Kopan Monastery

Kopan Monastery sits on a wooded hilltop about 2 km north of the Boudha Stupa, reached by a lane winding up through a residential neighbourhood. The monastery belongs to the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism and houses around 400 monks. The main temple is colourful and well-maintained; the meditation garden at the top of the hill has views across Kathmandu Valley.

Visitors are welcome to walk the grounds and enter the public areas of the main temple. The monastery runs regular meditation courses and retreat programmes open to foreigners — a month-long November course is the most famous, but shorter programmes are available throughout the year. Check their website for schedules. The walk up from Bodnath takes about 30 minutes through pleasant garden suburbs.

things to do sight
A story
Kopan is one of the most significant Tibetan Buddhist teaching monasteries outside Tibet, and has attracted Western students since the 1970s. The resident teacher Lama Zopa Rinpoche and the monastery's founders began offering month-long meditation and philosophy courses that drew seekers from Europe and North America — courses that still run today and have graduates on every continent.