Royal Highlander Festival — two days at 3,800 metres in Laya, the highland-community gathering of northern Bhutan.

What a visitor encounters

• The procession

  Day 1 opening — the four communities in their distinctive dress, the Royal address, the festival's official inauguration. The photographic tradition is exceptional.

• The athletic programme

  Yak races, horse races, archery, khuru, the strongmen events. The races are competitive and the local community attends in full.

• The market

  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 trek-in

  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.

Frequently asked

When exactly is the Royal Highlander Festival?

23–24 October every year — a fixed Gregorian date, not a lunar one. The 2026 festival is on 23–24 October 2026.

How fit do I need to be?

Moderately fit. The trek to Laya is two days at moderate gradient over old-growth rhododendron forest trails, with the principal challenge being altitude (Laya sits at 3,800 metres). We build a minimum three-night acclimatisation profile into the itinerary — including one night at 3,200m before Laya — and your guide carries a pulse oximeter to monitor your acclimatisation.

Where do I sleep?

At the festival itself, camp accommodation in expedition-grade insulated tents (provided by the operator). Before and after, you stay at the Punakha premium lodges (Amankora Punakha, COMO Uma, Six Senses) and at the Gasa hot-springs lodge if combining with the soak day.

Is the festival crowded?

By Bhutanese highland standards yes — substantial. By international-visitor standards no — only a small foreign cohort reaches Laya each year, and most foreign visitors who attend are travelling with a premium operator who has the camp logistics and altitude-management discipline. The Bhutanese attendance is the principal.

What if there is a weather issue?

The late-October window catches the post-monsoon clear-sky season; weather is reliably stable. However the trek-in is on a Himalayan trail, and an unscheduled snow event would extend the trek by a day. We carry contingency days into every Laya itinerary; the festival days themselves are held in any weather.