Himalayan Pilgrimage with the Shamans
Experiential Learning with Nepali Dhami-Jhankri Shamans (including Mountain Pilgrimages)
August 24 – September 08, 2024
The word 'unique' is overused, but here we really have a truly unique opportunity where we focus entirely on experiencing authentic Nepali shamanism. This programme offers a total immersion into Nepali culture and shamanism. Shamanism always has a cultural context, the community it serves and shares a spiritual and moral background, making these practices an integral and essential part of Nepali society today.
Nepal is a sacred land where Nature, people and the divine have a mutually supportive presence and play a responsible role in maintaining serenity, balance and harmony. From the massive Himalayas to the mid-Himalayan green mountains and the unending flat plains of the South, Nepal is a living museum of many human groups and sub-groups, vibrant cultures, year-round festivities, spiritual practices, art and architecture. Nepal’s identity and power centres around the old squares, temples and monasteries, vibrating with its rich culture and sacred energies.
The holy temples and shrines housing male and female deities on the banks of Bagmati, Vishnumati, Rudramati and Hanumente Rivers, collectively known as the Sacred Valley of Kathmandu Mandal, have welcomed yogis, pilgrims, monks and ascetics for thousands of years and continue to maintain this attraction.
Our Pilgrimage
During this pilgrimage, the local Shamans and Elders introduce us to the powers who have empowered and initiated them and helped us to establish our own connection with them.
The organizers of these experiential pilgrimages are Nepali and so well-versed in the local religious and spiritual practices, both written and oral. They will accompany you to these powerful places, wisdom keepers, and cultural heroes and help you immerse deep to unravel the secrets.
Your introduction to Nepal starts from the Kathmandu Valley, follows the trails to the villages, and accompanies you to the higher hills and beyond the mighty Himalayas step by step. Participants feel themselves becoming like local Nepalis, immersed totally in the culture.
Itinerary
Nepal, for maxny millennia, has been a centre of learning and pilgrimage.
Unlike the experience of a regular traveler, trekker or mountain goer, this program ensures that you participate and get first-hand knowledge from the local Nepali Shamans (male and female), learning their millennia-old lineage healing secrets and getting acquainted with the art of creating ritual spaces, rhythms and sacred chants.
You will be accompanied to the temples, shrines, and some of the powerful places of Kathmandu Valley and cultural and historical heritage centres to offer prayers and join local pilgrims.
The local Shamanic community will accompany the participants to introduce their power places, sources of power and healing. We will progress step by step through the realm of sacred Sayalung protective Kali Naga shrine by the water fountain, onto the Pheasant Rock shrine, and ascend onwards to the navel of the earth mother.
We will stop in every sacred spot where the Shamans invoke the spirits for protection, healing, and empowerment. We will also meet another group of Shamans, visit the local villages, and live with them for an authentic experience.
It is a rare opportunity to be with the elders and long-lineage carriers of different lineages, listen to them, converse, and receive healing and teachings.
Participants must be physically fit to walk for three days, 6-8 hours each day, with stopovers for lunch and rest. The trekking pilgrimage starts at 2300meters/7546 feet, and the highest point reached is 3100 meters/10750 feet
Included services:
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Transportation for arrival and departure from the airport in Kathmandu
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Guided sightseeing of UNESCO Heritage Sights
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Hotel accommodation & Homestays
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Full participation in Shamanic teachings
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Participation in ceremonies and rituals
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Group healing rituals
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Most meals (breakfasts, lunches and dinners) as per the itinerary prepared for the participants using what is locally available
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All Transportation during your time (excludes airfare)
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Cultural Experts & Support Staff throughout your sojourn
Excluded services:
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Your international flight tickets to and from Kathmandu
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Nepal tourist visa: You can obtain an entry visa on arrival at the airport by paying a fee of US$ 40 for two weeks (please check updates before you embark on this trip)
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Tips to the service providers like guides, homestays, drivers and assistants
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Perks and gratitude to the Shamans and elders
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Insurance of all types (health insurance, baggage loss or damage, trip cancellation, rescue due to sickness or unforeseen circumstances, natural calamities and any transport charges not mentioned in the itinerary)
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Personal expenses like phone calls, laundry, drinks, or all are not explicitly included under the clause ‘what is included
Book your spot
For tentative daily itineraries and programs, please send email at
Cancellation policy
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60 days before programme start - there are no cancellation fee
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59 to 45 days before - 25% cancellation fee
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44 to 30 days before - 50 % cancellation fee
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29 to 15 days before and after - 100% cancellation fee
Refunds will be made for a valid reason, including personal ill health or an immediate family member’s ill health, with a medical doctor’s certification.
Important
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Please check your passport validity: it should be valid for at least another six months from when you arrive in Nepal. To avoid long lines at the immigration in Kathmandu, you may obtain a Nepali visa in your country.
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Day-by-day itinerary and other details will be sent only after receiving 50% of the deposits.
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Please have full insurance for safety.
Note about food and drink
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As the Shamans, Elders, lineage holders and tradition keepers of different age groups and dietary restrictions will be part of the work team with different eating habits and beliefs, all the meals during the three days of teachings and trekking will be vegetarian. But in Kathmandu you will have a choice of non-vegetarian menus, continental dishes etc.
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If you have any food allergies, please indicate them during registration; we will try our best to meet your needs. Please know that there are few dietary supplements or specially processed energy foods. Please bring your own if you think you will need them.
Options during your stay in Nepal
If you are interested in a longer stay, we can arrange other visits or trekking in the Himalayas. Nepal has a lot to offer and while the pilgrimage can only showcase some of the wonders of the region as the programme focuses on shamanic healing, teachings and in-depth experiences.
Bhola can make all the necessary arrangements if you wish to experience any of the following:
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Mountain flight to Mount Everest in Eastern Himalayas (early mornings) - it is a one-hour flight from Kathmandu airport.
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Visits to Bhaktapur, Kathmandu and Patan Durbar squares, etc.
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Trekking, white water rafting, visits to National Parks.