For centuries Mustang or ‘Lo’ situated in the extreme north of the Kali Gandaki gorge was a forbidden land forever raising the curiosity of travelers. The hardy people of this Himalayan desert follow Tibetan Buddhism and are of Tibetan origin having migrated south from the Tibetan plateau centuries ago. Today, Mustang is one of the few remaining dominions still ruled by ancestral Tibetan nobility. The inhabitants of Mustang live in oasis villages in reddish-brown rock deserts, fighting a constant bitter wind and farm grains and potatoes in sheltered plots of land. This hard grind of daily life in the high Himalayas is interrupted by seasons of colorful feasts and festivals marked by drinking, dancing and merry-making. Most festivals are of religious nature centering on temples and monasteries with rites presided over by Lamas. The most important festival is. Dyokyabshi, which falls during October/November.

Unlike tea-house dotted Solu Khumbu which has a fairly self sufficing infrastructure for travelers through that area, Mustang as well Dolpo are extremely challenging as these regions are agriculturally impoverished. Therefore, to visit these areas it is an absolute must to carry all food and camping
Equipment from Kathmandu.

The trek begins with a short flight from Pokhara to Jomsom passing through a narrow slice between the tips of two Himalayan giants: Dhaulagiri (8,167m) and Annapurna I (8,091m). The route heads northward along the banks of Kali Gandaki gorge which is the deepest in the world till Kagbeni, a fascinating old citadel where ancient trails crisscross. The route towards north and beyond is the forbidden land of Mustang. For the next 10-12 days, passing through the ancient villages like Samar, Ghiling and Charang finally leads to Lo (3,750m), the walled capital city of Mustang. The villages and monasteries around the capital city like Namgyal gompa, the village of Thinkar, Garfuk and Nifuk are worth a visit where people still live in cave dwellings cut into surrounding cliffs. The return route from Lo can be made more exciting by passing over Dri and Yara with a day trip to Luri gompa then finally coming out over Tetang, visiting the holy temple of Muktinath and then descending to Jomosom and flying back to Pokhara the following morning.