Nepal Festival Tours

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Overview

  • Max. Altitude 1400 m | 4,593 ft.
  • Trip Start and End Kathmandu, Nepal
  • Trip Area Kathmandu

Highlights

  • Kathmandu & Kathmandu Valley - Rickshaw ride through the city, Kathmandu Durbar Square, Swayambhunath Stupa & Bodhnath Buddhist Stupa
  • Bhaktapur - Durbar Square, visiting local families to watch Ju Ju Dhau (yoghurt) being made and try making pottery
  • Experience the Nepali festival and culture from up close.
  • Know more about Nepali culture and tradition
  • Tour around the UNESCO World Heritage site.
  • Tour to the exotic locations of Nepal
  • Rikshaw ride around the Thamel area.

Nepal is not just a place that is known for its high Himalayas and mountains. It is also known as the land of feasts and festivals as well. Nepal is home to diverse settlements, in terms of ethnicity, religion, dialect, and culture. Because of the variation in language, culture, and ethnicity of people living in Nepal, people here have their traditions and festivals. In Nepal, more than 50 festival is celebrated. In such a culturally diverse country, where the festival is celebrated with great enthusiasm, making a holiday plan at this festival will make your trip the most remarkable.

Festival tours in Nepal are very interesting to understand the diverse culture and customs of Nepalese people. As there are hundreds of diverse festivals in Nepal. That's why Nepal has been called 'the land of festivals that are a living part of cultural heritage. The religious festivals of Nepal follow the lunar calendar but the national festivals have fixed dates like ‘Eid and others.

Nepal is also very popular for its different cultures, tradition, and religious festivals. Also, it is well-known for its Himalayas. More than 50 festivals are celebrated in Nepal each year with great enthusiasm. In Nepal, all the events are celebrated with the same happy faces and with large numbers - the way it used to be hundreds of years ago when people have no other means of entertainment. Even today festivals are not only yearly wonders but also are living part of the amusing cultural heritage. Celebrating festivals effectually bonds those having diverse cultural backgrounds together. This is also one of the opportunities of sharing their social lives, sharing one other happiness. Even though most of these festivals or these ceremonies are religious some have historical importance too. Most Nepalese festivals are related to different Hindu and Buddhist gods and goddesses. They are celebrated on such days heavenly for them by these festivals.

Nepal Festival Tour gives us a vision of the rich cultural spirit that is celebrated full of life, colors, and interest in a sparkling environment. These festivals also remind you of the regional, cultural, and traditional diversity of Nepal which grasps the great position of local Nepalese people.

Festivals involve all your sanities, with their noise, colors, smells, and tastes the variety, the fun, and the naturalness are part of the whole experience. Our Festival Tour in Nepal is not only partial to having fun and entertainment, but it is also a great opportunity to learn the cultural importance of Nepalese. It would be something new, something different, fun, and learning chances for you making the Nepal festival tour with Nepal Tours a great visiting experience.

Maha Shivaratri

Shivaratri festival belongs to Lord Shiva, the supreme god of Hinduism who is equally known as Shambhu, Bhole, Mahadev, Shanker, Kailash, Pashupatinath, and so on. It falls in the Nepali month of Falgun (in between February-March). Shivaratri is one of the most important festivals of Hindu people in Nepal and India. On this day, thousands of people visit the Pashupatinath temple in Kathmandu which is believed to be the origin of Lord Shiva. Followers of Lord Shiva from Nepal and India come to Pashupatinath temple to worship Lord Shiva. Many Sadhus (yogi) from India and different parts of Nepal come to Pashupatinath temple to celebrate the Shivaratri festival. It is quite interesting to see those Sadhus on this day as most of them are half-naked and few of them are unclothed in Pashupatinath temple. The use of marijuana and cannabis is illegal in Nepal but in Shivaratri, it is offered to Shiva and his followers openly. We can see many Sadhus having marijuana in Pashupatinath during this festival. Shivaratri is celebrated in all Shiva temples all over Nepal.

Gai Jatra (cow festival)

Gai means a cow and Jatra is a procession. Gai Jatra falls in the Nepali month of Bhadra (between July-August). This festival is celebrated with dancing, singing, and comedy that cause mirth and laughter. Gai Jatra festival is most popular among Newar people throughout the country. Newar people who had died in their families in the last year organized the Gai Jatra procession led by a cow. In the cities where there were no cows, young boys dressed up and decorated themselves as cow used to substitute the cows. Nowadays leading a Gai Jatra procession by young kids dressed up funnily has begun a tradition. Families, relatives, and friends of the host family participate in the Gai Jatra celebration.

Today Jatra

Traditionally on the 15th of Chait, all horses and ponies belonging to government servants were assembled at the grand parade ground and entered into a race in front of the king and top officials who are stationed around a central monument. The monument bore Sir Jung Bahadur's statue. After the event, gambling is allowed for two days and nights and the festival ends with an illumination of the monument. In 1875, Bahadur's statue and four dragon monuments were moved into a newly built temple in his honor, hence the location of the festival was moved.

Bisket Jatra

Bisket Jatra, the biggest festival of Bhaktapur, begins with the pulling of the chariot of Lord Bhairavnath on the premises of the five-storied Nyatapola temple. The festival commences at the start of the Nepali New Year. Hundreds of locals from either side of the Taumadi begin the Jatra by pulling the three-storied pagoda-style chariot. Thousands of people, including foreigners, enjoy the Jatra. The Bisket Jatra festival is celebrated for eight nights and nine days.

Holi festival (Fagu Poornima)

Holi is one of the major festivals of Hindus. It is celebrated in the spring season. Holi is known as the 'playing with color' festival. Young and old, especially the children throw bags of water or a handful of colored powder at each other and make it a pleasure. In the Terai region, they celebrate it the next day when the people of the valley celebrate it.

Dashain

Dashain Festival is one of the most important and longest Hindu festivals which is celebrated all over Nepal delightfully. This festival usually falls in September or October and is celebrated for 15 days. It starts from the bright lunar fortnight (Shukla Paksha) and ends on the day of the full moon (Poornima) according to the Nepalese annual calendar. Hindus' greatest festival, Dashain honors a great conquest of the gods over the evil demons. The symbol of power, Goddess Durga is worshiped during this festival.

Tihar (Deepawali)

Tihar festival is a time of lights and glitter decorations, fancy sweets, and juicy fruits. The celebrations begin with the adoration of crows and dogs. Leaf dishes of rice, incense, and light are set out for the dark messenger, while dogs are worshiped and offered goodies. In the period of Tihar Laxmi, the Goddess of Wealth is worshipped. Rows of lamps are placed on windows and doors, with the strong hope that Laxmi, the Goddess of Wealth, is worshipped. Rows of lamps are placed on windows and doors, with the strong hope that Laxmi pleased to reside in the light. The following day belongs to the cow, representative of Laxmi. Laxmi Puja, Gobardhan Puja, and Bhai Tika are the series of an event under Tihar. On the day of Bhai Tika sisters and brothers get together and accept Tika from each other. This day is called Brothers' Day. Brothers and sisters honor each other on this day and sisters pray to Yama, the God of Death, for their brothers' progress, prosperity, and longevity.

Lhosar

Sherpas and Tibetans welcome their New Year with feasts, family visits, and dancing. Families put on their finest clothes and jewelry and exchange gifts. Buddhist monks offer prayers for good health and prosperity and perform dances at the monasteries. Colorful prayer flags decorate streets and rooftops, and the colors seem especially brilliant at the Bouddha and Swayambhu stupas. Crowds of celebrants at Bouddha bring in the New Year by throwing tsampa (roasted barley flour) into the air.

Buddha Jayanti

In Nepal, the birthday of Buddha (Buddha Jayanti) is of special significance to many because Nepal is the birthplace of Siddhartha Gautama Buddha. Buddhists in Nepal celebrate Buddha Jayanti on the full moon day in the Buddhist month of Baishakh (May). Buddha Jayanti is a special day for both Hindus and Buddhists in Nepal. On this occasion, people celebrate the life of Lord Buddha.

Indra Jatra

The eight-day-long Indra Jatra festival falls in September and is one of the most exciting and revered festivals of the Newari community of the Kathmandu Valley.  This also marks the beginning of a month-long festival season of autumn. It begins with the erection of a wooden pole made of pine at Basantapur Square in front of the old Hanuman Dhoka Palace.

For the pole-raising ceremony, hundreds of spectators gather at the Palace Square and in the surrounding temples. The chariot of Kumari, the Living Goddess, is taken out in a procession through the main streets of Kathmandu. Masked dancers known as Lakhay take to the streets almost every evening accompanied by loud drums. The festival commemorates the time when Indra came down from heaven in human form to look for an herb.

Itinerary

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In accordance with your flight schedule, we will be at the Tribhuvan International Airport, Kathmandu to extend a warm welcome to you in our beautiful country for the beautiful trip. After exchanging warm welcome greetings at the arrival section, we will lead you to our vehicle to transfer you to our trip hotel. It’s a day at complete leisure on your own to relax the jetlag. But we definitely help you with the information to go around in case you’d like to do so.

We spend a full day in Kathmandu today which will be a necessary acclimatization day as well. Early in the morning after breakfast, we will meet for a trip briefing where we will talk about this amazing trip in detail and answer your questions if you have any. After the brief meeting is over, we are taking you for an amazing cultural sightseeing tour of heritage sites in Kathmandu valley.

The sites we take you for sightseeing today include Swoyambhunath - the oldest monument in Kathmandu valley, Kathmandu Durbar Square – to see the temple of Living Goddess and other medieval architectural wonders, Pashupatinath – to immerse into Hindu death rites on the bank of a holy river, and Boudhanath – a massive Buddhist shrine considered as the biggest in the world.

We will celebrate the festival on this particular day. We will visit a different place in order to observe and be part of that festival.

Not satisfied with this regular itinerary?

Are you thinking to plan your custom trip now.

Useful Info

The itineraries provided by the Himalayan Scenery Treks Are guided and standard; however, the itineraries are subject to be altered or changed because of uncertainties beyond our control. Note that, the itineraries are just a Guideline to show you the overview of tentative tour plans. The alteration on the tentative itineraries may differ or be altered as per the best interest, due to the unpredicted event caused by physical, technical, and natural conditions.

Hotel and Accommodation:

We provide you with a 2 to 3-star standard hotel while you are in Kathmandu.  

In Kathmandu besides the 2 / 3 stars hotel, some 4 / 5 - star luxury accommodation is also available. If you want to change the accommodation plan for the luxury, please do let us know so that we can arrange and book the hotel for you for your Kathmandu stay.

Food and Beverages:

A variety of meals are available in most hotels where we stay overnight. Among the food served in the hotel, some of the most popular are Indian, Chinese, Nepalese, Bhutanese, Tibetan, and the more common continental food. Vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes are also available in every restaurant and hotel.

All the food and Beverages included in the package are provided by the company itself. We will be served all meals in Kathmandu. We will have breakfast and lunch at the hotel where we stay for the night. On the day tour, the tour leader will decide the available place and stop for lunch.

Transportation:

We at Himalayan Scenery Treks and Expedition provide all the necessary transportation facilities for your trip. We provide private vehicles for airport pick up and drop off. We also provide all private ground transportation facilities during your tour in Nepal.

Guide:

We provide you with a well-trained and experienced guide and porter for your trek.  Our guide will assist you in every possible way to make your trips remarkable and memorable. 

Personnel Expenses:

Personnel Expenses are largely influenced by your habit of expenditure. We provide you with all the necessary food and accommodation facilities inside the cost of your Festival Tour. So, you only need money to pay for your drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages) and snacks while strolling in the chaotic city of Kathmandu. Likewise, you can also use the money to buy souvenirs of the trip, get a body massage, hot showers, tips, and many more. Note that, tips and gratuities are not mandatory, but it is fine if you wish to. If you feel like the service provided to you is excellent, then you can tip directly to the staff. Of course, there is no obligation to tip if you are disappointed with the service you receive. As a suggestion, we advise you to allocate an amount of 5 - 10% of the total package price for tips. The amount you give depends on your budget and appreciation of their work.

Why Book With Us?

  • Best price
  • Best safety records
  • Easy payment processing
  • Customizable trips as per your needs
  • Departure for every booking
  • Best customer care
  • Specialized care and considerations
  • Easy cancellation conditions

Booking Requirements

Please provide us with your full credentials or a copy of your passport. Give your weight so that preplan your group’s trips for proper weight distribution. You may deposit 10 to 20 percent advance of the total package amount while booking. You may pay the rest of the amount before the trip. You can also pay us by card, bank transfer, or online. Please visit here for payment details.

Cancellation Policy

If you are unable to make your trip, let us know in advance. We will refund you as per our booking terms and conditions and available time frame. At times, there might be delays or cancellations of flights due to weather and unforeseeable reasons. In such cases, we will make our best effort to adjust your bookings and rearrange the schedule.

Still Need Help!

Please feel free to contact us. We will get back to you within 1-2 business days. Or just call us now

Cell:

+977 9851083619

Email:

info@himalayanst.com

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