My trek from Nar Phu to Upper Mustang

MY TREK FROM NAR PHU TO UPPER MUSTANG

It had been two years since my last long trek into the Himalayas – my last trek was to Makalu Base Camp in 2023. Usually, I would go on one or two treks every year. Just me and a few of my guides. From these treks, I would gain first-hand experience of the trekking trail; first-hand knowledge of the product we are offering our trekkers. These long treks, I believe, are a great way to reboot, revitalize and regenerate, especially after living for a long stretch in Kathmandu. But since being blessed with a beautiful daughter, balancing new responsibilities and long adventures in the mountains had become quite tricky.

Initially, I had planned on a month-long circuit of the Dolpo region. But meteorologists had warned of a more-than-average rainfall year (that never came). Hence, instead, we opted for the Nar-Phu and Mustang trek which was also high on my list of places to visit. This region falls mostly in the rain-shadow area and is less prone to heavy rain fall. Regardless, I still plan to go back to Dolpo next year.

The trek plan

On June 15, Rajbir Rai and Mandip Limbu, both guides at Crystal Mountain Treks, and I boarded a jeep for the long drive of around 9 hours to Koto. Our trek would begin at Koto which is just past Dharapani (on the classic Annapurna Circuit trail). I was quite surprised at the number of hydro-power plants being built; two were already operational. And because of this the roads had been upgraded significantly (though not quite up to Western standards).

The three of us had planned to first complete the Nar-Phu trek using local lodges. This was the first leg of our month-long trek. Three porters would join us later at Nar from where we would head to the Teri La pass crossing over to Upper Mustang. This second section of the trek would require sleeping in tents and preparing our own meals as there are no permanent villages or lodges.

Trek to Nar and Phu

I had attempted the Nar-Phu trek 15 years ago along with the climb of Pisang Peak. But my attempt had been disrupted by health issues and bad trail conditions. I am glad that I turned around to try again.

On the first day, we slogged 3,676 ft ascent – 12.95 miles to Meta. Here, we spent an extra day for acclimatization and hiked up to Kang Guru base camp. The first attempt of Kang Guru by a French climbing group fifteen years ago had ended in tragedy.  Fifteen climbers and climbing crew, including Iman Singh Gurung, a senior Nepali climbing instructor, had been swept away by an avalanche. This virgin peak above Meta village remains unclimbed till date. We pushed onwards to Phu crossing our first challenge which was the section just past Kyang village. This section was prone to rock fall and just a week ago a Nepali had been struck by a rock and killed while on the trail. Hence taking turns to look out for rockfalls is helpful while trekking as a group is helpful.

Cordyceps (Yarsta Gumpa)

The villagers of Phu had just returned after harvesting cordyceps (also commonly known as caterpillar fungus). In most regions of Nepal, only the villagers have rights to the harvest in their pastures. Outsiders are not permitted to collect. Cordyceps, used as an herb in Oriental medicine, is probably the most profitable cash crop in Nepal. Even young children are brought back to the village by their families from schools in Kathmandu to help. Some are brought back even while school is in session. While we were trekking in the region, the villagers of Naar were camped out in the slopes near Teri La pass foraging for the herb. On any given year a family can expect to make anywhere between US$ 3,000 to US$ 6,000 which is quite substantial for Nepal.

Trekking to Nar village:

We spent an extra day at Phu hiking to Himlung Base Camp. But, because the weather wasn’t ideal, we didn’t see much of the mountains. From Phu, we retraced much of the trail to Meta taking the trail to the right near Junam towards Nar village. Just past this fork we crossed a bridge over a narrow, high canyon and then began the slog from the monastery to Nar village. The trail was steep and the climb was strenuous.

We spent an additional day at Nar to hike to Kangla pass which lies west of Nar. The usual Nar Phu trek would end at Ngawal with the crossing of Kangla pass from Nar. But, since we were continuing our trek to Upper Mustang (North from from Nar village), we returned to Nar village. I have vivid memories of the week or so we spent camping out at Kangla pass 25 years ago. We were attempting to climb Kangla peak as part of our basic mountaineering course. But a few other trainees and I were bogged down by acute mountain sickness. And that was quite a terrible experience. Click on the video link below to learn of the Nar Phu portion of our trek.

Past experience on the Terila pass trek

Albeit for not-so-pleasant reasons, both Rajbir and I have unforgettable memories of the Teri La pass. In 2015, we organized our first Terila pass trek. This was the year Nepal suffered a devastating earthquake and subsequently a blockade by India. One of our staff had fallen ill near the Terila pass and needed to be evacuated. (We learned later that it was pneumonia). The blockade by India had resulted in a shortage of aviation fuel. After persistent pleading and agreeing to pay a highly inflated price (more than twice the going rate) we were able to arrange for a helicopter. I am hugely thankful to all my staff who took turns in carrying the ill staff over the pass. They worked hard to bring him to high camp from where the helicopter could evacuate him.

Trekking over the Teri La pass:

Putting those unpleasant memories aside, we began the trek to Teri La pass. While there were some short steep ascents and descents, unlike on most Nepal treks, there were none that were longer than 2 hours. Following the river we sometimes walked on the river bed and a couple times climbed high up the hill to skirt landslides. Our first challenge was crossing a river near Teri La base camp. Since we arrived late in the evening (we were walking a couple camps a day), with the snow melt upstream the river was already raging. So, we camped on the river bank that evening and waded across the river the next morning. The water was icy cold and it was a good therapy for my aching legs.

After crossing the river, we slogged past the base camp and high camps of Teri La pass finally crossing over the Teri la pass. This took us around 5 hours from the river camp. While the trail to the pass was not very steep, the altitude was taking its toll and we were walking at a very slow pace. Immediately after crossing the pass the trail was not very clear; we had to walk over scree and rocks. Only after an hour, I got the hang of it and realized I had to follow the marker poles. There are four every kilometer and the first has been placed at Tangge. The last marker pole just below the pass is pole #158.

Tangge Village:

After descending past the base camp on the other side of the pass we arrived at the most difficult section of the whole trek. The trail was only a foot or so wide and was highly exposed. A fall would mean a long stumble to the river nearly 300 feet below. This day was a tiring 9 to 10-hour day. The next day’s hike to Tangge was equally grueling and we walked for over 9 hours. My watch showed I had walked 50,300 steps that day. The porters stopped at a pasture about 3 hours from Tangge sharing space with a herd of over 1,000 sheep.

Side trip to Damodar Kunda:

The high Himalayas are the abode of many Hindu and Buddhist gods – there are multiple pilgrimage sites dedicated to Shiva and Padmasambhava. My last pilgrimage had been in 2023 while trekking to the Makalu Base Camp where we happened to trek through Shiva Dhara (translated as Shiva’s tap/faucet referring to the waterfall from a cliff). Pilgrims visit Shiva dhara requesting Shiva and his consort, Parvati, the boon of a child. As the saying goes “Ask and you shall receive” and Lo and Behold.

On this trek, we got the opportunity to visit Damodar kunda. Damodar is one of the names of Krishna who is an incarnation of Vishnu. Kunda means lake in Nepali. This site is holy to both Hindus and Buddhists. From Tangge, we traveled to Yara and Ghara by jeep. And then trekked to Damodar Kunda crossing a couple of high passes at around 5,400 meters. There were several groups of Indian and Nepali pilgrims on horse-back; some heading to and others returning from Damodar Kunda. This route is also undertaken by trekkers crossing the Saribung pass (6,042m/19,800ft) into Phu village.

Exploration of Luri Gompa and Tashi Kabum:

After the pilgrimage to Damodar Kunda we returned to Ghara village where we spent an extra day to visit Luri Gompa and Tashi Kabum. Luri Gumpa was was built in the 14^th century. A new iron staircase and walkway had been built to get to the entrance. The extent of erosion of the sand-stone cliffs upon which the monastery was perched surprised me. At this rate, the cave, where the main chamber with the chorten (stupa) is located, would crumble within a matter of years. From Luri Gompa we descended to the river (no clear trail). Here, Tashi Kabum is perched on another sand-stone cliff dotted with caves.

Onwards to Upper Mustang:

From Ghara, we ascended steeply to a plateau. After walking on the plateau for about half an hour, we descended to Amka, a small valley, where there were shepherd pens belonging to the villages of Dhi, Yara and Ghara. Most of these sheep would eventually be sold to traders who would then take them to Pokhara and Kathmandu. As we descended, we could see thousands of sheep being herded for grazing. We then ascended to another plateau only to descend again, this time steeply, to the river.

Chusong monastery:

This section of the trek was very interesting as we had to walk down-stream on the river-bed. We crossed the river several times until we reached a junction from where we began hiking upstream on another stream/river. This one was not as deep or fast-flowing and it was a lot warmer. We were basically wading through the river that was flowing in every which direction. From the river we ascended steeply on a precarious trail. After ascending for about an hour, the trail leveled out. And in the distance we could see a small red monastery perched on a cliff. This was the Chodzong monastery. Chod means to sever or cut off and Chod is a Bon/Buddhist practice to “cut through the ego”.

Samjung village:

From Chodzong monastery, the next day, we made a steep 750 meter ascent to another plateau. The initial section was very steep without a clearly marked trail. We then walked across the plateau (around 4 kilometers) and then began descending to Samjung village. Again, the descent was a bit tricky with some exposure but not slippery. Samjung village has been abandoned due to the lack of water for drinking and for crops. All residents have now moved to a new location that is closer to Lo Manthang. When we arrived at Samjung, there were only a few horses grazing. A jeep picked us up at Samjung taking us to Lo Manthang where I got my much needed shower after 3 weeks.

Lo Manthang and Konchokling cave:

We began our final trekking day with a quick walk around Lo Manthang. The walk through the alleys of the walled city; walking past people’s homes, a palace, stupas, a school, and a monastery, is quite interesting. After a one-hour jaunt, we drove towards Choser and then to the Konchokling caves. We had to pay an entry fee at the village below the caves. And we also had to be accompanied by the gate-keeper. He had the keys to the door on the trail leading to the caves which is always locked. This is to prevent people from damaging the murals on the cave.

I had first been to Konchokling 15 years ago. I still remember the scary trail leading to the cave. While the trail wasn’t as scary because of the new rails and walkway, it is still scary and people with fear of heights should not visit. Below is a short video of the Konchokling caves.

Back to Tatopani and onward to Kathmandu:

Later, the same day, we drove down to Tatopani hot springs arriving at around 7:00 pm. The drive from Lo Manthang to Tatopani took around 6 hours. 5 years ago the same drive would have taken us at least twice as long. Past Jomsom, the road has been significantly upgraded with most sections now paved. The next day we drove back to Pokhara (4 hours).

Below is the video of the Terila pass trek (Nar to Upper Mustang)