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Mustang Tiji Festival Date 2024

Upper Mustang
Trip Grade
Moderate
Trip Type
Festive Trekking
Maximum Elevation
4230 M
Accomodation
Teahouse
Destination
Upper Mustang
Best Time
Tiji Festival Dateline
Trip Start
Jomsom
Trip Ends
Jomsom

Overview

Mustang Tiji Festival Date 2024

Tiji Festival is a religious celebration which takes place in the Upper Mustang of Nepal. Upper Mustang was once a separate kingdom which was known as the Kingdom of Lo. Lo is the capital city of Upper Mustang region.
Tiji Festival is related with the Bon religion, which predates Buddhism in Tibet, and it’s held annually to mark the victory of good over evil.

The festival lasts for three days and begins with the gathering of people from surrounding villages or all villages from the Upper Mustang.They gather in the capital city Lo Manthang to participate in the celebrations.
The First day of Tiji Fetival in Mustang, the prayers and offerings are made to the gods to seek their blessings for the upcoming year.
Second day of Tij Festival of Lo Manthang, a dramatic representation of the conflict between good and evil takes place through masked dances and other rituals.
The main event of the Tiji Festival in Mustang, is the dance of the “Mystical Warriors,” which is performed by the monk-dancers wearing colorful masks and costumes and performing a series of complicated movements to illustrate the battle between the forces of good and evil.

The Tiji Festival is an important cultural event in the Upper Mustang, and it is believed to bring good luck, peace, and prosperity to the local communities.
Despite the influences of modernization and globalization, the festival continues to be an integral part of the local culture and is highly revered by the people of Upper Mustang.
It has also become a popular tourist attraction from around the world to witness this unique and ancient cultural celebration.

Date of Tiji Festival 2024

The Tiji Festival dates are determined based on the Tibetan lunar calendar, and its dates vary from year to year. In 2023, Mustang Tiji Festival starts from May 16 and last day of Tiji Festival in Mustang is May 17, 2024.

 

 

Itinerary

Welcome to Kathmandu. One of our team members will pick you up at the airport and will transfer you to your hotel. Overnight at the hotel in Kathmandu.

After breakfast, you will head onto a sightseeing tour around Kathmandu valley. The tour includes visiting prominent sites like Pashupatinath, Boudhanath, Swayambhunath, and Kathmandu Durbar Square. Listed under UNESCO’s world heritage sites, these places are proof of Kathmandu’s long and rich history and culture. Meanwhile, we will acquire the special permit to trek in the forbidden land of Upper Mustang. Overnight at the hotel in Kathmandu.

Today you leave Kathmandu to reach Pokhara, which you can travel to via bus or via flight. The 25 minutes long flight will take you over the hills and the Himalayas, whereas the 6 hours long drive you will take you along the hills with the views of the Himalayas. Upon arrival in Pokhara, you will be transferred to your hotel. You can rest and relax before heading out to stroll around the beautiful Phewa Lake accompanied by the peaks of Annapurna massif and Machhapuchhre (6997m). Overnight in Pokhara.

From Pokhara, you catch an early morning flight to Jomsom, which offers you stunning aerial views of the lush hills, deep gorges, and the magnificent Himalayas. Shortly after reaching Jomsom, you will begin your ascend alongside Kali Gandaki River to reach the village of Kagbeni, also known as the gateway to Upper Mustang. Enjoy a warm Thakali meal in Kagbeni, where you will be staying for the night.

The trekking trail from Kagbeni goes uphill on the bank of Kali Gandaki River until reaching the day’s destination, Tsaile. Walking on the steep trail, you reach Tangbe and see the beautiful view of Nilgiri Peak (7061m). You then pass its whitewashed houses, agricultural fields, and apple orchards and make a gradual descend to reach Chhuksang. A final ascend from Chhuksang takes you to the village of Tsaile.

Today’s trek is hard because you have to cross the passes, such as Taklam La (3624m) and Dajori La (3735), from where you can see the spectacular views of Tilicho Peak (7134m), Yakawa Kang (6482m), and Damodar Danda. From the pass, you descend, ascend, and again descend to reach Syangbochen. En route, you can visit the Chungsi Cave situated on a cliff above the gorge of Syangboche. Khola. Overnight in Syangbochen.

The uphill trekking trail from Syangboche takes you to many traditional villages like Geling, Chhunggar, Jhaite, and Ghami via the Nyi La Pass (4010m) and Ghami La Pass (3765m). On the way to Ghami, you come across blue, grey and red cliffs, and from Ghami, you head to the old village of Dhakmar. Overnight in Dhakmar.

From Dhakmar, you will ascend steeply to reach the top of Mui La (4170m), which gives you amazing views of the snowy mountains as well as the rocky hills. You then descend from the pass and head to the ancient Ghar Gumba. The monastery is believed to hold the pure virtue of Lo Nying Sect of Tibetan Buddhism and houses the scriptures of Padmasambhava. After spending some time at Ghar Gumba, you will descend alongside Charang Khola to reach Tsarang, which also houses a 400 years old monastery. Overnight in Tsarang.
The trekking trail takes you to canyon and river before changing into an uphill trail that takes you to the pass known as Lo La (3950m). From the top of this pass, you can see a nice view of Lo Manthang, as well as the superb view of the Mustang Himal range. A quick descend from the pass takes you to the walled city of Lo Manthang, where the first day of Tiji Festival is being celebrated. A three-story high Thangkha is hung by the wall of the monastery and the monks dressed in maroon and gold are seated beneath the Thangkha and chanting sacred scripts. A masked dance where the reincarnation of Buddha, Dorje Jono, repels the demon is performed amid the crowd.

Please, kindly be noted that the Tiji Festival starting time is normally at afternoon.

Today also the festival is as colorful as yesterday, and you also see the monks performing a dance. They do it to remove evil spirits from their village. The monastery premise is packed with the locals dressed in colorful traditional attire and eager to witness the mesmerizing dances by the monks. The former royals of Lo Manthang are also present on this day. You can also stroll around the picturesque land of Lo Manthang enjoying its colorful deserts, when free. Overnight in Lo Manthang.

Today is the last day of the amazing Tiji Festival. The festival comes to an end with a ceremonial destruction of the evil remains performed by the revered monks. It is believed that this ceremony ends the reign of evil from Mustang. Upon the completion of the ceremonies, you can visit the nearby monasteries to utilize your leisure time. Overnight in Lo Manthang.

Bidding Lo Manthang a heartfelt goodbye, you ascend to Lo La (3950m) once again. You then trek downhill through impressive deserts to climb another pass, Dhi La (3950m). A steep descend from the pass takes you to Dhi, where you cross Mustang Khola on a bridge and then follow Puyung Khola upstream to reach Yara.

A short climb alongside Puyung River composed of picturesque desert hills and canyons takes you to the ancient Luri Gumba from Yara. Revered by the Buddhists, Luri Gumba is a small red painted monastery situated inside a cave on a barren cliff. While amazing Buddhist paintings adorn the interior of the monastery, the exterior remains surrounded by small Chortens. After the exploration of Luri Gumba, you retrace your way back to Yara for the overnight stay.

Today you descend through quite deserts leaving Yara behind to reach Tangge. Tangge is a beautiful village because of its location on terraced hills, and it is enriched with Chortens, Mani walls, and intricate architectural designs. This village is also an amazing host of various peaks of the Annapurna range and Nilgiri range.

Once again, you make a gradual climb on solitary paths through the desert. There are no settlements en route, except for the temporary settlement of Pa. Long ascend on the ridges finally turns into a steep descend to cross a Mani wall leading to the village of Chuksang. In Chuksang, you meet the gorgeous Kali Gandaki River yet again. Overnight in Chuksang.

Today you will walk in a windy valley as you head to Muktinath. The trail first climbs steeply to reach Gyu La (4077m) and then descend gradually to take you to the sacred temple of Muktinath. Sacred to both the Hindus and Buddhists, Muktinath is known as the temple of salvation, where you can free yourself from your sins by taking a bath in the 108 water taps situated outside the temple. Overnight in Muktinath.

 

The descending trekking trail from Muktinath takes you to Jharkot and its monastery and shows you the impressive view of the Kali Gandaki Valley. You then reach the Thakali village of Lupra, where you can visit an ancient Bonpo Monastery and take a short rest. From Lupra, you will descend to Kali Gandaki River and then follow the river downstream to reach the windiest place in Nepal, the town of Jomsom.

In order to avoid strong winds, you take an early morning flight from Jomsom to Pokhara. The fight takes you through the gorge of Kali Gandaki River and gives you a bird’s eye view of the Kali Gandaki Valley before bringing you to the lake city. In Pokhara, you can spend the free time either resting of heading out to explore the amazing city of adventures. Overnight in Pokhara.

Pokhara is a city famous for adventures. From paragliding to zip flying to bungee jump to mountain biking to boating, this city offers an endless to-do list. You can also go sightseeing around some of the major tourist areas of Pokhara. The sightseeing tour includes visiting Davis Falls, Mahendra Cave, World Peace Pagoda, Bat Cave, and so on. Boating on Phewa Lake is a something one should not miss at any cost while in Pokhara. Overnight in Pokhara.

Today you can go shopping to buy souvenirs for your friends and family as today is a free day for you to rest and relax. Thamel has tons of shops which sell Nepali handmade goods like bag, hat, and shawl that you might want to take back with you. You can also take a short tour of the Patan Durbar Square, where you can taste authentic Newar food. Overnight at the hotel in Kathmandu.

We bid you farewell on today as we drop you at the airport three hours to your scheduled flight back home.

What's Include in Cost

    • Airport pick up and drive according to itinerary and plan.
    • Hotel accommodation in Kathmandu and Pokhara according to contract and plan.
    • Upper Mustang Trekking permits Or, Restricted Mustang Trekking Permits as per program.
    • TIMS Cards: Trekking Information Management System.
    • Food and accommodation during the Trekking as per contract.
    • Hot drinks: Tea, Coffee, etc. during the trek.
    • Flight: Kathmandu-Pokhara-Jomsom-Kathmandu for clients or as per your program.
    • Flight for guide: KTM-POK-JOM-POK.
    • Porters and guide with their wages.
    • Insurance for local staffs: Guide-Porters.
    • Entry fee of Annapurna Conservation Area Trekking.
    • High altitude chamber as per requirement.
    • Wages and Equipment for climbing guide.
    • Land transportations according to program.
    • Applicable Nepal government tax.

What's Excluded in Cost

    • Nepal entry visa.
    • International flights and airport tax.
    • Travel insurance.
    • Personal expenses, Hot or Mineral water
    • Laundry service and Bar Bills
    • Internet and Battery charge
    • Alcoholic drinks with mineral water.
    • Rescue in emergency.

Fixed Departure

SNo.0 Date From To
1 09/05/2023 Kathmandu kathmandu Enquiry This

Equipment

  • Airport pick up and drive according to itinerary and plan.
  • 1 night hotel in Kathmandu on B/B plan.
  • 1 night hotel in Pokhara on B/B plan.
  • TIMS cards: Trekking Information Management System.
  • Tourist Bus: KTM-POK-KTM
  • Porters and guide with their wages.
  • Insurance for guide and porters.
  • Entry fee of Annapurna Conservation area.
  • Local airport tax and land transportations according to program.
  • Applicable Nepal government tax.

Advisory

  • Non-bio degradable materials are not allowed to dispose in the trekking route randomly.
  • Proper follow of the guidance provided by the leader/guide of the trek.
  • Alcoholic beverages and other intoxicating substances are highly discouraged.
  • There might be the chances of bad weather so be prepared for the inconvenience caused by the unpredictable weather.
  • Try to be mentally and physically prepared before this trek with few short hikes before this trek is highly recommended.

Inportant Things Required

  • Passport
  • Few passport size photos for TIMS and other official documents
  • Personal trekking equipment
  • Snow goggles
  • Personal handbag and luggage
  • Snacks and sweets like chocolate bar (if required)
  • Warm clothes, down jacket and multilayered clothes
  • Trekking shoes
  • Some personal items and sunscreen/sun cream
  • Water bottle and hat

FAQ

When you are up in the mountains in Nepal, we would suggest you to be ready for anything. Weather forecasts for Lukla are never correct and different sources will give you different information. If it is a really bad day in terms of weather, the airlines will themselves cancel the flight and you might have to wait till the weather clears. Yes, flying in high altitude is never easy, even on a clear sunny day, the plane might face turbulence because of the wind blowing from the mountains. But overall the flight to Lukla is very exciting and it’s an experience that you will never forget.

When you are up in the mountains in Nepal, we would suggest you to be ready for anything. Weather forecasts for Lukla are never correct and different sources will give you different information. If it is a really bad day in terms of weather, the airlines will themselves cancel the flight and you might have to wait till the weather clears. Yes, flying in high altitude is never easy, even on a clear sunny day, the plane might face turbulence because of the wind blowing from the mountains. But overall the flight to Lukla is very exciting and it’s an experience that you will never forget.

When you are up in the mountains in Nepal, we would suggest you to be ready for anything. Weather forecasts for Lukla are never correct and different sources will give you different information. If it is a really bad day in terms of weather, the airlines will themselves cancel the flight and you might have to wait till the weather clears. Yes, flying in high altitude is never easy, even on a clear sunny day, the plane might face turbulence because of the wind blowing from the mountains. But overall the flight to Lukla is very exciting and it’s an experience that you will never forget.

When you are up in the mountains in Nepal, we would suggest you to be ready for anything. Weather forecasts for Lukla are never correct and different sources will give you different information. If it is a really bad day in terms of weather, the airlines will themselves cancel the flight and you might have to wait till the weather clears. Yes, flying in high altitude is never easy, even on a clear sunny day, the plane might face turbulence because of the wind blowing from the mountains. But overall the flight to Lukla is very exciting and it’s an experience that you will never forget.

Review

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    January 15, 2019

    star rating  It was one of the best and fantastique trekking in te Dudhkundo Lake trek with Dilu Rai our french speapking guide for second time in Népal.
    I think no... read more

    MaxNier67
    February 24, 2023

    star rating  Three passes and Island peak ascent - What an amazing experience... An explosion of nature, kindness (if you are advised and travelling with Dilu) and serenity.
    Thanks again Dilu, I really loved those days.

    CCdel555
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    Dilu is really an... read more

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    March 25, 2019

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    star rating  Family trek! - Great trek with the whole family in the mustang valley! Wouldn’t want to do this with anyone else! hope to do it again !

    Melissa S
    January 24, 2019
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    ronanroyer
    November 17, 2022

    star rating  Trek from pokhara - The trek was amazing. We prepared it by Mail with Dilu, and he is very professionnal and he answered all the questions we had.
    We met him at the... read more

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    May 19, 2019

    star rating  Trekking through the mustang valley with the family. Dilu and his team made sure we had a life changing experience, and i would highly recommend it to anyone regardless of... read more

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