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Swayambunath

Kathmandu, Nepal
Description: Perched atop a hill in the Kathmandu Valley is the ancient religious complex of Swayambhunath - also known as the Monkey Temple for the gangs of rhesus macaques that occupy parts of the temple grounds. You’ll reach the c...Read More
  • #3 most popular
    thing to do in Kathmandu
  • Avg. User Rating:
    4 out of 5 stars

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Swayambunath Reviews

Have you visited the Swayambunath in Kathmandu? We're always looking for more Swayambunath reviews and photos. Contribute yours today.

Swayambunath (The Monkey Temple)

  • 4 out of 5 stars by Mutt from Ankara, Turkey
  • January 4, 2026
Quote: High on a hill west of Kathmandu stands a dazzling white stupa. This shrine is dedicated to Swayambhu, the self-created, all-encompassing original Buddha, who is Buddhist equivalent of the creator god. Two hundred thousand years ago, the valley... Read the full Swayambunath review

From journal Sacred Sites of the Kathmandu Valley

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Swayambunath - The Monkey Temple

  • 4 out of 5 stars by stevepage from dundee, United Kingdom
  • November 15, 2025
Quote: Perched high on a hill to the west of Kathmandu - about a thirty minute walk - is this temple, approached by a long flight of stairs, supposedly 365 stairs, but who counts them as they get steeper and steeper as you near the top. At the bottom of... Read the full Swayambunath review

From journal Sights and Sounds of Kathmandu

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Kathmandu, Swayambhunath, Balaju

  • 3 out of 5 stars by Ozzy-Dave from Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
  • January 2, 2026
Quote: THE BRIEFSix kilometres along flat terrain, with a steep climb up to Swayambhunath. From Kathmandu's Durbar Square, cross the western part of the city and the Bagmati River, climbing up to the Monkey Temple. At the bottom of the temple turn... Read the full Swayambunath review

From journal Not Trekking in Nepal

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Swayambhunath (Monkey Temple)

  • 4 out of 5 stars by Leesa from Brighton, United Kingdom
  • December 20, 2025
Quote: I don’t know why, but Swayambhunath as described in the guidebook just didn’t do anything for me. After repeated temples in Asia maybe it was temple overload, or the knowledge of how unfathomable it would all be. Even as you approach Swayambhunath... Read the full Swayambunath review

From journal Kathmandu

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Swayambunath

  • 4 out of 5 stars by Alan Ingram from GLASGOW, Scotland
  • July 13, 2025
Quote: Known also as the "Monkey Temple" due to the hordes of monkeys frequenting the temple and its surroundings, the huge stupa of Swayambunath perched high on a hilltop on the outskirts of Kathmandu provides a fine outlook over the city and the great... Read the full Swayambunath review

From journal Sanctuary at the Top of the World

Swayambunath

  • 4 out of 5 stars by allain from paris, France
  • September 21, 2025
Quote: In the afternoon (weather is better no mist) you could visit the hill of Swayambunath, 3 km outside the city. On the hill's top, a huge stupa looks after the valley. There is a stairway with 365 steps (one per day of the year). A stupa is a kind of... Read the full Swayambunath review

From journal the ways of Kathmandu