Nepal Tour With New Year and Christmas Festival

Nepal is one of the most joyful places to visit for the Christmas and New Year holidays. Nepal is a predominantly Hindu country, however, we celebrate the festivals with gusto. People of all cultures come together for the celebration, especially on the streets of lakeside in Pokhara and Thamel in Kathmandu. There are street festivals, music festivals, and special programs during this time. It’s a different experience spending and celebrating Christmas and New Year in Nepal.

Combined with hiking on one of the most mesmerizing trails in Nepal and mountain flight to die for, you will have triple the fun. The fun starts with sightseeing in Kathmandu visiting the UNESCO world heritage sites steeped in the history of Nepal and its people. 

You will visit Patan, an old Newari palace complex with old buildings and temples. Here, you will see a three-storeyed Krishna Temple, the Golden Temple, the Patan Museum, the Patan Durbar Square, and several other amazing temples, shrines, and traditional stone taps. 

Pashupatinath Temple is a significant holy shrine of Lord Shiva that dates back to 400 AD. Countless temples and shrines are sprawled across the temple complex and it is considered to be one of the most important sites in Hinduism. You will find Sadhus and Yogis, Hindu priests and students, and people from all walks of life casually roaming around or taking a leisurely rest around the temple complex.

After visiting two important Hindu landmarks, you will stroll around Bouddhanath, the biggest stupa in the world. The stupa lies inside a massive mandala. It lies in the ancient Tibetan trade route and has been a pilgrimage for Buddhist people from Nepal to Tibet. You will find amazing restaurants and cafes overlooking the stupa. 

Swayambhunath, the monkey temple, is located on a hilltop inside the Kathmandu valley. It has both Buddhist stupas and Hindu temples. According to the myths, the stupa is built upon an eternal flame. The hilltop grew in the place of a lotus that was in the middle of a lake, which when drained, became the Kathmandu valley. It is a peaceful place to hang out in the evenings.

You will start Christmas day with a mountain flight early in the morning. You will be at eye level with the mighty Himalayas. Mount Everest (8848 m), Mount Lhotse (8516 m), Mount Makalu (8463 m), Mount Cho-Oyu (8201 m), and Mount ShishaPangma (8013 m) are some of the peaks that you get to see during the hour-long flight. 

You will return to the hotel after the flight and rest for a while. You can spend the remainder of the day roaming around Thamel or walk up to Basantapur to explore the markets of Asan, Kathmandu Durbar Square, and more. In the evening, you will join us for Christmas dinner at a fine restaurant in Thamel. 

The day after Christmas, we travel to Pokhara and enjoy the evening at Lakeside and prepare for the trekking. The next day, we start the trek to Poonhill following a gentle trail perfect for beginner travelers and families who want to experience the views of the Himalayas. The Ghorepani-Poonhill trekking lies in the lower Annapurna region and provides a stunning view of mountains like the Annapurna range, Dhaulagiri, Gangapurna, Machhapuchhre, and more. Poonhill is best known for its sunrise view. 

The trail passes through Gurung and Magar villages. You will get a chance to peek into the lives in the upper Hilly region of Nepal. It is a short trek of 45 kilometers and you will find plenty of comfortable lodges and teahouses run by local families. This is a perfect trail to take during the month of December as you will probably get to witness the snowfall along the way.