us a thorough background of the temples and the meanings of many things we had been wondering about. He flexed the tours based on our interests and we ended up learning a lot. He was also very funny and made us feel comfortable the entire day. We highly recommend this tour! Wear good shoes - close to 10,000 steps from the meeting spot to up and down the steps at the temple - and 365 steps to reach the top. The monkeys are also adorable!
5Positive experience
Very thorough and positive experience! My guide, Santosh, was excellent!
5I had such an amazing day with Sandip!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I had such an amazing day with Sandip! From the moment we met, he made me feel welcome and shared so much knowledge about Nepal, Buddhism and the history behind the places we visited. It felt like exploring with a friend rather than being on a tour. Sandip was kind, patient and happy to answer all of my endless questions! 😄 He made sure I experienced the real Kathmandu, and I came away with memories I’ll treasure forever. If you’re visiting Nepal, I can’t recommend Sandip highly enough. Thank you for such a wonderful day. I’ll definitely be booking with you again when I’m back! 🙏🇳🇵✨
Know before you go
- Meeting point
- Your guide will be available 15 minutes before each meeting time with a sign "Meeting Point - Amazing Kathmandu". Pumpernickel Bakery is centrally located in Thamel and has excellent offerings, including great coffee, all-day breakfasts, delicious cakes, gluten-free and vegan diets.
- Pickup
- Everyone meets at the starting point; there is no pickup.
- Ticket type
- Mobile or paper ticket accepted
- Group size
- Up to 5 travellers
- Operated by
- Amazing Kathmandu Tours
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- Travelers with severe asthma and knee problems are not advised to join the tour.
How it compares in Kathmandu
- Its from-price is 97% below the median of the 2812 experiences we list in Kathmandu.
- It is shorter than most of them.
- By number of reviews it ranks 83 of 2812.
- The operator lists free cancellation on it.
About Kathmandu
Kathmandu is Nepal's ancient, colourful capital, a valley city of temples, stupas and royal squares and the gateway to the Himalaya.
Kathmandu Durbar Square, the old royal square, is crowded with pagoda-roofed temples and palaces, and nearby lives the Kumari, the city's living child goddess. Thamel, the travellers' quarter, is a tangle of lanes selling trekking gear, prayer flags and handicrafts, busy with cafés and rooftop restaurants.
Top-ranked sights in Kathmandu: Namche Bazaar, Pashupatinath, Kathmandu Durbar Square (Basantapur).
Special offers in Kathmandu
Was/now prices come from the operator, never from us.
