Mustang Tiji Festival Tour - 12 Days

On your arrival at the Tribhuvan International Airport, a Himalayan Trekkers representative will welcome you and assist you to the respective hotel. Later, we will have a general conversation as well as a quick tour discussion either at your hotel lobby or at our office. You can take a stroll around the vibrant Thamel market. Thamel is noted for its vibrant evenings.
Note: If you arrive early, you can visit the Boudhanath Stupa, a Tibetan Buddhist pilgrimage site in Nepal which is the country's largest, and Pashupatinath Temple, one of Nepal's oldest temples, as well as one of the world's four most prominent Hindu shrines dedicated to Lord Shiva. O/N at a hotel/resort. 

After breakfast at the hotel, you will be picked up and driven to Pokhara, the second major tourist attraction and gateway to the famous Annapurna regions. We will witness more of Nepal's landscape along the way, which includes greenery, rivers, villages, farms, and breathtaking mountain scenery. Manaslu, Lamjung, Hiunchuli, Ganesh, and much of the Annapurna range can be seen along the route and Dhaulagiri, Manaslu, Machhapuchhre, the Annapurna five peaks, and others may all be seen from Pokhara
Pokhara is known as the "Lake City" because of its numerous lovely lakes. We can spend the late afternoon exploring the most accessible and gorgeous lake in the area, as well as boating. By the serene Lake Fewa, you may explore, relax, and dine.
Note: You can alternatively go to Pokhara on a picturesque 25-minute flight at extra cost.  O/N at a hotel. 

We transfer to Pokhara airport to fly to Jomsom ( 2720M). Once we land at Jomsom, we take a brief rest and explore the surroundings, local markets, and probably its apple orchards.  Our jeep journey commences from Jomsom village. Soon after lunch, our jeep ride starts and heads towards the Kagbeni Village. We pass through Kagbeni Village and drive further up to the Muktinath Temple (3800m) devoted to Lord Vishnu, which includes 108 water taps/sprouts. It is believed that one who bathes with these taps waters, his sins are to be forgiven. You will also visit Jal Devi, where you can observe the fire igniting itself (natural gas), and Jharkot Buddhist Monastery with spectacular views of Dhaulagiri, Nilgiri, and Tukuche Peak. We then travel back to Kagbeni for an overnight stay. 

When you get to Kagbeni, you can take a stroll through the village's cobblestone streets, and the red monastery with red-washed walls. Spin the prayer wheels on the walls of chortens and small Gompas. O/N at a guesthouse. 

Leaving Kagbeni, our drive resumes towards the Tsarang (Charang) village across white hills and deserts-like scenery. We will pass a slew of stupa monasteries, chortens, mani walls, and gompas along the road, as well as numerous stupa buildings and other religious shrines. When we arrive in this lovely village, we will pay our visits to the monastery. The monastery’s interior walls are adorned with murals representing the deities of the Medicine Buddha Mandala. 
O/N at a guesthouse.
 

Today will be an exciting day as we prepare to travel to Lo-Manthang, the tour's last destination. A distinct angle view of a panoramic mountain vista is always observed. Then, from afar, you'll see a walled village. It is preferable to rest after you get to the tea house, as this will aid your body's acclimatization.
O/N at a guesthouse. 
 

27 May 2022 - 1st day of Tiji Festival in Lomanthang

The anticipating Tiji Festival officially begins today. The festival begins with the unveiling of a three-story Thanka depicting Padmasambhava (Guru Rinpoche). We will spend the day watching the Tibetan monks performing rites and dances. Locals will be dressed in their traditional attire and the monks in red robes. We get to witness the masked dance that depicts the Tiji festival’s fabled stories. As the dance comes to a close, Dorje Jono, a manifestation of Lord Buddha, kills the demon, resurrects the epidemic, and restores peace to the land. 
After a wonderful day, we return to our guesthouse for dinner. 
O/N at a guesthouse. 
 

28 May 2022 -  2nd day of Tiji Festival in Lomangthang

The event normally begins at noon, so we'll leave early in the morning towards Chhoser village. It is only a one-hour trip from Lo-Manthang. You might get a sight of Blue sheep and other wildlife if you're lucky. At Chhoser, we will visit the village's sky cave and Buddhist school. We then return to Lo-Manthang for the TIJI celebration. The Tibetan Lamas perform dances on the second day of the festival. The goal of this dance is to ward off hunger and evil spirits from the area. This event is a sight to behold, with costumes, masks, 12-foot horns, butter cakes, yaks, pigeons, dogs, and a variety of other native elements. We will return to the hotel for supper and overnight. 
O/N at a guesthouse.
 

29 May 2022 -  3rd day of Tiji Festival (End of Festival) in Lomangthang

The TIJI festival's last and final day has arrived. You will visit Lo-Manthang’s monasteries and Buddhist schools. You will enjoy a pleasant sightseeing tour of the village. Join the locals in the noon to celebrate TIJI's final day. On the last day, the demons' wicked vestiges are eliminated. The demons are strewn on an old tiger skin and fought with bows and arrows, antiquated guns, and a catapult.
O/N at a guesthouse.
 

We will retrace the route back to Jomsom today. We will drive through the same lovely villages of Tsarang, Ghami, Ghiling, and Samar on our way to Kagbeni. We might lunch out at Kagbeni village. Then we will further drive to Jomsom. We check-in and rest. There will be time to explore the market and purchase souvenirs for friends and family before dinner. 
O/N at a guesthouse.
 

We take an early morning flight from Jomsom to Pokhara over the Kali Gandaki gorge. You can spend your afternoon relaxing by the lake in Pokhara or participating in adventure sports such as boating and cycling. In the evening, you can go to one of the many popular lakefront taverns and pubs. You can opt for guided sightseeing where you will be taken to many places such as Davis Falls, Mahendra Cave, Gupteshwor Mahadev Temple, International Mountain Museum, Tal Barahi Temple, etc.  
O/N at a hotel. 
 

We rise early before dawn and head towards Sarangkot Hill station for stunning sunrise views along with panoramic mountain vistas. The vantage point also offers a wonderful view of Pokhara valley and its lakes. After witnessing the sunrise, we return to our hotel and have breakfast. 
After breakfast, we will load our backpacks and ourselves in the vehicle and start our drive back to Kathmandu. We say our goodbyes to Pokhara and take the same road, the same highway, and pass through the same scenery that we passed through before. 
You can spend the rest of the day in Kathmandu however you like. Evenings can be spent strolling through the streets and picking up a few trinkets to send home to friends and family.
O/N at a hotel/resort. 
 

With the memories of the Upper Mustang journey and the wonderful festival, the departure day has come. We will transport you to the airport three hours prior to your scheduled return flight. Until your final departure, you have free time to shop and pack.