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Trekking Routes: Less-Traveled Treks
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Anyone who has ever trekked through the village of Kagbeni on the Jomosom or Annapurna Circuit trek has likely gazed up the barren valley of the Kali Gandaki and longed to visit Mustang. This remote and barren region of Nepal was for decades thought of as a forbidden kingdom. No trekkers were allowed into the area due to its sensitive position along the Tibetan border. A glance at a map shows that this region actually juts into Tibet, and both culturally and geographically, Mustang has far more in common with Tibet than with Nepal. Mustang was a stronghold of Tibetan resistance after the Chinese invaded Tibet, and Nepal's support of Tibet in the con-flict with China caused tension between Nepal and China. These tensions left most of Nepal's Tibetan border areas off-limits to trekkers. Today, relations between China and Nepal are stable, and Nepal has opened up many of its border areas, including * Upper Mustang, to trekkers.
The Kali Gandaki valley, which passes through Mustang, has been a trans-Himalayan trading route for thousands of years and is a natural route into Tibet. Trade along this route was very important, and anyone who could control passage along the Kali Gandaki could become very wealthy. Consequently, several small kingdoms developed throughout the Mustang region. Dzongs (castles) and gompas (Buddhist temples) were built in the densely packed earth-and-stone villages. These villages still stand and are today little changed by the passing of centuries. Mustang today is what Tibet must have been like before the coming of the Chinese. Meager harvests of barley are still coaxed from the barren, rocky soil with the help of irrigation waters from the river, and yaks, goats, and stocky ponies provide labor, butter, wool, and transportation in the region. These are the reasons so many trekkers have longed to visit Mustang-to catch a fleeting glimpse of an ancient Tibetan Buddhist culture.
Should you decide you must trek into Mustang to the ancient walled village of Lo Manthang, a fleeting and expensive glimpse is all you will get. Special regulations apply to this region, and a trekking permit, valid for 10 days, will cost you $700 per person ($70 per day after 10 days). All treks must be organized by a licensed trekking company, and groups must be self-sufficient during their trek. This trek can be combined with either the Jomosom trek or the trek around Annapurna. However, if you have limited time, it is also possible to fly into Jomosom and begin trekking from there. It is only a few hours' hike from Jomosom to Kagbeni, which marks the edge of the once-forbidden district.
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