Likir in February

The February story

Losar is the event that makes February Likir worth planning around. If it falls in late February (check the Tibetan calendar), monks perform special pujas, the monastery is cleaned and decorated, and local families prepare traditional foods—khapse (fried pastries) and chang (barley beer). Even without Losar, February has its own character: the shortest days are past, afternoon sun warms the monastery walls to almost comfortable temperatures, and the silence is so deep you hear prayer wheels turning from across the courtyard. The small monastery museum houses thangkas and old manuscripts. Day trip to nearby Basgo ruins (20 km) is possible if the road is clear.