Swayambhunath: The 365 Steps and What Waits Above

Swayambhunath sits on a hill west of the city centre and is reached by a stone stairway of 365 steps — one for every day of the year, and considerably more on the way up.

The stairway

The main approach is from the east. The steps are steep, uneven, and shared with pilgrims, monkeys and people selling prayer flags. There is also a road to the top if you are short of time or breath, though it removes the point of the place.

The climb takes fifteen to twenty minutes at an unhurried pace. The first landing, about two-thirds of the way up, has the best view of the stupa before you arrive at it — and most people walk straight past without turning round.

The monkeys

The macaques here are bold, accustomed to people, and entirely willing to take a bag of crisps out of your hand. They will also go into open backpacks.

Zip everything, hold your water bottle, and do not feed them, no matter how well it is going.

Zip the bag before the first step, not after the first monkey.

The stupa itself

At the top, the whitewashed dome carries a gilded cube with the painted eyes, and above it the thirteen rings of the spire — the same mandala form as Boudhanath, on a smaller and older structure. Swayambhunath is the older of the two, and the site is reputed to be among the oldest religious sites in the valley.

Circumambulate clockwise, as at Boudhanath. There are also shrines on the plateau behind the stupa, quieter and almost always empty of visitors.

The view, and the hour

The hill gives the best wide view of the valley available inside the city. On a clear winter morning you can see the Langtang range and, on the best days, Ganesh Himal.

Come for sunrise, or an hour before sunset. The middle of the day is hot, crowded and hazy.

There is an entry fee for visitors, collected at the base of the eastern stairway. Allow ninety minutes including the climb.