Upper Mustang Tiji Festival tour 2020

01 / THE EXPERIENCE

Discover the journey

Tiji festival tour 2020 Tiji is a fascinating annual three-day festival consisting of Tibetan rituals that celebrate the myth of a son who had to save the Mustang kingdom from destruction. The festival is indigenous to Lo-Manthang, Upper Mustang. "Tiji" the name is an abbreviation of the word "Tempa Chirim" which means "Prayer for World Peace". This festival commemorates the victory of Lord Buddha's incarnation Dorjee Sonnu over a demon called Man Tam Ru a vicious creature feeding on human beings and causing storms and droughts. The Tiji festival takes place this year 19th,20th,21st.May.2020 . The monks of Lo Manthang's "Choedhe" monastery perform ritual dances during the celebration. The harassment of Ma Tam Ru Ta (in a dance called "Tsa Chham" on the first day), the birth of Dorjee Sonnu as the demon's son (on the second day called "Nga Chham") and the attempt to return the demon to Lord Buddha's realm (on the third and final day) are enacted during the performances. The Tiji festival dances are all organized by the Choedhe Monastery, which belongs to the Sakya sect of Buddhism. The monastery is headed by a Rimpoche. About 65 monks from Lo Manthang, Nhenyul and Chhosyer reside in this monastery.

02 / WHY GO

The memorable moments

Major highlights of the Mustang Tiji Festival Tour: Take a journey to Land beyond the Himalayas in 4WD Land cruiser drive. Feel the Buddhist spirituality and beliefs via Tiji Festival in the naturally isolated region. Experience mini Tibet: Tibetan people/culture/lifestyles/ ancient cave. Visit the picturesque areas including magnificent barren landscapes ancient caves, century old monasteries and many other archeological sites. Experience the Himalaya views from its backyard. Test the renowned local apples, apple pie and apple wine (marpha) in Jomsom. Experience fantastic view of Nilgiri, Dhaulagiri and Annapurna range when fly to jomsom .

03 / YOUR ROUTE

Journey at a glance

Day 1: Pokhara - Jomsom over flight and drive to Ghilling ( 3520m./11548ft.) 5 hours drive — A short scenic morning flight to Jomsom, the district headquarters of Mustang, through the world’s deepest Kali Gandaki Gorge with the glorious view of Annapurna and Dhaulagiri is exceptional. Drive to Ghilling and Stay overnight at lodge. Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Day 2: Ghilling - Lo Manthang (3700m./12210ft.) / witness the Tiji festival starting in the afternoon — Finally we drive through the plateau of Lo Monthang, ‘The Capital city and the Plain of Aspiration’ of Mustang. The fabled walled city of Lo, the kingdom with a single entrance is a welcome sight! The king, “Lo Gyelbu”, named Jigme Palbar Bista, still resides at his four-storied palace inside the walled city of Lo Manthang. NOTE: ENTRANCE FEE MAY BE INCURRED TO SEE THE FESTIVAL FOR 3 CONSUCATIVE DAYS. Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Day 3: Exploration of cave and monastery in morning and afternoon witness the stunning mask dances performed by monks in Tiji festival — Lo Manthang the capital city of Mustang contains about 150 houses and has some of the largest and finest Tibetan Buddhism gompas in Nepal. The city itself is absolutely fascinating place with four major ancient Monasteries which are impressive and an enormous 14th century palace imposing 4-storey building in the center of the city. Meals included : Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Day 4: Explore the Summer palace and monastery in morning and enjoy the last and final celebration of Tiji festival in Lo Manthang in the afternoon. — Today we will walk to Thinkar for morning excursion to see the summer palace. Though summer palace is abandoned and not anymore in use yet its worth hiking around. Alternatively we can climb up the view point hill just north of Lo Monthang for the stunning view of all around the valle. Rest of our day, afternoon and night we will be in the palace witnessing the Tiji Festival, the last day of festival which normally takes on open area outside of the palace. Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Day 5: Lomanthang- Jomsom ( 2650m./8745ft.) 6 hours drive — Drive to Jomsom then stay overnight at the hotel. Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Day 6: Jomsom - Pokhara ( 840m./2772ft.) 22 minutes flight — We take an early morning flight to Pokhara – a fantastic way to round off the trek, flying right along the Kali Gandaki Gorge between the Annapurna and Dhaulagiri ranges. Meals included : Breakfastthe

YOUR DAY-BY-DAY ROUTE

Day-by-day itinerary

Day 1Pokhara - Jomsom over flight and drive to Ghilling ( 3520m./11548ft.) 5 hours drive — A short scenic morning flight to Jomsom, the district headquarters of Mustang, through the world’s deepest Kali Gandaki Gorge with the glorious view of Annapurna and Dhaulagiri is exceptional. Drive to Ghilling and Stay overnight at lodge.+