Kathmandu Valley · culture
Dashain festival days in the Kathmandu Valley
- 6 nights
- Easy
- Balanced
- Highest 2,175 m
- Best Oct
Six nights timed to the last and biggest days of Dashain, Nepal's fifteen-day autumn festival. See the Fulpati procession reach Hanuman Dhoka, the temples crowded on Maha Ashtami, vehicles blessed on Navami and, on Vijaya Dashami, receive tika and jamara from a Bhaktapur family, then rest on the Nagarkot ridge. A Tihar version runs three weeks later.
The shape of the trip
You arrive as the city empties. Goats are bought and led home on ropes, bamboo swings rise in neighbourhood squares and the sky above the rooftops is crossed with kite strings. On the seventh day, Fulpati, a bundle of sacred flowers and leaves carried from the old palace at Gorkha arrives at Hanuman Dhoka to the sound of a military salute. Maha Ashtami fills the goddess temples with queues of families carrying offerings. On Navami, taxis, buses and tools are garlanded and marked with vermilion so they will run safely for another year. Then comes Vijaya Dashami, the day of victory, when elders press rice, curd and vermilion on to the foreheads of the young and tuck green barley shoots behind their ears. You receive it too.
Dashain is the longest and most important festival in Nepal, a fifteen-day celebration of the goddess Durga's victory over the buffalo demon Mahishasura. For most Nepalis it is above all a homecoming: offices close, buses out of Kathmandu are packed for days, kites fill the sky and families gather to receive tika and blessings from their elders. It falls in the Nepali month of Ashwin, usually between late September and late October.
This journey brings you in for the last six nights, when the festival peaks. Your guide's own family and neighbours explain each day as it comes. You see the public rituals in Kathmandu's old city, spend the night of Navami in Bhaktapur, receive tika with a host family on Vijaya Dashami, and then rest at Nagarkot while the country eats, visits and sleeps. Many shops close during these days; we plan meals and transport around that.
Highlights
- The Fulpati procession arriving at Hanuman Dhoka on the seventh day
- Maha Ashtami at the goddess temples of the old city
- Vehicles and tools blessed on Maha Navami, and a night in Bhaktapur
- Tika and jamara from the elders of a Bhaktapur host family on Vijaya Dashami
- Kites over the rooftops and a ride on a bamboo ping swing
Day by day
Arrive as the city gets ready
We meet you at the airport and drive to Hotel Shanker in Lazimpat. The roads are already quieter than usual, as many Kathmandu residents have left for their home villages. In the afternoon walk with your guide through Asan and Indra Chowk, where people shop for new clothes, sweets and offerings. On open ground in the city, goat sellers from the hills wait with their herds. Look up: kites dot the sky from every rooftop. Your guide explains the fifteen days of Dashain, from the sowing of jamara on the first day to the tika still to come.
Fulpati arrives at Hanuman Dhoka
On the seventh day of Dashain, Fulpati, a sacred bundle of flowers, leaves, banana stalk and jamara, is carried in procession from Gorkha, the old seat of the Shah kings, to Kathmandu. It is received near Jamal and carried to Hanuman Dhoka, while the Nepal Army fires a ceremonial salute at Tundikhel. Find a place along the route with your guide in the morning. In the afternoon visit Swayambhunath, quieter than usual, then return to the old city to see families gathering at neighbourhood shrines.
Maha Ashtami at the goddess temples
Maha Ashtami, the eighth day, is dedicated to the fierce forms of the goddess. Long queues of families form at Shakti temples across the valley, carrying offerings, and many make animal sacrifices, a central part of Dashain for many Hindu families. Your guide takes you to a neighbourhood goddess temple to watch the queues and offerings from a respectful distance, and explains what you see. If you prefer not to see sacrifices, we spend the morning at Pashupatinath and Boudhanath instead. Evening dinner with goat curry, the dish of the season.
Navami blessings and a night in Bhaktapur
On Maha Navami, the ninth day, Nepalis honour the tools of their work. Taxis, buses, motorbikes and factory machines are washed, garlanded and marked with vermilion, and some receive a sacrifice so they will run safely for the year ahead. In Kathmandu the Taleju temple opens to Hindu devotees on this single day each year. Drive to Bhaktapur, where your guide's neighbours show you their family shrine and jamara grown in a dark room since the first day. Check in to a guesthouse in the old city and walk the evening squares.
Vijaya Dashami: tika with a family
Vijaya Dashami, the tenth day, is the day of tika. At the auspicious time announced each year, elders in every home mark the foreheads of younger relatives with red tika made of rice, curd and vermilion, place jamara behind their ears and give a blessing and a little money. A Bhaktapur host family invites you to receive tika from the head of the household, followed by a festive meal. In the afternoon drive up to Nagarkot and check in to Club Himalaya, in time to see the mountains at sunset.
Mountain sunrise, kites and a ping swing
Wake for sunrise over the Langtang and Jugal ranges from the Nagarkot ridge. After breakfast drive down to Kathmandu, stopping on the way at a village where a bamboo ping, the tall swing built only for Dashain, still stands; children and adults take turns on it, and you can too. In the afternoon join your guide's family or friends on a rooftop to fly kites, the sport of the season, with string, spools and a lot of shouting. Farewell dinner in the city, where families are still visiting relatives for tika.
Fly home
A quiet last morning, as the city slowly returns to work. If time allows, walk to the Garden of Dreams or Durbar Marg for coffee. Your driver takes you to Tribhuvan International Airport. Leave extra time at check-in, as the days after Dashain are among the busiest of the year for flights, with Nepali workers returning abroad and visitors leaving after the festival. Keep your hotel room until departure if your flight leaves in the evening; we can arrange late check-out.
Route
Where the trip goes
Included
- 4 nights at Hotel Shanker, 1 night in a Bhaktapur guesthouse and 1 night at Club Himalaya, twin sharing
- Breakfast daily and the meals listed, including the Dashain meal with a host family
- Licensed English-speaking guide on all days
- Private car for all transfers and sightseeing
- Entry fees at heritage sites visited and a gift for the host family
Not included
- International flights and Nepal visa fee
- Lunches and dinners not listed
- Tips for guide, driver and host family
- Travel insurance
- Festival-season surcharges on flights booked separately
Good to know
- Dashain dates follow the lunar calendar: the final days fall between late September and late October; check current status before you travel.
- Animal sacrifice is part of Dashain; you can avoid seeing it entirely, and your guide will plan around it.
- Many shops, offices and restaurants close for several days; hotels and our arranged meals are not affected.
- Tihar, the festival of lights, follows about three weeks later; we run a six-night Tihar version with Kukur Tihar, Laxmi Puja, Mha Puja and Bhai Tika.
- Book early: domestic flights, buses and hotels outside Kathmandu fill weeks ahead of Dashain.
Stays
Where you sleep
Questions
About this trip
When is Dashain?
Dashain falls in the Nepali month of Ashwin, during the bright half of the lunar month, so the date moves each year. The fifteen days usually run from late September into October, with Vijaya Dashami, the main tika day, falling between late September and late October. The government announces dates and the auspicious tika time in advance. Check current status before you travel.
What happens during Dashain?
Dashain celebrates the goddess Durga's victory over the demon Mahishasura. On the first day families sow barley seeds, jamara, in a dark room. The seventh day brings Fulpati, the eighth and ninth days are for worship and sacrifices to the goddess, and on the tenth, Vijaya Dashami, elders give tika and jamara to younger relatives. Kites, swings, new clothes and family feasts fill the days.
Is it a good time to visit Nepal during Dashain?
Yes, if you want to see Nepal's biggest festival. The weather in October is usually clear and dry, and the atmosphere is warm. The downside is that many shops and offices close, transport is crowded before and after, and hotels outside Kathmandu fill quickly. With a guide and pre-booked transport, these are easy to manage.
Can tourists receive Dashain tika?
Yes, when invited. Many Nepali families are happy to give tika to guests, and on this journey a Bhaktapur family invites you. Bow your head slightly, accept the tika on your forehead and the jamara behind your ear, and receive any blessing money with your right hand. The President also gives tika to members of the public at the official residence on Vijaya Dashami.
Will I see animal sacrifices at Dashain?
Animal sacrifice is part of Dashain for many Hindu families, especially on Maha Ashtami and Maha Navami, at goddess temples and in homes. You do not have to see it. Your guide knows where and when sacrifices happen and will plan the days to avoid them if you prefer, while still showing you the festival's public life.
What is the difference between Dashain and Tihar?
Dashain, in Ashwin, honours the goddess Durga and centres on tika from elders. Tihar, about three weeks later in Kartik, is the festival of lights: over five days people honour crows, dogs, cows and the goddess Laxmi, decorate houses with lamps and marigolds, and sisters give tika to brothers. For Newars, the fourth day of Tihar is also Mha Puja and the Nepal Sambat new year.
Are shops and restaurants open during Dashain?
Many close, especially on Ashtami, Navami and Dashami, and for a few days after, as staff go home to their villages. Large hotels, many Thamel restaurants and supermarkets usually stay open. On this journey, meals on the key days are with your hotel or host family, so you are not hunting for an open restaurant.
What should I wear for Dashain tika?
Wear clean, modest clothes that cover shoulders and knees. Many Nepalis wear new clothes for tika, often red, so smart casual is ideal. Avoid white, which is linked to mourning. The tika paste can stain light fabric, so choose something you do not mind marking. Remove shoes before entering the family's home.
Can I see Tihar instead of Dashain?
Yes. We run a six-night Tihar version with the same shape: arrival in Kathmandu, Kukur Tihar when dogs are garlanded, Laxmi Puja with lamps and deusi-bhailo singing, Mha Puja with a Newar family in Bhaktapur, Bhai Tika and a night at Nagarkot. Tihar falls in Kartik, usually October or November; check current status before you travel.
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