Upper Mustang Trek

Upper Mustang trekking begins with a morning flight to Jomsom, the district headquarters of Mustang. After some short preparation we trek up the windy Kali Gandaki valley to Kagbeni. The wide trail along a sandy, saligram-filled riverbed provides views of the surrounding peaks of Dhaulagiri, Tukuche and Nilgiri, and to the south the entire Annapurna Massif. Kagbeni, spectacularly situated atop a cliff overlooking the confluence of the Kali Gandaki and the Jhong Khola rivers, is the last village in Lower Mustang and guards the entrance into Upper Mustang. By its geographical location, it seems like an oasis of patchwork fields in the midst of rocky, arid mountains. This ancient and partially ruined fortress town provides us with a taste of scenes to come in Upper Mustang with its narrow alleyways and tunnels, irrigation canals, colorful fields of wheat and barley and its imposing and newly-restored brick-colored monastery. After check-in with the police in entry point here we enter Upper Mustang, the long-forbidden region of Nepal.

Lo Monthangaptly named the ''Plain of Hopes" The fabled walled capital city of Lo, with a single entrance through which only the king is allowed to ride (all others must walk), is a welcome sight! The king, "Lo Gyelbu", named Jigme Palbar Bista, still resides at his four-storied palace inside the city walls. Trekking in Mustang is truly one of the rarest and most rewarding experiences to be had in Nepal.