Swayambunath, otherwise known as The Monkey Temple is one of my favorite places to visit when I’m staying in Kathmandu. Over the years it’s become a ritual! Most of my visits are early in the morning just before sunrise, which means a 5:30am wake-up before hopping into a taxi for a 10 minute ride.

With the current fuel crisis in the country and the cost of taxis sky-rocketing I decided to walk one afternoon from Thamel, the tourist ghetto of the city, where I almost always stay, to the temple, about a 30-35 minute journey.

Join me on an interesting adventure full of encounters with sacred cows, holy rivers, and of course, the stars of the temple, the monkeys!