Get Into A Whole Different World During Your Trek To Upper Mustang

The Upper Mustang trek brings tourists into the concealed sphere of the ancient Buddhist monarch of Mustang, also known as Lo. Lo happen to be a part of the Tibetan kingdom and is thus closely united to Tibet in language, geography and culture.

The provinces remoteness from the outer globe has contributed significantly to an exceedingly sustained Tibetan custom and undamaged nature. Mustang lies in the rain shadows of the Dhaulagiri rock developing a ruggedly dry land enclosed by rocks in all sorts of colors and striking formations. This desert land is speckled with settlements of barley fields, white-washed homes and chortens decorated with prayer flags that incorporate a dash of colors to the scenery. When it comes to trekking in Nepal you certainly can’t resist the lure of trekking the Upper Mustang. Let’s find out why?

The path pursues the old salt caravan trail via which the folks of Mustang traded Tibetan salt for grain from the valleys. The objective of the Upper Mustang trek is to see Lo Manthang – the capital of the Upper Mustang. From the pass Lo La (3950 m) you can see the walled medieval capital in the distance, the white-washed 6-meter tall wall sticking out in sharp contrast to the infertile landscape.

Getting into Lo Manthang via the town gate is like entering into a completely different world. A sphere of slender alley routes, concealed chortens, long walls of lovely prayer wheels & stocks of farming animals ambling in from the grazing area in the afternoon to delay to their sheds in the city.

The most suitable way to arrive at Upper Mustang is to take a flight from Pokhra to Jomsom and begin the hike from there. The flight will be adventurous while flying through the deepest valley in the globe, the Kali Gandaki, which runs amid the Dhaulagiri & the Nilgiri mountains.

Upper Mustang is a restricted area and up till 1992 it was forbidden for foreign visitors to enter the kingdom. Nowadays foreigners are welcome to Upper Mustang for a permit fee of US$ 500 (to be arranged through a trekking agency and valid for 10 days, each additional day costs US$ 50).

Nowadays lodging in the guesthouses is feasible along the entire trek. Trekking in Mustang is an excellent choice throughout the Monsoon season (June to August) as the province is in the rain shadow. Nevertheless, it’s best to incorporate a day or two on each side of your travel schedule for tour disturbances because of poor weather in the plains. You can also ask your tour operator to add Manaslu trek with Upper Mustang trek for more adventure.