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TREKKING IN NEPAL/
Mustang Region:
 The trek ventures
into the remotely placed Kingdom of Mustang, which was
forbidden to outsiders until October 1991. The 'mystique'
Mustang, lying behind the Himalayan range in the rain shadow
area to the north of Jomsom and Pokhara, offers an
unforgettable experience. It is one of the popular new
destinations among trekkers due to its outstanding landscape,
resembling the Tibetan Plateau.
In the capital of
Lo Manthang, an old walled town undisturbed and untouched by
modern civilization, life goes on as it had for centuries.
With numerous Gompa, eternal ritual, breath-taking scenery of
Mt Annapurna, Mt Dhaulagiri and Mt Nilgiri, a trip into
Mustang is bound to be one of the self-realisations inspired
by the all-encompassing teachings of Tibetan Buddhism.
This
formerly restricted area has been reopened to a limited number
of tourists. A government liaison officer should accompany the
trekking party.
THE FORBIDDEN KINGDOM: 15 DAYS
Moderate to
Strenuous - Maximum Elevation 4300m
This trip begins with a flight to Pokhara followed by another
to Jomsom (2710m). The next morning, you set out of Jomsom
along the banks of the Kali Gandaki River towards Kagbeni
(2870m). The trek passes the villages of Tambay, Chusang and
Chailey before you arrive at Soya La (approx. 4300m) and
Samochin (3730m). The trail then continues to Charang, the
second largest village in the area, which has an old palace
built for the King of Mustang some 800 years ago, where the
piece de resistance is the remains of a set of human hands
said to belong to the master builder of the palace. According
to the local legend, the King, to prevent the builder from
constructing another such palace, cut the builder's hands off.
The next day brings you to Lo Manthang (3820m), the ancient
walled capital of Mustang where you may spend an extra day
exploring Namgyal Gompa, the village of Tenger and the Gompa
at Nymook. Also visit Guruk and Shija villages where people
still live in cave dwellings cut into surrounding Cliffside.
The return journey follows the same route as far as Chusang
village from where you make a detour to Muktinath. Thereafter,
trek to Jomsom to board the flight to Pokhara and then onto
Kathmandu.
However, keeping in view of the most fragile nature of ecology
and culture of Mustang and its people, our government controls
the number of tourists up to 1,000 a year. The trip has to be
covered in a group of minimum two people accompanied by a
government liaison officer at a royalty of US $ 70.00 per day.
JOURNEY TO MUSTANG: 21 DAYS
Moderate - Maximum Elevation
4300m:
The ancient kingdom of Mustang in western Nepal is one of the
few spots in the Himalayan region that are yet unraveled. Only
a handful of foreigners have crossed the high passes to the
valley of Tholung wherein lies the palace of Lo-Manthang, the
seat of the king of Mustang.
Drive from Kathmandu
to Pokhara, Nepal's second largest town
set on the shores of Fewa
Lake. Spend a day relaxing before taking a flight up to the
great Kali Gandaki Valley to Jomsom where the trek begins. You
ascend the ridge with the Annapurna range behind you. The
trail continues to climb onto this southern edge of the
Tibetan Plateau towards Mustang. There are several passes en
route (the highest being the Nyi La at 3990m) all of which
offer astounding views south to the Annapurnas and north to
Tibet, before you make the final climb to a ridge at 3850m.
From here you look down into the Tholung
Valley and walled city of Lo-Manthang. Three days spent here
enables you to explore this remarkable medieval city, with
monasteries and palace, or ride ponies close the Tibet
borders. If luck permits, you may meet the King, an
outstanding personality from another world. You then trek back
to Jomsom via Pokhara. This is an exceptional trip.
Day 01:
Arrive Kathmandu
Day 02:
In Kathmandu
Day 03:
Drive to Pokhara
Day 04:
In Pokhara
Day 05:
Fly to Jomsom and Commence trek
Day 18:
Trek concludes
Day 19:
Fly to Kathmandu via Pokhara
Day 20:
In Kathmandu
Day 21:
Trip concludes
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