Upper Mustang-Tiji Festival

Tiji falls in late spring, usually May, on dates set by the Tibetan lunar calendar, so the trek is built around that window and the exact days change each year. Outside the festival, Upper Mustang is one of the few Nepal treks that works through the summer monsoon, because the rain-shadow plateau stays dry while the rest of the country is wet.

Spring (March to May) and autumn (September to November) bring the clearest air and mildest days, and summer (June to August) is a good dry-season alternative. Winter (December to February) is bitterly cold and windy, and many Lo Manthang families move to lower ground, so it is the least suitable time. We confirm the Tiji dates before you book.

Upper Mustang is a restricted area, so it needs a special permit on top of the standard Annapurna permit, and by law you must travel through a registered agency in a group of at least two trekkers with a licensed guide. The Upper Mustang Restricted Area Permit costs USD 500 per person for the first ten days, then about USD 50 per extra day.

You also need the Annapurna Conservation Area Permit (ACAP), at NPR 3,000 for non-SAARC nationals and NPR 1,000 for SAARC nationals, because the route passes through the conservation area. Swotah arranges all the paperwork once you send a passport copy and photos, so bring a passport valid for at least six months. Permit fees are set by the government and can change, so we confirm current rates before departure.

Accommodation on the Upper Mustang Tiji Festival Trek is the teahouse, simpler than on the busy Annapurna trails because the region is remote and restricted. Kagbeni and Lo Manthang have the best-equipped guesthouses, with private rooms and a warm dining hall, while the villages in between offer basic twin rooms and shared bathrooms.

During Tiji, Lo Manthang fills up, so Swotah books rooms well ahead. Kathmandu and Pokhara offer comfortable hotels at the start and end. Nights on the plateau are cold even in spring, so a warm sleeping bag is worth carrying.

Food on the Upper Mustang Tiji Festival Trek is teahouse cooking, and dal bhat (lentil soup, rice and vegetable curry) is the staple because lodges refill it for free. In this dry region the menu narrows to dal bhat, Tibetan bread, noodles, potatoes and the local buckwheat and apple products that Mustang is known for.

Swotah includes three meals a day on the trek. For water, aim for 3 to 4 litres a day in the dry mountain air, and treat it rather than drinking untreated stream water: boiled water is sold at lodges, and purification tablets or a filter work too. Carry a reusable bottle, and expect fewer resupply points than on the main Annapurna routes.

The Upper Mustang Tiji Festival Trek starts with flights from Kathmandu to Pokhara, then a short mountain flight to Jomsom (2,720 m) in the Kali Gandaki gorge, the deepest gorge in the world. The walking begins at Jomsom and heads north up the old salt-trade trail.

The trek returns the same way to Jomsom, then flies back to Pokhara and on to Kathmandu. The Jomsom flights are short but very weather-dependent, often flying only in the calm morning hours, so Swotah builds a buffer day into the plan. A rough road now reaches Lo Manthang, which we can use as a backup if flights are grounded.

Tiji is a three-day Tibetan-Buddhist festival held each spring at Lo Manthang, and it is the reason this trek exists. The monks of Choede monastery perform masked dances in the walled city's main square that re-tell the myth of Dorje Jono, a deity who battles and banishes a demon to protect the Kingdom of Lo. The name comes from Tempa Chirim, a prayer for peace.

Each day has its own dances and rituals, building to the ceremonial chasing-out of the demon and a renewal blessing for the coming year. The whole town turns out in its finest, and the festival draws people from across Mustang. Because the dates follow the lunar calendar (usually May), they shift each year, so the itinerary is fixed to that year's festival once it is announced.

Lo Manthang is the walled capital of Upper Mustang, founded in 1380 and still ringed by its original mud-brick wall, at around 3,810 m. Inside are whitewashed houses, royal quarters and three major gompas, Jampa, Thubchen and Chodey, holding centuries-old murals. The old Kingdom of Lo kept a hereditary king until 2008 and remains one of the best-preserved pockets of Tibetan culture anywhere.

The wider region is a high desert of eroded ochre and grey cliffs, sky caves cut into the rock, and villages like Tsarang and Dhakmar set among barley fields and red bluffs. Tibetan Buddhism and the older Bon tradition shape daily life, and the rain-shadow landscape feels closer to the Tibetan plateau than to the green hills of central Nepal.

A licensed guide is mandatory on the Upper Mustang Tiji Festival Trek, both because Nepal requires one as of 2023 and because the restricted-area permit is issued only to guided groups of at least two. Swotah's guides hold Ministry of Tourism licences and know Mustang's villages, gompas and the festival.

A porter is optional but makes the long desert days easier. One porter carries 20 to 25 kg, and Swotah provides a free duffel for the porter to carry, so you walk with a light daypack. Hiring local guides and porters also supports the small communities of the restricted region.

Responsible trekking matters in Upper Mustang, where the desert environment and centuries-old gompas are fragile and the communities are small. Carry a reusable bottle and treat your own water, pack out all waste, ask before photographing people, dances or temple interiors, and follow your guide's lead inside the monasteries.

Tipping is customary though not mandatory: a common guideline is 10 to 15% of the trip cost, shared among the guide, porter and driver. Tips go directly to the seasonal workforce. Booking with a registered operator like Swotah also means the restricted-area permit, staff insurance and fair porter loads are handled properly.