Tiji Festival Trek
Based on 1 Reviews
Tiji Festival Trek Summary
- Tiji Festival Hike Duration: 12 Days
- Highest Elevation: 4,190 meters
- Trekking Hour: 6 hours
- Group-Size: 2 – 14 People
- Tiji Festival Dates 2025: Fri, May 16, Sat, May 17, and Sun, May 18, 2025
- Trip Mode: Guest House
- Meals on Trek route: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
- Transportation: Car/Plane/bus
Overview
The Tiji Festival is a mesmerizing and spiritually rich celebration held in Nepal’s remote Upper Mustang region. This three days annual event unfolds in Lo Manthang, the former royal capital of the ancient Kingdom of Lo. It symbolizes the triumph of Buddhism over the pre-Buddhist Bon traditions, reflecting deep cultural and religious significance.
One of the highlights is the Cham dance, performed by monks in elaborate masks and robes. These sacred rituals aim to drive away evil spirits and bring peace, prosperity, and protection to the community. Dances are not just performances and they are considered a form of meditation and spiritual purification.
In addition to its spiritual depth, the festival is a vibrant cultural celebration. Locals gather in colorful traditional dress, engaging in horse racing, archery, and age old games. Atmosphere becomes lively and festive, showcasing the unique spirit of the region.
Trekking to Lo Manthang during the Tiji Festival has an exclusive and immersive cultural journey into one of the most restricted regions. With special permits, travelers gain rare access to centuries-old Tibetan Buddhist rituals and vibrant local traditions.
Furthermore, the journey has an adventure in itself that featuring dramatic cliffs, deep gorges, and ancient mountain villages. This remarkable trek blends raw Himalayan beauty, authentic cultural encounters, and high-altitude excitement into one unforgettable experience.
How much is the Mustang Tiji Festival Trek Package Cost/Price?
Tiji festival trek package cost with a Gokyo Treks local Agency in Nepal ranges between US$ 1699 to US$ 2350 per person. Naturally, total cost will vary according to the group size you are traveling to and the service you choose. However, this figure price includes transportation, a guide/porters, hotels and food accommodation and hiking permits, facilities.
It’s a standard trek package price for 12 days hike in upper mustang territory. If you are 2 tourist, Tiji festival trek cost US$ 1899 per person as per given trekking plan. We can modify the trek route and the prices according to your wishes also. Here is the price list for 12 days Tiji festival treks in Lo Manthang, Mustang.
Price Per Person for a Tiji festival trek package.
| Number of Tourist | Price Per Person |
|---|---|
| 1 Person | US$ 2350 |
| 2 Person | US$ 1899 |
| 3 Person | US$ 1895 |
| 4 to 6 person | US$ 1850 |
| 7 to 9 Person | US$ 1750 |
| 10 and more than 10 Person | US$ 1699 |
If you’re wondering to know about what is included and what is excluded from this trip price, kindly check on the cost given on a tab button.
Itinerary
Tiji festival trek itinerary details
12 weeks Tiji Festival Trek offers a culturally immersive journey through the remote Upper Mustang region. Designed for time conscious adventurers, this itinerary blends ancient Himalayan landscapes with rich cultural heritage. Following ancient trade routes, the trek leads you to the walled kingdom of Lo Manthang, a hidden gem steeped in history. There, you’ll experience the spectacular Tiji Festival, an extraordinary celebration of Tibetan Buddhist rituals rarely seen elsewhere and making this trek a unique and unforgettable cultural odyssey.
For those seeking a more relaxed approach, this itinerary provides a well paced journey to Lo Manthang without compromising the festival experience. However, if you prefer a personalized adventure, feel free to request a customized itinerary tailored to your preferences.
1 Day Arrival at Kathmandu valley and transfer to hotel.Upon arrival in Kathmandu, Tribhuvan International Airport, we will receive you in a private vehicle and drive to the hotel in Kathmandu. In the afternoon, Restricted Area Permit (RAP) arrangement via department of Immigration office in Kathmandu. Our representative will brief you on Mustang Tiji Festival trekking information.
Begin your morning with a hearty breakfast at the hotel before heading out for your next adventure. You’ll then drive to Kathmandu Airport for a scenic domestic flight to Pokhara International Airport. This short yet spectacular flight presents a stunning aerial views of the Himalayan ranges and rolling hills of Nepal.
On a clear day, the flight from Kathmandu to Pokhara offers breathtaking views of the Himalayan giants, including Langtang Lirung, Manaslu, Ganesh Himal, and even glimpses of the Annapurna and Dhaulagiri ranges. Sitting on the right side of the plane provides the best window seat views of these stunning snow-capped peaks.
Shortly after landing at Pokhara International Airport, begin your thrilling overland journey to Kagbeni in a private jeep. Its a tough adventure that follows the legendary Kali Gandaki corridor. Along the way, marvel at dramatic cliffs, terraced fields, and remote Himalayan villages. A major highlight is the breathtaking Rupse Waterfall, one of most stunning natural wonders in Nepal. Though the drive takes around 7 hours, the changing scenery and mountain panoramas make it an unforgettable experience into the mystical Mustang region.
Leads the trail toward east bank of the Kali Gandaki that climbs over many ridges as it heads north and reaches Tangbe Village. It has a narrow alleys amongst whitewashed houses, fields of buckwheat, barley, wheat, and apple orchards. Continues to loom massively at the foot of the valley. Beyond Tangbe we reach Chhusang Village and cross the river, continue climbing north where the Kali Gandaki follows. Cross the main river and now leaves the Kaligandaki valley and climbs steeply up a rocky gully to Chele at 3030 meters.
Climb continues along steep, treeless, waterless terrain, along the side of the spectacular steep canyon to pass and cairn of rock at 3540m. It makes a long gradual descent to some chortens on a ridge, and the trail descends further on a pleasant trail to Samar. Mount Annapurna, still dominated by Nilgiri, is visible far to the south. Climb above Samar to a ridge, descend into a large gorge and the trail goes into another valley field, crosses a stream, and climbs up to a ridge at 3,800 meters. Climbs sharply up and down over a series of high passes, before the final descent to Geiling.
From Geling, the trail climbs gradually to Nyi La Pass, then descends beneath striking blue, gray, and red cliffs. After crossing a steel bridge over the Tangmar Chu River, you’ll reach Nepal’s longest and most impressive Mani Wall. A final gentle ascent leads to Charang, home to a majestic five story white Dzong and a vibrant red Gompa filled with statues, Thangkas, and stunning Buddha paintings.
From Charang, route drops 100 meters, crosses the Charang Chu River, and climbs steeply over rocky terrain to a ridge at 3,850 meters. From here, you’ll enjoy the first dramatic view of the walled city of Lo Manthang. After a short descent and stream crossing, the path leads to the Lo-Manthang plateau. Tsarang to Lo Manthang trekking covers 13.9 kilometers (8.64 miles). Following lunch at a local guesthouse, you’ll witness the vibrant opening ceremony of the Tiji Festival from 3 to 5 p.m., before spending the night in Lo Manthang.
Another day in Lo – Manthang gives you the chance to explore its many sights; the Tall Champa Lakhang (God house,) the red Thugchen Gompa, Chyodi Gompa, and the Raja’s Palace. Besides Lo-Manthang there are two other interesting valleys worth visiting. Western valley Tingkhar, the sight of Raja’s summer palace, Kimling, and Phuwa as well as the Gompa of Namgyal (The Monastery of Victory) is the newest and most active Gompa in Lo. In the eastern valley lies the village of Chosar, also rich in gompas and the valley is the main trading route to Lhasa. After Lunch, we can watch the stunning mask dances performed by monks in the Tiji festival starting at 2 pm and ending around 6 pm). Overnight at Hotel.
Explore the Royal palace and monastery in the morning and enjoy the last and final celebration of the Tiji festival in Lo Manthang in the afternoon.
Today, we climbs steadily to the pass marked by a cairn, has a last glimpse of Lo Manthang. We cross the highest pass this trek and arrive in Ghar Gompa (3920 Meters). Its a very old and older than the Samye monastery in Tibet, supposed to be built around 730 AD. After crossing the pass around 4100m, we descend downhill to Dhakmar 3,520 meters where we fix our campsite for stay overnight.
From Dhakmar the way goes down to until Ghami (3,460m) the huge greenery village in Mustang where we can see the ancient monastery and stupas with. You can see the local houses here like caves. After the trail goes ascends until Nyi La pass and descends to Samar through the same route. We fix our camp to stay overnight here or we can stay at the Dhakmar lodge. And Lo Manthang to Dhakmar distance is 14 kilometers/8.70 miles and takes about 6 hours to complete.
Today, the trek begins with a scenic descent toward Chhusang, following a picturesque downhill trail. From Chhusang, the path gently climbs to Tangbe, a charming village known for its whitewashed homes, narrow alleys, and apple orchards. As the journey continues, you’ll stop at Kagbeni Guesthouse for a well-earned lunch. From Samar to Kagbeni spans roughly 13.1 km (8.1 miles) provides spectacular views of vibrant red stone cliffs. This dramatic landscape perfectly captures the raw beauty of the Mustang region.
After lunch, take a private jeep from Kagbeni to Pokhara via the scenic Kali Gandaki Corridor. On the way, explore Jomsom Bazaar, known as the windy valley of the Kaligandaki River and walk along the riverbanks in search of sacred ammonite fossils called Shaligrams, believed to originate from the holy Damodar Kunda. According to Hindu mythology, these black stones symbolize Lord Vishnu, who was transformed into stone by a powerful curse from his devoted follower, Vrinda.
Return with a same way thrilling adventure with a scenic view of Dhaulagiri, Nilgiri, Annapurna South, Annapurna I, and Machhapuchre. 
In the morning, enjoy a scenic drive back to Kathmandu with planned stops for breakfast and lunch along the way. It takes approximately 7 hours and upon arrival, your guide will transfer you to your hotel. Alternatively, guests can opt to fly from Pokhara to Kathmandu for an additional cost of US$105 per person. Daily flights are available with airlines like Buddha Air and Yeti Airlines, starting from 7 a.m.
Not satisfied with above plan?
Are you interested in planning a custom trip? this might take 2 to 3 minutes.
Cost
How much is the Tiji festival trek package price?
It’s a 12 Days cultural Tiji Festival Trek price US$ 1899 is a standard package per person on double occupancy basis. Taking flights to and from Pokhara saves your time and riding the bus minimize the tour expenses. For the deluxe trekking tour plan, we add standard guest houses with attached bathrooms on possible places on mustang trek. Additionally, we add 3 to 5 star category hotel deluxe air conditioned rooms in Kathmandu and Pokhara with breakfast.
Includes in this package price:-
- Kathmandu international and domestic airport transfer with a private car as per given plan.
- Single night twin sharing on tourist standard accommodation in Kathmandu.
- Single nights Tourist standard accommodation in Pokhara Phewa Lakeside serve with breakfast.
- 11 Breakfast serve with a cup of tea/coffee, 11 Lunch and 11 Dinner [main course] en route.
- 9 Nights Lodge accommodation (double/twin room) with sharing toilet/bathroom basis.
- Kathmandu to Pokhara international airport flight (1 way) with a airport departure tax.
- Pokhara airport to Kagbeni transfer by a private jeep as per given plan.
- Tourist Bus transfer from Pokhara Phewa Lakeside to Kathmandu.
- All require permits including Mustang restricted area of US$ 500 per tourist
- Fully escorted trek with English-speaking license holder local guide and every 2 guests (12 kg + 12 kg) = 1 Porter basis.
- Insurance, Food, accommodation, and salary of Nepali trekking guides and porters.
- Agency’s duffel bag (50 liters capacity), and trek poles if Necessary – return after the trek.
- First aid medical kit including Oximeter to check your Oxygen level, Pulse rate to monitor every day to prepare for altitude mountain sickness.
- In a worst case, help with all Helicopter Rescue and evacuation arrangements (but not the rescue bills).
- Trek completion certificate and Mustang trek map – keep as a souvenir.
- Nepal Government Tax, VAT, and as well as Company service charge.
Excludes in the package price:-
- Lunch and Dinner in Kathmandu and Pokhara city.
- Any kinds of battery charges, laundry service, phone calls, and hot showers during the trekking.
- Tourist personal trekking equipment including warm clothes.
- Personal nature expenses, all types of beverage drinks.
- Travel Insurance which covers emergency rescue, evacuation, personal loss, or damage.
- All types of donations to the monastery and gifts for the monks.
- Gratuities for guide and porters [Tip is a culture, so they expect highly].
Group join
Mustang has a typically barren landscape. It is dry and empty, with few plants growing. But many ancient caves still exist there to visit in a combo trek. Therefore, we can organize a group to join the Tiji festival trek upper Mustang starting on any date but we can also run this private trip if that works for you. Please email us for more information.
FAQ
Question: Is a pick up service available on my arrival in Kathmandu?.
Answer: Yes sure. Provide us with your flight details and request us to pick you up. Our representative will come to pick up you at Kathmandu international airport.
Question: Do I need experience for my express Tiji festival trek in upper Mustang?.
Answer: Yes, some trekking experience is recommended for the Express Tiji Festival Trek in Upper Mustang due to the challenging terrain and high altitude.
Question: What kind of accommodation and food can I expect on my trip?
Answer: Basically, we provide tourist standard lodge accommodation during the trek routes in the mountains. Rooms along the routes are clean with a cozy bed with a nice mattress and blankets with a sharing toilet/bathroom facilities. However we recommend you take your own sleeping bags if you have one with you otherwise, you may rent them while you are in Kathmandu.
Similarly, every lodges have thier own restaurants where they cook a delicious range of mostly vegetarian meals. Such as Pasta, tuna bakes, noodles, potatoes, eggs, bread, soups, and rice with vegetable curry. Furthermore, dinner and breakfast we provide in the same lodge you spend the night and Lunch will serve on the way to the next place you hike.
Question: How do I manage to drink water on my trip to Tiji festival?.
Answer: You can buy bottled mineral water to drink. We advise against buying mineral water in plastic bottles, as currently there are no provisions for disposing of these. Instead, we advise you to buy boiled water or buy AQUA tablets in a Pharmacy to purify the normal water. And normal water is available at the mustang guest houses.
Question: Can I charge my mobile phone or a digital camera on my trip?
Answer: Tourists can recharge Mobile phone or camera battery at the guest houses in a small fee. We recommend you bring an extra pair in case. Remember to bring your adapters!
Question: Are there any communication facilities in a Tiji festival trekking?.
Answer: Yes! at this Mustang Tiji festival trekking, you can get telephone services as well as the internet. Alternatively, you c use wi-fi at the lodges en route.
Question: When should I book my trip and what are the payment terms?.
Answer: We recommend booking your trip with us as early as possible. While we strive to accommodate last minute bookings, a 15% advance deposit is required to secure your reservation. This deposit allows us to make all necessary arrangements for your trip however, the remaining payment can settle upon your arrival in Kathmandu Nepal.
Question: Who will carry my luggage on the Tiji festival trek upper Mustang?.
Answer: We provide porters to transfer your luggage from Jomsom Airport. As we are a responsible agency, every porter carry a maximum of 24 kilos of your backpack which means 2 guests (12 kg luggage of each guest): 1 porter basis.
Question: How much distance do I walk each day?
Answer: When walking/trekking in the mountains, the distance you cover each day can vary greatly due to gradient, terrain, and altitude. As such it is very hard to give specific distances for each day, however, you have to be prepared to walk for roughly about 6 hours each day.
Question: Do I need walking poles for my Tiji festival trekking?.
Answer: It is better to hike with walking poles. Learn how to use trekking poles for balance and stability, whether on the sidewalk or on trails. Walking poles can help prevent slips and falls. They are just recommended but not compulsory.
Question: How much additional money do I need per day?
Answer: It depends upon your spending habits, however you can allocate US$ 10 to 15 per day to buy bottles of water, energy chocolates and tea/coffee. If you want wish to upgrade accommodation, plan you budget accordingly. Manage those funds in a cash Nepali rupees as ATM often stop working in Jomsom bazaar and Credit card payment option is not available.
Tiji festival trek highlights
- Discover Annapurna and Dhaulagiri family and some of the border mountains.
- Walking through dry cultivated fields, Excellent views of Dhaulagiri and Blue Mountain.
- Lo Manthang is a windy town and focal point of corolla border Mustang to Tibet.
- Hidden kingdom with World’s deepest gorge Kali Gandaki valley
- Meet the mixed communities with Shakye muni Buddhism and their lives..
Tiji festival trek time!
Best time to witness the Tiji Festival in Mustang is late May, when the festival takes place. During this period, the weather is favorable, offering optimal conditions for your journey. It’s the perfect opportunity to immerse yourself in the rich cultural celebrations of Upper Mustang.
Mustang Tiji festival trek difficulty level
Mustang’s Tiji Festival Trek is considered moderately challenging. It involves navigating rugged terrain and high altitudes, which can be demanding. Physical fitness is important, as trekkers should have good cardiovascular endurance and strength to handle long days of hiking and acclimatize to the altitude effectively. While previous trekking experience is beneficial, it is not strictly necessary if you are in good physical condition and prepared for the trek’s demands.
Notes for Tiji festival trekkers!
Mustang Tiji festival trek information as stated above is just a standard package plan, possible to customize at your request to accommodate your specific requirements. Tourist who doesn’t like to walk all the way to Lomanthang can choose a jeep ride from Jomsom. In this way, it takes about 1 full day to reach Lomanthang, watch the festival for 2 to 3 days and again return with a jeep or hike.
Local politics, landslides, cancellation of local flights, weather, transport, or a multitude of other factors that are beyond our control can result in a change of itinerary en route.
While significant changes to the itinerary are unlikely, any necessary alterations will be determined by the leader, who will consider the best interests of the entire group. If changes occur, we strive to minimize their impact, but we cannot be held responsible for any resulting delays or consequences.
What makes this Tiji festival trek in the upper Mustang very special?
Cultural Tiji Festival, a popular Buddhist celebration held annually in Lo Manthang, is also known as ‘Teeji’ derived from “Tempa Chhirim,” meaning “prayer for world peace. Amazing Tenji festival is celebrating the victory of Buddha’s incarnation. Dorji Sonam over a demon called MA TAM RU TA, who Waxman eater & who caused storms and droughts to destroy people’s houses and livestock. The dance performed by the monks of lomanthang chhyode Gumba during these three days of the festival enacts the harassment of the MA TAM TU TA, the birth of Dhorji Sonam the demon’s son, and an attempt by Dhorji Sonam to a back and demon to the Buddha realm.
At Gokyo Treks and Expedition, we specialize in small-group cultural treks, prioritizing quality service above all. Safety, success, and customer satisfaction are our top concerns. Our team consists of professional, experienced, and licensed local guides who possess in-depth knowledge of the destinations we offer. Additionally, we support local communities and contribute to conserving natural resources, thereby reducing costs and consumption.
Tiji festival trek Review
Tiji Festival Trek in Mustang 2018
Great chance to experience Tiji festival trek in upper Mustang, our guide was Shree Ram and a nice carrier hire from Jomsom Bazaar. Fantastic landscapes and unforgettable encounters. Gokyo Treks and Expedition is the right agency to make a trek in Nepal!!! Thanks for all!. – Cristiano and Michael, Milano, Italy.
Response from Gokyo Treks Nepal
Thank you Cristiano for your time to review Tinji festival trek in the upper Mustang in Nepal.
From US$ 2398
2% Off US$ 1899| No. of people | Price Per Person |
| 1 | USD 2350 |
| 2 | USD 1899 |
| 3 | USD 1895 |
| 4 - 6 | USD 1850 |
| 7 - 9 | USD 1750 |
| 10 + | USD 1699 |
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