Mustang is a part of Dhaulagiri Zone is one of the seventy-five districts of Nepal, a landlocked country of South Asia. Jomsom as its headquarters covers an area of 3,573 km² and has a population of 14,981 according to 2001 census. Mustang straddles the Himalayas and extends northward onto the Tibetan plateau. Upper Mustang, the former Lo Kingdom comprises the northern two-thirds of the Mustang district. This kingdom was a dependency of the Kingdom of Nepal but was abolished by the republican Government of Nepal on October 7, 2008. Mustang is a remote sub-kingdom within the Himalayan region of north-central Nepal. The name “Mustang” is derived from the Tibetan word meaning, “Plain of Aspiration”. The entire district lies within the Annapurna Conservation Area, the largest protected area in Nepal. The people of Mustang are ethnically Tibetan; the population is only about 15,000 totals. Most live along the banks of the Kali Gandaki River, once a major trade route through this mountainous region. Untouched by modern civilization, isolated in its rugged mountain terrain, a way of life persists here in Mustang that is fast disappearing in Tibet proper.
Mustang, an isolated part of Nepal, has caves, hikes and royals. Sheltered by some of the world’s highest mountains, the 8000-meter peaks of Annapurna and Dhaulagiri, bordering China and the Tibetan plateau, Mustang is ancient forbidden kingdom, where strict regulation of travelers helped Tibetan traditions survive stronger than Tibet proper. Upper Mustang was a restricted demilitarized area until 1992, which makes it one of the most preserved regions in the world due to its relative isolation from the outside world, with a majority of the population still speaking traditional languages. The monarchy in Mustang ceased to exist on October 7, 2008, by order of the Government of Nepal, after Nepal became a federal democratic republic.Since Mustang is shadow of the Himalaya, Mustang has much less rain then the rest of Nepal. It is one of the few places in the world that has long-lived and a very close-niche life, as it has remained inaccessible to outsiders. This isolation helped the people of Mustang to maintain their lifestyle and heritage that remained almost unchanged for centuries. Hidden behind the majestic Himalayan ranges of Dhaulagiri and Annapurna, Mustang is filled with beautiful trekking zones. The tourists require permits to visit this region. Mustang where lies the ancient Buddhist kingdom of Lomanthang. Trekking in Mustang gives you a similar feeling of trekking in Tibet.
Mustang trekking is one of Nepal’s most mysterious and least known kingdoms, where we can explore a weird and wonderful landscape of eroded conglomerate cliffs, colored by natural earth pigments – reds, yellows, browns and blues. It is really a picturesque like a white painted villages and Tibetan monasteries, which set against a backdrop of the distant snow-capped peaks of the Himalayas. some of the most popular destination in Mustang are as follows:
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Jomsom: It is located at an altitude of 2800m is more correctly known as Dzongsam or New Fort. It spreads over both the banks of the Kali Gandaki. The towering peaks of Dhaulagiri and Nilgiri form an attractive backdrop. Being the district headquarters, it is primarily an administrative and commercial center with government officials and merchants rubbing shoulders with the local inhabitants of the region, known as the Thakali. It has a wireless station, a police station, a bank, a hospital and a veterinary hospital. A company of the Nepalese Army is stationed here. Nearby is an airfield, from where flights operate regularly. However, due to the strong winds that buffet the area in the afternoons, the airfield is functional only in the forenoon. Jomsom is served by 6-8 flights a day. Regular visitors know that the flights are dependent on weather conditions. Though this is a remote area, private initiative in the form of many domestic airlines operates frequent flights to the area. Flight reliability and frequency are generally higher to Jomsom than to any other remote area in Nepal. It offers you harsh climatic conditions, glaring sun during the day, heavy winds and cold nights. This is a unique experience for the more than 50,000 visitors to Jomsom in a year – most of them repeat visitors.
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Muktinath Temple: It is a sacred place both for Hindus and Buddhists located in Muktinath Valley at an altitude of 3,710 meters at the foot of the Thorong La mountain pass (part of the Himalayas), Mustang district, Nepal. The site is close to the village of Ranipauwa, which sometimes mistakenly is called Muktinath as well. Within Hinduism it is called the sacred place Mukti Chhetra, which literally means the “place of liberation or moksha”. This temple is considered to be the 105th among the available 108 Divya Desam, which are considered sacred by the Sri Vaishnava cult. For Tibetan Buddhists, Muktinath-Chumig Gyatsa is a very important place of Dakinis, goddesses known as Sky Dancers and one of the 24 Tantric places. They understand the murti to be a manifestation of Avalokitesvara.
Lo Manthang: It is situated in the district of Mustang, which offers a range of exotic cultural experiences. Lo Manthang has only relatively recently been visited by foreigners, and the numbers of visitors to Upper Mustang are still restricted. Due to this, the culture here is almost untouched, making it an incredible site to visit. When visiting, you will most likely walk the direct trade routes from the 15th Century, and explore some of the richest Buddhist culture to be found in the country. The annual Tiji Festival usually takes place in May, and is one of the most important events on the cultural calendar. This three day ritual is centered on the Tiji myth, and is well worth attending if you arrive at the right time. Mustang offers wide range of culture and traditions, unseen and rare panorama which makes your itinerary worth in a lifetime.
Beside the Places mention above, there are more more places that you can explore in Mustang and to name few of them are as Fallows
Kagbeni
Sky caves
Chungsi cave
Chhoser
Best Time To Visit Mustang Valley
From the beginning of March to late December Is the Best Time To Visit Mustang Valley. Beside that October and November are also the highly recommended month to discover Upper Mustang in autumn.
Mustang Tiji festival Celebration
May is the perfect time If you are Planning To celebrate Tiji festival in upper mustang with locals. Tiji festival celebration date are fixed according to the Tibetan lunar calendar by monks and celebrated for 3 days.since Tiji festival Celebration dates are depend on Tibetan lunar calendar, so feel free to contact us for dates, itinerary and for any other useful information.
Packing List For Mustang Valley Trek
Really, in the event that if you are under confusion upon requirements before pursuing the trek than counseling with trekking office or different specialists can satisfy your prerequisite of pressing. At the time of finalizing bag packing don’t disregard to incorporate First guide unit, standard prescriptions, dozing pack, entire required categories of wears, travel reports and documents, cash money and alternatives more others including individual requirements. On the off chance that you are trekking off-season in winter than honestly incorporate some more thick wear outs
For More information You Can Fallow this Link A Complete Packing List For Trekking In Nepal
Difficulty level of Mustang Valley Trek
Honestly, Mustang Valley Trek covers extremely high elevation besides that luckily it’s not terribly complicated to achieve along not easy too. The moderate level of trekking destination claims lofty hiking, cycling, uphill climbing, camping, muscles stretching and an aerobic workout directly for assisting to establish as a capable trekker for Dhaulagiri trekking. However, normal people neglecting hard works can’t achieve the aimed destination. Remember, sometimes natural calamities can be the issue to append difficulty to the trek so preparation must be lofty.
Trekking with us
Safety: The most engaged reason uttered by potential and expert trekkers in the wake of joining with us is secured and successful trip with safe takeoff.
Guide: Contribution of guide (characteristics holding great information of whole spaces alongside high scope of English talking power) for building up trip more magnificent and wonderful.
Genuine adjustment: It’s really a difficult task to discover and design out the ideal goals for working orderly and ground-breaking trips inside the time. For that, organizations can help to the pointed goals with genuine adjustment.
Data: truth be told, there are incalculable secret attractions on the way holding diverse certainties and mind blowing legends along missing them is completely disregarded while trekking with us.