Upper Mustang Overland Tour with Tiji Festival in Nepal Overview
- Trip Code: CT-10066
- Package: Upper Mustang Overland Tour with Tiji Festival in Nepal
- Duration: 12 Day(s)
- Max Alt.: 3,840m/ 12,595 Ft
- Trip Level:
ModerateRequires some level of experience in trekking with basic physical ability.
- Group Size: Min. 2 - Max. 12
- Start At: Kathmadnu
- Ends At: Kathmandu
- Transportation: Private vehicles
- Accommodation: Hotel | Guest House
Trip Highlights
- Mountains such as Mt. Dhaulagiri (8,167m), Nilgiri (7,061m), Annapurna South (7,219m) Annapurna First (8,091m) Fishtail (6,997m), Tukuche peak (6,920m)
- Exploration of Tibetan culture
- Deepest river gorge in the world, the Kali Gandaki gorge
- The colorful Tiji Festival
- Monasteries and Muktinath Temple
- Numerous caves at Mustang
- Delicious cuisines of Mustang
- Visit to the ancient Kingdom of Lo Manthang
One of the most beautiful places in Nepal, the Upper Mustang Overland Tour with Tiji Festival in Nepal will surely set amazing memories to travelers looking to experience local culture in Nepal. The place lies in the Himalayan region that shares the border with Tibet in the North. Upper Mustang was a major corridor of trade between Nepal and Tibet. The tour offers travelers with unique perk of witnessing and enjoying the Tiji festival in Nepal that happens once every year.
Tiji is a festival celebrated among the tribes of Upper Mustang who follow Buddhism in Nepal. Perfect for those who want the Upper Mustang exploration, experience its wonderful nature, and Tiji festival without having to put much of a physical effort.
The festival in Nepal is celebrated with a belief to chase the demons away. During the festival, people depict themselves in different characters as they gather together. There are two groups; the demons and the deity which are created using colorful dresses and hideous masks. A drama is performed where the deity wins over the. Furthermore, Upper Mustang communities engage in singing and performing their cultural dances as well.
Our route to Upper Mustang overland tour takes us through Kagbeni, Lo Manthang, and Muktinath to name a few. The trip is filled with fun travel activities as travelers can witness amazing desert albeit landscapes, deep canyons, barren ridges, eroded cliffs, and moraine valleys. During the tour, mountains that lies within Annapurna Region of Nepal can be seen such as Mt. Dhaulagiri (8,167m), Nilgiri (7,061m), Annapurna South (7,219m), Annapurna First (8,091m), Fishtail Mountain (6,997m), and Tukuche peak (6,920m).
You'll need a special travel permit for Upper Mustang issued by the Government of Nepal to be able to travel to Upper Mustang. CoreTreks team will help you acquire the permit. Because of the special permit, the cost of Upper Mustang overland tour might be costly compared to other overland tours in Nepal. However, it is still one of the best value-for-money treks around the world. The Upper Mustang overland tour is a travel package in Nepal which is carefully put together for travel enthusiasts who will get to experience a whole new world and its unique cultures that lies beyond the mountains.
CoreTreks has prepared the Upper Mustang Overland tour package with Tiji festival so that the travelers can enjoy the beautiful aspects of Upper Mustang region in Nepal. That of course with the celebration of one of the most important festival to the people in the region. Our team can even customize the tour to fit in more activities as per your preferences. Feel free to contact us for any inquiries regarding to the tour and the booking policy.
Brief Itinerary
| Day | Highlights | Altitude |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Arrival in Kathmandu | 1,350 m/ 4,428 ft (Kathmandu) |
| Day 2 | Trek Preparation & Sightseeing 2 palces. | 1,350 m/ 4,428 ft (Kathmandu) |
| Day 3 | Drive to Pokhara from Kathmandu | 830m/ 2,722 ft |
| Day 04 | Drive to Jomsom/Kagbeni from Pokhara | 2,700m/ 8,855ft. (Jomsom) 2,800m/ 9,185ft (Kagbeni) |
| Day 05 | Drive to Ghami from Kagbeni | 3,560m/ 11,676ft. |
| Day 06 | Drive to Lo Manthang from Ghami (Tiji festival first day) | 3,840m/ 15,595ft. |
| Day 07 | Lo Manthang (Tiji festival second day) | 3,840m/ 15,595ft. |
| Day 08 | Lo Manthang (Closing Day) | 3,840m/ 15,595ft. |
| Day 09 | Drive to Muktinath from Lo Manthang | 3,800 m./12,464 ft. |
| Day 10 | Drive to Pokhara via Tatopani (Hot Spring) from Muktinath | |
| Day 11 | Drive from Pokhara to Kathmandu | 1,350m/ 4,428 ft. (Kathmandu) |
| Day 12 | Departure Day |
Upper Mustang Overland Tour with Tiji Festival in Nepal Itinerary
Arrival in Kathmandu
One of the representative from CoreTreks will pick you up from the airport. S/he will assist you to the hotel of your choice. The hotels that we provide are three-star and above. We will have a brief session during the evening about the tour. Overnight stay at the hotel.
Trek Preparation & Sightseeing 2 palces.
We'll be talking more regarding our trip on this day. We'll need your original passport as travelers need a permit in order to make this trek in Nepal. After finishing that we'll be doing a bit of a sightseeing tour around the Kathmandu valley. We'll be visiting two world heritage sites located at Kathmandu, namely Kathmandu Durbar Square and Swayambhunath Temple (also known as Monkey Temple). In the evening we'll be doing final preparation for our trek.
Drive to Pokhara from Kathmandu
After having our breakfast, we will load the baggage in a private luxury 4Wd jeep drive to Pokhara from Kathmandu. The drive will be around 6 hours depending upon the traffic. We will be take 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 in option if you prefer one over the other. By flight it will only take 25mins to get to Pokhara.
Drive to Jomsom/Kagbeni from 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 as the main gate to Upper Mustang. Today’s fascinating drive will end at Kagbeni. Our overnight stay will be at a guesthouse.
Drive to Ghami from Kagbeni
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 lies here and the most beautiful red and blue mountains. Our overnight stay will be at a guesthouse.
Drive to Lo Manthang from Ghami (Tiji festival first day)
Per usual, after the breakfast, we start our drive and continue our exploration. The drive to Lo Manthang from Ghami is approximately 4 hours. Through the 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 horse, a giant tug-of-war, and Tibetan women in traditional clothing with colorful jewelry. Overnight stay at guesthouse after a delightful meal.
Lo Manthang (Tiji festival second day)
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 signifies the different processes of meditation in symbolic ways. The dance steps represents deeper meanings where 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.
Lo Manthang (Closing Day)
Today, we explore different monasteries of Lo Manthang including Namgyal Goempa that lies on a hilltop. The monastery serves as a local court to 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.
Drive to Muktinath from Lo Manthang
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.
Drive to Pokhara via Tatopani (Hot Spring) from Muktinath
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 travelling. On our way to Pokhara we will get to experience hot spring at Tatopani which is locally famous traveling destination. Our overnight stay will be in a hotel at Pokhara.
Drive from Pokhara to Kathmandu
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 in option if you prefer one over the other. By flight it will only take 25mins to get to Pokhara.
Departure Day
Our travel journey has now come to an end. We bid our goodbyes and take you to the Tribhuvan International Airport 3 hours prior to your flight time. One of our representative will drive you to departure gate at the airport.
Upper Mustang Overland Tour with Tiji Festival in Nepal Cost Mentions
Trip Includes
- Airport transfers by Private Vehicles.
- Standard twin- sharing accommodation in a three starts hotel in Kathmandu & Pokhara, breakfast included. (5 Nights).
- Twin sharing accommodation during trek. (6 Nights).
- Kathmandu – Pokhara – Jomsom- Lo Manthang – Muktinath - Kathmandu by Luxury 4 Wd Jeep.
- Three daily meals with tea/coffee (breakfast, lunch and dinner) during the trek.
- TIMS Fee- Trekkers' Information Management System & Annapurna Conservation area permit (Please bring 2 passport size photos).
- Special permit for Upper Mustang.
- One highly experienced, helpful and friendly guide. His food, accommodation, salary and equipment. Accident insurance.
- Farewell dinner in a traditional Nepali restaurant with cultural performances.
- Personal care & attention.
- Local and government taxes.
Trip Excludes
- All kind of beverage including mineral water, Phone calls, laundry, hot shower during Trek
- Travel and Rescue Insurance
- Tipping to crew.
- Personal mountaineering gears
- Optional trips and sightseeing if extended
- International airfare and airport departure tax
- Visa fee, you obtain a visa easily upon your arrival at Tribhuwan International Airport Kathmandu
- Do not mention the services apart from the services mentioned in "Cost Included services"
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
The Upper Mustang Overland Tour with Tiji festival is considered as a beginner level trek. It requires little to no prior mountaineering experience. You will be provided with a brief training by our travel experts in order to equip you with required information for the trek.
Yes, it is completely safe to trek to the Upper Mustang Overland Tour with Tiji festival in Nepal. However, there are still possibilities of unforeseen circumstances that might interrupt your travel experience. For that, our travel experts will provide a brief training about safety precautions and about the location that we will be heading to.
During your trip to Upper Mustang Overland with Tiji Festival in Nepal, you can expect to experience the beautiful Pokhara city, a scenic drive through Annapurna region and Mustang Valley, beautiful villages of Kagbeni, Lo Manthang, Muktinath, historic monasteries, sky cave and the celebration of Tiji Festival.
The food is generally our traditional Nepali lunch which is Dal (Lentil Soup), Bhat (Boiled Rice), Tarkari (Veggies), and Achar (Pickle).
For the accommodation there are specially Hotels & Lodges, Tea houses, and Camping facilities. However due easy accessibility of hotels & lodges throughout the trial, camping is usually avoided (unless needed) during the Upper Mustang Overland Tour with Tiji Festival in Nepal.
To book the Upper Mustang Overland Tour with Tiji Festival in Nepal, CoreTreks offers you a number of booking options including:
- Online booking,
- Wire transfer OR,
- Cash on arrival
We recommend you to go through our booking policy before you head to the payment. In case of further inquiries please feel free to contact us.
Additional Information
Equipment And Gears
To prepare for your trek in Nepal, it's essential to consider both the specific route and the time of year. Here is a Nepal trekking packing list to help you pack wisely. Here’s our Nepal Trekking packing list.
Upper Mustang Overland Tour with Tiji Festival in Nepal Reviews
Wonderful experience of Tiji festival in Nepal
From: United States | On: 16 May, 2018
I enjoyed my time Nepal. It was really a wonderful experience of Tiji festival. Nepal is really the ultimate destination if you are looking for cultural performances. The diversity in everything is really fascinating. Besides being so diverse they are still in unity and that is something most of us forget to admire often.
Our main highlights of the trips were the Tiji festival, touring the upper mustang region of Nepal, and varieties of Nepali cuisine. We all loved the people since they were so friendly and kind to us. The welcoming behavior of theirs made us feel comfort of home in Nepal.
Huge thanks to CoreTreks and the professional guiding team as they were so patient with us and handled the tour with ease. We highly recommend that you check out CoreTreks if you plan touring Nepal. Thanks.
It was fun touring Upper Mustang in Nepal
From: Poland | On: 16 May, 2018
My friend and I had a really great time in Nepal. We did not have to struggle to book our trip. The hospitality is really good in Nepal, honestly more than what we expected it to be. The people are friendly, the food is delicious, and the Himalayas are overwhelming.
We had a really fun time in Nepal as we were laughing, singing and dancing throughout our whole overland tour to Upper Mustang in Nepal. Along with exciting adventure, we learned a lot about Nepali culture through Tiji festival that happens annually. I’m glad we were lucky enough to catch that live.
We could not thank CoreTreks enough for the effort they put on making our trip a complete adventure full of excitement. They took care of everything while we were having a time of our lives. Hence, we highly recommend CoreTreks if you plan on visiting or doing any shorts of activities in Nepal. They are a team of professionals and know how to handle touring and travelling in Nepal.
Touched by the kind people in Nepal
From: United States | On: 14 May, 2017
I had never been to such an amazing place with such welcoming people before this. Our trip to Nepal was a major success and a memory of a lifetime. We really appreciate all the people in Nepal and what they had to offer to us. We toured the Mustang region within around 2 weeks.
The Tiji festival was one of the most interesting highlights of our tour. The scenery and vegetation of Nepal is really beautiful. The stunning views of the Himalayas from Mustang is something I would remember my whole life. Overall, an amazing trip and another accomplishment for our group of travelers.
We would like to thanks the professional guiding team at CoreTreks. They worked really hard to ensure our comfort and safety. We really recommend you to check out the offer that they have before you book your flight to Nepal. Thanks.
A unique tour of Upper Mustang region
From: United Kingdom | On: 15 May, 2016
The idea of travelling came through my mind when my wife suggested me about the Tiji Festival that she saw on social media. I did not know much about Nepal besides the fact that the country contained the world’s tallest mountain, the Everest.
We chose to tour the Upper Mustang region because of the Tiji festival was right around the corner and I have to say the trip was amazing. My wife and I really enjoyed the trip as we got to explore Nepal and its culture. The scenery is out of this world and I really loved the city of Pokhara and Phewa Lake.
A huge thanks to CoreTreks for making our trip possible and guiding us through every aspect of the tour. It was really awesome to hang out with friendly people of Nepal. I suggest you to book your trip to Nepal through CoreTreks as they are professionals for touring and trekking in Nepal.
