Lower Mustang Trek
In March 1992, the forbidden kingdom of Mustang was opened to the outside world. Now for the first time in recent history, tourists are able to visit Lo Manthang, the seat of an ancient kingdom dating back to the 15th century. The kingdom of Lo is situated along the north central border of the main range of the Himalayas in the upper reaches of Mustang district. Lo and the area directly to its south, called Baragaon, which both fall within upper Mustang, can be claimed as one of the most outstanding areas of the Himalayas. The climate and geography of upper Mustang are nearly identical to those of Western Tibet and as such, they are dramatically different from the temperature and tropical area of the south side of the Himalayas. The dry, wind swept ecology of this Trans-Himalayan region is extremely fragile. Fuel wood is virtually non – existent, water is scare, the agriculture land yields insufficient food grain and the marginal and grasslands support only limited numbers of life and wildlife. With the influx of tourists, the already pressured desert environment risks further degradation. Trekking here is physically not demanding has the advantage of all season trekking. The king (Raja) lives in his palace in the center while the four major temples from the corners of the town. The people of upper Mustang are called Bhotias and those from Lo are called Lobas. They speak various dialects of Tibetan. Historically, their art and culture flourished due to contact of the traders, monks and religious master passing stock.
