Mustang is a restricted area and visits here are deliberately limited. It starts over 60 miles behind the Annapurna range and Mount Dhaulagiri, which are the world’s highest mountain chains. This barren valley floor is rain shadowed and snuggled on three sides by Tibet. Through tied with Nepal, it is an entity on its own and has king till date which makes it the world’s highest kingdom. Perhaps it was because of this that Toni Hagen, the Swiss geologist called it so remote as to be virtually independent. The people here are of Tibetan origin and women practice polyandry often marrying as many as four brothers. In Mustang “grandparents still believe the world is flat and shaped like half moon”.

We fly to Jomsom and trek through Kagbeni. On the way, the world’s greatest gorge of Kali Gandaki is one of the marvels of earth, a deep cut through the highest ranges of the Himalayas. The Kali Gandaki River winds in between Dhaulagiri and Annapurna. Our goal is Lo Manthang, the capital of Mustang where it is said time barely moves. Here, in a white walled palace resides the world’s least famous monarch. Lo’s treasures are the priceless Tibetan art, monasteries and forts. After this unforgettable experience we retrace our trail back to Kathmandu.