Where to Meditate in Kathmandu Before a Trek

First impressions of Kathmandu are horns, dust and tangled wires. It does not look like a place to find stillness. But this valley has been a centre of Buddhist and Hindu practice for well over a thousand years, and the quiet is there — you just have to know which gate to walk through, and at what hour.

Most trekkers have one or two days in the city before a trek, spent on permits, kit and a briefing. An early morning or a free afternoon is enough to sit somewhere remarkable. This guide covers the places worth your limited time, in order of how easy they are to reach from a Thamel hotel.

How Much Time Do You Need?

Remember what the day is for. You are about to walk for two weeks. Keep it gentle, stay hydrated, and leave time for the practical errands in our guide to your first 48 hours in Kathmandu.

Boudhanath: The Dawn and Dusk Kora

The great stupa at Boudhanath is the centre of Tibetan Buddhism in Nepal and one of the largest stupas in the world. It sits about six kilometres north-east of Thamel — half an hour by taxi, more in traffic. A ring of monasteries, workshops and rooftop cafes surrounds it, and all day long people walk around it clockwise.

• At dawn the kora belongs to locals: elderly Tibetans with prayer beads, monks, people doing full-length prostrations on wooden boards. The air smells of juniper smoke and butter lamps. This is the hour to come.
• At dusk it is busier and more festive, with butter lamps lit along the base.
• What to do: join the flow and walk three, seven or more circuits at the pace of the crowd. Spin the prayer wheels set into the wall with your right hand. Then climb to the first terrace of the stupa, or a rooftop, and sit.
• The monasteries around the circle are open to visitors. Step in quietly; morning prayers are often under way.

Foreign visitors pay a small entry fee at the gate. If you have a free night before the trek, staying at Boudhanath rather than Thamel changes the whole character of your time in the city. It is also a stop on our Kathmandu day tour and the seven World Heritage sites tour; the background is in our guide to the valley's UNESCO sites.

Kopan Monastery

Kopan stands on a hill a short drive north of Boudhanath, with a view across the whole valley. It was founded in the early 1970s by Lama Thubten Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche, and it has been teaching Tibetan Buddhism to Westerners ever since — it is where a great many foreigners first learned to meditate.

• Day visits: the grounds, gardens and main prayer hall are open to visitors at set hours. There is a cafe and a bookshop.
• Courses: Kopan runs residential introductory courses of roughly a week to ten days through much of the year, and a well-known month-long course each November.
• Atmosphere: organised, English-speaking and welcoming to beginners. Several hundred monks live and study here, and the routine of the monastery continues around you.
• Practicalities: the monastery sometimes closes to day visitors during large courses and ceremonies, so check before you go. Dress modestly.

For a half day, combine a dawn kora at Boudhanath with a mid-morning visit to Kopan. You can walk between the two in under an hour through lanes and fields.

Swayambhunath at First Light

Swayambhunath — the hilltop stupa west of the city, known to visitors as the Monkey Temple — is the closest major site to Thamel, about three kilometres away. By mid-morning it is crowded. At sunrise it is a place of practice.

• Climb the long eastern stairway of 365 steps as the light comes up; it is a good test of trekking legs.
• Locals circle the base of the whole hill, spinning the hundreds of prayer wheels set into the wall.
• At the top, the valley lies below in haze and the monasteries beside the stupa begin morning prayers.
• The monkeys are bold. Carry no food in your hands and keep bags closed.

Swayambhunath is sacred to both Buddhists and Hindus, and the mix of shrines at the top reflects that. It is the easiest option if you have only an hour and a half before breakfast.

Pharping: Guru Rinpoche's Caves

Pharping is a village on the southern rim of the valley, about nineteen kilometres and an hour's drive from Kathmandu. It is one of the most important pilgrimage sites of Vajrayana Buddhism: Guru Rinpoche, the eighth-century master who carried Buddhism to Tibet, is said to have meditated in two caves here.

• The Asura cave sits on the hillside above the village among strings of prayer flags, with a handprint in the rock beside the entrance. It is small, dim and lit by butter lamps; a few people can sit inside at a time.
• The Yangleshö cave lies below the village beside a pool.
• The monasteries on the hill house long-term retreatants. You will hear chanting from behind closed doors.
• The atmosphere is entirely different from the city sites: slow, devotional, visited far more by pilgrims than by tourists.

Sitting for twenty minutes in a cave that has been used for meditation for twelve centuries is an experience that needs no belief to appreciate. Our Pharping and Dakshinkali day tour pairs it with the Kali temple in the gorge below; more detail is in the Pharping guide.

Namo Buddha: A Night on a Hilltop

Namo Buddha lies about forty kilometres south-east of Kathmandu, one and a half to two hours by road. It marks the place where, in a well-known Jataka story, a prince who would later be reborn as the Buddha gave his own body to feed a starving tigress and her cubs. A small stupa marks the site, and above it stands the large Thrangu Tashi Yangtse monastery.

• The setting is a ridge at about 1,750 m with long Himalayan views on a clear morning.
• The monastery guesthouse takes visitors, with simple rooms and vegetarian meals. Staying overnight lets you attend the evening and early-morning prayers, when several hundred monks chant together.
• Walks along the ridge are quiet, and there is a classic day hike here from Dhulikhel.

One night at Namo Buddha is the best short pre-trek retreat within reach of the city, and at this modest altitude it is a gentle start for the legs too. See the Dhulikhel to Namo Buddha hike and our guide to it.

Quieter Options on the Valley Rim

The Vipassana centre at Budhanilkantha, on the northern edge of the valley below Shivapuri forest, runs ten-day silent courses on a donation basis. They must be booked well ahead and are best done after a trek rather than before — see meditation retreats in Nepal.

Etiquette at Monasteries and Shrines

• Walk clockwise around stupas, chortens and prayer wheels.
• Dress modestly: shoulders and knees covered.
• Remove shoes and hats before entering a prayer hall.
• Sit at the side or the back during prayers, never in the monks' rows. Do not point the soles of your feet at the shrine.
• Ask before photographing people, and never use flash inside. Many halls prohibit photography altogether.
• Do not touch monks' or nuns' heads, ritual objects or offerings.
• A small donation in the box is appropriate and appreciated.
• Silence your phone.
• Some Hindu temples — the inner shrine at Pashupatinath among them — are closed to non-Hindus. Respect the signs.

We Provide This Service: Pre-Trek Meditation in Kathmandu

Green Compass Treks arranges pre-trek meditation in Kathmandu for guests on any of our treks. Left to yourself, you would spend a precious morning working out taxis, opening hours and which monastery welcomes visitors. We do that part.

• A dawn visit to Boudhanath, Swayambhunath or Kopan with a guide who can explain what is happening and then leave you in peace.
• A guided session with a local meditation teacher — breathing, body scan, walking meditation — sized for your experience.
• A day trip to Pharping or an overnight at Namo Buddha, with transport and accommodation arranged.
• Everything timed around your trek briefing, permits and departure, so nothing is rushed.

It can be added to any itinerary that starts in Kathmandu — Everest Base Camp, Langtang Valley, Manaslu and the rest — and we arrange the matching post-trek session when you come back down. Contact us with your arrival date and we will suggest what fits.