Travel style
Festivals
Masked dances, fairs and harvest days
Tshechus in Bhutan, Hemis in Ladakh, Losar across the Buddhist Himalaya, Kullu Dussehra, Ziro's music festival and the Black-necked Crane festival. Planned around lunar dates that move every year.
Photo: Bernard Gagnon Canon EOS REBEL T4i · CC BY-SA 4.0 · CommonsMost Himalayan festivals follow lunar calendars, so their dates move by weeks from year to year. We confirm dates with monasteries and organisers before you book, and you should check current status before you travel.
Festival days fill rooms early. Book three to six months ahead for Paro Tshechu and Hemis, and earlier still for the best hotels.
Trips
Festivals trips
Photo: Gerd Eichmann · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Saver
Kathmandu valley heritage on a saver budget
Local buses, microbuses and shared taxis
Photo: Christopher J. Fynn · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Commons
Comfort
Paro, Thimphu and Punakha in comfort, 6 nights
Private car with driver
23 places
Where to go
Photo: Bernard Gagnon Canon EOS REBEL T4i · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Hemis
Ladakh's great Drukpa monastery and the snow leopard national park
Photo: Anirvan Shukla · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Commons
Leh
Old caravan town at 3,500 m, and where every Ladakh trip begins
Photo: Ms Sarah Welch · CC0 · Commons
Chamba
A thousand-year-old hill capital of stone temples and fine embroidery
Photo: Rignam Wangkhang · CC BY 2.0 · Commons
McLeodganj (Dharamshala)
Tibetan temples and the Dhauladhar wall above Dharamshala
Photo: Akshat Sharma · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Naggar
The old Kullu capital, with a timber castle and Roerich's home
Photo: This Photo was taken by Timothy A. Gonsalves. … · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Keylong
Lahaul's capital on the Bhaga, two hours from Manali
Photo: McKay Savage from London, UK · CC BY 2.0 · Commons
Rishikesh
Where the Ganga leaves the hills and the yatra begins
Photo: Travelling Slacker · CC BY 2.0 · Commons
Almora and Kasar Devi
The Chand kings' capital, bal mithai and the pine ridge of Kasar Devi
Photo: Harsh7284 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Jageshwar
Over a hundred stone temples in a deodar valley
Photo: Saroj Pandey · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Commons
Bhaktapur
Potters, pagodas and the king of curds
Photo: Gerd Eichmann · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Kathmandu
Stupas, a living goddess and the start of every trek
Photo: Nirojsedhai · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Lo Manthang
The walled capital of the old Kingdom of Lo
Experiences
Days that fit the style
Photo: Bernard Gagnon Canon EOS REBEL T4i · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Hemis Monastery courtyard and museum
Ladakh's richest monastery, hidden in a gorge above the Indus. See the courtyard where the festival is danced, the pain…
Photo: Sundeep bhardwaj · CC BY 3.0 · Commons
Snow leopard tracking in Hemis National Park
In late winter, snow leopards follow their prey lower into the valleys of Hemis National Park. Guided trips with local …
Photo: Stanzin1945 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Rumbak village walk and homestay night
A short trek into Hemis National Park from the Zingchen road head to Rumbak village, with a night in a family homestay.…
Photo: KennyOMG · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Leh old town and palace morning walk
A slow walk from Main Bazaar through the mud-brick lanes of the old town to Leh Palace, finishing on the palace roof. I…
Photo: Vinay Goyal, Ludhiana · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Shanti Stupa sunset over the Leh valley
A white peace stupa above Chanspa, completed in 1991 and reached by 555 steps or a road. Sunset lights the palace, the …
Photo: Aksveer · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Morning prayers at Thiksey Monastery
Leave Leh at 6 am for the 19 km drive to Thiksey, where monks gather for morning prayers on the roof and in the assembl…
Photo: Harvinder Chandigarh · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Stone temples and the Chaugan at dawn
A morning walk from the Chaugan meadow to the Lakshmi Narayan group of stone temples, then through the old lanes to sma…
Photo: Artist/maker unknown, India – Artist/Maker (In… · Public domain · Commons
Chamba rumal embroidery and the museum
See historic Chamba rumals and Pahari paintings at the Bhuri Singh Museum, then visit an embroidery workshop where wome…
Where to sleep
Stays in these places
Photo: Anirvan Shukla · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Commons
Budget
Zostel Leh
Zostel's Leh hostel offers dorm beds and private rooms within walking distance of Main Bazaar, with a common area …
Photo: Bernard Gagnon Canon EOS REBEL T4i · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Mid
Stok Palace Heritage Hotel
Rooms inside part of Stok Palace, the home of Ladakh's former royal family since the 19th century, and in the orch…
Photo: McKay Savage from London, UK · CC BY 2.0 · Commons
Mid
Hotel Omasila, Leh
A long-running family hotel in Changspa, the quiet green lane below Shanti Stupa, with garden seating and a short …
Photo: Bernard Gagnon Canon EOS REBEL T4i · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Luxury
The Grand Dragon Ladakh
Leh's largest full-service hotel, open all year, with heated rooms, a restaurant serving Ladakhi and international…
Photo: Anirvan Shukla · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Commons
Luxury
Chamba Camp Thiksey
The Ultimate Travelling Camp's summer camp near Thiksey Monastery, about 19 km up the Indus from Leh. Large furnis…
Photo: Pratishkhedekar · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Mid
HPTDC Hotel Castle, Naggar
Stay inside the kath-kuni castle of the old Kullu rajas, traditionally dated to about 1460 and now run by HPTDC. S…