Cheap Flights to Kathmandu in July

Nepal's biggest festival — a 15-day celebration of the goddess Durga's victory over evil that culminates in massive family gatherings, kite flying, bamboo swings in public squares, and the ritual blessing of vehicles (you'll see flower garlands on everything from motorcycles to Boeing 737s). For travelers, the most spectacular moment is the 10th day (Vijaya Dashami) when Durga temples are packed with worshippers and animal sacrifices occur at Pashupatinath — emotionally intense and not for everyone, but unforgettable cultural immersion.

Nepal's version of Diwali, lasting 5 days in late October or early November, where every building is outlined in lights and marigold garlands, crows and dogs get worshipped with food offerings on their respective days, and sisters ceremonially bless their brothers. Far less visited by Western tourists than Dashain but arguably more visually stunning — the oil lamp-lit streets of Bhaktapur and Patan during Tihar are among the most beautiful sights in Asia.

An 8-day Kathmandu Valley-specific festival in late September celebrating the god Indra and the living goddess Kumari, who is carried through Thamel and Durbar Square in a massive chariot pulled by thousands of devotees. The chariot procession (usually the 3rd day) draws 100,000+ people into the old city streets and involves masked dances, ceremonial rice beer drinking from wooden tubes mounted on poles, and the public appearance of the prepubescent Kumari goddess — probably the most uniquely Newar cultural experience available to outside visitors.

Bhaktapur's New Year festival in mid-April involving the tug-of-war of enormous wooden chariot-towers through the city's narrow medieval streets, with rival neighborhoods pulling opposite directions and fights occasionally breaking out. The highlight is the erection of a 70-foot ceremonial pole (yosin) in Bhaktapur's Khalna Tole, which is then toppled on New Year's Day — it's chaotic, ancient, and almost entirely free of foreign tourists compared to Kathmandu's main festivals.

The full moon celebration of Buddha's birth, enlightenment, and death at Boudhanath Stupa, where thousands of Buddhist monks and pilgrims circumambulate the stupa all night with butter lamps, the stupa is freshly whitewashed, and the entire neighborhood smells of juniper incense. Lumbini (Buddha's actual birthplace, 5 hours southwest by bus) hosts even larger ceremonies but Boudhanath's celebration is more accessible and the stupa at night under candlelight is extraordinary.