One of the must visit monuments while you are in Kathmandu. This Buddist stupa atop a small hillock is a cluster of temples with concentric gold rings on the spire. The visitors and the locals are well behaved and do not pestered you to buy the souvenirs in the many shops in the top. Even the monkeys respect your privacy and leave you alone. However, the visitors seem to feed the benign monkeys inspite of clear warmings not to feed them. The driver cum guide drove the sports car upto the parking space. One has to climb 113 steps to reach the top. A quiet place to contemplate life. You need to climb down 92 steps to reach the parking space. Beautiful religious monument. Recommended.

The location is one of the most spiritual places in Kathmandu, with its hilltop position giving panoramic views over the city. The site is dominated by the ancient stupa and with its prayer flags fluttering from the central point way up high, it is a spectacular sight. While we were there, new prayer flags were being put up, and amazingly someone climbs up the outside of the structure without any safety harness to complete the task. It brings in worshippers from dawn to dusk, all circulating clockwise around the large stupa and because the site is also shared with Hindi devotees that conduct their own rituals in different shrines, it is easy to spend a couple of hours here to soak in the atmosphere. A word of caution, do not eat any food whilst walking around, it will, be pounced on by the hundreds of monkeys that roam the site.

The local driver that I hired let me out of the car closer to this attraction. This made me climb less steps to visit the huge Stupa and other attractions near it. There are several smaller temples with statues of Buddha inside and a standing statue of Buddha. Several more steps to climb, then I saw a high white tower and the stupa with four faces that appeared to be followimg where I was walking. Due to its elevated location, I saw the the city of Kathmandu below. Took several pictures here. Note that there are no Entrance Fee here. Also observed some monkeys playing here.

Visiting Swayambhunath Temple in Kathmandu was a serene experience. The ancient stupa, adorned with fluttering prayer flags, offered panoramic views of the city. The peaceful ambiance, coupled with the temple's spiritual significance, made it a memorable journey, blending culture, history, and tranquility atop the sacred hill.

This was our second visit to this magical place. Each time we spent here a few hours exploring the area. The stupa is large and fascinating. Dense crowds of devotees walk around it in clockwise circles moving the prayer wheels or prostrating in front of statues. The Monasteries of four schools are situated around the stupa. We visited also interesting stores in the vicinity and dined in a restaurant with the view of the stupa.

Your trip to Kathmandu should include: Dhubar Square, Swayambhunath, the Buddha Pashupatinath (the burning ghats) and the Buddha Stupa (there are so many with similar names - this one just northeast of Pashupatinath). The Swayambhunath complex is a very old Buddhist complex with the typical stupa (gold tower with white eyes) and many shrines. It rises above Kathmandhu to the West and is part of the region's founding story in mythology. It is typically approached by a series of long stairs at the intersection of Swayambhu Marg and Swayambhu Circle Road. There are many shrines and monkeys to admire on the ascent. There are many scenic vistas from the top. And many shrines to wander amongst. Swayambhunath is otherwise known as "monkey temple." Monkeys are common at temples as they congregate to feast on all the offerings but there is an especially large number here. Obvious don't try to feed them. Obvious keep a hand on your things and your distance. Maybe less obvious, be cautious when photographing a seemingly adorable baby monkey as momma monkey might do a parkour jump on/off your back as warning! (No monkeys or humans were harmed in this outing.)

Kathmandu is such an interesting city. The Swayambhunath Temple is a vibrant and moving experience. We ate at one of the cafes overlooking it, and wished we had booked one of the hotel rooms that have the same view. Would have been an delight to wake up to that view.

The temple has monkeys running about, hence the nickname “Monkey Temple”. But the shrines and other structures there were spectacular in appearance. Places like this, preserves Nepal’s rich history. And it really makes it irresistible for us tourists to see it up close and personal. Perhaps most importantly though, we had a spectacular view of the city of Kathmandu below. It was an amazing vantage point to get such a great view of the city.

You have this temple on a hilltop. You can climb those stone steps - easy walk - or have a vehicle take you up to the midpoint car park from where you need to walk to reach the temple itself. The temple have to be circled clockwise. The smell of burning incense adds to the mystical aspect of this temple. The sounds of pilgrims humming the prayers will leave an indelible mark on you. The view of Kathmandu valley is stunning. You better make your way here after a rain shower for better views during good visibility. Only gripe, they need to have better lavatory facilitates. One of the best places in Kathmandu to visit is Monkey Temple, Swayambhu

This temple is another Unesco site. It's quite a hike up to the top. However, there are multiple easier entrances you can drive up to. The panoramic views are spectacular. Locals believe if you make a wish and circle around following the local rituals, the wish will come true. It's a very old holy shrine. There are many monkeys, hence "the monkey temple" name, and they are not shy. That's something different and to take into account.