Nepal day 2: Kathmandu. Swayambhunath Temple

Submitted by maria on Fri, 15/12/2023 - 11:14

Doha's Hamad International Airport has undergone a major change since the 2022 World Cup.

Swayambhunath

It has undergone a major expansion and even has a large indoor garden, children's activities and a myriad of shops and restaurants that remind us a lot of Dubai.

Our flight to Kathmandu leaves on time, 6 hours later we arrive at Tribhuvan International Airport in the Nepalese capital. Tribhuvan airport has two terminals, one domestic and one international, and is quite small, although it has all the services.

Kathmandu

To enter Nepal you need a visa (in this link we show you different options to get one). As we have not applied for it previously, you have to do it on arrival once you get to the airport.

Before going to the immigration counter, you have to enter your details on an official Nepalese immigration department website. At the airport there are computers located on the right hand side of the first hall. If you want to avoid this procedure, we recommend that you do it online beforehand from Spain by following this link Online Services.

Once you have filled in the forms, you have to print them out or take a photo of the screen (if the printer is not working, as was our case) to return to the immigration desk and make the payment. Payment can be made in dollars or euros, but always in cash. The problem with paying in euros is that the change is given in rupees and is not always good, so it is better to pay in dollars. In our case, we applied for a visa for 3 weeks and had to pay 50$/pax for one month.

Kathmandu

Next to the immigration counter you have an ATM and a bank if you want to change currency, although the exchange rate is good (139 rupees per euro in 2023), it charges a 3.7% fee, so we advise you to change only what is essential and change the rest in Thamel.

Once you have finished your formalities you have to go through immigration control and collect your luggage.

Before leaving the airport we bought the Namaste SIM card, recommended by Dipendra from our agency, a 35 gigabyte 4G card for 30 days for 1,200 rupees, which gave us coverage up to almost 4,000 metres above sea level.

If you are trekking above 4,000 metres it is advisable to buy an Everestlink card to complement the Namaste, as above 4,000 metres the prices for wifi and other services are quite expensive and sometimes do not work properly.

Kathmandu

How to get to Kathmandu from the airport

On foot. You can walk to Thamel in an hour and a half, but be aware that Kathmandu is a very busy city and you'll need to be brave to cross certain avenues.

Bus. There is a bus stop outside the airport about 300 metres away on the main road, it costs about 25 rupees/pax but it's about a 10 minute walk to Thamel. They don't have a fixed timetable, they leave when they fill up and can take anywhere from an hour upwards, bear in mind that traffic in Kathmandu is tricky.

Taxi. These are pre-paid taxis, booked at the counter next to the airport exit lifts. A taxi from the airport to Thamel is 700 rupees (5€). You can always go outside the airport and negotiate with unofficial taxis, the price is sure to be half that.

We finally took a taxi as our hotel was located outside Thamel for 1,000 rupees (7€) and it took about 20 minutes to get there.

Kathmandu

We stayed at Shine Homestay Famille Francophone, a family-run hostel in a new building with all amenities, a 10-minute walk from Thamel. We were so comfortable that we extended our booking for two more nights after the trek.

The double room with bathroom cost us 16$/night, with towels and a small balcony. At the top of the building there are two common terraces with amazing views of the city, ideal for yoga, reading or having a coffee.

Rabina and her husband, the owners, are very friendly and helpful and will help you in any way they can. They live in the same building with their family and are always ready to offer you a cup of tea or coffee. They have a laundry service. Breakfast was not available during our stay.

Roof top

The main street (like many others in Kathmandu) is dirt but they were working on asphalting it. It is located in a much cheaper neighbourhood than Thamel and has all the services, shops, supermarket, restaurants and a small bakery where we enjoyed having breakfast.

In Fresh Bake you can have a blue tea from Darjeeling (an area of India very famous for the quality of its teas) that is brutal, not to mention their pastries (they also have savoury ones) and cakes that they bake themselves in the shop. A highly recommended and very economical place, they also have delivery.

Fresh Bake

Swayambhunath Temple

We rest in the room for a while and walk to what is known as the Swayambhunath Temple or Monkey Temple because of the large family of rather cheeky and thieving macaques that live nearby. Watch out for them, they are a bit aggressive.

Swayambhunath

It is about 40 minutes walk from Thamel. You will probably be approached by several people offering their services as guides, some of whom even speak some English.

Swayambhunath Temple is located on top of a hill which you can access from the western entrance, where the tour buses park, or from the eastern entrance, where you will have to climb over 300 steps while trying to keep the monkeys away from you, and once at the top the views of the city are spectacular.

Swayambhunath

Monkeys

This Buddhist temple with 5th century Hindu iconography is one of the greatest architectural jewels of the Kathmandu Valley and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979. Entrance costs 200 rupees/pax for foreigners.

The best time to visit is at sunset or sunrise when faithful devotees perform their pujas (offerings), read, chant and spin the prayer wheels (always clockwise) while praying their mantras.

Swayambhunath

This religious complex consists of a large central stupa with the eyes of the all-seeing Buddha and the number 1 in Nepali for the unity of all things. The four sides of the base of the dome are decorated with 13 levels representing the path to enlightenment.

You will also find a small Tibetan monastery, a museum, a library and several souvenir shops, a pilgrimage site and tourist destination.

Views

We take a taxi back to Thamel for 500 rupees from the base of the stairs. We find this a very exorbitant price for a mere 10-minute ride.

Thamel is the backpacker quarter of Kathmandu. Intricate alleyways lead you to little oases in the form of gardens or courtyards where you can escape the noisy Nepalese traffic.

We walk around Thamel. It has all the services, including a pharmacy. We asked in two of them for Diamox for altitude sickness, in the end we bought it at Safeway Thamel Pharmacy on Paknajol Marg 16, at half the price of the other one we asked in the neighbourhood. They don't sell you the whole box, they sell it separately (200 rupees/blister).

Thamel

We had dinner at the Takhali Bhanccha restaurant in Thamel. Chicken Momos (dumplings) and Takhali set, a traditional Nepalese dish similar to dal bhat with rice, lentil soup, potatoes, chard, cucumber, a fried chapati and yoghurt sauce, water and a soft drink, for 740 rupees both. It was not bad, but although we ordered it not spicy, it was quite spicy.