New Year (Biska Jatra) Tour Package

Trip Overview

Unlike any other country in the world, Nepal starts to celebrate its New year four days before the event and celebrates it for four more days. It is also a fact that not everyone celebrates it in this way. The root tribe of Kathmandu valley, the Newa People celebrate it for 8 nights and 9 days. They call it Biska Jatra, the biggest, longest, and most fascinating festival in Nepal.

The festival, on the other hand, includes some of the most exciting rituals, such as the drawing of Bhairava and Bhadrakali chariots, raising the Lyo sin dyo (a big pole), and then declining it the next day.

Although each day has its significance and events, the fifth and sixth days of the festival are more stunning than the others. It is the last day of the Nepalese year, and as a fact, the new year begins the following day.

Aside from that, there is the event of lyo sin dyo rising and dropping happening on the respective days. So, if you want to learn more and join in one of the world’s largest tug of wars (pulling chariots), you’ve found the perfect deal.

While you are in Nepal, celebrating Biska Jatra, you can also get involved in one of the rich ethnic tribes of Nepal, the Newa people.

New year (Biska Jatra) Package Highlights

  • Engage in the biggest celebration of Nepal, Biska Jatra
  • Sightseeing at 7 UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Kathmandu
  • Try local Newari cuisines
  • Get involved in the Newa traditions and rituals
  • Nagarkot Exploration
  • Hiking at Ranikot (optional)
  • Evening walk in the alleys of Bhaktapur

New Year (Biska Jatra) Package Itinerary Outlines

Day 1: Arrival at Kathmandu
Day 2: Kathmandu Sightseeing
Day 3: Bhaktapur Durbar Square sightseeing and take part in the initiation of Biska Jatra
Day 4: Patan Exploration
Day 5: Sightseeing at Kathmandu Durbar Square and Swyambhunath
Day 6: Bhaktapur Exploration ( Pottery Square, Ponds, and Vihars) and participate in Biska Jatra
Day 7: Participate in Biska Jatra as well as local traditions
Day 8: Thimi Exploration ( Celebrate Sindoor Jatra)
Day 9: Sightseeing at Baudhhanath and Pashupatinath, enjoy the local carnival at Bhaktapur
Day 10: Bhaktapur Exploration (Dattatraya Square and local celebration)
Day 11: Sightseeing at Changu Narayan and Nagarkot Exploration
Day 12: Rest Day
Day 13: Departure

Experience the trip for yourself

Plan Your Trip

Detail Itinerary

Day 1Arrival at Kathmandu

As per your flight schedule, we will pick you up at Tribhuvan International Airport. After that, we will drop you at the hotel and let you rest. We will, however, reconvene at the welcome dinner to go over the itinerary briefly.

Day 2Kathmandu Sightseeing

On this day, you will go sightseeing in Kathmandu. We will suggest some places, so you can choose where you want to go. You will be doing sightseeing at heritage sites in the Kathmandu valley.

Day 3Take part in the starting of Biska Jatra

On this day, after taking breakfast, we will go sightseeing at Bhaktapur Durbar Square. It will take 2-3 hours. After that, we will go to Taumadhi Square, where today’s special event will take place. By the time we reach there, the event might have already started. There, you can witness the rituals of taking out the images of God Bhairava and God Bhadrakali from their respective temples and placing them in their chariots. You will have your lunch at the same time in the nearby restaurant. After the completion of the ritual, there’ll be a tug of war between the Thane and Kone people. People try to pull the Bhairava Chariot either in Thane or the Kone area of Bhaktapur. Masses of people participate in this act. The best place to encounter this event is the pedestal of the Nyatapola temple. After observing this event, we’ll go back to the hotel for dinner. You can choose to roam around if you like to.

Day 4Rest day

Since, on this day, there will be no special ritual to take place, you’ll go sightseeing at other places. After taking breakfast, you’ll go to Patan Durbar Square for sightseeing. Take lunch over there. After that, visit nearby places like Mahabauddha Temple, Kumbheshwor Temple, Hiranyavarna Mmahavihar, and the other two important temples in Patan. You may also have the opportunity to meet Kumari of Patan, Nepal's living goddess. Come back to Bhaktapur for a night's stay. Dinner at the hotel

Day 5Participate in Biska Jatra

There is a ritual taking place on this day. But it is a sacred one. Thus, you might not see what’s going on, but you’ll get to know about the ritual. Syakotyako means one can sacrifice animals or fowl as many as one can, and a big buffalo is sacrificed in the house of Bhairava of Lakaulachhen Tole. You will go visit that building later in the day. Thus, after taking breakfast, we will take you over there, explain the ritual, and then we’ll go to Kathmandu Durbar Square for a half-day sightseeing. We’ll take lunch over there and go to Swyambhunath for another half-day of sightseeing. We’ll stay over there till sunset. Come back to Bhaktapur for a night's stay. Dinner at the hotel

Day 6Sightseeing at Bhaktapur and participate in Jatra

Today, you will go to the pottery square, where a lyosin dyo (a straight pole) is raised. In the same square, a sacred puja for Goraknath takes place. Though you are not allowed to see that, we’ll go to the same place later, after the completion of the puja. We'll eat breakfast at a nearby restaurant before returning to Pottery Square for some pottery work (if you're interested). Otherwise, we’ll go sightseeing in the nearby viharas of Bhaktapur, Siddhapokhari, and Dyo Chhens. We’ll have lunch after the sightseeing and come back to the hotel. We recommend that you take a break before venturing into the madness of Khalna tole in Bhaktapur. It's also New Year's Eve in Nepal, but most people gather here to raise the lyo sin dyo, another long pole like the one in the pottery square. You’ll also go there and join the crowd. But you have to be quite careful since there will be a lot of people. On the same evening, there will be Indrayani Tipwa Jatra (Torch-bearing Eve at Indrayani). After that hustling crowd and event, you will come back to the hotel.

Day 7Celebrate New year

It’s the new year. So, every family will have its feast at home. You can also join them if your guide is from the Newa community and is willing to take you with them. Otherwise, you’ll have free time today until the afternoon. You can either choose to hike, cycle, or engage in the family feast. If you get along with the family, you might get to know more about this ethnic tribe of the Kathmandu valley. In the evening, we will go back to the same spot where the large pole was raised. Today, it has to fall; thus, every person tries to pull it down. There are also some myths about raising and lowering the pole. You will be told about all this before going there. Come back to the hotel for dinner. Later at night, there will be Bramhayani Jatra, so you can go for a night walk to watch it.

Day 8Sindoor Jatra at Thimi

Today, we will be going to Thimi for Sindoor Jatra. Spend the whole day at Thimi doing sightseeing as well as participating in the jatra.

Day 9Bramhayani and Maheshwori Jatra

This day, there will be Bramhayani and Maheshwori Jatra in the evening, so you’ll have time to explore other destinations in the Kathmandu valley. Today, we’ll go to Boudhanath and Pashupatinath for sightseeing. Both of these sights are listed among the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Thus, it’s worth traveling there. We’ll have our lunch at Bauddhanath. We’ll come back to Bhaktapur to witness the aforementioned jatras.

Day 10Chuma Ganesh Jatra

This is quite a special day. You will notice a bunch of people roaming around the city with traditional music playing alongside them. This day, almost all the temples are open to locals. The deities are carried out of the temple for public worship. And, throughout the city, different communities come to pray at all of these temples, accompanied by a band of musical instruments. The main roads will be busy, just as you are. You’ll do sightseeing at Dattatraya Square too, and spend the day roaming around the city. You will also eat the local Newari cuisine. Back to hotel for night stay

Day 11Nagarkot and Changunarayan Exploration

This is the last day of your trip. There is not much to do on this day. The pole of the pottery square is shut down today, and all the deities are put back in their respective places. So, after having breakfast, we’ll go to the Changunarayan temple in Bhaktapur for a half day of sightseeing. We’ll have lunch over there, and then we'll head toward Nagarkot. Sightseeing and a night's stay at Nagarkot

Day 12Free day

Today you will have a rest day. You can choose to have a relaxed day or go shopping. You can also use this day to visit the remaining heritage sites in Kathmandu. Night stay in Kathmandu

Day 13Departure

We will be dropping you off at the international airport as per your flight schedule. Before that, we will have breakfast or lunch together as we conclude your trip to Nepal.