Kopan Monastery: Courses, Stays & How to Book

What Is Kopan Monastery?

Kopan Monastery is a Tibetan Buddhist monastery of the Gelug school on a hilltop above Boudha in northeast Kathmandu, founded in 1969 by Lama Thubten Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche. It belongs to the FPMT (Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition), the international network the two lamas established, and it is home to a large community of monks, with its sister nunnery, Khachoe Ghakyil, just below the hill.

Among Western visitors Kopan holds a particular place: it was one of the first monasteries in Nepal to teach Buddhism to international students in English, and half a century later that is still its daily work.

Can You Stay at Kopan?

Yes. Kopan welcomes visitors in three ways: structured meditation courses with accommodation included, individual guesthouse stays between courses for quiet study and rest, and simple day visits to the hilltop and gompa. Course participants get priority when the calendar is full, and every guest, day or overnight, follows the monastery's conduct rules while on the hill. How this works across the country, from costs to etiquette, is covered in our guide to monastery stays in Nepal; Kopan is simply the best-known door.

What Courses Does Kopan Run?

The calendar centres on introductory courses that assume no background in Buddhism. Formats change by year, so treat this as the shape rather than the timetable, and check the current schedule when you plan:

Course fees cover teaching, accommodation, and vegetarian meals; current rates are published with the schedule on the monastery's website. There is no charge to visit the hilltop for the day.

What Is Daily Life Like?

Kopan runs on a monastic clock, and guests live inside it. The day starts early: the monastery wakes before dawn, and course mornings begin with guided meditation before breakfast. Teaching sessions fill the mid-morning and afternoon, with discussion groups on course days and personal time otherwise. Meals are vegetarian, taken together in the dining hall. Evenings close with a final session and quiet hours; the hilltop is silent by night.

Conduct is straightforward and explained on arrival: modest dress that covers shoulders and knees, shoes off in the gompa, no alcohol or smoking on monastery grounds, and phone use kept out of teaching and practice spaces. During courses, periods of silence are part of the structure. None of it is demanding; all of it is the point.

How Do You Book Kopan?

Directly with the monastery, through its website at kopanmonastery.com, where the course calendar, guesthouse availability, and current rates are published. Booking is straightforward: choose a course or stay dates, apply through the site, and wait for the monastery's confirmation.

Two honest notes. First, the November course fills months ahead every year; if it is the reason you are coming to Nepal, book it before your flights. Second, we take no commission on Kopan or any monastery stay, and there is nothing to book through us here. This guide exists because you will need it, and because a traveller who is well matched to Kopan should simply go to Kopan.

What Else Is on That Hill Country?

Kopan sits inside Kathmandu's Buddhist landscape rather than apart from it. The great stupa at Boudhanath, ringed by monasteries and pilgrims walking the kora, is directly below the hill and pairs naturally with a Kopan visit. Namo Buddha, one of Nepal's holiest Buddhist sites, lies a half-day southeast; the cave-retreat valley of Pharping sits across the city to the southwest. Many visitors string these together into a slow, contemplative week.

Kopan Course or Vipassana Center?

The two most common structured introductions to meditation in Nepal make different offers. Kopan teaches within a tradition: philosophy, guided meditation, questions welcome, community around you. A Goenka Vipassana course teaches one silent technique on a fixed ten-day format: no books, no talking, no fees beyond donation. Neither is the lighter option; they are different disciplines. If the silent path is calling, our Vipassana in Nepal guide covers every center, the rules, and how to apply. If you want teaching you can question, Kopan is the door.