Upper Mustang is the most rich cutural site to visit in Nepal. Dozens monasteries are really old. Some of these monasteries are built in the seventh sentury and still standing there. However, later some of them have been renovated by the help of American Himalayan foundation with joint venture. Now a days you can do this trip by riding vehicles as well. It used to be out of reach of transportation eccept helicopter charter.
Upper Mustang lies behind the Himalayas in a rain shadow region. It was a separate kingdom before Nepal was unified. It was entirely off limits until very recently. It was a forbidden land for the trekkers until 1991. In October 1991, the home ministry announced opening of Nepal’s restricted areas. A move that was partly a political decision to remove a regulation that was inconsistent with the principles of Nepal’s new, democratic constitution.
Once the announcement was made, the attention of foreigners and Nepalese too, was directed towards Mustang. Before its opening, This land was the most inaccessible and firmly controlled area in Nepal. After developing regulations and procedures for the newly opened areas, the first foreign trekking group was allowed to the Upper Mustang in late March 1992. It is worthy of in-depth exploration on its own as this high land is more fragile and pristine than any other parts of Nepal.
Upper Mustang is an ancient land with its own history and tradition. This Land has remained as one of the few areas in Tibet’s original sphere of influence where Tibetan culture still continues to survive.
With rapid modernization in Tibet since the last few years, Tibet is losing its identity but Upper Mustang has been saving the Tibetan culture till date.
Monasteries, chortens, mani walls and caves of Upper Mustangs are the manifestations of its rich cultural heritage. Upper Mustang is home to the oldest monastery of the country, the Lo-Ghar Gompa in Lo-gyaghar, which was built in seventh century. Upper Mustang also has one of the longest mani walls of Nepal.
We begin our trek with a flight to Pokharar and next day we will fly to Jomsom from Pokhara. Also, we can drive to Bag lung, and start trekking towards Jomsom from there. If we opt, trekking from Pokhara, we will go through the deepest gorge of the world, which is in the Kali Gandaki River.
We ascend along the Kali Gandaki River, meeting villages set amidst oasis of green fields in a barren lowland. In the backdrop, we can have the view of the magnificent Annapurna massif. We will visit several monasteries in the valley, including the magnificent Staring Gompa and the seventh century Lo Ghar. Our trek takes us to the 16th century fortress, Lo-Manahang, very recent presided over by its King Jigme Palbar Bista. unfortunately, he is not any more. Contact us for more information about this trip. Click here for trekking gears. Also, we advice visit the following URL.