INSIDE HIMALAYAS | NEPAL | TIBET | BHUTAN
INSIDE HIMALAYAS | NEPAL | TIBET | BHUTAN
glimpse of
Grandeur
NEPAL
Horses above Lubra Mustang, Nepal. Photo: Yungdung Tsewang Gurung.
carves away at the banks below the
village, causing field edges to be lost
to the torrent. During the summer
monsoon of 2017, dozens of square
meters of farmland were washed away,
along with a 70-year-old chorten, an
important local religious monument.
Recently, the families of Lubra have
organised a community homestay
project called Mustang Bon Homestay
Village, to support the preservation of
the unique culture and traditions of
Mustang, which are slowly being lost
due to the pressures of modernisation
and emigration abroad. By offering
visitors homestay accommodations
in the village, the community hopes
to create an economic incentive for
young entrepreneurs to both remain in
the village and maintain local cultural
and agricultural practices by involving
visitors in unique local experiences.
Examples of such experiences include
participating in local performances,
mask
dancing,
cultural
songs,
and learning alongside traditional
agricultural practices, which include
planting and harvesting buckwheat,
barley, maize, millet, potatoes, and
other vegetables, kidney beans, fruit
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trees such as apricots, walnuts, and
apples, and animal husbandry with
goats, horses, cows, sheep, chickens,
and dzo, the common cross between a
male yak and cow.
In the centre of Lubra village stands
Yungdung Phuntsok Ling, an ancient
Bon monastery with unique wall
paintings and statues, where a five-day
masked dancing festival occurs every
September or October, depending on
the lunar calendar. There are other
Bon monasteries in Lower Mustang,
such as in Kobang and Naurikot,
but none are maintained in the
ancient traditional way of hereditary
priesthood such as in Lubra, where
the eldest son of every family must
strictly perform ritual duties and
participate in prayers on auspicious
days throughout the year. Due to
this system, the local traditions have
been well maintained in a way that is
uncommon in the modern Himalayas.
When visiting Lubra, one should make
time to sit in the small Bon temple on
the mountainside above the village,
called Gon Phuk, which means “winter
cave.” It is the site of one of the natural
www.insidehimalayas.com | By Royal Mountain Travel
meditation caves where the founder
of Lubra village spent many years in
meditation retreat, which was later
developed into a temple. From the
temple, one can climb to see ancient
meditation caves on the rock cliffs
above the village, which are seldom
visited.
COMFORT TOUR
BRIEF ITINERARY
As a side hike from Lubra, on a roughly
two-hour walk north along the Panda
Khola from Lubra village on the
opposite side of the trail down from
Lubra Pass, visitors can see the ruins
of a Tibetan Khampa army camp,
from where guerrilla operations were
conducted against the Chinese in
the 1960s. From Lubra, there is also a
challenging shortcut to Tilicho Lake
that is used by locals, accessed from
the northwest by walking along the
Panda Khola to its glacial source high
in the Muktinath Himal on the north
side of the Annapurna massif. Day 01: Arrival in Kathmandu
Whether visiting Lower Mustang by
foot, bicycle, motorbike or flight, as
a part of one’s pilgrimage to the holy
temple of Muktinath, an interesting
side trip to the hidden Bon village of
Lubra is well worth it. Day 13: Departure
Day 02: Sightseeing Tour - Bhaktapur City, Boudhanath and Panauti City; lunch with a local family
Day 03: Sightseeing Tour – Patan Durbar Square, Golden Temple, Patan Museum & drive to Pharping
Day 04: Early Morning Prayer ceremony at the monastery and drive to Kurintar
Day 05: Drive from Kurintar to Chitwan followed by Village Walk and Cultural Show
Day 06: Jungle Adventure in Chitwan National Park
Day 07: Drive from Chitwan to Bandipur
Day 08: Hike to Ramkot
Day 09: Drive from Bandipur to Pokhara
Day 10: Early morning Excursion to Sarankot, later boating in Phewa Lake & Hike to World Peace Pagoda
Day 11: Free day in Pokhara for Individual activities
Day 12: Flight to Kathmandu & later sightseeing tour - Pashupatinath
Day 13: Free day in Kathmandu – A day on your own
For more detail, please contact:
Royal Mountain Travel - Nepal
P.O. Box: 8720 Lal Durbar Marg, Kathmandu, Nepal Tel: +977-1-4444376 / 78 / 79 Fax: +977-1-4444380
Email: [email protected] URL: www.royalmt.com.np
www.insidehimalayas.com | By Royal Mountain Travel
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