Dakshinkali Temple vs Swayambhunath (Monkey Temple)
Two temples in Kathmandu. Dakshinkali Temple has 3 tickets and tours to book; Swayambhunath (Monkey Temple) has 13 tickets and tours to book. The table and the two notes below put them side by side; the full pages have what to see, the ticket and the timing for each.
There is no ticket for Dakshinkali: entry to the temple grounds is free, and Hindu worshippers pay only for their own offerings and, if they bring an animal, for the services of the butcher-priests. What is sold online are half-day and full-day trips from Kathmandu by private car or van with a driver and an English-speaking guide, since the temple lies about 20 km south of the city at the far end of the valley and is awkward to reach by public transport.
The most common route pairs the temple with the village of Pharping just above it, where the Asura Cave and several Tibetan monasteries mark the place where Padmasambhava is said to have meditated, and with the old Newar hill town of Kirtipur on the way back.
Swayambhunath needs no advance ticket. Foreign visitors pay a modest fee at a booth on the way up, local worshippers go in free, and the stupa platform is open from before dawn until after dark. What is sold online is the company of a guide and the logistics of getting across Kathmandu, which is worth having if this is your first day in the valley.
The shortest option is a guided walk that starts in Thamel and climbs to the stupa on foot, a good way to understand how close the hill sits to the old city. Half-day city tours usually pair the stupa with Kathmandu Durbar Square or the National Museum, while full-day heritage tours add Patan and Bhaktapur, or Kirtipur, and include a private car, a licensed guide and sometimes lunch;
