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The northern-highland nomad festival
The Royal Highlander Festival is held annually on 23–24 October in the Laya village settlement, at 3,800 metres in the high north of Gasa dzongkhag. The festival was inaugurated in 2016 under the patronage of His Majesty the King and gathers the Layap, the Bjop, the Brokpa, and the Doya — the four principal highland-community groups of the northern Bhutanese borderlands.
secular · Laya village settlement · Gasa
The Royal Highlander Festival was inaugurated in 2016 under the patronage of His Majesty the King to celebrate, document, and sustain the highland-nomad communities of Bhutan's northern borderlands. Four principal groups gather: the Layap (yak-herders of the Laya and Lunana valleys), the Bjop (the high-pasture community of Gasa), the Brokpa (semi-nomadic herders of the Merak and Sakteng valleys in the far east, who travel substantial distances to attend), and the Doya (the Toktokpa community of southern Bhutan). The festival's character sits apart from the dzong tshechus — secular rather than religious, athletic rather than meditative, the communities' own register rather than a temple programme.
Day 1 opens with the Royal address and a procession of the four communities in their traditional dress — the Layap women in their distinctive yak-hair conical hats, the Brokpa in their black-felted gho, the Bjop in their high-pasture wool. The athletic programme is the festival's principal draw: yak races, horse races, archery, khuru (lawn-darts), and the strongmen events. Day 2 brings the cultural exchange — folk songs and dances from each community, the cordyceps (yartsa gunbu, 'caterpillar-fungus') and high-pasture-honey market, the textile demonstrations. The festival closes with a community feast featuring suja (yak-butter tea) and ara (the highland barley spirit).
The festival is held at 3,800 metres — altitude acclimatisation is essential, and trip plans typically build three to four nights at progressively higher altitude before the festival days. The trek to Laya is two days from the Gasa road-head (a 4-hour drive from Punakha): Day 1 to a camp at 3,200m, Day 2 to Laya at 3,800m. The trek is part of the experience — through old-growth rhododendron forest, alongside the Mo Chhu, into the high-pasture country. Camp accommodation at Laya is the standard — community-camp or expedition-tent (premium operators provide insulated tent camps with the appropriate kit). The festival days themselves are cold (overnight to freezing); the days bright and clear in the late-October window.
What a visitor encounters
Day 1 opening — the four communities in their distinctive dress, the Royal address, the festival's official inauguration. The photographic tradition is exceptional.
Yak races, horse races, archery, khuru, the strongmen events. The races are competitive and the local community attends in full.
Cordyceps (yartsa gunbu — the high-altitude 'caterpillar-fungus' that is one of the highland economy's principal commodities), high-pasture honey, dried-meat preparations, hand-woven yak-wool textiles. The market is the only public window into the highland-economy supply chain.
The two-day trek from Gasa to Laya is part of the experience — through old-growth rhododendron forest, alongside the Mo Chhu, into the high-pasture country. The trek is moderate in difficulty but altitude-sensitive; we build acclimatisation days into every itinerary.
Dates by year
This festival is held on a fixed Gregorian date each year (Fixed Gregorian dates — 23–24 October annually).
| Year | Dates | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 23-24 October 2026 | |
| 2027 | 23-24 October 2027 | |
| 2028 | 23-24 October 2028 |
Common questions
Monuments at and around this festival
Monument
Dochu La — the 108-chorten pass at 3,100 metres between Thimphu and Punakha. The Druk Wangyel Chortens and the Himalayan panorama.
Monument
Punakha Dzong — the Palace of Great Happiness, founded 1638. The history, the architecture, what to expect on a visit.
Journeys around this festival
Journey
A seven-night Bhutan light-trek journey from Sydney — first half-day trails, comfortable lodges, a guide who paces the day to you.
Journey
A seven-night Bhutan photography journey in October — Bhutan, golden-hour access at Punakha Dzong, a tripod-friendly guide, and transparent pricing.
Journey
A seven-night Bhutan journey timed to Thimphu Tshechu in autumn — second-tier seating, a culturally fluent guide, Bhutanese lodges.
Five questions. A bespoke draft back within a day or two.
