Full Moon Festival & Shamanism, Nepal
| country: | Nepal |
| trip type: | Moderate trekking holidays |
| departures: | Tailormade departures available from mid-Aug to Dec & mid-Feb to May (without the festival). 11 Aug departure for festival trek (Full Moon Shamanism festival 16 Aug) |
| price: | From £285 (11 days) excluding flights, full board |
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the amazing things you'll be doing
One of Nepal's most famous religious places of pilgrimage is Gosainkunda lake situated at an altitude of about 4312 m. Surrounded by high mountains on the north and east, this lake is grand and picturesque. Every year during Janai Purnima in August, thousands of Hindu pilgrims come here for pilgrimage and it is quite a sight.
The large rock in the center of the lake is said to be the remains of a Shiva shrine and it is also claimed that channel carries water from the lake directly to the tank at the Kumbheshwar Temple in Patan, 60 km to the south. Shamans ("Dhami") come from all over Nepal arrive to the lake and on full moon night.
There is much dancing and singing. This day is considered holy by the shamans whereby apprentices or "Jhankris" graduate into full shamans. Trekking in August can be a bit wet as the monsoon is at its last stages, but the greenery is at its best and since it is not peak season, it is best for people who do not want to be part of the crowd.
Peak views: Langtang (23771 ft.), Dorje Lakpa (22929 ft.), Loen Pogang (23238 ft.), Phurbi Ghyachu (21844 ft.). From Ghopte; Annapurna, Himalchuli, Manaslu, Ganesh Himal.
Ethnic groups/tribes: Sherpa, Tamang, Brahmin, Chettri.
This easy to moderate trek starts from the northeast side of Kathmandu Valley and goes north towards the picturesque Langtang Valley. An interesting extension to this trek can be a visit to the Langtang Valley. Apart from this trek extension, other adventure activities once you are back in Kathmandu are always possible.
This is the time of year when visits to Tibet and Bhutan are best. Combining this typical Shaman experience with a visit to Tibet to see ancient Buddhism in practice can be a complete spiritual experience.
Note: The Full Moon Shamanism festival takes place during the full moon in August every year.
The large rock in the center of the lake is said to be the remains of a Shiva shrine and it is also claimed that channel carries water from the lake directly to the tank at the Kumbheshwar Temple in Patan, 60 km to the south. Shamans ("Dhami") come from all over Nepal arrive to the lake and on full moon night.
There is much dancing and singing. This day is considered holy by the shamans whereby apprentices or "Jhankris" graduate into full shamans. Trekking in August can be a bit wet as the monsoon is at its last stages, but the greenery is at its best and since it is not peak season, it is best for people who do not want to be part of the crowd.
Peak views: Langtang (23771 ft.), Dorje Lakpa (22929 ft.), Loen Pogang (23238 ft.), Phurbi Ghyachu (21844 ft.). From Ghopte; Annapurna, Himalchuli, Manaslu, Ganesh Himal.
Ethnic groups/tribes: Sherpa, Tamang, Brahmin, Chettri.
This easy to moderate trek starts from the northeast side of Kathmandu Valley and goes north towards the picturesque Langtang Valley. An interesting extension to this trek can be a visit to the Langtang Valley. Apart from this trek extension, other adventure activities once you are back in Kathmandu are always possible.
This is the time of year when visits to Tibet and Bhutan are best. Combining this typical Shaman experience with a visit to Tibet to see ancient Buddhism in practice can be a complete spiritual experience.
Note: The Full Moon Shamanism festival takes place during the full moon in August every year.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Arrival in Kathmandu & transfer to hotel. Briefing session & overnight in Kathmandu hotel. |
| Day 2: | Kathmandu. After breakfast, heritage sightseeing of Kathmandu valley. Overnight Kathmandu hotel. |
| Day 3: | Kathmandu / Sundarijal (1350m)/Chisopani(2141m). 07:30hrs Drive Kathmandu -Sundarijal (1hr). The reservoir here supplies most of Kathmandu Valley's drinking water. Commence with a steep incline on stone steps passing shops and huge pipelines as we steadily climb to arrive at the ridge. Walk along the ridge for another 20 minutes and then finally descend to Chisopani Danda, with magnificent views of the Northern Himalayas and demarcates the northern limits of the Kathmandu Valley. Overnight in Chisopani. |
| Day 4: | Kutumsang (2492m/8101ft). From Chisopani, descend for about an hour on the other side of the valley to Pati Bhanjyang to find oneself in the middle of a densely populated Tamang Village. The higher we climb up the valley there are more noticeable changes in the settlements and human physiognomy. We now start to find a mixture of Tamang and Sherpa people living side by side. The trek to the sherpa Settlement of Kutumsang (2492m/8101 ft) is another climb for another 1½ hours but it is a pleasant walk through forests. Overnight Kutumsang. |
| Day 5: | Tharepati (3630m/8500 ft). From Kutumsang, there is no further permanent settlements until Melamchi Gaon, but since we head on to Gosaikund we by pass the village and head on to Tharepati, the starting point for a tour of the Gosaikund Region, which consists of half derelict stables (goth) and several seasonal cabins for individual trekkers operated by Sherpa people providing basic accommodation and food. Overnight Tharepati. |
| Day 6: | Trek to Phedi Overnight. |
| Day 7: | Gosaikund (4312m). Early start essential. The trail up to the Laurebina Pass (4609m) is not difficult in itself , however it rises in altitude of more than a 1000 meters making walking slow with some difficulty in breathing because of low oxygen. After crossing over the pass, there is a breathtaking view of a portion of the Gosaikund Lakes (i.e. Surja Kund, Saraswati Kund and Bhairav Kund) and the panorama of the Ganesh Himal and the Langtang Mountain range. The Laurebina Pass, at the height of 4,609 meters, is at somewhat modest altitude for the Himalaya and presents no technical difficulties. Overnight Gosaikund. |
| Day 8: | Sing Gompa (3350m). Free morning to explore the surroundings and participate in the morning's rituals. There are some caves which the pilgrims use as shelters during festivals. A huge white rock, engraved with a stylized trident, emerges dramatically from the centre of the lake. According to legend, when Divine Shiva threw his trident (Trishul) here, the glacier melted giving birth to the Trishuli river. After an early lunch, follow the ridge trail gently descending for about an hour then the path gently descends until passing the Bhairav Kund (4,150m) and then followed by Saraswati Kund (4,000m) below the trail. After leaving the last lake, we set out on a ridge and then it is a relatively easy walking till our arrival at the Sing Gompa Village Overnight Sing Gompa |
| Day 9: | Dunche (1950m) / Kathmandu. After breakfast, the trail descends on a path where one sees the destruction of this once wonderful forest by fire caused by lightning. The trees stand gnarled and burnt and one can only imagine the beauty of the glory days. The trail bifurcates and we take the lower trail to Dunche. The descent is steep made much worse by the uneven steps and after about 4 hours, arrive at Dunche. Overnight Dunche. |
| Day 10: | Drive back to Kathmandu. Overnight Kathmandu hotel. |
| Day 11: | Free untill departure to airport |
travellers' tales
I would definitely rate the Shaman Trek at a ***** five star experience. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this operator to anyone. They are superb. I’ll be proud to direct my friends to the web site. (more)
travelling with a local operator
This holiday is operated by a company based in the holiday destination and they will be able to provide expert local knowledge. They will be able to tailor make your holiday to suit your requirements not only concerning the dates of travel but also typically the standard of accommodation, and thus price. It is rare for local operators to be able to help with the booking of your flights.how this holiday makes a difference
 We are a Nepali company and travel through this company makes a direct impact in the economy of Nepal. We also triy to maximise its contribution to the local economy by hiring local guides and porters for these trips and staying in smaller lodges to spread the income. The company does not vertically integrate and sub-contracts all support activities like transportation, lodging etc. so that the money gets spread in the economy. It conserves on paper minimising paperwork in the office and by giving out electronic brochures. When required, brochures are printed on both sides of the paper and are in a folder format so that only relevant inserts need be given.We also have in place a development support system whereby 10% of its profits go to charities like the Joy Foundation Nepal who conduct free cataract eye camps in rural areas of Nepal and Antardristi Nepal, which is developing a fund to start a incest and rape care centre for minors. 10% of the company's profits also goes directly into employee benefits. Through the snow leopard trek, part of proceeds will support snow leopard conservation efforts. In the field, guides, porters and clients are all oriented in responsible travel. A zero litter policy is in place so that it minimises wastage in the region. We only take out very small groups with a maximum of twelve participants per group. All trips also focus on culture. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |