Tiji Festival Trek in Mustang

Arrive at Tribhuvan International Airport where you will be met by your representative of Vertical Expedition. You will be escorted to your hotel where there are complimentary welcome drinks and a short briefing with plenty of time to relax from your flight.

Your day will be spent visiting several of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. This is a great day to get a feel of the culture, spirituality and the beauty of the famed Kathmandu Valley. The Valley is larger than the country of Singapore and is known for its temples, shopping and great hospitality.

The journey today is by 1st Class, Luxury Bus from Kathmandu to Pokhara. While flying will get you there in just 25 minutes, taking the bus is the best way to see the countryside. The trip crosses the pass out of Kathmandu and then down the mountain through beautiful canyons. We will pass waterfalls and fast flowing mountain rivers which are famous as great places to do rafting. There will be many villages the journey will pass through as well as along terraced farms. We will arrive around 2 pm in Pokhara and check into a Three Star Hotel near Lakeside. This will give you an opportunity to explore some of the Lakeside area, which is located on the eastern shore of Phewa Lake. There are great views along the way.

This morning we rise early to catch a 45 minute flight into the mountains to Jomsom. This is a principal village on the Kali Gandaki River. It has always been a major destination point, being on the ancient trans-Himalayan trail to Tibet. Our trek begins today as we make our way to the windswept village of Kagbeni. We will camp in Kagbeni. Trekking time is 3 – 4 hours, a short day.

Today we enter the restricted region of Upper Mustang. We follow the left bank of the Kali Gandaki River. The first Mustang village we come to is Tangbe which has a medieval atmosphere. The train continues upwards to Chhusang Village. Further up, we pass 16 caves along the Kali Gandaki. We see some of the snowcapped peaks like Mt. Nilgiri Himal as we approach our destination of Tsaile Village where we will spend the night in camp. Trekking time is 5 – 6 hours.

We get up early and take a rather unstable local dirt road uphill to reach the plateau. From here, it is an easy ascent to a small pass as we make our way to Samar village. We will have lunch here and then the trail will be up and down as we trek to Chungsi Cave Monastery. This monastery features an incredible feeling of deep spirituality that touches every visitor. There are great mountain views along the way. We will see and visit several monasteries along the way, including one where Guru Padmasambhava meditated in the 8th century. We pass next to Syangmochen village, then climb again to a small pass were we will encounter a very large chhortens along with two smaller gompas with walls that are painted red. We will spend the night in Ghiling village at a local lodge.

We begin the day by walking through the village of Ghiling which is a large village here in Mustang. We will ascend to the mountain pass of Nyl-La, and enter what is known as Central Mustang. In ancient times, this was the land of Lo. We descend into the valley and reach the village of Ghami with its terraced farmland that clings to the sides of the cliff.  We pass incredibly long Mani Walls and then unique rock formations with stones of red, orange, blue and white. We will follow a small river upstream to reach our night’s destination of Drakmar. Trekking time today is 5 – 6 hours.

Today is a day of climbing as we make our way to the capital city of Mustang. We will ascend to the top of Marang-La Pass for one incredible view of the region. From here, we can see the snowcapped peaks of the Himalayas plus look upon the plateau of Tibet. You also will have your first view of the ancient walled city of Lo-Manthang which is an awesome view of this forbidden place. We will descend to spend the night in the capital city. Along the way, we will see the Ghar Gompa, one of the oldest monasteries in the region. Trekking time is 7 – 8 hours.

This is the first day of the Tiji Festival where the monks perform the Tsa Chham dance.

Today the monks perform their second dance which is called the Nga Chham

It is the final day as the last dance of the festival is performed. This dance is called the Rha Chham.

We leave the ancient walled city after breakfast and climb up a steep, sandy slope to reach Lo-La Pass which will afford us our last view of Lo-Manthang. We will be walking on a wide plain as we look up and see numerous caves in the face of the rock. When we come to a very large, isolated chhortens, we are crossing an ancient boundary between Lo-Manthang and Tsarang. We will cross an iron bridge over the Tsarang Khola. Tsarang was once its own kingdom and we will see a five-storey palace there along with a 14th century Gompa situated on the side of the Kali Gandaki Gorge at the eastern end of the village. We will spend the night at a local lodge in Tsarang. Trekking time is 3 – 4 hours.

We set out after breakfast and begin a long, gentle ascent to a ridge, passing magnificent Mani Walls. We will pass Ghami-La pass and then on to Nyl-La pass. From here, it is downhill to Tamagaon on a steep set of switchbacks into a rock canyon. We finally join the Ghiling trail near the ridge and then it’s a short trek to the village of Syangmochen where we will spend the night. Trekking time is 6 – 7 hours.

We continue our trek as we are heading back to Jomsom. There are a number of small villages we will pass through on today’s trek. We will see a big canyon and then a steep descent to an iron bridge that crosses over the Kali Gandaki River. We will spend the night in the village of Chhusang. Trekking time is 5 – 6 hours.

It is our last day of trekking. We climb up to the picturesque village of Tangbe which will afford us an incredible view of the Annapurna Mountains. We will follow the Kali Gandaki River until we reach Jomsom. Trekking time is 6 – 7 hours and we will stay in a local lodge.

Today is a short, 45 minute flight in the morning to Pokhara. From here, we can check into our Three Star Hotel where we can get a real hot shower. We will spend the day doing sightseeing in Pokhara, visiting places like the Buddhist Peace Pagoda and Devi Falls as well as an opportunity to do boating on Phewa Lake.

We leave early morning by bus for Kathmandu. We will stay at a Three Star Hotel in Kathmandu. In the evening will be a farewell dinner with cultural dancing.

All good things must come to an end, and your trip to Nepal is no exception. Before leaving, why not talk to your representative at Vertical Expedition about returning to Nepal for your next holiday. The vast majority of people make a return trip to Nepal because they are impressed by not only the beauty, but also the local people.  Vertical Expedition offers trips into neighboring Tibet, Bhutan and India. Be sure to discuss your interests and plans with them today.