Tourists are flocking to Marpha in Mustang, as an apple picking and eating festival draws visitors to the local famed orchards. The event is taking place at the Temperate Horticulture Development Centre in Gharpajhong Rural Municipality 2, which is providing visitors with an opportunity to witness apple harvesting at the production site. The festival, which is being held from September 19 to October 1, 2026, has been arranged at the peak of the apple picking season. The festival aims to promote agro tourism in Mustang by linking the district’s agricultural activities with the rising flow of visitors.
Apple Festival Attracts Visitors To Marpha Orchards
The apple picking and eating festival commenced on September 19 and is scheduled to be held till October 1. According to Prakash Pantha, chief of the Temperate Horticulture Development Center, the event was organized to showcase the apple production abilities of Mustang and to encourage agricultural tourism in the district. The visitors that have arrived in Marpha have been heading to the apple orchards to participate in the seasonal activity and have been feasting on the freshly harvested fruit. The growing number of tourists has enhanced the activity in the orchards as the local harvesting works enters a key phase.
The festival provides visitors with an opportunity to witness an aspect of Marpha’s agriculture that is closely associated with the identity of Mustang. Rather than just purchasing apples from local markets, the tourists have the option of visiting the orchards and participating in their own picking process. The event has been arranged at the beginning of the major apple harvesting and market-supply season, and thus adds an agricultural experience to the sightseeing opportunities of the tourists that are visiting the Mustang region.
Tourists Experience Apple Harvesting First Hand
The visitors that attend the festival can enter the orchards and pick apples from the trees directly. The hands on activity allows the tourists to observe the cultivation and harvesting process as they enjoy the fresh produce in its own origin. The festival adds a more interactive element to a visit to Marpha, as it allows the travelers to engage with the area’s agricultural heritage. The event also enhances the visibility of the local apple production among the domestic and other visitors that have journeyed to Mustang.
Mustang is famed for its apple production, with the region’s fruit playing an important role in its agricultural identity. Marpha, in particular, has been closely associated with apple orchards, as well as the products that are produced from the locally grown apples. Holding a visitor-oriented event during the apple harvest season provides an opportunity to showcase that identity by way of direct participation, instead of just market sales. The festival thus combines the local agriculture, visitor experience and destination promotion in one seasonal event.
Rs 200 Entry Fee Set For Visitors
The Temperate Horticulture Development Centre has set an entry fee of Rs 200 for the tourists and local residents that wish to visit the orchard area and participate in the festival. The arrangement gives visitors the opportunity to visit the site where the apple-growing takes place, while also helping the centre manage the activities that are taking place in the orchards. The visitors can use the opportunity to experience the harvest, pick the apples and enjoy the fruit at the production area. The entry arrangement has made the apple orchards an organized visitor attraction, as the festival is taking place.
Alongside the entry fee, the centre has set rules that prevent damage to the apple trees. The visitors that break branches when picking the apples and cause the tree destruction will have to pay a Rs 1,000 fine, according to centre chief Pantha. The rule is aimed at facilitating responsible participation of the visitors and protecting the trees from damaging during the busy harvesting period. The rule would also ensure that the tourism activity is not detrimental to the agricultural production taking place in the orchards.
Festival Brings Together Mustang’s Agriculture And Tourism
The apple festival showcases efforts to bring an important agricultural activity to the experience of the visitors and to promote agro-tourism in Mustang. By involving the tourists in the orchards during the harvest, they can see the local farming practices and also help enhance the visibility of Mustang’s apple production. The initiative demonstrates how seasonal agricultural activities can be included in tourism, while not isolating the visitors from the communities and production areas that they come to explore.
For Marpha, the timing of the festival is particularly important as the main apple picking and marketing season has already started. Visitors to Mustang during this time can thus experience the orchards at their most visible. The combination of apple picking, fresh fruit tasting and orchard visits provide a unique seasonal attraction to Marpha, which complements its existing allure as a Himalayan destination.
The Temperate Horticulture Development Center, established back in 1966, has been producing and selling planting material for temperate fruits, vegetables and other crops. Its role in agriculture development provides the framework for the current festival, which is drawing its horticultural activities closer to the tourism sector. The ongoing event thus provides the tourists with a directly experiential opportunity to engage with one of the region’s more famed agricultural products while promoting the agro tourism sector.
