Wandering in the Hidden Land of Mustang

Mustang-a hidden kingdom until 1950- abounds in a desert-like mesmerizing landscape with snowy peaks all around to peek at. Scattered human settlement here and there to observe is indeed rare and exotic for a tourist to encounter an adventure for fun and entertainment in this barren land of nudity shrouded in beauty.

Although restricted area, trekking through Mustang almost resembles with that of Tibet as Mustang is located on a Tibetan plateau. The last king of Mustang -King Jigme Dorje Palbar Bista still lives in his palace situated in the capital known as Lo-Mathang.

Most of the area of upper Mustang is still unexplored and unraveled by explorers. The elevation of Mustang is around 3800 meters. Trekking routes follow the trails along the Kali Gandaki River.

The rugged terrain of Mustang is at times replete with green vegetation and agricultural pastures. It is always windy and dusty in the Mustang and maybe very cold in winter. So, better to avoid winter trekking in this region. Porters are available to ferry loads.

However, you rely on ponies and mules to carry your loads as they might be economical in terms of money.
Kagbeni is the tourists hub, where few accommodations are found for tourists to stay.

How to get there?

You may get to Mustang either by taking a flight from Kathmandu to Pokhara and then taking flight from Pokhara to Jomsom and then start your trekking. You may also simply take a bus or jeep via highway and reach Kagbeni to enjoy your ultimate trip.

Best time to visit

The best season to visit Mustang is the summer season. But March to late December, and June to September are also recommended to see the arid plateau and the rainbow shadow of the Himalayas, which is rare to look at during Monsoon time.

Note: Upper Mustang is a restricted area. So, one cannot trek into this area by obtaining single permission. You may get permission to do so only through a registered agency in Nepal.  The lower part of Mustang can be trekked by taking single permission individually, but not the upper Mustang. So, if you are planning to visit, you need to take separate permission to trek into this area for which you need to seek agencies’ help. The registered agencies can only organize such trips in this area.