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3 km west of Thamel
NPR 200 (approx. £1)
1.5–2.5 hours
Daily, early to dusk
Dawn or late afternoon
Yes, since 1979
Swayambhunath (also written Swayambhu, and known to Newar Buddhists as Swayambhu Mahachaitya) is a great white stupa on a wooded hill on the western edge of Kathmandu. Most visitors know it as the Monkey Temple, after the troops of rhesus macaques that live on the hill. UNESCO describes its ensemble as containing the oldest Buddhist monument in the Kathmandu Valley, and it is one of the seven monument zones that make up the Kathmandu Valley World Heritage Site, inscribed in 1979.
The name means “self-arisen” or “self-existent”. According to legend, the hill was the spot where a light of the primordial Buddha rose from a lotus in the lake that once filled the valley, so for Buddhists this is not just an old building but the place where the valley’s story begins. It is especially sacred to Newar Buddhists, and Tibetan Buddhists rank it among the holiest sites in Nepal alongside Boudhanath Stupa.
It is also a working place of worship for Hindus. The platform is crowded with shrines to Hindu deities, Tibetan monasteries, Newar chaityas (small votive stupas), prayer wheels, butter lamps and the homes of the families who look after it. On a single morning you can see Newar priests making offerings, Tibetan monks chanting, local runners on their daily climb and tourists photographing the view, all within a few metres of each other.
The hill rises roughly 70–100 m above the surrounding city, so the summit platform gives the best free panorama in Kathmandu. On a clear day after rain, especially from October to December, you can see the Himalayan foothills and, on the best days, snow peaks beyond the valley rim. The atmosphere changes through the day: hushed and devotional at dawn, busy with groups mid-morning, and golden and social at sunset.
Think of the hill as having two ways up. The eastern stairway, the famous 365 steps, climbs straight from the ceremonial gate at the foot of the hill to the giant vajra on the summit platform. The western side has a road that loops up to a car park close to the top, from where it is a short walk with few steps; the large golden Buddha statues of Amideva Buddha Park sit near the Ring Road at the base of this side. A third, quieter stairway climbs from the south-west to a secondary summit dedicated to Manjushri. Tickets are checked at both main entrances.
The Swayambhu Purana, the valley’s foundation text, tells that the Kathmandu Valley was once a great lake inhabited by nagas (serpent spirits). A past Buddha, Vipassi, planted a lotus seed in the water, and it grew into a thousand-petalled lotus that shone with a self-born light: the Swayambhu, the self-arisen. Later the bodhisattva Manjushri, the embodiment of wisdom, came from the north to venerate the light. To let pilgrims reach it, he cut a gorge through the hills at the valley’s southern rim with his sword of wisdom, draining the lake and leaving fertile land where the city now stands. That cut is traditionally identified with the Chobhar gorge, south of Kathmandu.
The lotus came to rest on the hill, and a stupa was later built over the light to protect it. Popular tradition adds that the monkeys of the hill grew from the lice in Manjushri’s hair, which is why they are considered holy.
| Period | What happened |
|---|---|
| Before the 5th century CE | The hill is already a place of worship. Tradition links a visit by the Indian emperor Ashoka (3rd century BCE), but there is no hard evidence. |
| 5th–7th century CE (Licchavi era) | Licchavi-era kings carry out works on the hill; a damaged stone inscription records building activity, and King Vrsadeva is credited by tradition with an early rebuilding. |
| 14th century | The stupa is reported to have been damaged during a raid on the valley by the army of the Bengal sultan in 1349, and later restored. |
| 17th century | King Pratap Malla of Kathmandu builds the eastern stone stairway and the two white shikhara temples, Pratappur and Anantapur, on the summit. |
| 1979 | Swayambhu becomes one of the seven zones of the Kathmandu Valley UNESCO World Heritage Site. |
| 2008–2010 | A major renovation, funded by a Tibetan Nyingma centre in California; the spire is re-gilded with around 20 kg of gold. |
| 2015 | The April earthquake damages many of the monuments around the stupa, and the Pratappur shikhara partly collapses. Pratappur, Anantapur and other damaged monuments have since been restored. |
Every part of a stupa carries meaning, and Swayambhu is a textbook example:
At the top of the eastern stairway, in front of the stupa, sits a huge gilded vajra (dorje in Tibetan) on a circular base carved with the animals of the Tibetan calendar. The vajra, a “thunderbolt” or diamond sceptre, represents the indestructible nature of enlightened mind, and gives its name to Vajrayana, the form of Buddhism practised here.
Swayambhu shows how intertwined Buddhism and Hinduism are in the valley. The Harati (Hariti) temple next to the stupa is dedicated to a goddess who, in Buddhist legend, was an ogress who ate children until the Buddha converted her; she became their protector and is also worshipped as a goddess of smallpox. She is honoured by Hindus and Buddhists alike. Hindu worshippers also visit the shikhara temples and images of deities such as Ganesh around the platform, while the Manjushri shrine on the western hill is revered by Hindus as a shrine to Saraswati, goddess of learning. Students come here to pray before exams, and the site is busy on Basanta Panchami (Saraswati Puja).
For more context on how faith shapes everyday life in the valley, see our guide to culture in Nepal.
Swayambhunath is a dense site: most of what matters is within a couple of hundred metres of the main stupa. Use this list to make sure you do not miss the details, then add the quieter western side and the Buddha park if you have time.
The classic approach is the steep stone stairway from the ceremonial gate on the eastern side. Tradition says there is one step for each day of the year; whatever the true count, it is steep and uneven, with no handrail on parts. Painted stone Buddhas, chaityas and souvenir sellers line the way, and the monkeys are most active here.
Allow 10–20 minutes at a steady pace. Go up this way and come down the western side if your knees prefer gentler descents. In the wet season the steps get slippery, so wear shoes with grip. Your ticket is checked near the top.
The centrepiece is the whitewashed dome and gilded tower with the Buddha’s eyes gazing in four directions. Walk the kora clockwise, turning the prayer wheels around the base, and look for the five gilded Dhyani Buddha shrines set into the dome.
Take time to look up at the details: the embossed copper plaques above the eyes, the thirteen gilded rings and the prayer flags strung from the spire. The best light on the eastern face (with the eyes towards the stairway) is early morning; in the afternoon the western side glows.
At the top of the stairway sits the giant gilded vajra on its carved pedestal, flanked by two white shikhara-style temples, Pratappur and Anantapur, built by King Pratap Malla in the 17th century. Pratappur was damaged in 2015 and has since been restored.
The platform around them is full of smaller chaityas, bells, statues and lamp houses. It is the busiest part of the site, so come early for clean photographs of the vajra with the stupa behind it.
Just north-west of the main stupa is the small, much-visited pagoda of Harati (Hariti), protector of children. Families bring young children to be blessed here, and it is one of the best places to see Hindus and Buddhists worshipping side by side.
Watch quietly from outside during pujas and ask before photographing worshippers.
Several Tibetan monasteries sit on or beside the summit. Shree Karma Raj Mahavihar, on the north side of the platform, houses a large golden Buddha and hosts daily prayers; the Drukpa Kagyu monastery near Harati temple is also active.
Visitors can usually enter quietly when doors are open. Remove your shoes, avoid flash, do not walk in front of praying monks and leave a small donation if you wish. Monastery opening times vary and some close earlier than the site itself.
The terraces on the south and east sides of the summit look out over the whole city, with the valley rim and, on clear days, the Himalaya in the distance. Small cafés and rooftop terraces on the platform let you sit with a tea and watch the light.
Clarity varies hugely by season: post-monsoon October and November give the sharpest views, while spring haze and winter smog can turn the city soft and grey. Sunset is the most popular time and the terraces fill up.
A short walk west from the main summit leads to a smaller hilltop, sometimes called Manjushri Hill, with a shrine to the bodhisattva of wisdom (Saraswati to Hindus). It is quieter than the main platform and has a pleasant, shaded feel among the trees and chaityas.
If you come down the less-used south-western stairway you pass close by. It is busiest on Basanta Panchami, in late January or early February, when students come to pray for success in their studies.
At the western foot of the hill, near the Ring Road, three huge gilded statues stand side by side: Amitabha (Amideva) Buddha in the centre, around 20 m tall, flanked by Chenrezig (Avalokiteshvara) and Guru Rinpoche (Padmasambhava). Prayer wheels and smaller shrines surround them.
Entry is free at the time of writing. It is a 10–15 minute walk around the base of the hill from the western entrance, and works well as the final stop if you leave via the west side.
Photography tip: searches for “Swayambhunath photos” are mostly after three shots: the eyes of the stupa against the sky, the vajra with the stupa behind it, and the city view at dusk. For all three without crowds, arrive within an hour of sunrise. A wide lens (or the phone’s 0.5x) helps on the cramped platform, and a short telephoto picks out monks and prayer flags. There is no fee for phone or camera photography at the time of writing; drones need permission and should not be flown.
Swayambhunath is a half-day trip from anywhere in central Kathmandu, so you do not need to stay next to it. Choose a base by the kind of trip you want; see our Kathmandu city guide for a fuller comparison of neighbourhoods. Prices below are approximate rack rates for a double room and vary with season and booking channel.
Most visitors stay in Thamel, Kathmandu’s traveller district, 10–20 minutes by taxi or 40–60 minutes on foot from Swayambhu. It has the widest choice at every budget, plenty of restaurants and easy access to trekking agencies.
Approximate nightly rates: budget guesthouses NPR 1,500–4,000 (around £8–20), mid-range hotels NPR 5,000–12,000 (around £25–60). It is noisy and busy; ask for a room away from the street.
These neighbourhoods sit on the western and northern fringes of Thamel, slightly closer to Swayambhu and a little quieter. They suit travellers who want Thamel’s convenience without its late-night noise.
Prices are similar to Thamel or a little lower. The walk to Swayambhu from Chhetrapati takes about 35–45 minutes through local streets and across the Bishnumati river.
A handful of small guesthouses and homestays sit on the lanes around the base of the hill. Staying here lets you walk up for sunrise before the day visitors arrive and see the site at its most devotional.
Options are limited and simple, typically budget to lower mid-range (roughly NPR 2,000–6,000, £10–30). Check recent reviews and the exact location carefully, as some listings are a long way round the hill.
North-east of Thamel, Lazimpat has several established upper-mid-range and luxury hotels with gardens, quieter streets and a more polished feel. It suits couples and those who want calm between busy sightseeing days.
Expect roughly NPR 10,000–30,000 (around £50–150) a night. Swayambhu is 20–30 minutes by car depending on traffic.
Swayambhunath is about 3 km west of Thamel and roughly 2.5 km north-west of Kathmandu Durbar Square, just inside the Ring Road. Most visitors walk or take a taxi; ride-hailing apps are now the easiest way to avoid haggling.
| Option | Time from Thamel | Approximate cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walk | 40–60 min | Free | Via Chhetrapati, across the Bishnumati river footbridge, to the eastern steps |
| Ride-hailing car (Pathao, inDrive) | 10–20 min | NPR 250–400 (around £1.25–2) | Upfront or negotiated fare; needs a Nepali SIM to register |
| Ride-hailing motorbike | 10–15 min | NPR 100–200 (around 50p–£1) | Helmet provided; not ideal with bags |
| Street taxi | 10–20 min | NPR 300–500 (around £1.50–2.50) | Agree the fare first; first quotes in Thamel are high |
| Local bus or microbus | 30–45 min | Under NPR 50 (around 25p) | Ring Road services; confusing for first-timers |
| From the airport | 30–60 min | NPR 600–1,000 (around £3–5) | About 8 km; traffic is the variable |
The walk is a good way to see everyday Kathmandu. From Thamel, head south-west to Chhetrapati, then west down to the Bishnumati river and over the footbridge. From there, lanes lead west past small shrines and workshops to the ceremonial gate at the foot of the eastern stairway. Allow 40–60 minutes; offline maps help as the lanes are not well signed. The streets are busy with motorbikes and there are few pavements, so walk in single file and stay alert.
Tell the driver whether you want the eastern steps (the main gate at the bottom of the 365 steps) or the western entrance (the car park near the top, sometimes called the “back side”). If you want to avoid the climb, ask for the top car park. Pathao and inDrive are widely used in Kathmandu; drivers are usually paid in cash at the end. Without an app, agree a price with a street taxi before getting in; meters are rarely used for tourists.
Swayambhu and Kathmandu Durbar Square are close enough to link on foot. From the foot of the eastern steps it is roughly a 30–40 minute walk east across the river to Durbar Square, or 10 minutes by taxi. Doing Swayambhu first at sunrise and Durbar Square afterwards works well, as Durbar Square’s courtyards are better once the shops and museums open.
The eastern stairway is not suitable for anyone with limited mobility. The western car park gets you close to the top with a short, mostly level walk and a few steps, but the platform itself has uneven paving, thresholds and crowds. Wheelchair users will find access difficult without help.
Sunrise to about 8.30am is the best time for atmosphere: pilgrims doing the kora, butter lamps flickering, monks chanting and far fewer tour groups. The light on the eastern face of the stupa is at its best then. It is also cooler for the climb.
Late afternoon to sunset is the most popular time for the view. The city turns gold, the lights come on below, and the terraces fill with locals and visitors. Arrive at least an hour before sunset, and plan your return before full dark if you are walking back.
Midday is the busiest and the light is flat, but it is perfectly fine if it is the only slot you have.
| Season | Months | What to expect |
|---|---|---|
| Autumn | Oct–Nov | Clearest skies and the best chance of mountain views; peak tourist season and festival time |
| Winter | Dec–Feb | Dry, cold mornings (near freezing at dawn), sunny days; smog can haze the view; Losar celebrations |
| Spring | Mar–May | Warm, increasingly hazy; Buddha Jayanti in late April or May |
| Monsoon | Jun–Sep | Heavy afternoon rain, slippery steps, lush hill; mornings often clear; Gunla month |
See our guide to the best season to travel in Nepal for how this fits with trekking and the rest of the country.
Swayambhunath is easy to combine with other sights because it is close to the centre. These are tried-and-tested combinations; adjust start times to the season, and remember that Kathmandu traffic can double journey times at rush hour.
Good for the first full day after arrival, as it is gentle on jet-lagged legs.
This links four of the seven UNESCO zones in one day. It is full, so hire a car and driver for the day if you want to save energy.
Ideal if you arrive in Kathmandu in the morning or are recovering after a trek.
Day 1: Swayambhu at sunrise, Kathmandu Durbar Square, then Pashupatinath and Boudhanath in the afternoon and evening.
Day 2: Patan in the morning for its Durbar Square and museum, then Bhaktapur for the afternoon, with the option of continuing to Nagarkot for a sunrise over the Himalaya.
For longer trips, our Nepal itinerary guide shows how to fit the valley around a trek.
Everything you need to sort out before you go. Fees and rules change, so treat prices as approximate and check on the day.
At the time of writing the entry fee is widely reported as NPR 200 for foreign nationals (around £1) and NPR 50 for SAARC nationals (around 25p); Nepali citizens enter free. One 2026 source lists NPR 500 for foreigners, so fees may have changed: check the price at the counter. Pay in Nepali rupees cash, and keep the ticket as it may be checked again.
Tickets are sold at both the eastern and western entrances. Children under 10 are generally free.
The site is used by worshippers from before dawn, and visitors are generally admitted from early morning until around dusk; some sources say the gates stay open until about 9pm. Monasteries and museums keep shorter hours. There is no official published timetable, so if you are planning a very early or late visit, ask your hotel to check.
More in our guide to things to know before travelling to Nepal.
Monkey bites and scratches do happen here, and rabies is present in Nepal. Do not feed or tease the monkeys, keep food and drinks out of sight and bags closed. Supervise children closely.
If you are bitten or scratched, wash the wound with soap and running water for 15 minutes and get medical care the same day; a travel clinic in Kathmandu such as CIWEC can advise on rabies vaccines. Ask your doctor before travel about pre-exposure rabies vaccination, and make sure your travel insurance covers medical treatment.
Swayambhu is generally safe, but watch for pickpockets in crowds, especially on festival days, and take care on the steep steps in rain. Avoid walking alone in poorly lit lanes after dark.
The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) does not advise against travel to Kathmandu at the time of writing. Its advice notes that protests and strikes can start at short notice and disrupt transport (Kathmandu saw serious unrest in September 2025), and that pickpocketing occurs in tourist areas. Check the latest FCDO travel advice for Nepal, or your own government’s equivalent, before you travel.
Bring small notes for the ticket, donations, prayer flags and drinks; there is no reliable ATM on the hill. Basic toilets are available near the entrances and on the platform for a small fee or donation. Cafés on and around the platform sell tea, coffee and simple meals; drink bottled or filtered water.
Kathmandu Durbar Square fee: if you combine the two, Durbar Square charges foreigners around NPR 1,000 (approximately £5) at the time of writing, with a lower SAARC rate. Keep that ticket too, as it is checked at several entry points.
Swayambhu is one of the seven UNESCO monument zones in the valley, and most visitors see several in the same trip. The closest is Kathmandu Durbar Square, a short walk or taxi away. To the east are Pashupatinath Temple, Nepal’s most important Hindu temple on the Bagmati river, and Boudhanath Stupa, the giant Tibetan stupa that makes a natural pair with Swayambhu.
South across the river, Patan has the finest collection of Newar temples and the excellent Patan Museum, while Bhaktapur is the best-preserved of the three old royal cities. For a night out of the city with Himalayan views, Nagarkot sits on the valley rim about an hour and a half from Thamel. Our Kathmandu city guide covers the city in full.
Beyond the valley, many travellers head west to Pokhara, south to Lumbini, the birthplace of the Buddha, which follows naturally from a visit to Swayambhu, or straight into the mountains.
Kathmandu is where most treks begin and end, and Swayambhu makes a gentle first or last day. We run the 16-day Everest Base Camp Trek (from £1,295) and the 15-day Annapurna Base Camp Trek (from £795), both with licensed local guides and our ground partners in Nepal. For anything else, from a Kathmandu Valley cultural tour to a tailor-made trek, plan your trip with us and we will put it together.
Header photo: Nirmal Dulal, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Because of the large troops of rhesus macaques that live on the hill. Legend says they grew from lice in the hair of the bodhisattva Manjushri, so they are considered holy. They are wild animals: do not feed them and keep food out of sight.
It is widely reported as NPR 200 (around £1) for foreign nationals and NPR 50 for SAARC nationals, with Nepali citizens free. One 2026 source quotes NPR 500 for foreigners, so check the price at the counter. Pay in rupees cash.
The eastern stairway is traditionally said to have 365 steps, one for each day of the year. They are steep and uneven and take 10–20 minutes. If you would rather avoid them, take a taxi to the western car park near the top.
The stupa is Buddhist, sacred to Newar and Tibetan Buddhists, but the site is shared. Hindus worship at the Harati temple, the Manjushri shrine (honoured as Saraswati) and other shrines on the hill.
Allow 1.5 to 2.5 hours for the main stupa, shrines, monasteries and views, plus travel time. Add 30 minutes if you also visit Amideva Buddha Park and the Manjushri shrine on the western side.
Sunrise is best for atmosphere, rituals and fewer crowds; sunset is best for the golden view over the city. If you can only choose one and you care about photographs of the stupa itself, go early.
Yes. It is about 3 km and takes 40–60 minutes via Chhetrapati and the Bishnumati river footbridge to the eastern steps. A taxi or ride-hailing car takes 10–20 minutes and costs around NPR 250–500.
They are usually more interested in food than people, but bites and scratches happen and rabies exists in Nepal. Do not feed them, keep bags zipped, and if you are bitten wash the wound thoroughly for 15 minutes and get medical advice the same day.
They are different. Swayambhu is older and set on a hill with city views, shrines of many faiths and monkeys; Boudhanath is a vast stupa on flat ground at the heart of a Tibetan neighbourhood, best for an evening kora. If you have time, see both.
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By Govind Rai · Updated 23 October 2026Everything you need to plan your first trip, in one free download.
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