Overview
This tour builds to the evening aarti at Pashupatinath, Nepal's holiest Hindu temple, after an afternoon at the great stupa of Boudhanath. You start at Boudhanath, one of the largest stupas in the world and the heart of Tibetan Buddhism in the valley, then move to the temple complex and ghats of Pashupatinath on the Bagmati river. As dusk falls, priests perform the aarti on the riverbank, a ceremony of lamps, bells and fire. Both are UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and seeing them as the day cools is the best time to visit.
The itinerary
- Afternoon pickup from your hotel
- Drive to Boudhanath, one of the largest stupas in the world
- Walk the kora around the stupa and take in the surrounding monasteries
- Drive to Pashupatinath, Nepal's holiest Hindu temple
- Explore the temple complex and the ghats along the Bagmati river
- Watch the evening aarti, a lamp and fire ceremony on the riverbank
- Drive back to your hotel
Things to carry
- Modest clothing for the temples
- A layer for the cooler evening
- Comfortable shoes for uneven ground
- A light rain layer in the monsoon
Good to know
Two sacred sites, ending in firelight
Some of Kathmandu's holiest places are best seen as the day winds down, and this half-day tour is built around that. It pairs Boudhanath, the great white stupa at the heart of Tibetan Buddhism in Nepal, with Pashupatinath, the country's most important Hindu temple, and times the visit so you end at the evening aarti on the banks of the Bagmati. It is a gentle, absorbing few hours that takes in two UNESCO World Heritage Sites and finishes with one of the city's most memorable rituals.
What the Pashupatinath aarti tour covers
The tour runs about four hours in the afternoon and evening. You begin at Boudhanath, where you can walk the circuit around the stupa and look into the monasteries around it, then drive to Pashupatinath to explore the temple complex and the ghats along the river. As dusk falls, you take your place on the east bank for the aarti. Your guide handles the timing so you are in the right place as the ceremony begins, and explains the customs at both sites. For a fuller daytime tour of the same shrines, our Patan, Boudhanath and Pashupatinath day tour adds Patan Durbar Square.
Boudhanath, the great stupa
Boudhanath is one of the largest stupas anywhere and the spiritual centre of the valley's Tibetan and Sherpa communities. Pilgrims circle it clockwise, turning the prayer wheels set into its base, and the streets around it are full of monasteries, thangka workshops and rooftop cafes looking onto the dome. Arriving in the afternoon lets you feel the rhythm of the place before the crowds thin and the butter lamps are lit at nightfall.
The evening aarti at Pashupatinath
Pashupatinath is Nepal's holiest Shiva temple, spread along both banks of the Bagmati, with the cremation ghats that make it one of the most important places in the Hindu world. Only Hindus enter the main courtyard, but the wider complex is open to all, and the evening aarti is performed in the open on the riverbank where everyone can watch. Priests move lamps and fire in slow arcs to bells and chanting as the light goes, reflected in the river below. It is solemn, beautiful and unlike anything else in the city.
Who it suits and good to know
This tour suits anyone drawn to culture, ritual and photography, and it works well for families, couples and solo travellers alike. Dress modestly for the temples, bring a layer for the cooler evening, and wear comfortable shoes for the uneven ground around the ghats. Be respectful around worshippers and the cremation areas, where your guide will show you where photography is and is not appropriate. To see these sites alongside the other great monuments of the valley, our seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites day tour covers them all in a day.
