The Yartung Festival is celebrated all over Mustang and is especially celebrated in Lo-Manthang and Muktinath during August/September (on the full moon day) every year. It is a three-day celebration and is celebrated by horse races, drinking and dancing by local Gurung and Thakali people.
During the three-day celebration, they have the king’s (local king) activities taking place on the first, the monks’ on the second and the local people’s on the third. The most attractive event of this Yartung Festival is the horse race competition for both men and women.
In their language, Yartung means the “end of summer”, and Mela means a “festival”. Yartung mela means a festival to celebrate summer. So, they celebrate this time, the Festival to send off summer. So, they celebrate this festival with enthusiasm, appreciating the crops, and they have stored the cereal at home. In fact, this festival is for making offerings to Buddha and to receive the blessings from the village chief as well as from respectable senior citizens for an auspicious journey.
The senior honourable priest, called Lama, sets the day for celebrating Yartung Mela, finding the most auspicious day in their calendar and keeping in mind the view of the completion of harvesting crops. Usually, their priest chooses the full moon day called Janai Purnima to celebrate this festival. Here is the short video of the Yartung festival in Lo-Manthang by the Nepal Tourism Board.
The festival this year, 2026, is celebrated from August 17th onward to August 19th. Participating in the Yartung Festival Mustang Trek with Himalaya Sacred Trek & Expedition offers a rare opportunity to witness living Himalayan traditions while exploring ancient villages, monasteries, and sacred landscapes of Upper Mustang.
Departure Location: Kathmandu
Return Location: Kathmandu
We complete our customs formalities at the Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu. Afterwards, there will be a representative from our company who will take you to your hotel. We can then spend the rest of the day resting. In the evening, we get to try Nepalese cuisine at a welcome dinner hosted by our company. Overnight in Kathmandu.
Today is a day for preparation. Also sightseeing, you will visit the famous stupa, Boudhanath and the popular Hindu pilgrimage site, Pashupatinath temple. In the late afternoon, there will be a pre-trip discussion with our trek leader and other team members. We will brief you regarding your trek, and we may have an opportunity to discuss any difficulties regarding our upcoming adventure. The rest of the time you could use for travelling around Thamel and shopping for the needed equipment and other necessities.
We start our day early in the morning to go to Pokhara. The view of the Nepalese countryside offers green hills, rivers, farms, etc., around a 5-6 hour drive. A city that offers us the magnificent view of various mountains, namely Dhaulagiri, Manaslu, Machhapurche and other mountains of the Annapurna range. Do some last-minute shopping and self-exploration around Pokhara. Overnight at a hotel.
We depart from Pokhara and head to Jomsom by plane. Then you will land at the district headquarters of Mustang and begin our trek to Kagbeni, the starting point of the Upper Mustang, where you can keep your eyes busy with the spectacular views of Nilgiri, Dhaulagiri, Tukuche Peak, and Dhampus. Kagbeni is the most interesting typical Tibetan village and the entry point of the Upper Mustang for an overnight stop.
The trail leads up toward the east bank of the Kali Gandaki that climbs over many ridges as it heads north and reaches Tangbe village. The town is a labyrinth of narrow valleys amongst white-washed houses, fields of buckwheat, barley, wheat and apple orchards. The Nilgiri peak, which dominates the southern skyline of Kagbeni, continues to loom massively at the foot of the valley. Beyond Tangbe, we reach Chhusang Village and cross the river, continuing climbing north up the trail to a huge red chunk of conglomerate that has fallen from the cliff above, forming a tunnel through which the Kali Gandaki follows. The trek now leaves the Kali Gandaki valley and climbs steeply up a rocky culvert to Chele. Overnight at a teahouse.
Climb continues along steep, treeless, waterless terrain, along the side of the spectacular, steep canyon to pass a cairn of rock at 3,540m. Then the trail makes a long, gradual descent to a short ridge, and then the trail descends further on a pleasant trail to Samar. The Annapurna, still dominated by Nilgiri, is visible far to the South. Climb above Samar to a ridge, then descend into a large gorge, and the trail goes into another valley field, crosses a stream, and climbs up to a ridge at 3,800m. The route climbs sharply up and down over a series of high passes before the final descent to Geling. Overnight at a teahouse.
In the morning, after breakfast, we walk through the bug village and climb up the gentle slope with shrubberies and join the main trail. From here, a long ascent continues to Nyi-La. When we cross over this pass, we will enter the centre of the Mustang, which used to be called the Lo-Region.
We descend the gentle slope and go around the valley ahead towards the left. We will be overlooking Ghami village, and we will descend a steep zig-zag slope and reach the village. We will have our lunch here. After lunch, we leave the village and cross a river using the suspension bridge. We climb onto the terrace and pass along the longest mani wall in Mustang.
The effect of the erosion on the cliff ahead attracts attention by its strange forms and the varieties of colours, such as red, blue, white, etc. It is like a mandala painted on the cliff. We keep going on a level trail passing the big chortens and cross a stream. Then, we keep walking upstream through the terraced fields until reaching Drakmar. Overnight at a lodge.
Today, after breakfast, we will leave the village and ascend a steep eroded gully overshadowed, and the route crosses some alpine meadows. Now will come to a plateau and then, across a valley to a cairn.
We will climb to a ridge and keep descending until Ghar Gompa. It is also known as Lo Gyaker, which means “Pure virtue of Lo”. Ghar Gompa means “house temple” and is affiliated with the Nyingma Lineage. This is one of the oldest Gompas in Mustang.
After visiting Gompa, the trail steeply descends to a wooden bridge and climbs up to a plateau. We keep walking along a grassy valley and come to a ridge. We will take our lunch break here. Then we continue the level trail until reaching Marang-La Pass. This is a high pass in this course. Then we keep descending a large cairn and come to a small ridge from the first view of Lo-manthang city. Again, we continue criss-crossed with herder’s trail until reaching Lo-Manthang, a medieval ancient Wall city of Mustang. We will be participating in the Yartung festival in the afternoon. Overnight at a lodge.
After breakfast at Lo-Manthang, we set out on a half-day excursion to Chhuser (Chhoser) Village, located northeast of the ancient walled city. This area is renowned for its remarkable man-made cave monasteries carved into towering cliffs, some of which date back over 2,500 years.
We will explore the famous Jhong Cave (Sky Cave) and historic Chhuser Dzong. After returning to Lo-Manthang for lunch, the afternoon is dedicated to participating in the Yartung Festival. Overnight in a lodge.
In the morning, we will participate in the Yartung festival. After breakfast, we will leave the castle village of Lo-Manthang and cross a small stream. Then we gradually climb a steep sandy slope until Lo-La passes, from where we see the last view of the ancient wall city of Lo-Manthang. We keep walking across the wide plain ahead, viewing the numerous caves on the terrace’s rock face.
We will continue the trail passing the big isolated chhorten that marks the boundary between Lo-Manthang and Tsarang till Tsarang Khola. We will cross by an iron bridge and climb up until reaching Tsarang village. We will have our lunch.
After lunch, we visit the big five-storey white Tsarang palace (fortified palace) and the 14th century Gompa, which are perched on the edge of the Kali Gandaki gorge at the eastern end of the village. Overnight at a lodge.
After breakfast, we start our trek from our campsite and exit from the village passing a huge chhorten. The trail goes on a long, gentle ascent until reaching a ridge, and after traversing the route down a rocky gully, until reaching Ghami, passing the spectacular mani wall in Nepal. We will have our lunch here.
After lunch, the trails continue steeply up till Ghami-La, and again a long, gentle ascent brings us to Nyi-La. Then we climb down to Tamagaon and continue a steep set of switchbacks down a rocky canyon that leads to a stream, then the trail climbs to a huge painted chhorten before rejoining the Geling trail near the ridge. We cross the small pass and descend to a Syangmochen. Overnight at a lodge.
In the morning, after breakfast, we walk a short level trail and a steep climb up until reaching Yamdo-La. Then we slightly climb down to Bhena. After passing the hamlets, namely Yamdo and Bhena, a long descent starts at Samar, crossing small streams. We will have our lunch here. After lunch, we continue the trail passing the big canyons, and we reach Chele. After that, we steeply descend to the Kaligandaki river and cross by an iron bridge, then continue the trail along the Kaligandaki river until reaching Chhusang. Overnight at a lodge.
In the morning, after breakfast, we leave the village and gradually climb up a rocky trail until reaching Tangbe. Then we continue our trail after passing the picturesque village of Tangbe and crossing a small stream and a steep climb up, we arrive at a plateau. We will continue our walk along a long slope, and again we will continue walking along the riverbank of Kaligandaki until reaching Kagbeni. We will have our lunch here. After lunch, we continue the winding trail along the wide riverbank of the Kaligandaki until reaching Jomsom. Overnight at the lodge.
On this day, we will fly back to Pokhara, and then we will transfer you to the hotel in Pokhara. The offers scenic treats throughout, and the diverse landscapes and towering peaks are a relief to sore eyes. Upon reaching Pokhara, we can rest or enjoy the beautiful city and its attractions. The lakeside area is especially famous for offering lively nights.
On this day, we will drive back to Kathmandu along the Prithvi Highway. The drive presents beautiful roadside settlements and gorgeous landscapes all the way to Kathmandu. Upon reaching Kathmandu, we will transfer you to the hotel, and then you can rest or shop for souvenirs to mark the end of the adventurous journey. Stay overnight at a hotel in Kathmandu.
Your adventure for this trip comes to an end today! We will take you to the airport, approximately 3 hours before your scheduled flight. On your way home, you will have plenty of time to plan your next adventure in the wonderful country of Nepal.
Complementaries
| Date | Status | Group Size | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
|
56 Days
Start – 2026-04-25
End – 2026-06-03
|
Booking Open | 1 – 12 PAX |
