Upper Mustang Tiji Festival Tour

After having our breakfast, we will load the baggage in a  private luxury 4WD jeep and drive to Pokhara from Kathmandu. The drive will be around 6 hours depending upon the traffic. We will be taking breaks for lunch as we drive through the exhilarating curved highways. The drive to Pokhara is an amazing experience in itself.

Note: Flight facilities are an option if you prefer one over the other. By flight, it will only take 25 minutes to get to Pokhara.

Early in the morning, after breakfast, we drive to Jomsom from Pokhara through the beautiful landscapes. Upon reaching Jomsom we will further drive to Kagbeni along the Kaligandaki gorge which is the deepest river gorge in the world. Kagbeni is considered the main gate to Upper Mustang. Today’s fascinating drive will end at Kagbeni. Our overnight stay will be at a guesthouse.

We start the day with a delightful breakfast. Then we start our 4-hour long drive to Ghami from Kagbeni. Ghami is one of the most beautiful villages in Upper Mustang. The village has a solar-powered school for children, red monasteries, the summer Royal Palace, and many Chortens. We will explore some of the caves that lie here and the most beautiful red and blue mountains. Our overnight stay will be at a guesthouse.

Per usual, after breakfast, we start our drive and continue our exploration. The drive to Lo Manthang from Ghami is approximately 4 hours. Through one of the oldest Goempa, Lo-Gekar we continue our journey along the walled city of Lo Manthang.

Today is the first day of the auspicious & colorful Tiji festival at Lo Manthang. A huge gathering of monks will prepare for the show where peaceful dances will be performed followed by subjugation of negative elements. Some major attractions include a horse, a giant tug-of-war, and Tibetan women in traditional clothing with colorful jewelry. Overnight stay at the guesthouse after a delightful meal.

Today is the most important day of the Tiji festival. The ‘generation of the celestial palace’ and ‘generation of deities’ are depicted on this day. Different poses and gestures signify the different processes of meditation in symbolic ways. The dance steps represent deeper meanings where the deity wins over the demon. It is believed that obstacles in life are to be cleared away by observing the steps with respect and faith. Overnight stay at the guesthouse.

Today, we explore different monasteries of Lo Manthang including Namgyal Goempa which lies on a hilltop. The monastery serves as a local court for the local community. Then we tour around the last village to the northwest of Lomanhang and Tingkhar. After that, we will continue to rest of the Tiji festival. Overnight stay at the guesthouse.

After breakfast, we will drive to Muktinath from Lo Manthang. Muktinath is a Vishnu temple, sacred to both Hindus and Buddhists located at Muktinath valley at the foot of the Thorong La mountain pass. The temple holds significance among Hindu and Buddhist people and is also a popular pilgrimage site. Overnight stay at a guesthouse.

Today we have a long drive back to Pokhara from Muktinath via Tatopani (Hot Spring). The drive will be of 8 hours so we will spend most of the day traveling. On our way to Pokhara, we will get to experience the hot spring at Tatopani which is a locally famous traveling destination. Our overnight stay will be in a hotel in Pokhara.

After having our breakfast, we will prepare to drive back to Kathmandu. The total driving time will be around 6 hours by luxury tourist bus. Most of today will be spent driving on the beautiful highway from Pokhara to Kathmandu.

Note: Flight facilities are an option if you prefer one over the other. By flight, it will only take 25 minutes to get to Pokhara.

Our travel journey has now come to an end. We bid our goodbyes and take you to the Tribhuvan International Airport 3 hours before your flight time. One of our representatives will drive you to the departure gate at the airport.