Embrace this opportunity to witness a major festival in the shade of Everest with the Mani Rimdu Festival trek in the Everest region. This magical journey guides you to the popular Everest region of Nepal to observe one of the major festivals in the Himalayan region of Nepal.
This 14- day Mani Rimdu Festival trek in the Everest Region begins from the popular starting point Lukla and heads all the way to the Tengboche Gompa. Tengboche Gompa is an ancient monastery founded in 1916 A.D. by Lama Gulu. At present, it is the largest and one of the most important places to learn Buddhism in the Khumbu region.
Every year during Mid-October and Mid-November, a great festival of Mani Rimdu is celebrated for 19 days which concludes with 3 days public festival at the Tengboche Gompa. This festival is joyfully celebrated by the Sherpas and Lamas of Everest Region. This vibrant festival follows the lunar calendar for which an auspicious date is fixed by the head of the Tengboche Gompa.
During the Mani Rimdu festival, they perform masked dances depicting the victory of Buddhism over the Demons and Evil. For 2019 the dates for the festival begin from 5th October to 7th October for public.
This trek to Everest region of Nepal to experience Mani Rimdu Festival is popular amongst the trekker for the fact that it is celebrated in the shade of the world's highest mountain (Mt. Everest) region.
Anyone intending to go for this majestic journey must be physically fit. Altitude is often the problem thus; one must keep an eye open for the chances of getting altitude sickness.
If you wish to witness the amazing culture and tradition of the people in the Everest region of Nepal without having to compromise with the sceneries and landscapes within a short period of time then this trek to Mani Rimdu Festival in the Everest region of Nepal is Just the trek for you.
Experience the magic of Mani Rimdu festival and grandeur of the Mount Everest with the Mani Rimdu festival trek in the Everest region!
Trip Code
MRFTIER81
Starts
Lukla
Finishes
Lukla
Duration
13 Days
Difficulty
Hard
Group-Size
2 - 14
Age
Minimum 18
Seasons
Oct-Nov (Full moon)
Elevation
3870 m/ 12696.9ft
Trip View
2536
Activities
Trekking
Cultural Tours
Overland Tours
Travel Style
Comfortable
Trip popularity
TRIP FACTS
Celebrated in Mid-October and Mid-November
Trek starts from Lukla Airport
Tengboche Monastery is the first monastery in Nepal that perform Mani Rimdu festival
Mani Rimdu festival is one of the oldest festivals of Everest region
Mani Rimdu is divided into six preparations
Construction of the sand mandala
The Empowerment (Wong)
The Dances (Chham)
Ser-Kyem
The Fire Puja (Jinsak)
Chhingpa
Why this Trip
Mani Rimdu Festival is for those who want to celebrate the Buddhist culture and observe the magnificent views of the mountain ranges as well. This trek offers you to be a part of the wonderful festival and culture of Sherpas.
Trip Notes
•We reserve the right to change and that the program may be reversed. Things can happen that make it impossible to meet them as planned. If any meeting or plan would not be feasible, we always try to find an equivalent alternative. In Nepal, you always have a plan B and C!
•What follows is a general flow of events. Expect the unexpected and prepare to be flexible
•A trekking permit is a must to travel to controlled areas. Permit, however, is issued only to groups. Individual trekkers will not be issued trekking permit.
At the arrival section of Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, one of our representatives will be waiting with a placard-carrying your name on it. The airport representative will explain the program upon arrival and escort you to the hotel on a private vehicle; overnight in Kathmandu.
Kathmandu valley is an ancient city with diverse cultures and traditions. It has significant part in the history of Nepal. Home to 7 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, it has been chosen as a cultural and historical site of study and excursions throughout the history. We’ll observe some of the UNESCO world heritage sites in Kathmandu throughout the day. Overnight stay at hotel;
Almost all treks to Everest begins from Lukla so, early in the morning, a drive to Tribhuvan International airport (in a private car) for a flight to Lukla will be arranged. It takes 30-35 minutes to reach Tenzing Hillary airport/ Lukla airport. After reaching Lukla, the porters and the team members joining us on the trek will be introduced. The trek begins with a hike up through the beautiful town of Lukla to the Pasang Lhamu Memorial Gate. From the gate, the trail leading us out of Lukla, drops down to the village of Phakding, traversing the community forest and small Sherpa villages like Thalsharoa, Chheplung, ThadoKoshi Gaon, and Chhuthawa. Savor the beauty of well-decorated chortens, prayer rocks, prayer flags and prayer wheels on our way alongside the mesmerizing view of Kusum Kangru and the DudhKoshi River. It takes about 4 hours of walk downhill to reach Phakding. Check-in at the teahouse. In the remaining time, either rest or explore the nearby monasteries. Overnight stay in a teahouse at Phakding;
This morning, right after an early breakfast, our trek truly begins. On the path from Phakding, we’ll cross rivers by suspension bridges. The villages along the way will set the pace and before you know it, we'll have reached the entrance to Sagarmatha National Park. The trail continues rising sharply to reach Namche bazaar. Here, we'll spend the night in a hotel with good facilities. Overnight in Namche bazaar;
To prevent Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS), further up the trail, a day stop at Namche for acclimatization is a must. Staying active boosts, the process of acclimatization rather than simply resting. Therefore, we will go for an acclimatization hike – a full-day circuit through Khunde, Khumjung and back to Namche. Enjoying the wonderful view of Khumbu la, AmaDablam and Thamserku peaks we advance to Khunde Tsamkhang (a Buddhist temple), built above the village of Khunde. We reach Hillary Memorial Viewpoint to see the 360-degree views of Khunde, Namche, AmaDablam, and Pachermo Peak. After exploring Khunde, through the potato fields we continue east to the largest village in the Khumbu region- Khumjung. Overnight stay at Namche;
We begin the trek to Tengboche through an easy trail to PhunkiThanga. Ascending towards Tengboche village which is home to the largest monastery in the Everest region, we enter the Sagarmatha National Park. The monastery is located within the Sagarmatha National park. Enjoying panoramic views of the highest mountains on the earth including Everest, Ama Dablam, Thamserku, Lhotse, and Nuptse, we reach Tengboche. If we reach there early, we will most probably be able to witness a religious Buddhist ceremony. Overnight stay in Tengboche;
The first day of the Mani Rimdu Festival begins by the construction of Sand Mandala and Wong. The Mandala is the symbol of the palace of the lord of dance, Chenpo. Colored sand is used to build complex designs. The container of Mani Rilwu pills (a spiritual medicine ) is placed in the center. The statue of the Buddha of Kindness is very essential during Mani Rimdu festival. During the festival, people believe kindness flows in the form of the mantra, into the Mandala and the Mani Rilwu pills, thus, the mantras are chanted, and meditation carried out. Kindness is released from the Mandala, blessing those who attend the Mani Rimdu festival.
On the 2nd day of Mani Rimdu festival, dances are shown celebrating the triumph over the symbolic demons. During the dance, positive energies fight with the demons through the dances. During the dance, people believe the monks enter a state of trance and become a godlike being. The dances are only performed during Mani Rimdu as they are considered to be very sacred hence, cannot be performed for ordinary entertainment purposes.
The last day of the festival is the Fire Puja. The Fire Puja is carried out in the yard the day after the dances. It is a gift to Agni (the god of fire), and to the Gods of the Mandala to prevent all harm in the world. The harm is envisioned as the grain and butter which will be burned. Afterward, the sand Mandala in the temple is dismantled to pieces, and the sand is given as an offering to the Snake Gods (Nagas). With this, the exciting festival of Mani Rimdu comes to an end.
After the three days festival, on this day, we step back from our trek and descend back to Namche. We’ll be in Namche, where we’ll spend your last day near the mountains.
Straight after breakfast, we'll trek back to Lukla via Phakding. We’ll revisit all the spectacular views of mountains, monasteries, and villages. This will be your last night on the mountain.....until the next time.
The flights from Lukla to Kathmandu are sometimes cancelled due to weather conditions, so we reserve a buffer day in order not to impact on your departure plans.
Meal:
Breakfast
Lunch
DInner
Accommodation:
Hotel
Activities:
Transfer from Lukla to Kathmandu on domestic flight
For those departing Nepal on this day, you'll probably have some energy left for shopping in the city and getting a wonderful trekkers’ massage. We’ll eat together and then we'll accompany you to the airport in traditional Nepali farewell mode.
For nights in cities, we use standard/superior standard/deluxe rooms whereas, during the trek, we use lodges/tea houses/guesthouses/home stay for our clients, and whatever is available and accessible. We also arrange sleeping bags for our clients, on their request.
We believe in operating small intimate group to provide personal attention and services to our guests. Small groups can enjoy the trek hassle free and enjoy the customized trip according to their will so we try to keep group as small as group of 14 but it can be increased with the special request of the clients.
Yes, Nepal can boast as the one of the safest country in South Asia for women. You will find people very friendly and respectful towards foreigners especially towards women. Everest region is one of the most visited areas by the tourists so the service providers are professional and local people are respectful with welcoming hospitality towards the trekkers.
We make sure to take security measures during trek to make your trip delightful. We hire experienced and license holding guides to safeguard your life in mountains. We suggest you to follow the guide’s instruction carefully and take responsibility for personal belongings.
Everest is world famous trekking region among the trekkers hence this region provides wide range of delicious western meals like Pasta, noodles, pizzas, bread, soup etc. Dal Bhat (Rice, Lentils and Vegetables) are great way to gain energy for the strenuous trek.
There are plenty of water stations on each stop on the route. You can easily fill up the bottle from the open taps. We recommend that you bring water purifier tablets with you or at least get it from Kathmandu before you depart for trekking. You can also buy mineral waters but we usually recommend tap water which is pure and it helps us not promoting plastic bottled water.
Before coming to Nepal, make sure that you are covered by insurance for about 5500 meters. In case of emergency like altitude sickness, dehydration or any medical condition ask your tour leader to contact us ASAP so that we can manage rescue team for your help.
Trekking is a tiresome activity that requires a lot of physical movement so pack your active wears and trekking pants for at lower altitudes. Weather at high altitude is unpredictable so carry a light weight waterproof jacket along with thick down jacket, pant and thermal innerwear to escape severe cold. Needless to say that, Good shoes are very important for trekking in rough and snowy terrain, so invest on good quality shoes or rent it from us in a minimum price. As you are trekking in remote village, try to wear modest clothes to quickly gel up with the local people without hesitation.
We contact the lodge/guesthouse owner for reservation of the room before trekking on a particular day. On other days, porters reach the destination and book the rooms for you. But there are always going to be exceptions but even in those cases, we may have to be flexible about very basic sleeping arrangements. We always try to make sure that we have everything well arranged.
All our Guides are trekking experts holding license from Nepal Tourism Board, Nepal Government. They are the most valuable assets of the company. Guides know the trekking route like the back of their hand and use their expertise in ensuring your safety in the mountains.
While trekking in higher lands you need to pay for charging the electronics upon request to the owner. The best idea always is to bring your power bank with you. It's easier and cheaper.
While trekking in Everest region, you can make local and international calls from telephone provided by the guesthouse owner after paying the price directly.
If you need extra day to complete the trekking, you'll need to inform the guide in advance and the guide will let the company know. Adding a day to trekking can result in many changes in other arrangements such as transportation, guides' schedule, flight details, hotel bookings and all, so we really don't recommend this to our clients unless there's an emergency cases. But it's true that those changes could be made but it will cost extra. The best way to do it is to inform the agent company about it.
Before coming to Nepal, make sure you are covered for diphtheria & TB, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, malaria, typhoid, polio and tetanus. Make sure you are in best shape to complete the trekking without any complication.
To confirm your booking, a deposit of 15% of total trip amount is required if you are booking at least a year in advance before trip departure date. If booking is made between 100-364 days before the trip departure, you'll need to pay 20% to confirm the trip. If payment is made between 99-60 days, 25% of the total trip amount will need to be paid and if booked between 59-30 days, 50% of the total trip amount needs to be paid and finally, if you are booking 29 days prior to trip departure, then 100% payment should be made. The payments can be easily made by the bank transfer. The due balance is payable on arrival in Kathmandu with cash (preferably USD/EURO) or card on POS/credit card machine. Please note that nonrefundable fee is 10% or $200 whichever is greater.
You have to carry your personal bags with water bottle and medicines remaining bags will be carried by porters to make you easy to trek. The weight limit for porters is 30 KG.
Credit card service is available only in Kathmandu. On the days of trekking, you will have to withdraw the amount in Nepali rupees before leaving Kathmandu.
You have to carry your personal bags with water bottle and medicines remaining bags will be carried by porters to make you easy to trek. The weight limit for porters is 30 KG.
Credit card service is available only in Kathmandu. On the days of trekking, you will have to withdraw the amount in Nepali rupees before leaving Kathmandu.
