Nepal - Festivals Photo Tour.

Take sensational portraits in the Land of Truth.

The Tour.

Embark on an unforgettable photographic adventure through Nepal, a land of magnificent landscapes, ancient kingdoms, and diverse local cultures. Our tour offers a unique blend of historical, cultural, and religious sites, including several UNESCO World Heritage sites, and opportunities to engage with the local people as they go about their daily lives.

We begin in the Kathmandu Valley, where we'll visit three medieval kingdoms and see six UNESCO World Heritage sites. From there, we'll take a short flight to Chitwan National Park's flat plains, where we'll visit little-known tribes originally from the Thar desert in Rajasthan, India, and encounter the park's varied wildlife, including rhinos, tigers and elephants.

Next, we travel along the scenic Prithvi highway en route to Pokhara, making numerous stops at some of Nepal's most important religious, wild, and historic trading sites. Pokhara, a beautiful town on Phewa Lake's borders, makes an excellent base for sunrise and sunset visits to small villages, with stunning views of the Annapurna range.

The October 2024 tour will be led by one of our guest photographers, Maciej Radomski, a seasoned photographer with 30 years of experience who has spent more than 15 years organising and leading photography expeditions in East Africa and Asia. As usual, we will be accompanied by our trusted local guide who will provide insights into the local culture and play a key role in connecting the group with the local people who we meet along the way.

Throughout the tour, Maciej will encourage you to encounter local people in a very 'up close and personal' way, teaching you about their culture with the help of our local guide. We recognise your unique needs as a photographer and know you will always want to travel with your camera bag safely and conveniently close to you. We provide ample space for your camera bag on all transportation, including internal flights and four-wheel drive transport.

We've timed this tour to coincide with the Dashain or Diwali festivals in October, adding a very colourful and lively experience to the trip. We also offer several fascinating optional extras on this photo tour, including paragliding, parasailing, helicopter rides, and even an Everest flight.

Join us on this unique and unforgettable photographic adventure through Nepal, where the stunning landscapes, rich cultural heritage, and warm hospitality of the Nepalese people will leave an indelible impression on your heart and your photographic portfolio.

Photo Highlights.

  • A portrait of Sadhu – A Holy Man at Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu, Nepal

    Portraits

    Yogis and holy men in their resident quarters

  • Women dancers celebrating festival on the streets of Kathmandu, Nepal

    Festivals

    Dashain or Diwali

  • Bhaktapur main square statues, Nepal

    UNESCO sites

    6 sites in Patan, Bhaktapur and Kathmandu

  • A couple preparing for festival religious celebrations in front of one of the Bhaktapur, Nepal temples

    Ancient villages

    Overnight in the ancient Newari village of Bhaktapur

  • Local butcher on the streets of Kathmandu, Nepal

    Back street walks

    Real local life

  • Rhinoceros at the Chitwan National Park, Nepal

    Wildlife

    Tigers, elephants, rhinos and crocs

  • Elephant at the Chitwan National Park, Nepal

    Elephants

    Private bathing shoot

  • Morning panorama of Himalayas from the Bandipur ancient town, Nepal

    Bandipur

    Ancient ridge town

  • Lady preparing a meal at the Dhampus trekking village, Nepal

    Dhampus

    Overnight in the trekking village

  • Fishtail mountain peak in the clouds, Himalayas, Nepal

    Mountains

    Magnificent views of Annapurna, Dhaulagiri and Manaslu

  • Boudhanath - one of the largest ancient stupas in the world

    Boudhanath Stupa

    One of the largest ancient stupas in the world

  • Helicopter at the Annapurna Base Camp, Nepal

    Optional extras

    Paragliding, ultralight flights, helicopter rides, Everest fly overs (own expense)

Check out our photo book below:

Here’s a photo book we made from the tour in 2023. We’ll provide you with templates (including suggested text) and help you to upload your own images, so that you can make your own on the tour and print it when you get home.

Tour Details.

Est 2013

Duration: 13 days, 12 nights, 11 days of shooting.

Dates and Prices:

2024

September 30 - October 12

BOOKINGS CLOSED

2025

October 28 - November 9

US$6250

Past participants will get a special discount.

Our fee includes hotels, breakfast, bottled water throughout the tour, as well as all transport including airport transfers. This tour also includes one internal flight. We base our fee on accommodation in a single room, (always A/C with private bathroom) though we offer discounts for couples sharing rooms, as well as for non-photographers. If you need help with insurance for this tour, please let us know and we can put you in touch with a broker that should be able to help you.

Our Itinerary.

  • Traditionally dressed woman, Bhaktapur Ancient town, Nepal

    Day 1

    Arrive any time: Enjoy free transfer to your hotel

    Sunset: Meet Maciej and the group

    Sleep: Bhaktapur heritage hotel

  • Traditionally dressed man at one of the squares in Bhaktapur ancient town, Nepal

    Day 2

    Sunrise: Streets of Bhaktapur

    AM: Fulpati celebrations in Durbar Square

    PM: Kathmandu pedestrian market streets

    Sunset: Dinner

    Sleep: Bhaktapur heritage hotel

  • Sadhus – Holy Men at the sunset at Pashupatinath Temple, Kathmandu, Nepal

    Day 3

    Sunrise: Free time

    AM: Pashupatinath walking tour

    PM: Bhaktapur main attractions walking tour

    Sunset: Nyatapola temple

    Sleep: Bhaktapur heritage hotel

  • Patan Durbar Square temples at night, Kathmandu, Nepal

    Day 4

    Sunrise: Lokeshwar Temple, Chobhar Hill

    AM: Kirtipur walking tour

    PM: Patan main attractions walking tour

    Sunset: Golden temple ceremony

    Sleep: Patan heritage hotel

  • Tribal village dance at Chitwan, Nepal

    Day 5

    Sunrise: Swayambhunath monkey temple

    AM: Chitwan National Park flight

    PM: Tribal village walk

    Sunset: Tribal village dance

    Sleep: Chitwan (safari lodge - full board)

  • Ox cart at tribal village in Chitwan, Nepal

    Day 6

    Sunrise: Safari lodge viewpoint

    AM: Tribal village Jeep safari

    PM: Wildlife park Jeep safari

    Sunset: Safari lodge viewpoint

    Sleep: Chitwan (safari lodge - full board)

  • Elephant crossing the river at Chitwan National Park, Nepal

    Day 7

    Sunrise: Elephant crossing boat trip

    AM: Prithvi Highway to Bandipur drive

    PM: Bandipur village walk

    Sunset: Mountain ridge

    Sleep: Bandipur heritage hotel

  • Traditionally dressed woman in a minority tribal village near Bandipur, Nepal

    Day 8

    Sunrise: Panoramic snowcapped mountains

    AM: Free time

    PM: Minority village Jeep drive

    Sunset: Panoramic snowcapped mountains

    Sleep: Bandipur heritage hotel

  • Shiva Statue Pumdikot, Nepal

    Day 9

    Sunrise: Panoramic snowcapped mountains

    AM: Pokhara drive

    PM: Shiva Statue Pumdikot

    Sunset: Annapurna range: Dhaulagiri, Manaslu, Lamjung Himal from Peace Pagoda

    Sleep: Pokhara boutique hotel

  • A girl celebrating festival on the traditional swing in Dhampus trekking village Nepal

    Day 10

    Sunrise: Machhapucchre's (fishtail) reflection boat trip

    AM: Dhampus Jeep drive

    PM: Dhampus village walk

    Sunset: Machhapucchre's (fishtail) spire

    Sleep: Dhampus trekking lodge

  • Himalayas reflection panorama at Pokhara, Nepal

    Day 11

    Sunrise: Annapurna and fishtail mountain

    AM: Pokhara Jeep drive

    PM: Massage or paraglider flight options (at own expense)

    Sunset: Phewa Lake walk inc Aarti

    Sleep: Pokhara boutique hotel

  • Woman praying at Boudhanath Stupa, Nepal

    Day 12

    Sunrise: Annapurna Base Camp helicopter ride option (at own expense)

    AM: Kathmandu flight

    PM: Tibetan community

    Sunset: Boudhanath stupa

    Sleep: Kathmandu boutique hotel

  • A small plane flying in Himalayas, Nepal

    Day 13

    Sunrise: Everest flight option (at own expense)

    Depart anytime: Enjoying airport transfer from hotel

    We know you will have had a fabulous time

    Bon Voyage

Make the dream a reality.

Tuition.

On any of our tours, stunning photography is the name of the game, and our objective is for you to leave with a collection of images that you'll be proud to show off. Indeed, many of our past participants have gone on to win awards and competitions with photographs taken on our tours.

Nathan’s teaching approach is very hands-on, as he believes in learning by doing. He will guide you through technical challenges, provide artistic inspiration, and lead by example in approaching locals for great portraits. You'll be amazed at the striking and authentic images you'll be able to capture.

We also offer Lightroom workshops during our tours, where we cover workflow management and picture processing. We'll show you the tools to take your travel photography to the next level and provide tips on saving your pictures for various outputs like social media, e-books, and printing.

Where We Stay.

  • Typical luxury hotel in Kathmandu, Nepal.

    Luxury hotels

    Accommodation is a vital element of any tour. We have gone to great lengths to secure either luxury, boutique or heritage hotels in all our locations to enhance your overall sense of being in Nepal.

  • Typical boutique hotel in Pokhara, Nepal.

    Boutique rooms

    We do not charge a single-person supplement, but we offer a discount if you choose to share a room if you are travelling with a partner or friend. Non-photographer partners are welcome on this tour.

  • Boutique heritage hotel in Patan, Kathmandu, Nepal.

    Heritage

    This tour includes two nights in a Safari lodge strategically placed on a river corner, perfect for sunrise and sunset. In Dhampus we stay in a more basic trekking lodge but the views are worth it, and you will still have an ensuite bathroom.

TripAdvisor.

Andrea Gat

I have just returned from a photography tour organized by Nathan Horton.

This was an amazing and unforgettable experience! Nathan is an extremely talented photographer but also a highly experienced tour leader with a radiant personality which makes the trip just perfect. The tour is very well organized with an unbelievable variety of photo opportunities, perfect timing for each place we visited in order to get the best shots at the best light and from the best angle, always with pleasant surprises and all this in a great atmosphere. 

Nathan has a special relationship with the local people, which makes the tour very up close and personal, so you don't feel like a stranger but as somebody who is already connected to the country.

As a dedicated teacher, Nathan improves your photo skills, especially in travel photography, regardless of your photography level, should you be at a beginner, intermediate or advanced level. When you finish the tour, you are filled with so much experience and so many take-home messages.

If you love photography and travelling, this tour is the best combination of the two. Highly recommended!!!

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