If you want to be at the once forbidden kingdom of Mustang, hidden away from the eyes of the rest of the world, you must go on a trek to Upper Mustang. The trek will help you unseal the forbidden kingdom; it is going to be an exhilarating experience.
The kingdom lies to the north of the Himalayan range in Nepal. Once you are here, you’d know that the soul of men here are pure and real. The land is said to be “barren as a dead deer”. Once you are here you’d know that in this land, the spite of hardship is overpowered by abound of beauty and happiness. Until 1830’s it was a part of the Tibetan Kingdom of Gungthang.
The city that borders the kingdom is Lo Monthang, which remained the capital of Mustang and is now the unofficial kingdom of Mustang. Until 1951, Mustang has maintained its separate principality. It is interesting to note that the king of Lo Monthang still retains the title. He is also given an honorary rank of Colonel in the Nepal army.
Trekking to Mustang was officially started since the 1992. However, tourism could not do much harm to the sanctity and the serenity of the place. The Nepal government allows only a limited number of trekker every year to protect this Tibetan tradition in the country. The fragile environment also could be protected by allowing this small number of tourists there. So, if you could get the permission to trek to the upper Mustang, consider yourself to be lucky.
It is sure that a trek trip to this heaven of colorful painted mud brick houses, eroded canyons, arid valleys all in the backdrop of the majestic Nilgiri, Annapurna, Tukche, and Dhaulagiri will be breathtaking and worth all the hardships that you had to face on your way.
If you are contacting a travel agency to go trekking, you should remember that most of the travel agents organize trek to Mustang during the TIJI festival. It is a three-day long ritual which is also known by the name “The Chasing of the Demons”. This is one of the most important and celebrated festival of the region. Once you are there you would be able to get involved in festival too.
During the festival times monks dressed in elaborate costumes and masks perform dances and rituals for driving away evil spirits. People from all over Mustang gather in Lo Monthang to celebrate the Tiji Festival every year.
Upper Mustang is the perfect destination where you will get to visit too many Buddhists monasteries. This place is semi-autonomous ad has a heavy Tibetan influence. Remember, it is one of the very few places on this earth that has preserved its natural resources well and until recently it was forbidden for foreign tourists. You will surely love to explore the culture and heritage that has been kept untouched for centuries. There are several trekking zones in Mustang and you are surely going to enjoy the trip and the stay in this remote Himalayan trekking destination.
