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Mustang (Lho-Manthang):
Ever since this previously forbidden mountain kingdom
was opened for tourists in 1991, the deluge of tourists
flocking there has not stopped. This despite the US$ 700
special permit required to enter and spend ten days
there. (An additional fee of US$ 70 per day is levied
for extensions.) Most trekkers prefer to fly to Jomsom
rather than take the seven-days walk from Pokhara to
reach it. Lho is geographically and culturally a part of
Tibet. The arid, barren land, with pockets of fertile
oases, is unlike any other part of Nepal. The life style
of the Loba, people of Lho is also unique. The trip to
the capital of Lho, Lho Manthang, and back takes around
ten days and can be done by partly retracing the way in
or by taking a circuitous trail through the outposts of
this ancient kingdom. |
