Bhutan is poised to host the Royal Highland Festival, an extraordinary event scheduled from October 23 to 24, 2023, in the captivating Laya region. This annual celebration promises travellers a rare, once-in-a-lifetime encounter with the enigmatic and mesmerizing Himalayan realm.
Held in Bhutan’s northernmost settlements at 3,800 meters above sea level, the annual Royal Highland Festival celebrates the life and culture of the nomadic highland people of Bhutan.
Located in the extreme northwest of Bhutan, Gasa district is home to some of the highest mountain peaks in the country. Over a hundred glacial lakes that are found at the foot of these mountains feed some of the biggest rivers in the country, including the Phochu and Mochu rivers.
The two-day highland festival is a beautiful and thrilling event that features cultural and entertainment programs by the Layap people, the local residents of Laya, showcasing their own unique culture, tradition, and dresses. There will be parades, games, races, and competitions with highland animals such as yaks, horses, and mastiffs; the animals will be dressed in colourful, elaborate accessories. The festival will also feature textile and souvenir stalls, and food stalls displaying local cuisines such as dried yak cheese, butter, and alcoholic beverages.
It’s a whole adventure to reach the festival ground in Laya; a total of a 7-hour drive from Thimphu to the Tongshida base camp, followed by a 4-hour hike to Laya with an aqua-green glacial river along the trail, and a 30-minute hike every morning to the festival ground! If the trek sounds too difficult, visitors also have the option of availing the helicopter service to reach the location.
One of the highlights of the festival is the 25-km Laya Run that begins from Ponjothang, the point where the motorable road ends. The participants run along the banks of Mochu River till the festival ground. Visitors attending the highland festival have the excellent opportunity to stay at a farmstay with a Layap family; they can wear the Layap dress, eat authentic highlander food, and attend the festival with the family.
“The Royal Highland Festival is one of the most popular annual festivals in the country. Every year, hundreds of people from across the country as well as foreign visitors trek the stunning trails among the Himalayan Mountains to attend the festival. Two days of dancing, music, local arts and crafts, and animal parades, the festival celebrates the culture and lifestyle of people who live in the beautiful highlands of Bhutan,” says Dorji Dhradhul, the Director General of the Department of Tourism.
“Our hope is to raise awareness of Bhutan’s commitment to conserve the glacial mountains, and for visitors to learn and experience the unique culture, traditions, and daily lives of the highland people.”
With an elevation ranging between 1,500 to 4,500 meters above sea level, the whole Gasa district falls under the Jigme Dorji Wangchuck National Park and is home to various species of birds and animals such as yaks, musk deer, blue sheep, snow leopards, red pandas, snow pigeons, Himalayan black bears, and the national bird and animal of Bhutan, raven, and takin.
Gasa is also home to some of the most beautiful and breathtaking high mountain trails in the country, from wide stretches of the famous Snowman trek to the high-altitude trails that take you close to the glacial lakes. The beautiful alpine ecosystem in this region is rich in many species of medicinal plants and herbs used in traditional medicine, including the famous cordyceps. It also has abundant natural hot springs and menchu (medicinal water) that are famous for their healing and medicinal properties. The highlanders mostly rely on livestock, particularly rearing yaks.
Visit https://bhutan.travel/ for updated information on Bhutan tourism, and follow the Department of Tourism on Facebook and Instagram.
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