The 15 Best Swayambhunath Tours in Kathmandu

1.Chandragiri Cable Car and Monkey Temple Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 139 reviews · 5 hours · from $3Our pick

Ride Chandragiri’s cable car, taste Nepali momos, visit Bhaleshwor Mahadev Temple and explore Kathmandu’s Monkey Temple with a private guide.

“From all the tours we ever got, this trip was one of the most enjoyable experiences. Guide and driver arrived on time, both spoke excellent English, car was immaculately clean. Our tour guide was very knowledgable and filled us in on many facts and stories in connection to our chosen tour. Throughout the day he was very patient and understanding, tailored the tour according to our interest and physical ability, gave us time to look around and take pictures. There was no overwhelming feeling of being rushed. The day went at our pace and we felt heard as well as entertained. An overall amazing experience that left us with beautiful…”

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2.Monkey Temple – Swayambhunath Tour – Private/Small Group

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 50 reviews · from $15Top rated

Explore Swayambhunath with a local guide on a small-group walk through Kathmandu temples, legends, hilltop views, and Buddhist and Hindu shrines.

“Amazing walking tour! We covered so much of Kathmandu and saw a ton. I’m a solo female traveler and felt totally safe. The guide was super knowledgeable and really took the time to explain what we were seeing. Highly recommend, especially if you are short on time.”

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3.Chandragiri Cable Car & Monkey Temple Tour- Private/Group

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 32 reviews · 5.5 hours · from $5

Ride Chandragiri’s cable car, visit Bhaleshwor Mahadev and Swayambhunath, and enjoy Himalayan views, lunch, hotel pickup, and a guide.

“The guide was very informative and giving us encouragement to try the activities existing at the chandragiri hills. The best.”

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4.Private Chandragiri Cable Car and The Monkey Temple Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 30 reviews · from $5

Ride Chandragiri Cable Car to a hilltop temple, then visit Swayambhunath for Kathmandu views, shrines, and a taste of Nepalese faith.

“We recommend this trip highly for those looking for a nice half day trip with a fun cable car ride, nice views of the city and surrounding hills and several interesting temple visits. On a day with less haze, views of the Himalayas would have beRead more”

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5.Guided Walking Tour with Monkey Temple

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 18 reviews · from $15

Walk from Kathmandu’s Garden of Dreams to Durbar Square and the Monkey Temple with a local guide for $15 per person.

“Die Tour war sehr interessant! Ich würde sie jedem weiterempfehlen!”

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6.Kathmandu Chandrigiri Hill Cable Car & Monkey Temple UNESCO Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 16 reviews · from $48

Ride the Chandragiri cable car to a hilltop Shiva temple, then visit Swayambhunath, a monastery, and a thangka school in Kathmandu.

“As usual, ride was on time. Our guide was very knowledgeable about the areas we visited. He also spoke English very well and made us feel very welcome by answering all our questions. A wonderful day!”

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7.Chandragiri Cable Car Ride & Monkey Temple Tour – Private/Group

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 13 reviews · from $5

Ride the Chandragiri cable car, visit Bhaleshwor Mahadev and Swayambhunath, and see Kathmandu Valley on a practical half-day tour.

“Perfect way to see Chandragiri and skip the queue. Punam was my guide and she did a great job with communication and explaining everything on the tour. Great views of the Himalayas too”

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8.Private Half-Day Tour of Kathmandu Durbar Square and Swayambhunath Temple

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 11 reviews · from $47

See Kathmandu’s Durbar Square and Swayambhunath in four private hours, with hotel pickup, an English-speaking guide, transport, and valley views.

“My guide's name was Bishnu, who is a Nepali national, and grew up in Kathmandu. The tour was separated into two parts: Durbar Square and Swayambunath Stupa. Bishnu picked me up in my hotel, and we started our way to Durbar, whiRead more”

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9.Kirtipur & Swayambhu Trip from Kathmandu: Local Eats and Drinks

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 8 reviews · from $80

Visit Swayambhunath and Kirtipur from Kathmandu with a private guide, Newari food, local beer, Himalayan spirits, and hotel pickup.

“We were picked up on time at our hotel by Bijay the driver and Ananta the guide. Both were friendly, informative and helpful. We visited a beautiful statue/temple and a Hindu blessing place then off to Kirtipur which was beautiful ,nterestinRead more”

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10.Chandragiri Cable Car, and Swayambhu

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 7 reviews · 4.5 hours · from $77

Ride the Chandragiri cable car from Kathmandu for Himalayan views, temple visits, tea, and a private guide, with hotel pickup included.

“We had an amazing morning visiting Chandragiri with our guide and driver. Many interesting stories of ancient history to the happenings now in Nepal were shared with us to understand the rich and varied culture of the Nepalese people and how they live together in relative harmony. Views from the top of the word are stunning and a bit humbling. This is a definite must on a trip to Kathmandu! Highly recommend for all ages!!!”

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11.Chandragiri Cable Car & Monkey Temple Private Guided Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 5 reviews · from $55

Review of Kathmandu’s Chandragiri Cable Car and Monkey Temple tour, with Himalayan views, private transport, guide tips, costs, and practical advice.

“Prakash, the tour guide was very professional, friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable. I was notified as the tour company learnt that the cable car wasn't in operation yet and they offered 2 alternative options. We chose kirtipur as a replacement and it turned out to be very nice experience - seeing real life of Nepalis and visiting few more temples.”

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12.Visit Swayambhunath and Bauddhanath Stupa with Guide

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 5 reviews · from $50

Visit Kathmandu’s Swayambhunath and Boudhanath stupas by private car with an English-speaking guide, hotel pickup, and flexible cancellation.

“I had a wonderful time. I liked the arrangement of the company. The guide was very congenial, and he was well informed about the sites. The tour was informative and full of joy.”

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13.Chandragiri cable car & Swayambhunath Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 4 reviews · 7 hours · from $115

Ride Chandragiri’s cable car, visit Bhaleshwor Mahadev Temple, and explore Kathmandu’s monkey-filled Swayambhunath with a private guide.

“Our guide was friendly, but unfortunatfly, he was not able to tell us anything about the places we went to or answer any questions. There was no added value of having the guide with us.”

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14.Kopan Monastery, Swayambhu and Boudha Nath Stupa Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 4 reviews · from $70

Visit Kopan Monastery, Boudhanath, and Swayambhunath with a private guide, hotel transport, entry fees, and time for a rooftop lunch.

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15.Swayambhu and Kathmandu Durbar Square Half Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 4 reviews · from $65

Explore Swayambhu and Kathmandu Durbar Square in four hours with hotel transfers, entry fees, a private vehicle, and a local guide.

“This tour is perfect for a taste of Kathmandu. My guide Pankaj was very informative and fun. He was able to give us a lot of knowledge of Hindu and Buddhist culture in a half day trip. The monkey temple and the palace were very cool spots to visit in Kathmandu.”

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