Overview
About this journey
Key Highlights
What makes this journey stand out
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Swayambhunath — the Monkey Temple
Climbing the 365 east-side steps to a 2,000-year-old hilltop stupa, with the all-seeing eyes of the Buddha gazing across the valley in four directions, and a panorama that on a clear day reaches the Langtang and Ganesh Himal.
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Boudhanath — the largest stupa in the world
Joining the morning kora — the clockwise circumambulation — with Tibetan refugees, maroon-robed monks and Newari Buddhists turning hundreds of prayer wheels beneath the 36-metre dome. The surrounding ring of monasteries is the spiritual heart of the Tibetan diaspora in Nepal.
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Pashupatinath — Nepal’s holiest Hindu temple
Watching the funeral pyres on the Bagmati ghats from the opposite bank — a working cremation complex, not a tourist set — with sadhus in saffron, the resident monkey troop, and the smoke of the same fires that have burned here for more than a thousand years.
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Patan Durbar Square — the Malla royal palace
The Krishna Mandir with its 21 gilded spires carved entirely from stone (no two figures alike), the Royal Bath of Sundari Chowk, the Mul Chowk courtyard and the Taleju Bell — all built between the 14th and 17th centuries by the Malla kings.
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Patan Museum — the finest in South Asia
A restored wing of the old royal palace housing the largest collection of Newar bronze, gilt and stone sculpture anywhere in the world — explained on legible bilingual panels, in galleries cool and quiet enough to actually read them. Plan for at least 45 minutes inside.
Costs Include
What's covered
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Licensed English/French-speaking heritage guide
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Hotel pickup and drop-off in Kathmandu by private vehicle
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All UNESCO entry fees (Swayambhunath, Boudhanath, Pashupatinath, Patan Durbar Square — approx. NPR 4,500 / USD 35 total for foreigners)
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Patan Museum entrance
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Bottled water throughout the day
Costs Exclude
Not included
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Lunch (typical Newari thali at a Patan courtyard restaurant, approx. USD 8–12 per person)
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Camera/video fee at the Pashupatinath inner cremation viewpoint (NPR 100 if you want to film)
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Temple offerings, donations and personal expenses
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Tips and gratuities for the guide and driver
Essential Tips
Things worth knowing before you go
Wear shoes you can slip off quickly
Every temple inner courtyard requires removing footwear. Loafers, slip-ons or sneakers with elastic laces save 10 minutes per stop — and you do four stops in a day. Heavy boots and tight laces are the slowest setup.
Cover shoulders and knees
Pashupatinath in particular is conservative — women must cover shoulders and knees, and men in shorts can be refused at some inner courtyards. A lightweight scarf in your daypack solves it; rented temple shawls at the gate are dusty and rarely fit.
Eat lunch in Patan, not at Pashupatinath
There are no good restaurants near the cremation ghats and the smell does not pair with food. The natural break is at Patan, where courtyard cafés in the old town serve Newari thali — and you can sit for 45 minutes before the museum visit.
Cremation ghats are real funerals
Pashupatinath is not a spectacle. Photography is allowed only from the opposite bank, never close-up; some families ask for cameras to be put away and that is binding. Watch quietly, keep distance, follow the guide’s cues.
Carry small Nepali rupee notes
UNESCO ticket booths take cash only. Bottled water, offerings, parking tips and the camera fee at Pashupatinath are also cash-only — NPR 100 and NPR 500 notes go furthest. Card terminals are sparse around the heritage sites and unreliable when they exist.
