Mani Rimdu festival is an annual event which takes place on 10th lunar month of Tibetan Calendar. The festival is celebrated in beautiful monastery of Tengboche. The monastery is on the way to Everest Base Camp and located at the confluence of Dudh Koshi and Imja Khola rivers. Lamas and Sherpas along with natives of Khumbu valley gather here for five days and celebrate the festival.
The festival is a culmination of religious ceremonies, feasts, songs, special mask dances which are followed by singing and dancing of Sherpas. The masked dances performed during the festival symbolize mythological events depicting victory of good over evil. The tour provides you an opportunity to not only enjoy and participate in this colourful and interesting festival but also combines it with unique experience of trekking in the remote Everest region.
Day 1: Arrival Kathmandu (1334m)
Arrive at Kathmandu airport and transfer to your hotel. Then start your city tour of Kathmandu (this will depend on your flight arrival time) with visit to Durbar Square, site of hanuman Dhoka Palace Complex which was royal residence until 19th century. Continue your tour to visit Bhadgaon which is a conglomeration of pagoda and shikhara style temples grouped around a brick and wood palace of fifty five windows. Overnight stay.
Day 2: Kathmandu – Lukla (2860m) – Phakding (2830m)
Transfer to Kathmandu airport to take a morning flight to Lukla. This is a 35 minutes scenic flight as it will offer you first view of Himalayas which is simply breathtaking. You would fly at approximately 4000 metres and you just imagine that in next days, you would be walking through mountains which are at a greater height than your flight. After arrival at Lukla airport, you will be given a briefing by your guide. Once a tiny settlement, Lukla is now a fairly large town, with many shops and even a couple of internet cafes.
You will then start your trek to Phakding which will take few hours. The trail is spectacular with a number of streams flowing due to melting snow from mountain peaks above and trekking through massive green valleys. You will share trail with other trekkers and locals. Reach at Phakding and overnight stay at lodge.
Trek 2/3 hours
Day 3: Phakding – Namche Bazaar (3480m)
Breakfast at the lodge and get ready for famous trek to Namche Bazaar. This is not so easy trek as you have to go through steep unhill climb consistently besides crossing a number of suspension bridges. The trek follows Dudh Koshi River and you need to cross the river on many Occasions before stopping at Jorsale for lunch. After lunch, you continue the trek for a couple of hours passing through traditional huts and trail surrounded by pines and sharing it with yaks and porters. You will also come across many prayer wheels on the way.
These are protected by wooden shelters which are decorated with intricate artwork dedicated to Buddha. Soon, Namche Bazaar, situated at 3480 metres will appear which gives you a great sense of achievement. You will pass through the plateau which is also the location for famous Saturday bazaar and enter the village which is surrounded by mountains on three sides and Duch Koshi River on one side. Namche Bazaar is a hub of this area where trekkers replenish their stock of food and other essential times. Overnight stay at lodge.
Trek – 4/5 hours
Day 4: Namche Bazaar – Khhumjung (3840m) – Namche Bazaar
Today is the day for acclimatization to prepare yourself to high altitude. But it will be wrong to imagine that it is a rest day. The day is used to get the body used to lower level of oxygen in the air. For this, you need to hike to a high altitude place before returning to lower altitude. Therefore, you will be taken to Khhumjung village on foot. The village is densely populated and gives you an opportunity to enjoy breath taking view of Himalayan peaks including Mount Everest.
The village is home to many Sherpas who are famous for their mountaineering skill and have helped all mountaineers in their expeditions. There is also an old monastery which you will visit before returning to Namche Village. Rest of the day is free to enjoy a drink at friendly bar or a well-deserved massage. Overnight stay at lodge.
Trek – 4/5 hours
Day 5: Namche Bazaar – Tengboche (3890m)
Breakfast at the lodge and get ready to start the trekking with the walk on ridge and flat mountain path. There will be now familiar sight of porters and yaks along the trail which gets narrower and less concrete as you go into the mountains. The trek is steeper than you would have done so far and it is important to go steady. The temperature falls rapidly as you ascend the mountain. You will come across many Stupas, dedicated to Buddha.
The stupas are with four sets of eyes, one in each direction which signify the all-seeing ability of Buddha to see you everywhere. After a flat zigzag walk for few hours, you descend to the river and reach Phunki Tenga and then climb through Rhododendron forest up to Tyangbuche, your final destination for the day which is also home to one of the largest monasteries. Upon arrival, check in at lodge for overnight stay.
Trek – 5/6 hours.
Day 6: Tengboche (Mani Rimdu Festival)
Here you will enjoy Mani Rimdu festival. The festival is celebrated at Tengboche Monastery which has beautiful interiors. The monastery is perched on a hill at an altitude of 3867m. It is on the way to Everest Base Camp and located at the confluence of Dudh Koshi and Imja Khola rivers. This was built by Lama Gulu in 1916 but completely destroyed in 1934 by a massive earthquake. It was rebuilt but again amaged by fire in 1989. The present structure was established by devoted volunteers with international assistance. The monastery plays host to colourful Mani Rimdu festival which lasts for nineteen days.
The festival is a culmination of religious ceremonies, songs, special mask dances which are followed by singing and dancing of Sherpas. The masked dances performed during the festival symbolize mythological events depicting victory of good over evil. During these nineteen days, various ceremonies and Pooja are performed by monks. For the last three days, the festival turns into a Public event. The grand finale of Mani Rimdu begins with Tengoboche Rinpche showering blessings to people. The special mask dance is also performed by the monks of the monastery. Please note that photography is now allowed a few places during ceremonies.
Overnight stay.
Day 7: Tengboche (Mani Rimdu Festival)
After breakfast, you will be again taken to visit the monastery to enjoy Mani Rimdu Festival. Overnight stay at lodge.
Day 8: Tengboche – Namche Bazaar
After breakfast and having soaked in breath taking sunrise view over Himalayas in the morning, you will start trek from Tengboche to Namche Bazaar. The trail becomes downhill as it goes to the valley where it crosses a river and you again need to climb up. After this, it becomes flat and passes through small settlements. Reach Namche bazaar and overnight stay at lodge.
Trek – 4/5 hours
Day 9: Namche Bazaar – Lukla
After breakfast, get ready for last trekking day of your trip to Lukla. It will be again a pleasant downhill trek except few short uphill climbs then down Bhote-Koshi River which you will cross three times. You will have final uphill climb of 45 minutes to finally reach Lukla. Overnight stay at lodge.
Trek – 5/6 hours
Day 10: Lukla – Kathmandu
After early breakfast at lodge, transfer to Lukla airport to catch flight for Kathmandu. Arrival at Kathmandu airport and then transfer to your hotel. Rest of the day is free to explore Kathmandu on your own or last minute shopping. Overnight stay at hotel.
Day 11: Depart Kathmandu
Transfer to Kathmandu airport to catch flight for onward destination.
| Place | Night (s) | 5* Hotels |
| Kathmandu | 01 | Hyatt Regency |
| Phakding | 01 | Tourist Lodge |
| Namche Bazar | 02 | Tourist Lodge |
| Tengboche | 03 | Tourist Lodge |
| Namche Bazar | 01 | Tourist Lodge |
| Lukla | 01 | Tourist Lodge |
| Kathmandu | 01 | Hyatt Regency |
– Welcome with fresh flower garlands.
– Meet assist at the airport and hotels.
– 10 nights hotel accommodation.
– Daily breakfast and Dinners.
– Kathmandu – Lukla – Kathmandu economy class domestic air ticket.
– All transfers, sightseeing, excursions by private AC vehicle as per the program.
– Local English / French / German / Italian / Spanish / Chinese / Russian speaking guides during city tour, sightseeing and excursions.
– Entrance fees to the monuments as per the program.
– Cultural dance show in Kathmandu.
– 01 Yoga class during the tour.
– All taxes.
– Tips
– International Air Fare
– Visa Fees
– Travel Insurance
– Personal expenses and drinks.
– Accommodation in good hotels.
– Check-in / out time is 12 noon at most of the hotels.
– Extension to other places is also possible with a minimal extra cost.
– Additional nights are available at each place with minimal supplement.
– A visa is required and must be obtained prior to your departure from your Country.
– If quoted hotel is not available, we will provide one of a similar category and standard.
– Small deviations in the tour program are sometimes necessary, depending on weather, road conditions, flight schedules and room availability.
– In case the government changes presently applicable taxes, increase in airlines prices, fuel surcharge our rates will need to be adjusted accordingly.
– In Asia, there is no relevance between the distance and time of travelling, as it depends upon the condition of the roads and congestion of the traffic.
– While every effort will be made to maintain the itinerary, in view of local strikes etc that are beyond our control all schedule and itineraries are subject to last moment changes.
– Clients must be fully insured, as the company cannot accept liability for loss or damage to client’s property, medical emergencies or any other loss suffered by them whilst on tour.
– In Case of issuing Domestic or International air tickets, SGV is not responsible for any refund if the flight is delayed or cancelled, as it is the responsibility of airline.