Holi & Festival Cultural Tour

Holi falls on Falgun Purnima, the full moon of the Nepali month of Falgun, so the date changes each year. In Kathmandu and the hills, it is on 21 March in 2027 and 10 March in 2028. Tell us the year you plan to travel and we will confirm the date before you book anything.

There are two dates. Kathmandu and the hill districts celebrate on the day of the full moon, and the Terai, the southern plains bordering India, celebrate on the following day. This itinerary is planned around the Kathmandu date. If you add Chitwan, you can see both, and several travellers choose to do this.

It is the same festival, but on a different scale and with a different character. In India, Holi is bigger, lasts longer and is much more intense, especially in Mathura and Vrindavan. In Kathmandu, it is a single afternoon across the city that is friendlier and easier for visitors, and it takes place in a valley full of temples. We also run a Holi tour in India if you would like to experience the larger festival.

The celebrations build from mid-morning. People throw coloured powder and water at everyone in the street, water balloons are thrown from rooftops, and music plays in every square. By early afternoon, everyone is covered in colour. The largest crowds and most of the music are in Basantapur, the old Durbar Square. The celebrations end at about 4 pm.

Generally yes, but the crowd is very dense. Pickpocketing increases, so leave all valuables at the hotel. Women travellers are occasionally groped in the crowd. This does not happen to everyone, but it does happen. Stay with the group, speak up loudly if it happens, and tell your guide.

Yes. Some travellers watch from a rooftop restaurant instead, which is a good way to see the festival without taking part. However, you cannot walk through Kathmandu on Holi without being covered in colour. If you would not be comfortable being touched and soaked by strangers, please take this into account before you book.

Bhang is a cannabis preparation that is traditional at Holi and is sold openly in sweets and drinks. We do not arrange it. It is much stronger than most visitors expect, and it cannot be detected in a lassi. Be aware that a drink offered to you in the street may contain it.

Wear clothes you are willing to throw away, and old trainers rather than sandals, because the crowd is dense and your feet may be trodden on. A white T-shirt is traditional and shows the colours best. Most travellers buy an inexpensive set of clothes in Thamel on day 2 for a few dollars, and we recommend this.

Put oil on your hair and skin before you go out. Local people do this, and it makes the colour much easier to remove. Coconut oil or any other oil will work. Afterwards, the colour comes off your skin in one wash and out of your hair over about three days. Micellar water or baby oil removes what soap does not.

The powders are mostly harmless. Cheap commercial pastes, especially metallic silver, contain industrial dyes and heavy metals. They are hard to remove and can harm your skin and eyes. Buy herbal powder, which is sold throughout Thamel, and your guide will show you where.

Take only an action camera or a phone in a waterproof pouch on a lanyard. Powder and water will damage a normal camera, and you will be soaked within ten minutes. A waterproof pouch is the most useful thing to buy before you travel.

Two days of fresh air and quiet in the hills after Holi make for a better trip than four days in Kathmandu. The retreat is in the foothills near Dhulikhel. The food is vegetarian and grown on site, and there are two classes a day suitable for complete beginners. None of the activities are compulsory.

It is a three-hour downhill walk on farm paths from Nagarkot to the retreat. It is the only walking on the trip and it is easy. The early start for the sunrise at Nagarkot is more demanding than the walk itself.

Yes, from Nagarkot at sunrise on day 4, weather permitting. In March, the weather is usually clear. On a clear morning, the view extends from Annapurna to Everest along the northern horizon. This is a viewpoint, not a trek.

Book two months ahead. Kathmandu hotels raise their rates for Holi week and fill up early, and there is no alternative date. For most spring trips in Nepal, two weeks' notice is enough, but not for this one.

Yes, and this is our most important advice for this trip. There is no spare time between day 1 and day 3, so a 24-hour flight delay would mean missing the festival. We can book your room from the night before at cost.

Yes, and most travellers do. Six days is a short trip, and Holi falls in the best trekking month of the spring. The short Annapurna trek from Pokhara adds three days. Annapurna Base Camp or Everest Base Camp make it a longer Nepal trip.

No. This is the only trip we offer without a group size limit. Holi is a street festival, and a larger group adds to the enjoyment. We do keep the day 2 sightseeing groups small, as a guide can only speak effectively to about twelve people at a time.