Route
Valley pilgrimage of great stupas and Newar–Tibetan Buddhist life — often joined with a journey to Lumbini.
Swayambhunath and Boudhanath are daily kora landscapes for local and Himalayan Buddhists. Many international pilgrims add Lumbini, the Buddha’s birthplace, on the same Nepal itinerary.
8 mapped anchors on the circuit.
1SwayambhunathNepalThe “Monkey Temple” — hilltop stupa watching over the Kathmandu Valley.Swayambhunath → Boudhanath· ~7 km / 4 mi
2BoudhanathNepalEnormous mandala stupa and living Tibetan Buddhist neighborhood in Kathmandu.Boudhanath → Golden Temple (Patan)· ~6 km / 4 mi
3Golden Temple (Patan)NepalHiranya Varna Mahavihar — Newar Buddhist courtyard monastery in Patan’s old city.Golden Temple (Patan) → Pashupatinath· ~5 km / 3 mi
4PashupatinathNepalNepal’s foremost Shiva temple on the Bagmati — a UNESCO Kathmandu Valley shrine.Pashupatinath → Kopan Monastery· ~4 km / 2 mi
5Kopan MonasteryNepalHilltop Gelug monastery above the Kathmandu Valley, known for introductory courses.Kopan Monastery → Pharping· ~18 km / 11 mi
6PharpingNepalValley town of caves and monasteries linked to Padmasambhava’s practice sites.Pharping → Namo Buddha· ~31 km / 19 mi
7Namo BuddhaNepalHilltop monastery southeast of Kathmandu — site of the Buddha’s legendary body-offering jātaka.
8LumbiniNepalBirthplace of Siddhartha Gautama — the starting point of the Buddha’s life and of the classical pilgrimage circuit.
