Mustang Festival Trekking

May 5 2010
Welcome to Nepal! The adventure begins once we arrive at the airport in Kathmandu, a city that seamlessly combines the medieval and the modern, and which also boasts more World Heritage sights than any other city in the world. We will be met by Pemba Sherpa, owner of elbruz treks and expedition. He and his staff will transfer us to our centrally located hotel. On the drive we’ll have our senses challenged by the sights, people and smells, all of which are so different from those we are used to. Pemba will be available to help with anything from last minute packing advice for the trek to suggesting places to see, shop or eat in Kathmandu. In the evening we and our guides will have a delicious welcome dinner and briefing session, at which time our senior staff will explain arrangements, logistics and schedules for the coming trek.

May 6 2010
In the morning we will take a flight to Pokhara, a nice little tourist town with some wonderful restaurants and mountain scenery. It is known as a place of leisure and trading, as well as a starting point for many different treks. Time permitting we'll visit the Tibetan Refugee center. In the late afternoon there will be free time to explore around the lake area.

May 7 2010
Early morning we will catch a breathtaking 35 minute flight to Jomsom. The flight takes us up through the Kali Gandaki gorge; the world’s largest, with its towering snow-capped peaks of Dhaulagiri and Annapurna. It will seem as though we can reach out and touch the peaks! Below us will be magnificent views of waterfalls, canyons, and terraced fields. This is truly one of the world's most spectacular flights! Upon arrival in Jomsom, we’ll meet the rest of our trekking staff for lunch. The rest of the day is free to relax or explore the village.

May 8 2010,
Jomsom is a very picturesque Tibetan village that sits right in the high mountains at 8, 800 feet. We can each decide on our own how we would like to spend this day. The village is worthy of exploration on foot, and there are also some wonderful day hikes that would certainly introduce our legs to the idea of trekking.

May 9 2010,
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.

May 10 2010,

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.

(May 11,2010,
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.

May 12 2010,
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.

May 13 2010
We will 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.

May 14 2010
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!

May 15 2010
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.

May 16 2010
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 archive 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.”

May 17-19 2010
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

May 20 2010
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.
Out their professions as they have done here for hundreds of years. We will end our journey with a farewell dinner this evening.

May 21 2010,
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.