Swyambhunath lies about 3 km west of the city center, and is one of the major tourist attraction sites inside the Kathmandu valley. Located on the top of a small hill, the stupa commands a magnificient view of Kathmandu valley as well as the breathtaking panorama of the north-eastern Himalayan range. The stupa is believed to be built back in 250 B.C., is one of the holiest Buddhist shrines in Nepal, and is remarked as another world heritage sites by UNESCO.

The holy structure with a thirteen tiered golden spire in conical shape surmounted over the big white dome which represents the spotless pure jewel of Nirvana stands over a typically stylized lotus mandala base is believed to be originated

from a primordial lake whose establishment is linked to the creation of the Kathmandu Valley. The stupa has four faces with a pair of seeing eyes of Buddha painted on each. There are hundreds of shrines and other historical monuments built in and around this stupa.

There are two different ways to reach for this site. One is from the west side which is relatively a short cut and another is from the east side where it leads to the main entrance with 360 steps leading all the way to the top.