Kopan Monastery
Perched on a hill just 2 kilometres north of Boudhanath, Kopan Monastery is the kind of place that travellers stumble upon and then quietly rearrange their entire itinerary around. Founded in 1969 by Lamas Thubten Yeshe and Zopa Rinpoche, it has grown into one of the most internationally attended centres for Tibetan Buddhism in the world — and yet it remains blissfully uncrowded on a weekday morni
A Working Monastery, Open to Visitors
Kopan is home to around 360 monks and nuns, many of them young Tibetan boys from across the Himalayan region, and the monastery hums with genuine monastic life rather than tourist performance. Day visitors are welcome to explore the grounds, remove shoes and enter the main shrine hall, browse the excellent dharma bookshop, observe morning puja sessions, and turn the giant prayer wheel in the prayer wheel house.
The decorated meditation halls, intricate murals and fluttering prayer flags across the hillside gardens create a visual feast, while the panoramic views of the Kathmandu Valley — with Boudhanath's white dome visible below — are among the finest you'll find without a serious hike.
Momos, Butter Tea & Meditation Courses
Even if spiritual practice isn't your motivation, the monastery's vegetarian café serves excellent momos and butter tea with that extraordinary valley view — a combination that is hard to beat anywhere in Nepal. The café terrace is a genuinely peaceful spot to sit, read and decompress after the sensory overload of Kathmandu's streets.
For those seeking something deeper, Kopan runs meditation courses and Buddhist study retreats throughout the year. The famous November 10-day course typically fills months in advance, but shorter programmes run regularly and are open to complete beginners. Register through the official Kopan website (kopanmonastery.com) well ahead of your travel dates.
Kopan Monastery on video
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