Overview
Mustang is a remote Himalayan Principality on the border of Nepal and Tibet. It has long been considered ‘Lost and Forbidden’ Kingdom. It borders with Tibet at the far northern end of Kali Gandaki, the deepest gorge in the world. Lying behind Annapurna and Dhaulagiri massif, it is barren and dry region, a miniature Tibet. It was once the important trade route to Tibet and India and the passage to Mt. Kailash. Traders and fugitive Sadhus have travelled these areas since centuries. It was a playground for the Tibetan Khampas too. The white washed settlements set amid the barley fields and home to chortens and monasteries reflect the abiding Buddhist culture. The terrain is semi- arid desert with deep ravines and rock shelves flanked by snowy peaks. One of the most fascinating features of Mustang is its thousands of cave dwellings some of which look completely inaccessible.
Well known explorers like David Snellgrove and the Italian scholar Guiseppi Tucci visited Mustang in the 50’s and it’s been largely their tales of a Tibet like arid region that fuelled the interest in that area. In Oct 1991 the Nepali Govt. opened its doors for trekkers.
“Mustang, previously the most inaccessible and firmly controlled area in Nepal is now one of the most interesting and picturesque places in Nepal” – Lonely Planet
Tiji Festival is an age-old convention being done in the Upper Mustang area since quite a while back. Flowed around the Tiji myth, this celebration is prominent, not just among the occupants of the Upper Mustang district, yet is picking up overall distinguishment among travelers everywhere throughout the world. Amalgamated with the perfectly mysterious Upper Mustang Trek, the Tiji Festival can be seen with full pizazz amid the month of May. Starting 2016, the celebration will be hung on fourth, fifth and sixth of May, a three-day convention.
