12
meanssomeoneneedsto
organiseitall.MyDutchfriendChris
Wilthuiswasthatguy.
Theprephegavemeaboutthetrip
wasprettystraightforward.“The
ridingisallondirtroad,it’sgoingto
behighaltitude,theaccommodation
willbeverybasicandit’llbecoldat
night,sobringadecentsleepingbag.”
Firstly,Iforgotmysleepingbag.
Secondly,dirtisavery,loose
descriptionoftheroads.Everystory
abouttravellingintotheUpper
MustangstartsintheLowerMustang.
You’vegotnochoicebecauseofthe
aforementioneddirtroad.
Inthehumid,subtropicalforests
surroundingBeni,thetarmac
transportinganendlessstreamoftiny
SuzukiAltotaxiscomestoanend.
Theroadgiveswaytoasingle-car
widthdirttrackthatprovidesaccess
fortouristsandlocalstothesacred
templesatMuktinath.Thevibrant,air
condition-lessbusses,paintedwith
promisesoffreeWi-Fiandmuch
more,dominatedtheroad.ThesavageKaliGandakiriverprovidesanepic
rumblingsoundtracktotheexquisite
madnessaroundus.
Wewereattheendofthemonsoon
season.Theroadhadbeendrivento
bed-rockbymonthsofrainandthe
bed-rockshapedbytheconstant
poundingofoverladenbuses.The
ridingwasincrediblyfun.
Theskiesopenedup.Theroad
developedfoot-deeprutssquashedin
bybusesandthesmilesspreadacross
ourfaces.Wescrambled,footedand
foughtourwaythroughthemelee.
Asdarknessloomed,oneofthe
crew,Mikke,caughtthesumpofhis
HondaCRF250Lonasubstantialrock.
Theoilflowedprofuselysowewent
insearchofmore,andarepair.Inthe
endwetoweditthroughthedarkand
coldrain,atesteameddumplingsand
sleptinourcold,un-heatedbunk
room.Itwasagreatfirstday.
Thenextdaywemadeittothe
borderoftheUpperMustang.The
townofKagbeniisthelastplaceyou
cantraveltowithoutapermit.It’salso3
THE UPPER MUSTANG
Nepal is no longer off the beaten path.
In fact, it’s a tourist trap filled with
an immense number of westerners
bashing their way through the cities
and mountains.
Nestled in the middle, bordering
Tibet, is one of the Earth’s most special
creations; the cold desert of the Upper
Mustang. Only a few places around the
globe are like this; the Upper Mustang
is one of the least well known.
In 2015, a five-year road project by
the Nepalese army completed access
from the town of Jomsom to the
Chinese border and access to an
incredible corner of the Earth became
possible by bike. The rainless,
thriving high-altitude mountain
lands of the Upper Mustang were now
a realistic motorcycle goal.
A trip into the Mustang is
something that needs organising. It’s
not a turn-up-and-ride kinda thing,
mostly because of the political hoops.
You still need a registered guide,