Royal Highland Festival 2026, Bhutan: A Singapore Traveller's Guide to Laya

In short

The Royal Highland Festival 2026 takes place on Friday 23 and Saturday 24 October 2026 at the Langothang festival ground in Laya, Gasa District, in northwest Bhutan, about 3,800 to 4,000 metres above sea level. It is the festival's 9th edition, a celebration of Bhutan's highland yak-herding communities with dances, yak and horse contests and local crafts. From Singapore, fly Drukair to Paro (KB541 leaves Changi on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday), then allow two days by road to Gasa and an uphill walk of two to five hours to Laya. Visitors need a Bhutan visa (USD 40), pay the Sustainable Development Fee of USD 100 per adult per night, and must book through a licensed Bhutanese tour operator.

Once a year the yak herders of Bhutan's high north gather in Laya, close to 4,000 metres up, for two days of song, dance and livestock contests. In 2026 the Royal Highland Festival falls on 23 and 24 October, and you can be standing on its festival ground five days after leaving Changi.

The Royal Highland Festival 2026 is the 9th edition of Bhutan's celebration of its highland herding communities. It is set for Friday 23 and Saturday 24 October 2026 at the Langothang festival ground in Laya, in Gasa District near Bhutan's northern border with Tibet. Herders from the far highland villages bring their yaks, horses, songs and crafts for two days of contests, offerings and performances, and visitors are welcome through a licensed Bhutanese tour operator.

This guide covers what the festival is, how to reach Laya from Singapore, what it costs to enter Bhutan in 2026, the weather to expect at altitude, and whether the trip suits you. Every fact is checked against Gasa Dzongkhag, Bhutan's Department of Tourism, Drukair and MFA Singapore, listed at the end.

Royal Highland Festival 2026 at a glance

• Dates: Friday 23 and Saturday 24 October 2026, the festival's 9th edition
• Venue: Langothang festival ground, Laya, Gasa District, northwest Bhutan
• Altitude: about 3,800 to 4,000 metres above sea level
• Getting there: Drukair from Singapore to Paro with one stop in Guwahati, two days by road, then an uphill walk of roughly two to five hours
• Who can go: international visitors, booked through a licensed Bhutanese tour operator and travelling with a licensed guide
• Entry costs: Bhutan visa USD 40, Sustainable Development Fee USD 100 per adult per night
• Weather: sunny days of about 10 to 15°C, nights often below freezing, light snow possible
• Also on: the Laya Run, a 25 km race that finishes at the festival ground on 23 October

What is the Royal Highland Festival?

The Royal Highland Festival is an annual celebration of the people who live and herd yaks in Bhutan's highest valleys. It was first held in Laya on 16 October 2016, initiated under the Royal vision of His Majesty The King. That first year marked three occasions together: the birth of His Royal Highness The Gyalsey, 400 years since Zhabdrung Rinpoche came to Bhutan, and the birth year of Guru Rinpoche in the 60-year Rabjung cycle.

Its purpose is practical as much as cultural. Bhutan's Department of Tourism describes it as a way to celebrate, promote and preserve the life and culture of the country's nomadic highlanders, and to support their economy. Herders sell yak products, medicinal herbs and crafts, and The Bhutanese reported that the 2024 edition brought highland communities between Nu 10 million and Nu 15 million.

It is not a religious tshechu with masked dances in a dzong courtyard. It is a herders' gathering at altitude, held in tents on an open meadow, and that is its appeal. At the 8th edition in 2025 the whole Royal Family attended together for the first time, and communities from 11 gewogs in 10 districts took part, from Laya and Lunana in the north to Merak and Sakteng in the far east.

Where is Laya, and how high is it?

Laya is the village of the Layap people in the north of Gasa District, close to the border with Tibet. Official sources put it at about 4,000 metres, while older reports say 3,800. Either way it is far higher than anywhere on the usual Paro, Thimphu and Punakha circuit, and for a body used to sea-level Singapore it is a big step up.

Layap women are known for their conical bamboo hats, topped with a thin spike, worn with long black wool robes. Life here runs on yaks: their milk becomes butter and cheese, and their hair is woven into the black tents that line the festival ground. Before the farm road was pushed up the Mo Chhu valley from Gasa, reaching Laya meant a full day on foot.

What happens at the Royal Highland Festival?

The 2026 programme has not been published yet, but the festival keeps a recognisable shape from year to year. Based on Gasa Dzongkhag's description and recent editions, you can expect:

• The opening and the Buelwa offering, gifts presented with Auley, the long sung recitation of the highlands
• Highland animal contests for yaks, horses and Bhutanese mastiffs, the big guard dogs of the herding camps
• Song and dance competitions between highland communities, and cultural performances by the Layaps themselves
• Dances from other highlands, such as the yak dance and Ache Lhamo performed by visitors from Merak and Sakteng in 2025
• Games and races, with horse races and a tug-of-war in 2025
• Stalls selling yak products, highland crafts, medicinal herbs and new herding and farming technology
• Evenings around a campfire with live music in 2024, and a stargazing night in 2025

On 23 October the Laya Run also finishes at the festival ground. It is a 25 km race from Ponjothang, mostly on the road beside the Mo Chhu and then up footpaths, organised by Gasa Dzongkhag with the Bhutan Amateur Athletic Federation. Registration for 2026 closed on 10 October, so this year it is one to watch rather than enter.

How to get to the Royal Highland Festival from Singapore

Flights: Singapore to Paro on Drukair

Drukair, Bhutan's national airline, is the only airline flying between Singapore and Bhutan. Flight KB541 leaves Changi on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday at 12:30, stops briefly in Guwahati in India, and lands at Paro International Airport at 16:45 local time. Drukair describes the Guwahati stop as a short technical stop: you stay on board and do not need an Indian transit visa. The return flight, KB540, leaves Paro on Wednesday and Saturday at 07:50 and lands at Changi at 15:55, and on Monday at 11:30, landing at 19:30. These are Drukair's published October 2026 times and can change, so check them when you book.

For a festival on 23 and 24 October, the useful flights are Sunday 18 October or Tuesday 20 October out, and Monday 26, Wednesday 28 or Saturday 31 October home. Thursday 22 October is too late, because reaching Laya takes at least two days from Paro.

Paro to Gasa by road

From Paro the road runs through Thimphu and over Dochula Pass to Punakha, then north up the river to Gasa. Bhutan's Department of Tourism puts Thimphu to Gasa at about 132 km and four to five hours. Most travellers break the journey in Punakha, which also helps with acclimatisation: going up gradually is kinder to the body than going up fast.

Gasa is a good last stop before Laya. The Gasa Tshachu hot springs have guest rooms, and a soak there on the way back down is something to look forward to.

Gasa to Laya: the road head and the walk up

Beyond Gasa the farm road is unpaved, and you continue by pickup or four-wheel drive to the road head. In 2024 Kuensel reported the road extended from Tongchudrak to Taktse Makha, followed by a steep walk of about two hours up to Laya. Other official sources give four to five hours from Tongchudrak, so plan for a two to five hour uphill walk, depending on where vehicles can stop this year. Ponies can carry your bags, or you, for a fee: Kuensel quoted around Nu 600 a load and over Nu 1,000 for a ride in 2024.

Bhutan's Department of Tourism also mentions a helicopter service with limited seats. Schedules and prices for 2026 are not published, so treat it as something to ask about early rather than something to plan around.

Where you sleep

Visitors to Laya stay in homestays and farmstays with Layap families, in Gasa, or in camps set up by tour operators. Spaces are limited because everything comes up the same valley, and the organisers ask visitors to book early. In 2025, about 190 tourists had confirmed their place by late September.

A sample 10-night plan around the festival

This is a sample, not a final itinerary and not a fixed departure. It shows how the festival dates fit with Drukair's flights. Road conditions, walking times and homestay space in Gasa change from season to season, so your final day-by-day plan is confirmed with you when you book.

• Sun 18 Oct: Fly Singapore to Paro, drive to Thimphu.
• Mon 19 Oct: Thimphu at an easy pace, with Buddha Dordenma and the town.
• Tue 20 Oct: Over Dochula Pass to Punakha, and Punakha Dzong.
• Wed 21 Oct: Punakha to Gasa, evening at the hot springs.
• Thu 22 Oct: Drive to the road head and walk up to Laya. Homestay.
• Fri 23 Oct: Royal Highland Festival, day one. The Laya Run finishes at the ground.
• Sat 24 Oct: Royal Highland Festival, day two.
• Sun 25 Oct: Walk down, drive back to Punakha.
• Mon 26 Oct: Punakha to Paro.
• Tue 27 Oct: Hike to Paro Taktsang, the Tiger's Nest, with legs already used to altitude.
• Wed 28 Oct: Fly Paro to Singapore, landing at 15:55.

That is ten nights in Bhutan, so the Sustainable Development Fee alone comes to USD 1,000 per adult before flights, guide, transport and rooms. With more time, you could continue east to Bumthang instead, where the tentative calendar shows Jambay Lhakhang Drup from 26 to 29 October.

To book, or to get the detailed itinerary and price for your dates, contact our Bhutan team. Tell us when you would like to travel and how many of you are going, and we will send a full day-by-day plan with the 2026 road, walk and homestay details confirmed.

Bhutan visa and SDF for Singaporeans in 2026

• Visa: Singapore passport holders need a Bhutan visa before travel. It costs USD 40, is applied for online through Bhutan's Department of Immigration or by your tour operator, and is usually processed within five working days.
• Sustainable Development Fee (SDF): USD 100 per adult per night, USD 50 for children aged 6 to under 12, and nothing for children under 6. This rate applies until 31 August 2027, and there is no SDF discount for Gasa or for the festival.
• Passport: valid for at least six months from the date you leave Bhutan. Drukair will refuse check-in otherwise.
• Licensed operator and guide: every international visitor books through a licensed Bhutanese tour operator and travels with a licensed guide.
• Insurance: no longer compulsory for Bhutan since April 2024, but MFA Singapore recommends cover that includes emergency evacuation, which matters at 4,000 metres.
• eRegister: MFA Singapore asks Singaporeans travelling to Bhutan to eRegister. Singapore has no embassy in Bhutan, and the Singapore High Commission in New Delhi looks after citizens there.

Weather in Laya in late October, and what to pack

Late October in Laya brings crisp, sunny days of about 10 to 15°C and very cold nights, often below 0°C, according to the festival organisers. BBS reported temperatures below minus 2°C and light snow at the 2018 festival, so snow is possible. Lonely Planet calls October “the single best month” to visit Bhutan, for its clear skies and festivals, which also makes it the busiest.

Coming from Singapore's steady 30°C, the change is the thing to plan for. Pack layers you can add and remove through the day:

• A warm down or synthetic jacket and a thermal base layer for evenings and nights
• Gloves and a warm hat
• Broken-in hiking boots for the walk up
• Sunglasses, sunscreen and lip balm, because high-altitude sun burns even when the air is cold
• A torch or headlamp, a water bottle and snacks for the trail, as Gasa Dzongkhag's notice for festival visitors suggests
• Any personal medication and a small first-aid kit

Laya's altitude is the thing to respect most. Gasa Dzongkhag advises visitors to acclimatise properly to avoid altitude sickness. Walk slowly, drink plenty of water, and speak to your doctor before the trip if you have a heart or lung condition or have felt unwell at altitude before.

Is the Royal Highland Festival right for you?

It suits travellers who are reasonably fit, comfortable with simple homestays and cold nights, and more curious about how people live than about ticking off sights. It asks for more time, more walking and more patience than a classic Bhutan tour. The reward is a festival made by and for highland communities, with relatively few visitors.

If the altitude or the walk is not for you, Bhutan still has plenty to offer in October. Our Bhutan journeys run from five to nine days: The Essence of Bhutan (5 days), Bhutan: Valleys & Tiger's Nest (7 days), The Hidden Valleys of Bhutan (8 days) and The Grand Journey Through Bhutan (9 days). You can see dates and seats on our fixed departures page.

Other Bhutan festivals around October 2026

Bhutan's religious festival dates follow the lunar calendar. These come from the Department of Tourism's tentative 2026 festival list, so confirm them before booking:

• Thimphu Tshechu, 21 to 23 September: Bhutan's best-known tshechu, a month before Laya, so not one to combine with it
• Jhomolhari Mountain Festival: 14 to 15 October
• Jakar Tshechu, Bumthang: 18 to 21 October
• Haa Tshechu: 19 to 21 October
• Dechenphu Tshechu, Thimphu: 21 October
• Jambay Lhakhang Drup, Bumthang: 26 to 29 October, the best fit after Laya, with Prakhar Duchhoed on 27 to 29 October
• Black-necked Crane Festival, Phobjikha: 11 November

Planning your Royal Highland Festival trip with HSJ

Laya rewards planning more than most of Bhutan. Rooms are few, the road head moves, and the festival dates sit close to Drukair's Sunday and Tuesday arrivals. Our Bhutan team can look at whether Laya works for your dates, fitness and budget, and build the rest of Bhutan around it.

Tell us when you would like to travel and how many of you are going. We will reply with an honest view, including when a lower-altitude trip would suit you better.

Official sources

Festival details, flight times and fees can change. Check these before you book:

• Gasa Dzongkhag: Royal Highland Festival
• Gasa Dzongkhag: Laya Run 2026 notice (PDF)
• Royal Highland Festival official site, laya.bt
• Department of Tourism, Bhutan: The Royal Highland Festival
• Department of Tourism, Bhutan: visa
• Department of Tourism, Bhutan: announcements, including the SDF
• Department of Tourism: tentative festival dates 2026 (PDF)
• Drukair: October 2026 schedule (PDF)
• MFA Singapore: Bhutan travel page

Information checked on 10 October 2026.