Upper Mustang

Upper Mustang lies in the rain shadow north of the Annapurna and Dhaulagiri massifs, so while the rest of Nepal drowns in the monsoon this is a high, dry, wind-scoured desert of ochre and grey, its cliffs eroded into fins and pinnacles and pocked with thousands of man-made caves cut into the rock faces, some of them burial chambers thousands of years old. Closed to outsiders until 1992 and still a restricted area, it preserves a Tibetan Buddhist culture and language largely unchanged, with whitewashed monasteries holding old murals, chortens at every pass and villages of flat-roofed mud houses stacked around them. The walled town of Lo Manthang, the former royal capital, sits at the far end with its palace and monasteries inside a rectangle of wall. The route can be walked over about ten days or, now, driven on a rough new road, which has changed the trek considerably.

History

Mustang, once the independent Kingdom of Lo, controlled the trade between the Himalaya and India from the 15th to the 17th century thanks to its position. It became a dependency of the Kingdom of Nepal in 1795, and the upper part stayed closed to outsiders until 1992 (Wikipedia, Upper Mustang).

What you'll find

• Lo Manthang - the walled former capital with its palace and monasteries.
• The sky caves - thousands of chambers cut high into the eroded cliffs.
• The desert landscape - ochre and grey badlands under Himalayan peaks.
• The monasteries - old Tibetan Buddhist gompas with their murals and chortens.

When to go

Because it sits in the rain shadow, Upper Mustang is one of the few Nepali treks that works through the monsoon, so May to October is the season, unlike most of the country. The Tiji festival at Lo Manthang, usually in May, is a highlight worth planning around. It is cold and fiercely windy year-round, with the wind rising every afternoon.

What to expect

The permit is expensive, charged per person for a fixed number of days with more to extend, and it is only issued through a registered agency with a licensed guide and at least two trekkers, so this is not a budget or spontaneous trek. The new road has brought jeeps and dust to much of the old walking route, which has taken something from it. Wind, cold, altitude and a lack of comfort are constants.

Nearby

Jomsom, Kagbeni and the Annapurna circuit lie south; Pokhara is the gateway city.

Key facts