Kathmandu Day Tour

As it’s a day tour, we will be visiting four places as defined below and returning to our place later in the night. The four major attractions of the tour are described below.

Swayambhunath Temple (The Monkey Temple):
This temple is up on a small hill called Swayambhu. People call it the Monkey Temple because many monkeys live there. It’s very old, more than 2000 years old. To reach the top, you need to climb lots of steep stairs, but the view of the big Stupa at the top is really nice. There are old statues, temples, paintings, and prayer wheels all around. You can also read about the old times in some ancient books. It’s a calm and quiet place where people sit and relax or meditate. Also, from the top of the hill, you can see the whole Kathmandu valley.

Pashupatinath Temple:
Pashupatinath Temple is the most important place for Hindus, and it’s close to the Bagmati River. This temple is all about Lord Shiva, who is a top god in Hinduism, and it was built around the 5th century. The temple looks like a pagoda, with gold on top and silver on the doors, and it has carvings of gods in wood. There are also other temples made of stone and wood around the main one, and nearby, there are places called ashrams where people can stay. People come here to do Hindu ceremonies and pray to Lord Shiva for good health and happiness in their families. You can also see things like birth and death ceremonies because they’re important in Hindu culture. During special Hindu festivals like Shivaratri, Shrawn, and Teej, lots of people from Nepal and India come here to celebrate and pray.

Boudhanath Stupa:
Boudhanath Stupa in Nepal is the largest Buddhist Stupa. It was built a very long time ago, around 590 to 604 BCE, by someone named Siva Deca. Many tourists and Buddhist pilgrims come here, especially those who follow Tibetan Buddhism. The Stupa is special because it’s designed like a “Mandala” and is divided into sections that show different parts of Buddhism. When you visit, you’ll see lots of prayer wheels at the bottom and colorful prayer flags at the top. The air smells nice because of the Buddhist incense sticks. Nearby, you can find nice hotels, cafes, and shops. The rooftop places are great for a good view of the Stupa. Furthermore, trying the local snack called ” Khapse” and Buddhist butter milk tea will be a fun experience.

Patan Durbar Square:
Patan Durbar Square is right in the middle of Lalitpur city. It’s one of the three UNESCO World Heritage Durbar Squares. This square is full of old buildings and monuments from the Malla dynasty, and it was built in the Newari style. You can see Newari-style houses, temples, idols, and monuments all over the square. Patan is one of the oldest Buddhist cities, and people from different ethnic groups have been living here for hundreds of years. In the Durbar Square, there’s also a museum with old stuff like artifacts, statues, paintings, coins, wood carvings, and writings from the Malla period and even earlier times.