IN A RAIN SHADOW of the Himalayan Dhaulagiri and Annapurna ranges lies one of Nepal’s best-kept secrets, a Tibetan Shangri-La called Upper Mustang. Formerly the Kingdom of Lo, it promised magnificent mountainous views hovering above a semi-arid moonscape. It sounded too good to be true.
Our young Nepalese guide, Sarki, agreed to keep us right on the lesser-trod trails of the Eastern route. We tramped past centuries-old monasteries, ancient sky caves and Tibetan villages frozen in time. The Thakali and Gurung people of these high plains and valleys rely on animal husbandry, agriculture and tourism for income. Until 1992 the area was completely isolated from the rest of the world, and it lost its status as a kingdom even more recently, when parent state Nepal became a republic in 2008. Sitting at 3-4000 metres above sea level, it remains utterly distinct.
BREATHLESS BEGINNINGS
There was a pearlescent shimmer in the air as we climbed from Kagbeni village to meet the fast-rising cliffs of Kali Gandaki Gorge, where the rock sported a coordinated livery of
