Upper Mustang with Teri-la Pass and Narphu Valley Trek

his trekking takes us on a fascinating journey through an area that was until recently closed to foreigner. An exceptional landscape with orange colored rock wall, varicolored canyons and impressive forms of erosion characterize this desert like alpine terrain in the Mustang. This fantastic trekking destination is located on the border of Tibet and with its ancients villages, age- old castles antique places and Tibetan monasteries it offers the visitor a comprehensive insight in to the centuries old Tibetan- Buddhist culture, the visit of Mustang is followed by a pioneer trekking over the so far seldom crossed Terila pass (5577m) to the hidden valley of naarphu a new trekking area that was opened for foreigners only in 2002.

This pioneer trekking through forlorn alpine territory combined with the challenges f the variegated terrain provides the participation with an authentic expedition’s experience. On our trek through the diversified landscapes of Mustang and naarphu we have a chance to get in touch with the hospitable inhabitants of this Tibet like region in Nepal. Due to the severe visitor restrictions naarphu and mustang remain still little frequented trekking areas with people that have so far been able to maintain their traditional way of life.

Seen from far away through the swirls of the mountain mist the Himalayan Mountains appear remote forbidding and awe inspiring. By joining us on our exploration trek over the Teri la pass you will be able to see the splendor of these mountains close up and to enjoy the beauty of these remote and sparely populated valleys while getting an insight in to the life and the ancient culture of these modest and friendly mountain people.

The trek illustrates perfectly the beauty of the landscape in the Damodar himal and kingdom of mustang and it provides inspiring insight into the amblance of a typical explorations trek through this remote areas. Officially Mustang is the name of the entire district along the Kaligandaki River, from Tibetan border in the north to Ghasa in the south. The district headquarters located in jomsom a couple of miles south of kagbeni the access town to the restricted area of Upper mustang also called the king Dom of Mustang. Upper Mustang is characterized by the mostly pure Tibetan culture and its related language, religion and traditions. Its long complex and rich history are a key element in making the ‘’forbidden king Dom ‘one of the most interesting and picturesque trekking destination in Nepal.

The trek to the kingdom’s capital Lo-Mathang teaks us through a nearly tree less and barren landscape where strong afternoon winds are howling regularly across the wide open plateaus and through the small villages. Being located in the rain shadows of the Himalaya Lo-Mathanmg gets considerable less rain then the rest of Nepal. Only during the monsoon season there is some slight rain fall with occasional cloudy skies. During the winter the ground of the kingdom of mustang is usually covered with up to 40 cm of snow and region suffers from freezing temperatures, the capital of Lo-Mathang and the whole area of Mustang look like Tibetan plateau and are characterized by endless expanses of gray rolling hill eroded by strong winds. Farming is the primary source of food and income for the people of Mustang, they herd yaks and raise sheep or goats, most families also tend their own fields of barley, wheat and mustard, Due the harsh climate conditions cropping can be dons only once a years with planting taking place in April and May. In September the hole region is busy with harvesting despites its remoteness the inhabitants of Upper Mustang are worldly, well-traveled and resourceful people who are a pleasure to meet, whereas we hope they will conserve their traditions in spite of the continuous influx of tourist it should be recognized that this people are by no means a primitive tribe that must be protected from all outside influences. As visitor of this remote area you will soon recognize that Mustang’s inhabitants are essentially Tibetans and therefore very skillful traders and merchants. They are extremely self-sufficient people and fully capable of taking care of themselves. With the opening of the Naarphu region as a new trekking destination in 2002.

It is now possible to trek from Mustang in the kaligandaki valley to Naar in Upper Mustang across the still unknown Teri la pass this high altitude traverse has so far remained  nearly untouched despite its’’ Discovery ‘’ in  1950 by the British alpinist Bill Tillman. This explorations part of our journey takes us through an uninhabited and wild area in to the virtually unknown Damoder Himal. Crossing the usually snow bound Teri la pass presents a strong contrast to the barren landscape of Mustang and lush green scenery of the marsyangdi valley. Along the Lapse Khola River and under the majestic peak of the chulu peaks we descend towards to village of Naar where we will reenter inhabited terrain again. The last leg of our explorations trek takes us first again through the typical Tibetan landscape of Naar phu to the lower and greener region of the marsyangdi valley.

This magical area between Naar and koto is said to have the world’s highest concentration of snow leopards per square kilometer. When we reach the commercial route of the Around Annapurna trek from koto to syange we realize striking difference between our journey through an isolated and quite  area where it appeared as time has stood still and the busy world with today’ hectic life styles that exits even here in the remote Himalayan village. Along river with crystal clear water, close to rushing waterfall and over green fields we flows the scenic mountain path that takes us through picturesque village to our final destination syange. After last night in tent we will be picked up by 4x4vehicles a driven back to the fascinating and lively city of Kathmandu. Minimum 4 participants in group. More