Upper Mustang Trek

Mustang, the former Himalayan kingdom, only opened for trekking in 1991, and is considered to be a last bastion of Tibetan culture. If you are looking for a very cultural trek having stunning treeless barren landscapes with yellow and grey rolling hills eroded by the wind, similar to the Tibetan Plateau, the Upper Mustang trek is a great option!

In common usage Mustang refers to the arid, Tibetan-like region, known to its inhabitants as Lo. Seven hundred years ago Mustang was a bustling place. It was a centre of Buddhist scholarship and art, and very likely the easiest connection between the salt deposits of Tibet and the cities of the Indian subcontinent.

The Mustang trek will take you through Upper Mustang, a restricted area, which previously only allowed some 200 trekkers through annually. While the trail is amazing, its rural and barren landscapes are also not for the faint hearted. The trek itself does not go to extremely high elevations and is not physically very tough, but relentless afternoon winds can be a challenge. Because of the winds and lack of sufficient water, camping will be done in villages, which are not always conveniently spaced. Some trekking days will thus be relatively long and others relatively short. These are, however, the conditions if you want to experience the starkly beautiful and highly cultural land of Mustang, a trek which is highly recommended.