FEATURE Demon-trouncing Mani Rimdu Festival high in Nepal on two special Snow Lion December treks.

SOLU KHUMBU REGION, Nepal--(BUSINESS WIRE FEATURES)--Sept. 14, 1995--Snow Lion Expeditions will bring eight lucky visitors to the Mani Rimdu Festival, one of the Himalaya region's most spectacular celebrations, in December 1995.

This Tibetan Buddhist holiday is the cultural and parochial highpoint for the Sherpa people who inhabit the mountain valleys surrounding Mount Everest. Held under December's full moon, the Mani Rimdu Festival celebrates the mystic Guru Rimpoche's triumph over the Bon-po demons, which led to the establishment of Buddhism in Tibet and the Himalaya of Nepal. Snow Lion will offer the Mani Rimdu Festival Trek; a 10-day itinerary, Dec. 3-12, for those seeking a small group with trekking days.

The trek has been designed to give participants a better understanding and appreciation of the spiritual practices of Tibetan Buddhism. Participants will hike to elevations of 13,000 feet.

After two nights in Kathmandu, the adventure begins in Phaphlu, a small village and airstrip at 7,000 feet in Nepal's Solu-Khumbu District. From there, participants trek up the steep trail to the Chiwang Monastery, where the Mani Rimdu ceremonies unfold. The evening is spent around the lovely monastery mixing with monks, visitors and local Sherpa people. (The Sherpas migrated roughly 600 years ago from the Tibetan plateau to their present home in the glacial valleys at the southern approach to Everest).

At the monastery, participants will witness the two main days of the Mani Rimdu Festival. After a series of ritual meditations and masked dances, the celebration culminates with the destruction of a demon effigy and night-time dancing in the monastery's main courtyard around the prayer pole and under the full moon.

Following the festival, participants in the 10-day version trek to the picturesque Sherpa village of Junbesi, then return to Kathmandu via Phaphlu. They have the option of spending two days in Kathmandu or in Solu before returning home.

The land cost for the 10-day Mani Rimdu Festival Trek is $2,200 per person, double occupancy. Included in the land costs are breakfast in Kathmandu; intra-Nepal flights; the services of an expert trek leader, trekking sherpas, porters and kitchen staff; three meals a day prepared by the trek's private cook; tented sleeping accommodations and trekking permit fees.

Based in Salt Lake City, Snow Lion has over 30 collective years of experience in the Himalaya region. It specializes in small-group, low-impact treks, mountain expeditions and overland journeys in the Himalaya of Nepal, Tibet, Bhutan, India and Pakistan.

For reservations and further infromation, call 1-800-525-TREK.

CONTACT: Snow Lion

Ron Barness, 801/355-6555

or

Agins Communications

Steve Agins, 201/944-4037 or 212/666-8578