In Tibetan, Mustang means “fertile land.” Mustang Trip, or the trip to Kingdom of Lo, is an area located at the North-West of Nepal and it borders Tibet. Mustang was a prohibited area to foreigners up until 1991. Formerly independent, it’s now an integral part of Nepalese territory (since 1951.) Located behind a mountainous barrier, Mustang sits in a rain shadow, unaffected by the monsoons. It has a dry, desert-like, and windy climate. Here one lives with the rhythm of the seasons isolated from modern time. Fantastic canyons with red cliffs, chimneys of fairies, & monasteries; Lo Manthang, the royal capital city strengthened by high Mustang, is an exceptional voyage to the meeting of an authentic culture full of legends and secrets.
The Mustang Trip is arguably the optimum trip if you want to view and experience the nature in its raw and ruthless form since it is a high altitude desert of rich red and ocher land, deep gorges, narrow cliffs, and wilder mountains. Mustang, meaning fertile plain, appears to be live landscape painting in shades of red, brown, and other. It is one of the remotest areas of Nepal and is sparsely populated. Its elevation ranges from 1,372 to 8, 167 meters. The 7th highest mountain in the world the Mount Dhaulagiri lies here along with several peaks over 7,000 meters. The region, dotted with beautiful small villages, has more than 10,000 manmade caves; many of them are more than 1,000 years old. These caves have been used for centuries by the wandering ascetics of the oldest school of Tibetan Buddhism to perform tantric yoga.
Formerly, it was an independent kingdom, called the Kingdom of Lo, cut off from the world. The Monarchy was abolished in 2008. It was alone kingdom inaccessible to the outsiders. It was opened to foreigners only in 1992, and of course for the limited number of people with special entry permit issued only through registered trekking agencies. It makes it one of the most preserved regions in the world. It has an almost exclusive Tibetan culture. The entire district is included within the Annapurna Conservation Area, the largest protected area of Nepal.
The region has been of great interest to archaeologists, art historians, and anthropologists. Some of the caves in the region have frescoes and statues depicting practices of Buddhism. The region is still a center of Buddhist scholarship and art.
In addition, even the Temples feature amazing Tibetan art. Owing to its history and geography, it is one of the last bastions of traditional Tibetan life. What’s more, the scenery of the trail will reward you with forests of rhododendrons. Some of the top tourist attractions are Lomanthang, the Mustang Royal Palace, some of the oldest Buddhist monasteries such as Ghar gompa, Charang monastery, Tibetan art and culture.
