A week in the Kathmandu Valley timed to one of its great autumn festivals: Indra Jatra in September, Dashain in late September or October, or Tihar in October or November. We base you at Dwarika's Hotel for the festival days, add two calm nights at Dwarika's Resort Dhulikhel, and return to Kathmandu for the finale.
The Kathmandu Valley keeps a lunar calendar, and the three months after the monsoon hold its biggest festivals. Indra Jatra brings the living goddess Kumari out in her chariot through the old city and masked dancers into Durbar Square. Dashain, the longest festival in Nepal, fills the streets with families, bamboo swings and kites, and ends in the tika blessing from elders. Tihar, five days later in the cycle, honours crows, dogs and cows and lights every doorway with oil lamps for Laxmi Puja.
We set the dates of this journey once the year's festival calendar is fixed, usually in spring, and plan your days around the main festival day. Four nights at Dwarika's Hotel give you the festival in Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur with a guide who knows which courtyards to stand in. Two nights at Dwarika's Resort Dhulikhel, on the valley rim, give a break from the crowds with a monastery walk. A final night in Kathmandu catches the last day. Festival dates move each year; check current status before you travel.
Highlights
Why this route works
The Kumari's chariot procession at Indra Jatra
Dashain tika and kites over the rooftops
Oil lamps on every doorway for Tihar's Laxmi Puja
Festival courtyards in Patan and Bhaktapur
Two quiet nights on the valley rim at Dhulikhel
Day by day
The journey
Day01
Arrive in Kathmandu
Overnight: Kathmandu≈ 3 km · 15 minMeals: Dinner
We meet you at Tribhuvan International Airport and drive you to Dwarika's Hotel in Battisputali. Festival weeks are busy at the airport and on the roads, so we keep this day light. In the early evening your guide comes to the hotel with the week's festival schedule, which is often confirmed by temple committees only days ahead, and explains what each ritual means and where you can stand without getting in the way. If you have energy, we walk the evening kora at Boudhanath. Dinner is at the hotel.
Day02
Durbar Square and the old bazaars
Overnight: Kathmandu≈ 20 km · 1.5 h in totalMeals: Breakfast
A day to learn the old city before the festival peaks. We begin at Swayambhunath on its hilltop, then walk Kathmandu Durbar Square: Hanuman Dhoka palace, the Kumari Ghar where the living goddess lives, and the temples where Indra Jatra's masked dances take place. In the afternoon we walk north through Indra Chowk and Asan, the oldest markets in the city, where families buy new clothes, marigolds, sweets and lamps before Dashain and Tihar. Your guide points out the shrines that will be the focus of the festival in the coming days.
Day03
The main festival day in Kathmandu
Overnight: KathmanduMeals: Breakfast, Dinner
We time this day to the festival's peak. At Indra Jatra in September, it is the evening the Kumari is pulled through the old city in her chariot, with Lakhe and other masked dancers in Durbar Square. At Dashain, it is Tika day, when elders press red tika and jamara barley shoots on the foreheads of younger family members; we join a family we know for the blessing if invited. At Tihar, it is Laxmi Puja, with oil lamps and rangoli patterns on every step. Your guide plans the route around crowds.
Day04
Patan and its courtyards
Overnight: Kathmandu≈ 10 km · 30 min each wayMeals: Breakfast
Patan, 5 km south across the Bagmati, keeps its own festival rhythm. In the morning we walk Durbar Square and the Patan Museum, then the lanes to the Golden Temple and Kumbheshwar, where neighbourhood shrines are decorated for the season. At Tihar, Newar families perform Mha Puja, a worship of the self, which also marks the Nepal Sambat new year; your guide explains it from the street. At Dashain, look for the bamboo swings, called ping, built in open squares. Patan has no luxury hotel, so we return to Dwarika's for the night.
Day05
Bhaktapur, then the valley rim
Overnight: Dhulikhel≈ 32 km · 1.5 h plus stopsMeals: Breakfast, Dinner
We leave Kathmandu for Bhaktapur, 13 km east, where festival days fill Taumadhi Square around the five-tiered Nyatapola temple of 1702. During Dashain, the Navadurga dancers, a Bhaktapur masked tradition, may perform in the squares; your guide checks the schedule locally. We also walk Durbar Square, with the 55-Window Palace and the Golden Gate, and Pottery Square. Bhaktapur charges foreign visitors a municipal entry fee; check current status before you travel. Afternoon on to Dwarika's Resort Dhulikhel, 1,550 m up on the valley rim, for two quiet nights.
Day06
Namobuddha and Panauti
Overnight: Dhulikhel≈ 50 km · 2 h in totalMeals: Breakfast, Dinner
Autumn mornings at Dhulikhel are often clear, with the Himalaya stretched from Langtang to the Gaurishankar range. After breakfast you can walk through farmland to Namobuddha and the Thrangu Tashi Yangtse monastery, a half-day walk with the car to bring you back, or drive there in 40 minutes. In the afternoon we visit Panauti, a Newar town 7 km from Dhulikhel at the meeting of two rivers, with its own festival shrines and few visitors. The resort's spa and yoga sessions fill the gaps.
Day07
Pashupatinath and a farewell dinner
Overnight: Kathmandu≈ 30 km · 1.5 hMeals: Breakfast, Dinner
We drive back to Kathmandu by late morning and, after lunch, visit Pashupatinath, the great Shiva temple on the Bagmati. Festival days bring thousands of pilgrims, and the evening aarti on the ghats is at its fullest. Non-Hindus watch from the terraces across the river, which give the best view. At Tihar this may coincide with Bhai Tika, when sisters bless their brothers with a seven-coloured tika. Tonight we book the Krishnarpan restaurant at Dwarika's for its long Nepali tasting menu.
Day08
Depart from Kathmandu
Overnight: Departure≈ 3 km · 15 minMeals: Breakfast
A free morning. Your guide can take you to Boudhanath for a last kora, or to Changu Narayan, the oldest temple in the valley, if your flight leaves late. During Dashain and Tihar many shops and offices close for several days and domestic and international flights are full, so we confirm your departure in advance and leave plenty of time for the drive. We collect you from the hotel about three hours before your international flight and see you through to the terminal.
Festival dates follow the lunar calendar and move each year; check current status before you travel
Hotels and flights fill early for Dashain and Tihar, so we book six months ahead
Many shops, offices and some restaurants close for the main days of Dashain
Ask before photographing rituals and families; your guide will tell you where cameras are unwelcome
Crowds at Indra Jatra can be dense; we stand back from the chariot route
Non-Hindus cannot enter the main temple at Pashupatinath
Questions travellers ask
Good to know
When are Dashain and Tihar this year?
Dashain usually falls in late September or October and Tihar about three weeks later, in October or November, following the lunar calendar. Indra Jatra is usually in September. Exact dates are set by the Nepali calendar committee and published well in advance, so check current status before you travel. We confirm the dates before you book flights and plan the itinerary around the main day.
Which festival is best for a first visit?
Tihar is the easiest to enjoy and the most beautiful at night, with oil lamps and rangoli on every doorway and calm streets. Indra Jatra is the most dramatic, with the Kumari's chariot and masked dancers, but crowds are dense. Dashain is a family festival, so much happens at home, and many businesses close. We would choose Tihar or Indra Jatra first.
Can visitors take part in Dashain tika?
Sometimes, by invitation. Tika is a family blessing, given by elders to younger relatives at home, so it is not a public event. Your guide may be able to take you to a family who welcome visitors, and you would receive tika and jamara as a guest. Dress modestly, follow your hosts' lead and bring a small gift such as sweets.
Is it hard to travel in Nepal during Dashain?
It is busier, not harder, with planning. Millions travel home before Tika day, so buses and domestic flights fill up, and roads out of Kathmandu are congested. On the main days, offices and many shops close. Hotels like Dwarika's run normally. We book early, avoid travel on the peak days, and keep you in the valley where festival life is richest.
Can I see the Kumari at Indra Jatra?
Yes. On the main days of Indra Jatra, the Kumari is carried out of the Kumari Ghar and pulled through the old city in a wooden chariot, and the procession passes Kathmandu Durbar Square. Crowds are large. We find a viewing position in advance and arrive early. Photography of the procession is generally accepted from a distance; flash is not.
Is there a festival in spring instead?
Yes. Holi, called Fagu Purnima, falls in February or March and is celebrated in Kathmandu a day before the Terai; it is a day of coloured powder in the streets. Bisket Jatra in Bhaktapur marks the Nepali New Year in April. Both can replace the autumn festivals on this journey. Dates move with the calendar, so check current status before you travel.
How do I behave respectfully at festivals?
Watch first, then follow your guide. Dress modestly, remove shoes where others do, and walk clockwise around stupas and shrines. Do not step over offerings or touch ritual objects. Ask before photographing people, especially during family rituals and at cremation ghats. Accept tika or prasad with your right hand. Animal sacrifice is part of some Dashain rites; your guide can steer you away from it.
What is the weather like in festival season?
September can still bring monsoon showers, especially in the afternoon. October and November are dry and clear, with Kathmandu around 10 to 25 °C and cool nights. These are the best weeks of the year for mountain views from Dhulikhel. Bring a warm layer for evenings, comfortable walking shoes for crowded lanes, and a light rain jacket in September.
Why stay in Dhulikhel during the festivals?
For a break from the crowds. Festival days in Kathmandu are long and busy, and two nights on the valley rim at Dwarika's Resort Dhulikhel give you space, a spa and the Himalayan view, which is usually at its clearest in October and November. You still see festival life in Bhaktapur and Panauti, which are close by.
Kathmandu Valley in festival season7 nights · from ₹3,00,000 per personCheck dates and price
