“Lha gyal Iho” (May the gods be victorious) is the New Year greeting you hear in the Tibetan and Sherpa communities in Nepal. New Year or Losar is celebrated on the first full moon of the first month according to a lunar solar calendar but falls between January – March according to our calendar. Celebrate Losar gives you the unique chance to be a part of this tradition and explore sites such as Swayambunath, Pashupatinath and Patan. See masked dance, Tibetan prayer ceremony and receive blessings for the upcoming new year. Pilgrimage to Parping and fly over the Himalayas. Celebrate Losar is not just a festival it is a celebration of life.
Day 1 – Kathmandu
Arrive in Kathmandu where you will be met and driven to your hotel.
Day 2 – Kathmandu
Tour Kathmandu proper, Durbar Marg and try to glimpse the Kumari, the virgin goddess, waving. Visit Swayambunath which is also called the “monkey temple”. Afternoon explore sacred Pashupatinath, a temple to lord Shiva on the banks of the Bagmati River. Visit Himalayan Healers for a massage.
Day 3 – Kathmandu/Patan/Kathmandu
Explore Newari Temples in Patan and visit a Pauba painter for a demonstration of this beautiful religious iconography. Return to Thamel and see modern local art at the Lotus Gallery.
Day 4 – Kathmandu/Boudhanath LOSAR
Enjoy the first day of Losar in Boudhanath with an early morning visit to a Tibetan Monastery for offerings and blessings for the upcoming year. See the festive decorations in this Tibetan community and the colorful prayer flags which adorn the entire area. Cries of “Tashi Delek” fill the air as families wish each other a happy new year bestowing love, luck and good fortune.
Day 5 – Boudhanath LOSAR
Today is the Gulhuk Puja in the Stupa area. Monks perform a vibrant Cham or masked dance portraying good conquers evil.
Day 6 – Boudhanath LOSAR
New Year Festival in Boudhanath, The Tibetan community gathers for a colorful ceremony to collectively bring in the New Year. Wearing traditional dress, the crowd gathers at Boudhanath to watch as Buddhist monks from nearby monasteries form a procession around the large stupa. Dalai Lama gives a New Year talk which is broadcast over a speaker and a shower of tsampa (roasted barely flour) thrown skyward settles over the crowd gathered here to celebrate good luck and well wishes to others.
Day 7 – Kathmandu/Parping/Kathmandu
Pilgrimage to Dakshin Kali temple and Guru Rinpoche caves in Parping, a small village 22 kilometers from Kathmandu. The Kali temple is at the confluence of two rivers in a nicely wooded area and is known for being a spot to make offerings to appease the wrathful goddess. There are two Guru Rinpoche caves, one of which is believed to have a handprint of the great master and both believed to have been places of his meditation.
Day 8 – Kathmandu/Lukla/Kathmandu
Fly over the Himalayas, the highest mountains in the world on a scenic 1 hour flight. Afternoon visit Bhaktapur and see the once capital of the great Malla kingdom. Visit a woodcarver to see this traditional art form.
Day 9 – Depart Kathmandu
Transfer to the airport for your departure flight.
