18 Days (11 days trek)
Trip No. SR127
Grade: A
Max. Altitude: 3959m/12,986ft.

Historry: The region has a long, rich and complex history that's make it one of the most intresting places in Nepal. The early history of Lo is shrounded in legend, myth and mystery, but there are records of events in Lo as early as the 8th centuary. It is quite likely that the Tibetan poet Milarepa, who lived from 1040 to 1123, visited Lo. Upper Mustang was one part of Ngari, a name for far western Tibet. Ngari was not a true political entity, but rather a loose collection of feudal domains that also included part of Dolpo. By the 14th century much of Ngari, as well as most of what today is western Nepal, was part of the Malla empire governed from Sinja. It is generally believed that Ame Pal was the founder king of Lo in 1380. The ancestry of the present Mustang Raja can be traced 25 generations back to Ame Pal. Ame Pal and his father conquered a large part of the territory in the upper Kaligandaki and was responsible for the development of the city of Lo-Manthang and many Monasterys.

Religion: Upper Mustang is geologically, ethnically, linguistically, religiously and logistically all but Tibetan.The form of Tibetan Bhuddhism practiced in Mustang is primarily that of the Sakyapa sect. This sect was established at Sakya monastery in Tibet and dates from 1073. The Sakyapa sect is more worldly and practical in outlook and is less concerned with metaphysics than the more predominant Nyingmapa and Gelugpa sects.

The Land of Lo: The trek to Lo is through an almost treeless barren landscape. Strong winds usually bowl across the area in the afternoon, generally subsiding at night. Being in the rain shadow of the Himalaya. Lo has much less rain than the rest of Nepal, though the skies are cloudy and there is some rain during the monsoon. In the winter there is usually snow, sometimes as much as 35 centimetres on the ground. Leaving behind the relatively luxurious budget-conscious backpacker world of the Annapurna Circuit in Lower Mustang, you set out into one of the most isolated corners of the planet. The infamous Kali Gandaki lomar blasts from behind, jostling trekkers like so many multi-coloured autumn leaves into a silent, bleak landscape flayed to the bone by millennia of these unrelenting winds.

People: The people of upper Mustang call themselves Lobas. To be strictly correct, this ward would be spelled "Lopa," meaning (Lo = place, Pa = people, Lo + Pa)= Lo people. And "Lo Manthang," meaning (Lo=place, Manthang = plane, Lo + Manthang = plane place), in the same way as Sherpa, which means "east people," " Loba and Lopa" is strictly same. The people of Lo, pronounce the word with a definite B sound instead of the P sound.

Itinerary
Day 01: Arrival in Kathmandu, transfer to hotel, bb,
Day 02: Full day Kathmandu sightseeing tour, hote bb,
Day 03: Drive to Pokhara by bus, hotel,
Day 04/14: On trek,
Day15: Flight to Pokhara/KTM, (option trek Muktinath to Jomsom),
Day 16: Free day in KTM, ( Flight to Pokhara/KTM ),
Day 17: Transfer to the airport for final departure (Free day in Kathmandu),
Day 18:Transfer to the airport for final departure.

Seasons: Aug-Nov, Mar-Jun, Minimum pax: 4, Cost per person: US$