Pharping Monastery, Asura Cave & Ancient Kirtipur City Tour

I had a wonderful experience with this tour. Shankar was an excellent guide. He provided a wealth of information and answered all of my questions. I was picked up from my Airbnb and everything was organized for me. As a solo traveller this was perfect for me. I completely recommend this special tour to others.

Shankar made this amazing recommendation to set off earlier at 8am to visit Guru Rinpoche’s retreat first. Along the way we stopped to look at the hil that Manjushri cut into half to let the water out and the pond where the Naga had to shift to. Highlights of the trip was the amazing hike that Shankar suggested so that we might experience the forest as we went from the first cave where Guru Rinpoche attained enlightenment to the one where he conquered the ausuras. Such an amazing trail which was well maintained. Probably a moderate hike, recommend sneakers. We were able to sit and meditate while the lamas chanted. Really unique experience. Then we went to the stone where green Tara and Ganesha sprung from the stone . And final stop was the cave were guru Rinpoche went to Tibet and Varjayogini’s temple. Then cos I wanted to have Newari food, Sujan, our driver drove us to Sasa and we had an amazing traditional food.

Overall, the solo trip was okay and well organized. The quotation process was very fast, and the price quoted was at a reasonable market rate. Communication was smooth from the beginning, which made planning the trip easy. The tour lasted about 6.5 - 7 hours, and the driver and guide arranged the schedule according to my preferences for the day. They were flexible with the itinerary, allowing me to spend more time at places I enjoyed and skip activities I wanted to opt out of. The itinerary included places around Pharping and Sankhu such as Pharping Monastery, Yangleshö Cave, Asura Cave, Vajrayogini Temple, Bajrayogini Temple, and Milarepa Cave. The private transportation with hotel pickup and drop-off was okay, and the overall service was satisfactory for the price. One small suggestion would be to stop at a more affordable local restaurant for lunch instead of Sakwo Resort, as the food prices there were quite high compared to other nearby options. Overall, it was a smooth and reasonably priced solo experience around Kathmandu.

The guide was extremely knowledgeable about the Buddhist faith. We also had the chance of meditating in a cave which was certainly a memorable experience.

A great coverage with Raj (our guide) and Suzan (our driver) to see the traditions and temples of Buddhism and Hinduism .. the tour gave us time for a little meditation too which is what we were after. Raj had a great breadth of knowledge and our driver was very skilled too 😁. Arrangement was flexible and professional.

Great experience learned lots about history, culture, Buddhism , Hinduism. This is a great introduction to Kathmandu and the Nepal.

Half day very pleasant. The visit to a working monastery is impressive. Thanks to Dipesh for his explanations. Without him I would never have dared to enter for fear of disturbing religious activities. The walk in Kirtipur is peaceful.

We were on an excellent tour, our guide was very friendly and competent.

The tour was great. I was picked up right at the hotel and given a bottle of water. The tour lasted about five and a half hours. We visited many temples and monasteries, and my guide, Shankar Bhattarai, told me a lot about the history and religions of Nepal. Our driver, Sujan, navigated us confidently through the traffic. I can 100% recommend this tour.

Depess was an excellent guide and I really enjoyed this tour. Pharping was about a 45 minute drive from the center of Kathmandu. It was a peaceful escape from the noise of Kathmandu.