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 2025 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 Diwali festival 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.
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Portraits
Yogis and holy men in their resident quarters
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Festivals
Dashain or Diwali
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UNESCO sites
6 sites in Patan, Bhaktapur and Kathmandu
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Ancient villages
Overnight in the ancient Newari village of Bhaktapur
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Back street walks
Real local life
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Wildlife
Tigers, elephants, rhinos and crocs
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Elephants
Private bathing shoot
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Bandipur
Ancient ridge town
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Dhampus
Overnight in the trekking village
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Mountains
Magnificent views of Annapurna, Dhaulagiri and Manaslu
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Boudhanath Stupa
One of the largest ancient stupas in the world
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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
2025
October 19 - 31
US$6350
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.
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Day 1
Arrive any time: Enjoy free transfer to your hotel
Sunset: Meet Maciej and the group
Sleep: Bhaktapur heritage hotel
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Day 2
Sunrise: Streets of Bhaktapur
AM: Fulpati celebrations in Durbar Square
PM: Kathmandu pedestrian market streets
Sunset: Dinner
Sleep: Bhaktapur heritage hotel
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Day 3
Sunrise: Free time
AM: Pashupatinath walking tour
PM: Bhaktapur main attractions walking tour
Sunset: Nyatapola temple
Sleep: Bhaktapur heritage hotel
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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
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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)
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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)
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Day 7
Sunrise: Elephant crossing boat trip
AM: Prithvi Highway to Bandipur drive
PM: Bandipur village walk
Sunset: Mountain ridge
Sleep: Bandipur heritage hotel
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Day 8
Sunrise: Panoramic snowcapped mountains
AM: Free time
PM: Minority village Jeep drive
Sunset: Panoramic snowcapped mountains
Sleep: Bandipur heritage hotel
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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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