Most guests discover the monasteries by accident — a walk that started as a stretch of the legs and ended somewhere quiet and unexpected. That is, if they discover them at all. Kathmandu is not a city that surfaces its treasures easily.
Uma sits within fifteen minutes of four significant Tibetan Buddhist monasteries. That proximity is not incidental to the property — it is, in many ways, the reason the property is where it is. This is a guide to visiting them with some intention, and a little context for those coming without any.
Triten Norbutse
The oldest of the four in spirit if not in its current form, Triten Norbutse belongs to the Bön tradition — Tibet’s pre-Buddhist spiritual practice, now rare outside Nepal. The monastery sits on the ridge with a long view across the valley, and mornings here are extraordinarily still. Arrive before eight if you can.
Prayer flags at dawn. The view from the courtyard extends across the full width of the valley on a clear morning.
Tergar Osel Ling
Founded by Mingyur Rinpoche, Tergar is an active teaching and retreat center as much as a monastery. The main prayer hall is open to visitors during non-retreat periods, and the grounds are well kept and calm. If you are interested in sitting practice, a staff member at Uma can help inquire about visiting schedules.
Phuntsok Choeling
The smallest and least visited of the four. Phuntsok Choeling is of the Nyingma tradition and draws fewer tourists, which makes it the quietest to sit in. A fifteen-minute walk from Uma through a residential lane that smells of woodsmoke in the cooler months.
Druk Amitabha
A nuns’ monastery of the Drukpa lineage, Druk Amitabha is perhaps the most photographed of the four — its white pagoda rising above the treeline is visible from parts of the property. The nuns practise kung fu as part of their spiritual discipline, and if timing aligns, early mornings sometimes offer a glimpse of this from the outer courtyard.
A Few Practical Things
Dress covers shoulders and knees — this applies to all four. Remove shoes before entering any prayer hall. Photography inside is generally not welcome unless you ask first, and asking takes thirty seconds and is always appreciated. The phrase “Tashi Delek” — a Tibetan greeting meaning something close to “auspicious greetings” — will be met with warmth at all four.
Uma’s team can arrange a guided morning walk to two or three of the monasteries with a local guide who knows the traditions. Ask at reception the evening before.