This past week I returned from a “reconnaissance” expedition into a rarely visited corner of the Nepal Himalaya. This trip was billed as a trekking and climbing holiday, taking the intrepid traveler from the ancient Buddhist kingdom of Mustang, through the stunning Damodar Himal to the only-recently-accessible valleys of Naar and Phu.

The initial approach to Mustang took our group of 12 clients through the Kali Gandaki (arguably the deepest valley in the world) and into an arid and starkly beautiful region of Nepal, colored red, grey and yellow by natural earth pigments and highlighted by picturesque white-washed villages and red-painted monasteries. After our first week of trekking, exploration and necessary acclimatization, including 2 nights at the walled city of Lo Manthang, we headed up into the Damodar Himal with the intention of climbing Saribung Peak (6328 meters) and crossing the Saribung Pass (6020 meters) before descending into the only recently-accessible Naar and Phu and rejoining the popular Annapurna Circuit route.  As it transpired, we would never even reach the Saribung basecamp.

Mustang

Sheltered by some of the world’s highest mountains, the 8000-meter peaks of Annapurna and Dhaulagiri, bordering China and the Tibetan plateau, lies the ancient “Forbidden Kingdom” of Mustang, also known as the Land of Lo. Off limits to foreigners until 1992, Mustang retains its ancient culture almost intact, and remains one of the last strongholds of traditional Tibetan life. The region is still difficult to access and foreign visitors are required to obtain a Restricted Area Permit at a price of $500 for 10 days, high by Nepali standards.

The capital of Lo Manthang is home to the Loba people, the original inhabitants of Mustang. A walled city (village actually) dating from 1380, it is considered by some scholars to be the best preserved medieval fortress to the world and is a UNESCO World Heritage candidate.

The Damodar Himal

Departing Lo Manthang, we trekked to the village of Yara, the last habitation before heading into the Damodar Himal, where we planned to camp for 7 nights as we made the crossing of Saribung Pass.  After more than a week in lodges ranging from rustic rooms with a squat toilet down the hall to ensuite ‘hotel’ rooms with hot showers, camping in remote gorges and even remoter mountains would be a dramatic change.

That’s where everything went south.

The decision was made to combine two trekking days, eliminating one camp. Thus we ascended more than 1100 meters in a single day, from 3600 m at Yara to 4745 m at the pilgrims’ shelter at Ghuma Thanti, crossing a 4900 m pass on this epic 9-hour day.  We arrived at camp as the twilight gave way to a starry, cold night.  By 9 PM the last of the porters finally arrived, completely shattered.   The next day we continued over an unnamed 5300 meter pass and then down to the Bharche Khola (4900 m) where we set up our second camp.  After a cold night (-12C) we were anticipating the tough hike over the Damodar Kund Ridge and a 5500 m pass before descending down to the the sacred lake of Damodar Kund (4890m).  Then an emergency medical situation arose with one of the camp porters in the early hours of the morning. Suffering from pulmonary edema, three times he had to be revived when his heart stopped.  After calling in a helicopter with our sat phone and fashioning a makeshift stretcher, he was carried up to a nearby plateau where the chopper arrived to take him and another porter to Kathmandu for treatment.  (Eventually we heard that both porters had fully recovered). The cold nights, combined with the near death of one of their friends, spooked some of the other porters, who refused to continue the trip.  The decision was made to spend a second night at the Barche Khola before retracing most of our steps back to Kagbeni where Jeeps would take us to Jomson for the dramatic flight back to Pokhara.  It would take a week to get back to Jomson, a disappointing, though understandable, conclusion to our trip.

With the ongoing construction of a road though Mustang that will connect China with Nepal, the region is seeking to regain its strategic location. For centuries caravans roamed the Kali Gandaki between Tibet, China and India, with salt, yak wool, cereals, dried meat, spices and other goods. When the road is completed, it will become the most accessible Himalayan corridor and Mustang will inevitably change. While the inhabitants of Mustang understand the road’s importance, they risk losing their culture and identity. For those wishing to trek through Upper Mustang, do it soon.

Today I depart the UK for Auckland and the austral spring and summer of New Zealand, where I will be spending some 10 weeks ranging widely from the Northlands on the North Island to the Catlins at the far southern end of the South Island for Christmas.  Expect two or three blog posts from my time exploring New Zealand.  Then on to a multi-week trip to Sri Lanka before returning to Europe in early March.

In the meantime, enjoy some good hiking with friends and family over the Holidays,

The Vagabond Hiker