Upper Mustang Trek is a huge catalogue for cultural exploration as well as perplexing dramatic scenery throughout the trek. The trail stretches on unique rain shadow landscapes beyond 8000m mountains, and the experience is beyond imagination. Of course, another country vibe from the rest of the place. The place is a living museum of ancient Tibetan, Buddhism, traditions, and culture. The conjuring images of imperfectly perfect landscapes, remote mountain lands, and the village getting the best out of modernization with odd-complex culture will be stuck with you for a lifetime.
The geography of this area is not typical of other parts of the country. The lands are barren. The trekking sites march through an endless expansion of giant rocky cliffs wrapped up by mud and sand. The rocky cliffs are yellow, brown, and ochre red forming different patterns exhibiting desert beauty. Beautiful Shadows are created in the interlocking ridges. The Swirling wind gathers dust and grits from sand from the surface and teases you and makes you excited to see new things around the corners. After a long walk to the bare lands, finally, the sight of beautiful medieval villages is seen.
Overall, the journey offers a wild excursion to the picturesque typical villages, stunning valleys, driest paths, barren landscapes, and of course the panoramic view of the Mountain while descending. The understanding of the local culture of the unknown valley, interacting with residents of quaint villages about the histories, and getting to know their primitive lifestyles will add dimension to your knowledge and this trip caters to lifetime memories
Overview
Upper Mustang is a trip to the canyon landform, with arid lands, Lunar-esque geography, and splendid mountains. Sometimes you just wander into the vastitude for no reason. The place is also called the district beyond the Himalayas. The trekking region lies in the rain shadow north of the Himalayas Mount Annapurna and Dhaulagiri. It is fully protected from the monsoon rain and is situated above 3000m. The upper areas are close to Tibet. The Upper Mustang was once a forbidden Kingdom however it is open for trekking since 1992. Mustang is a river valley that deviates to the North-South of the mighty Annapurna Circuit. The route ascends from Jomsom – Kag Beni –Chele – Tsasrang upto Lo Manthang and descends from Yara Tange –Muktinath _jomsom a full circle almost making it a circuit. Jomsom, Muktinath, and Kagbeni are famous places in this region. The region is Untapped and un-real. Kagbeni is the gateway to the Upper Mustang and is situated on the bank of Kali Gandaki a sacred river.
The most famous place for this trekking is Lo Manthang which used to be the capital of the Kingdom. The Royal place in LoManthang is a major attraction and the fantastic city is fortified with and acts as a border to Tibet. The mystical “Kingdom of Lo” or Upper Mustang used to be part of the Tibetan Empire, therefore holds a deep connection with Tibetan cultures and traditions. It is Tibet outside Tibet, the last forbidden Kingdom of Tibet where the ancient Buddhist culture and tradition still prevail in their purest form. The construction of villages, the distinctive life of locals with their own dialect, and most people not familiar with outer language indicate that the centennial place is remote and isolated. From Mantra, Dharma, Tradition of polygamy, cultural dresses, and antique ornaments and jewelry, the place is unbothered by modernization. Despite the proximity, it has been able to establish itself as the country’s most popular trekking region.
The mysterious region is home to many man-made caves. The famous one we observe is Jhong Cave in Chossar which has 40 rooms inside the cave, that is built on a giant rock and others are Sija Cave and Chemba Concholing. There are many caves that are beyond imagination, made on sky-high cliffs. These ancient caves have been attracting numbers of archaeologists all around the globe to study the development of cave civilization. These ancient cave dwellings found all over the Upper Mustang to this day, suggest that the region was first inhabited 2000-3000 years ago. But for the last 600yrs, the inhabitants have been LOPAS (LOBAS ) people ethnically and culturally related to those of Tibet.
There are many medieval monasteries like Dragkar -Thegchen Ling Gumba, Chode Gumba, Jampa Gumba, Thupchen Gumba, and the monastic museum. These places are very sacred and photography is not allowed within the premises. Jampa monastery is one of the oldest and has a huge collection of mandalas on the walls. These ancient monasteries around the region with priests have been providing a blessing to the locals and travelers.