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Tour Duration: 19 day(s)
Group Size: 2 min - 10 max people
Destination(s): Nepal
Specialty Categories: Hiking & Trekking Ecotourism
Season: May 2010
Airfare Included: No
Tour Customizable: Yes
Price: On Request
DATES: May 10-12, 2010
Sahara Holidays Nepal Treks and Expeditions offers
organized trip to Kingdom of Mustang timed for the
beginning of the harvest season and the spectacular
three-day Tiji Festival. Located in the Himalayas
of Nepal on the border with Tibet, this miniature royal
domain answers to its own king even as its host country
has rejected a national monarchy. Mustang's culture has
descended in its pure form from the Red Hat sect of
Tibetan Buddhism (contrasting to the Yellow Hat sect to
which the Dalai Lama belongs.) and it remains one of the
only spots on earth where Tibetans live according to
their own unimpeded traditions. We will walk amidst
stunning sculpted rock formations backed by snow-capped
peaks. We will visit homes, villages and active monasteries,
and the welcome will be warm.
The Tiji Festival in Mustang's ancient walled capitol
city of Lo Manthang will be the highlight. A thousand
men, women and children participate in the annual
elaborate re-enactment of the Tiji myth, telling of a
deity named Dorje Jon who battles his demon father to
save the kingdom from destruction. It will be our unique
privilege to witness the same color, costume, dancing
and ritual that were displayed by these people in this
place more than six hundred years ago.
Brief Itinerary
Day 1 Arrive Kathmandu - May 01
Arrive at Tribhuwan international airport, Kathmandu,
you are welcomed by the hospitable meeting and then you
will be transferred to your hotel. Short briefing will
be followed about necessary formalities and rest of the
program. Depending on arrival time you will have choice
of visiting nearby sanctuaries or have a rest day.
Day 2 Kathmandu - May 02
After breakfast we drive to Swoyambhunatha stupa has it
that Manjushree, found of Kathmandu valley, and
discovered the lotus of ancient valley lake on which
site the great stupa of swoyambhunath was later built.
The omni sighted stare of Buddha greets visitors &
residents a like compassion. This is one of the oldest
Buddhist stupa in the world, which has been registered
in UNICEOO heritage side. We then visit to Kathmandu
Durbar Square. Kathmandu durbar square situated the
center of Kathmandu where you can see the House of
Living Goddess”KUMARI” Kasthamandup temple” Said that
was built from single tree in 16th century, big bell-big
drams, erotic carving in old temple, old palace etc. We
then finally were sightseeing to Patan Durbar Square.
Patan Durbar square is one of the beautiful Durbars
square in Kathmandu valley. It is very famous for
woodcarving, Metal works, Temples and Monasteries. Tour
of Patan includes tour of Krishna temple, Patan king’s
palace, Golden temple and much more.
Day 3 Kathmandu/Pokhara - May 03
This morning you will drive to Pokhara (200km) the road
mostly follows the River Trisuli and Marshyangdi, depart
7:00 AM in the morning, approximately 6-hrs way by
tourist bus and 5-hrs drive by private transport. Along
the drive you will enjoy beautiful scenery. You will
arrive late afternoon at Pokhara with enough time to
enjoy the colorful town of Pokhara.
Day 4 Pokhara/Jomsom - May 04
Early in morning fly Northwest from Pokhara toward the great portal
between the snows covered peaks of Annapurna and
Dhaulagiri. You will enjoy the well-raised massifs of
more than 8000 meters, and the river created deepest
gorge on this planet. Jomsom is the district
headquarters of Mustang zone. On arrival to Jomsom meet
the rest of the trekking staffs, the guide will be with
you from Kathmandu, and start the trek to Kagbeni, the
main gate to Upper Mustang. Kagbeni situated at an
altitude of (2807m) is one of the important places since
centuries. Kagbeni village was formed around 14th
century as a check post for traders between Nepal and
Tibet and still there is a checkpoint to control the
groups departing toward Muktinath and Mustang, is the
main gate to enter Mustang. There is a monastery, a
Police check post and ACAP (Annapurna conservation area
project) office inside this visit worthy village.
Day 5 Jomsom/Kagbeni (3.5 hrs) - May 05
Today we start our trek by doing a fairly easy section
of the trail along the Kali Gandaki River to Kagbeni,
the gateway to the restricted zone of Mustang and one of
the major trading routes between Tibet and India. The
traders brought salt from Tibet and barley, spices and
clothes from India. After the Chinese invasion of Tibet,
trade came to a halt and many of the rich villages lost
their revenue and later, many of their people. Nowadays,
though there is again some trade, the majority of
village income comes from tourism. As we enter the dusty
village, legend says that we should think good thoughts,
leaving all bad ones outside the town gates.
Day 6 Kagbeni/Chele (5-6 hrs) - May 06
From Kagbeni to Tangbe, the trail winds along the east
riverbank and occasionally ventures out into the rocky
river bed. Initially, the trail climbs steeply to the
top of the hill but we'll be rewarded with a spectacular
view of prayer flags, stupas, and villages. After
crossing several windblown plains and passing through a
canyon, we arrive at the Mustang village of Tanbe. This
small village is filled with whitewashed adobe houses
nestled against each other and is surrounded by
beautifully terraced fields of wheat, barley, and
buckwheat, as well as small apple orchards. On the lower
side of Tangbe, we'll see three elegant chortens and the
remnants of an old abandoned fort. As we continue our
walk, be on the lookout for black ammonites, small
fossils of coiled sea mollusks that inhabited the Tethys
Sea and covered the Tibetan plateau millions of years
before the Himalayas were formed. They are considered to
be holy by many local people. Continue on to Chele,
where we overnight.
Day 7 Chele/Geling ( 5 hrs) - May 07
The climb from Chele is up a fairly steep spur to a
cairn at 10,329 feet, from which there is a view of the
village of Gyagar across the canyon.The trail, which is
literally carved into the side of this spectacular
canyon, continually offers spectacular views. After
crossing a mountain pass, the trail makes a long gradual
descent on a pleasant trail to Samer. Finally after
passing through several small canyons that are home to
cool streams and shady juniper trees, we arrivie in
Geling at 11,880 feet. Though the largest village before
entering Upper Mustang, is a rarely visited gem. The
town, set among numerous poplar groves and a central
stream, boasts one of the oldest Gompas in Mustang.
Spend the evening relaxing in front of the central
field, where you can observe grain being threshed,
animals grazing, and children playing.
Day 8 Geling/Charang (6 hrs) - May 08
From Geling, the trail climbs gently through fields of
barley and groves of poplar trees up the center of the
valley, passing below the settlement of Tama Gaun and an
imposing chorten. After rejoining the direct trail, it
becomes a steep slow climb across the head of the valley
to the Nyi La pass at 13,035 feet, the highest point
reached on the trek. Charang is a maze of fields, willow
trees and houses separated by stone walls at the top of
the large Charang Cho Canyon. The huge five story white
dzong and red gompa are perched on the edge of the Kali
Gandagi gorge on the east end of the valley. Overnight
in Charang.
Day 9 Charang/Lo Manthang (5 hrs) - May 09
Today we'll move slowly but steadly up a rocky trail to
a cairn on a ridge opposite the village at 11,841 feet.
The trail turns north and climbs gently to a large
isolated chorten that marks the boundary between Charang
and Lo. After a rest break we'll travel across a
desert-like landscape painted in every hue of grey and
yellow. Finally, we reach our destination- the
whitewashed walls of the city of Lo, which sits among
fields filled with horses and yaks. We may even have
time to see the start of the Tiji festival.
Day 10 Tiji Festival - May 10
We spend the better part of the day at the Tiji Festival
watching all the dances and celebrations that take
place, including horse racing and a giant tug-of-war.
We’ll see Tibetan women in their traditional clothing
and colorful jewelry, monks in their robes and dancers
in elaborate costumes. This is an almost unknown
festival that most Nepal trekkers never experience.
Definitely bring your cameras along today!
Day 11 Lo Manthang - May 11
In addition to the festival, there are many other
activities in Lo Manthang from which you can choose.
Spend today exploring the intimate alleyways and
courtyards of the city, or you can rent a horse and
visit some of the other villages in the area.
Day 12 Lo Manthang/Ghemi (via Lo Gekar)-May 12
We have the opportunity to vary our return route and
visit two villages that we did not see on the trek
northwards. At Ghemi we'll visit Gar Gompa, the oldest
acrive gompa in Nepal. Ghemi is also known for its many
hectres of beautiful fields and for its white- washed
houses. The trail to Lo Gekar is not a main trading
route and is crisscrossed with herders trails, so our
local guide is particularly useful here. Todays trek
will cross several valleys, some lush and others barren.
Near the end of the hike the trail then makes a long
rocky descent down a ravine to a grassy valley, where Lo
Gekar is situated within a group of large trees by a
stream. Lo Gekar, which means “Pure Virtue of Lo,” is
also known as Ghar Gompa, or "House Temple.”
Day 13 - 16 Heading back to Jomsom - May 13 / 14 / 15
/ 16
These last days again will bring us beautifully rich
scenery and great hiking on our way back to Jomsom. Our
trek will take us thru Samar and Kagbeni before ending
in Jomson
Day 17 Jomsom/Kathmandu via Pokhara- May 17
Depart early in the morning (by flight) to Pokhara, and
then continue on to Kathmandu. Or, if you wish to spend
more time in Pokhara, this can be arranged.
Day 18 Kathmandu - May 18
We consider today an “insurance day” just in case the
flight can’t land due to weather or other concerns on
the 29th. Otherwise, we will go to see the ancient city
of Bhaktaphur, once a separate kingdom. The city still
retains an architectural and design spirit of a feudal
state focused on artistic and religious glorification.
You will feel you are walking back in time strolling
through the core of the old city now preserved and
interpreted as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Take some
time to look in the shops to observe potters, weavers,
brass-makers, religious artisans, Brahmin priests and
spice merchants carrying out their professions as they
have done here for hundreds of years. We will end our
journey with a farewell dinner this evening.
Day 19 Kathmandu - Onward - May 19
Today we’ll say goodbye to Nepal and our wonderful staff
before being transferred to the airport for our onward
flights. If you wish, you can continue your travels with
either an extension within Nepal to Chitwan National
Park or to other Asian countries. |
