Mustang Tiji Festival Tour

The representative of our company will greet you with flowers after your flight lands at Tribhuvan Airport. You will then be transferred to the hotel. You don't need to worry about accommodations because our company has already reserved the hotel. You will rest at the hotel. You can do private tours if you arrive early. We can arrange it for you if you insist. 

This day, we will fly to Pokhara City from Kathmandu. During the flight, you can peek through the window and enjoy the breathtaking views of the Annapurna mountain range and surrounding mountain ranges. In the evening, we will go sightseeing near the lakeside of Pokhara city. You will stay at the standard lodge in Pokhara that night. 

On this day, we will drive to Tatopani. This drive is going to be 5 to 6 hours long. Along the way, you will get to see the jaw-dropping views of the Annapurna and Machhapuchhre ranges. In addition, the drive passes through beautiful rhododendron forests and picturesque villages. The Gurung and Magar people live in the villages. At the end of the day, you will get to taste the delicious local dishes in the teahouses of Tatopani. You will stay overnight in the teahouses. 
 

This day, we will drive to Kagbeni village, crossing popular destinations like Jomsom and Muktinath. We will stop for a while to visit the holy temple of Muktinath. After that, we will continue our journey to Kagbeni. 

The Kagbeni serves as the gateway to the upper Mustang region. This drive presents stunning views of the Annapurna and Dhaulagiri mountain ranges. After that, the drive will pass through the settlements of Jharkot and Khingar. After reaching Kagbeni, you will get to enjoy the delicious meals. This marks the end of the day, and you will rest in the teahouse of the Kagbeni. 
 

On the fifth day of the tour, we will drive to Charang village. The Tibetan plateau's wind-eroded mountains and desert surround the village of charang. In addition, Charang is home to the Charang Gompa (Monastery) and the Charang Palace. 

The journey from Kagbeni to Charang is characterized by the scenic drive through the dry desert like terrain of the upper Mustang region. After reaching Charang village, you can see the walled town of Lo Manthang from the north’s side. This day, you will explore the charang village and spend the night in the standard teahouse in the village.   
 

We will start our journey to the main destination of the tour, Lo Manthang. Lo Manthang is the town where the Tiji festival is celebrated. This day is the first day of Tiji festival celebrations. Along the journey, you will get to see one of the oldest gompas in Nepal, Lo-Gekar Gompa. The Lo Gekar Gompa is located in the Lo Gekar village. 

After you reach the Lo Manthang village, you can hear the sound of traditional instruments, including double-reeled horns, drums, cymbals, and Tibetan horns (Dhungchen). The monks unveil the thanka that has the painting of the deity. Then, you will get to see the masked cultural dance called Tsa Chaam. The dance depicts the tale of Dorje Jono’s triumph over evil. 

You will spend the day exploring the first day of the Tiji festival and the King's palace. The King palace is the home to the Thupchen Gompa, Chode Gompa, and Jampa Gompa. We will spend the night in the teahouse in Lo Manthang. 
 

On this day, we will participate in the second day of celebration of the Tiji festival. The second day of the festival is characterized by the popular Nga Cham dance. The dance depicts the story of Dorje Jono attempting to return the demon to the Buddha realm. You will get to see the female performers in traditional attire and jewelry.

This day concludes with an exploration of the festival. You will be the popular annual festival celebration of the town. Along the day, you will get an opportunity to interact with the locals, share the food with them, celebrate with them, and enjoy the annual festival. We will spend the night in the same teahouse that we stayed at the day before. 

You will participate in the final day of the Tiji festival celebration. On this day, the monk starts the festival celebration with prayers. The prayers are offered to Vajrakila in the monastery. In the afternoon, you will get to see the leader dancer making an offering, requesting assistance from the deities. Then the dough statue is taken out. The dough statue represents the demon "Ma Tam Ru Ta.”

After that, you will get to see the chanting prayers, and various dances in which the main dancer symbolically destroys the statue by piercing it with a dagger facing northeast. This act marks the defeat of evil. The statue’s head is buried at the palace entrance, and the rest of the body is disposed of later. The masked dancer leads a raucous march in which the king, royal family, village representatives, and people follow.

After the brief dance, the march heads to the stupa outside the walls. This act is done for more prayers. The act concludes with the prayers to the gods by the leader dancer, and the tormas are thrown to the ground. The festival concludes with the shouting of the phrase “Lha Gyalo,” which means "May God be victorious". You will spend the night in the teahouse in Lo Manthang. 
 

We will drive back to Jomsom early this day. Along the way, you will get to enjoy the scenic Kali Gandaki River Valley. After reaching Jomsom, you will take a rest at the teahouse in Jomsom. 

Early in the morning, we will drive back to Pokhara. Along the way, we will cross through the barren hills, famous tatopani, and Beni. This is the 7-8 hour drive. After reaching the pokhara, you will relax at the hotel. You can also explore the lakeside market in the evening. You will spend the night at a standard lodge in the pokhara. 

After having breakfast, we will take a tourist-deluxe bus from Pokhara. It is a 6-7-hour scenic drive that takes you through the Prithivi Highway, passing through the beautiful Bandipur town, the gateway to the Manakamana temple, and beautiful villages. After reaching Kathmandu, you will relax in the hotel room and stay overnight. 

On this day, you will be transferred to the Tribhuvan airport, and from there, you will take a flight to your desired destination.