Around 400 tourists including domestic and international are visiting Manang on daily basis. This new development comes as a result of the ‘construction of motorable road’, says Manang Tourism Entrepreneurs Committee Chair Binod Gurung.

“The number of domestic tourists has increased as they can even reach Upper Manang on motorcycles,” he added.

On a daily basis as many as 350 international and 50-60 domestic tourists come to the tourist destination, said Manang’s Dharapani Tourist Check & Information Centre.

Close to 80 percent of the locals are involved in tourism. Locals of Manang added that the number of tourists has increased in the past two years. Tilicho Base Camp hotels are packed due to the growing trend.

Mustang Witnesses High Tourist Inflow
Meanwhile, Mustang and Myagdi are witnessing a sudden increase in the number of domestic and international tourists, especially during the festive period between Dashain and Tihar.

Following this trend, hotels in these regions are brimming with tourists and failing to accommodate additional ones.

As a result, tourists are moving down to Baglung and Parbat districts in their quest for hotels.

“Many tourists go to Manang and Mustang this season. There are no big hotels in Manang and Mustang so tourists come to Baglung searching for hotels, ” said Nilesh Rajbhandari, a Baglung tourism entrepreneur.

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Dashain holidaymakers are spending more than 12 hours in travel due to the never-ending line of traffic en-route Jomsom from Beni. Outside holiday season the route can be covered in about five hours. Locals visiting Mustang in view of Dashain admit that they’ve never seen so many vehicles on the road before.

Close to 5,000 tourists, mostly Nepalis, entered Mustang between October 21-22, 2018, says the Ghana Police Post.

“The traffic jam on the road had not cleared well into 1am Monday. It took us more than 12 hours to travel the road,” said Bal Krishna Subedi from Myagdi.

“The route is congested since Friday, the main day of Dashain festival. Traffic on Sunday and Monday was worse,” said Gopal Khatri, Inspector, Ghansa Police Post adding that the road is taking more load than it can manage.

Beni-Jomsom Road in Poor Shape

The current condition of the road only makes the situation worse. The road is not wide-enough to facilitate two-way traffic flow at several points including Akkare Bhir, Begkhola, Bhirkote, Rupse, Chhahara and Badarjun Bhir.

To add to commuters’ woes, floods and landslides destroyed many parts of the road.

“When the road is in a poor state and you have high traffic volume, the travel duration will definitely increase. Plus, the journey experience is also not going to be a nice one,” Khatri commented.

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Did you ever see thousands of manmade caves at a place?

Wish to wander or go for a ride across majestic valleys?

Then Mustang of Nepal could be your right destination! Sleek cliffs, ochre-red lands, deep caves, monasteries and ages-old tradition describe Nepal’s beautiful Mustang region lying on the edge of the Tibetan plateau.

An Overview

Mustang, popularly called Upper Mustang, is a desert region of deep valleys, thousands of manmade caves, amazing lands in combinations of ochre, red and brown colours and the ages-old culture.

Once the independent Kingdom of Lo, Mustang has been part of Nepal since the 18^th century and started witnessing travelers or tourists only since 1991.

Mustang underwent the kingship rule until 2008 when the Government of Nepal abolished the monarchy’s official status with Jigme Singhe Palbar Bista as the last king of the region.

Prince Jigme Singhe Palbar Bista played a key role in preserving culture and art in the region while also promoting tourism potential of the region.

Let’s take a look at some of the exciting tourist destinations of Mustang:

A Hidden Treasure for Explorers

Mustang is home to thousands of manmade caves and monasteries. Do you know? The region hosts more than 10,000 manmade caves that are older than 1000 years.

As one of the popular centres for Buddhist practises, Mustang and its valleys are well-known for their ambience and were one of the key centers for Tibetan Buddhist monks for advanced tantric and Tummo (a form of Tibetan breathing to generate heat at high altitudes), among other yogic practises.

Though most of those caves have turned empty with no indications of the past, some of the caves still showcase the imprints of Tibetan art, Buddhist teachings, carvings, statues of Indian yogis and sacred scriptures, among others.

The Cool and Exciting Side

Not just for serious explorers, Mustang is a beautiful destination in the Nepal-Tibet border set in the between one of the world’s highest mountain Annapurna range and the Tibetan Plateau.

As a region center for core Tibetan culture, Mustang is also a place for those wishing to take a ride across deep gorges and exciting valleys. An amazing ride from south to north of Mustang along the caravan road, the route shaped by the mountains through Kali Gandaki River, takes you through a never-forgettable experience on a journey towards the awe-striking caves and mountains of the north.

Another interesting trail is from Yara to Muktinath at the base of the Annapurna. This route takes you through beautiful sceneries and villages, breathtaking curvy roads and 4,000-meter mountain passes.

It would be more exciting to join the annual multi-stage 200-km trail running challenge held across these routes that offer an everlasting experience!

Also Read: Nepal, The Perfect Tourism Destination for an Unforgettable Holiday Experience

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