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Police have arrested a person with a large cache of 'Shaligram Sheela' or the ammonite stone in Mustang.

The arrestee has been identified as Kunsang Ranging Gurung (41) of Surkhang of Loghekar Damodarkunda-5, Mustang. 

The Shaligram Sheela is a fossilized stone or ammonite collected from the riverbed or banks of the Kali Gandaki, a tributary of the Gandaki River.

The Hindus consider the Shaligram as a form of their god Vishnu.

The Kali Gandaki River flows through sacred places such as Muktinath and Damodar Kunda, enhancing the spiritual significance of these 'Shaligrams'. Collection of a large amount of Shaligrams is prohibited.

The Area Police Office, Chhusang Check Post at Baragung Muktikshetra-3,  Mustang has seized 894 kg 'Shaligram Sheela' packed in 34 white sacks during a regular security check, according to the District Police Office, Mustang.

Information Officer at the District Police Office, Mustang, Police Inspector Bishal Adhikari, said that the Shaligram Sheela was confiscated from a Bolero jeep (Ga 3 Cha 8152) heading towards Jomsom from Loghekar Damodarkunda Rural Municipality-3 in Mustang. 

According to the District Police Office, Mustang, Gurung, the jeep and the Shiligram Sheela have been handed over to the Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP) Office, Jomsom.

Meanwhile, ACAP Jomsom said that it has already handed over Gurung, the jeep, and Shaligram Sheela to Annapurna Conservation Area Project's Head Office in Pokhara for investigation, said Office Chief Rajesh Gupta.

The monitoring of the rare wildlife species, the snow leopard, has begun in Upper Mustang. The monitoring assisted by camera trapping method at three locations of Mustang is expected to present the existing status of the animal and its number.

The rising cases of human-snow leopard conflict here have prompted the monitoring.

Annapurna Conservation Area Project Office Chief, Umesh Paudel, said 12 cameras have been fitted in the area around Baragung Muktikshetra-3, above the Thurlungphant of Lomanthang and above the Lomanthang market.

The initiative aims to determine further measures for protecting the animal by managing human-animal conflict. There are concerns over inconveniences caused by the annuals to locals including the losses of their livestock 

The snow leopard known as the Queen of Himalayas, has a significant contribution to the ecosystem, carrying the religious, cultural and biological values here.

It is said there has been an urgent need to protect the animal and the traditional livestock farming here simultaneously with the implementation of new measures for the management of snow leopard. "The locals have been practicing livestock farming for centuries, and now is the time to implement new programs for sustainable management of animals, keeping the farming safe and undamaged," he said.

Prior to this, the ACAP had been monitoring the status of the animal at various locations in the district with the help of 31 cameras.

It is said that the lifestyle of the animal has changed due to the impact of climate change. The reports are that the snow leopards come down to the lower altitude areas following its prey, mainly Naur (The Himalayan Blue Sheep), that has started shifting down in the absence of alpine grassland in the highlands as a result of climate change.

Eleven tourists have died due to altitude sickness in Mustang district in the last one year. Nine foreign backpackers and two Nepalis died due to altitude sickness from April 13, 2024 till date.

Information Officer at the District Police Office, Police Inspector Bishal Adhikari, said that most of the Indian tourists died while visiting the Muktinath temple and other places in the district.

According to Adhikari, among those who came to Mustang for worshipping at Muktinath temple and for trek in other places, five died in Muktinath of Waragung Muktikshetra-1, five in Jomsom of Gharpajhong-4 and one in Thasang Rural Municipality-2.

Among the dead are tourists aged between 58 and 81 years.

The District Police Office said two tourists died in the month of April, one in May, two in September, five in October and one in December. A 63-year-old American citizen was among those who died from altitude sickness, police inspector Adhikari said.

In 2023 BS, 17 people lost their lives due to altitude sickness. The deceased include 11 foreigners and six Nepali nationals, Adhikari added.

Deluxe AC night bus service has been operated from Mustang to the federal capital, Kathmandu.

The service was launched on Thursday.

The Mustang-Muktinath Service Pvt Ltd started the bus service from Muktinath to Kathmandu for the convenience of locals and tourists visiting Mustang.

The Mustang-Kathmandu bus fare is Rs 2,400 per person.

The Pvt Ltd has already been operating deluxe bus, jeep and electronic vehicles before this.

However, the air-conditioned deluxe night bus service is the latest addition. Chief District Officer of Mustang Bishnu Prasad Bhusal inaugurated the deluxe night bus service amidst a program in Mustang on Thursday.

Addressing the programme, he said the religious tourism in Mustang would be boosted only with the expansion of passenger-friendly services.

He also called on the transport entrepreneurs to improve their services in tune with the time.

Vice Chairpersons of Baragung Muktikshetra and Gharapjhong rural municipalities, Diki Gurung and Jamuna Thakali respectively, called for paying attention to the passenger-friendly and visitor-friendly services.

The Mustang-Muktinath Transport Pvt Ltd Chairman Binod BC said they are preparing to operate passenger vehicles on the Lomanthang-Korala route from March 14.

The community schools in the district have opened after two months of winter holidays.

Schools in Baragung, Gharpajhong and Thasang Rural Municipalities of the district have reopened after two months of winter vacation.

Community schools in lower Mustang give long winter holidays to students as snowfall and extreme cold affect the teaching and learning activities during the winter months of mid-December to mid-February.

Chief of Education Development and Coordination Unit, Mustang, Rameshwor Lamichhane said that community, monastery, nunneries and institutional schools in Lomanthang and Loghekar Damodarkunda Rural Municipalities of Upper Mustang are shifted to the lower warmer areas in winter.

There are 35 community schools in the district and 12 other seminaries in operation including Monastery, Amchi and Institutional.

Of the 47 schools in the district, 24 schools in Gharpajhang, Thasang and Baragung Muktikshetra Rural Municipalities give winter holidays every year.

Three motorable bridges have been constructed along the Kaligandaki Corridor, a national pride project connecting China and India, on the Benighat–Jomsom–Korala road in Mustang.

The Benighat–Jomsom–Korala Road Project Office, Mustang, has built motorable bridges over the Marphakhola in ward 2 of the Gharapjhong Rural Municipality, Nursingkhola in Baragung Muktikshetra Rural Municipality-6, and over the Charangkhol in the Damaodar Kunda Rural Municipality, at a cost of Rs 310.78 million.

Project Chief Dhruba Kumar Jha informed that the construction of the three bridges and access roads has been completed, allowing vehicles to operate. According to him, a contract worth Rs 210.6 million was signed six years ago with Himadung&Thokar Immortal Construction for the construction of a 120-meter-long motorable bridge over the Marphakhola.

After the permanent bridge was brought into operation, the problem of having to cross the river using a temporary wooden bridge and risking safety has been resolved, said Lomshang Chomphel Bista (Raju), Chairman of the Lhoghekar-Damodarkund Rural Municipality.

Bista further shared that the road extension and bridge construction bids were underway along the road sections.

Charang and Chaile of Mustang are to get a 33kV substation soon. At an initiative of Lo-Ghekar Damodarkunda Rural Municipality of Mustang, the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) has initiated the process of constructing two 33 kV electricity substations in Charang and Chaile in Upper Mustang.

The NEA has prioritized the construction of a 33 kV electricity substation in order to solve the severe electrical problems faced by Mustang and to provide reliable power to the Korala border, which borders northern China, and its physical and technical management work has been underway.

The NEA had invited bids for the construction of 33 kV substations in Charang and Chaile in the previous fiscal year. Lopsang Chomphel Bista, chairperson of the rural municipality informed that the final decision on the substation contract called for by the Authority will be made by February. “The work on the extension of the power line has now reached the final stage. It will be decided soon which company will get the substation,” he said. “As soon as the contract is finalized, the construction of the substation will begin.”

As the substation contract process reaches the final stage, an on-site inspection of the site where the 33 kV electricity substation will be built in Charang and Chaile of Mustang has been conducted. According to chairperson Bista, the site for the 33 kV substation was selected two years ago. He claimed that the long-standing electricity problem faced by Mustang district will end forever after the construction of the 33 kV substation along with the expansion of the 33 kV transmission line.

Mustang has an 11 kV transmission line in operation. Due to this, there have been extreme problems in electricity supply time and again. Although the NEA has a 33 kV transmission line in Kowang, the lack of a 33 kV substation in the area above it used to cause a lot of trouble in electricity supply. When there was a technical problem with electricity in any place in Mustang, the entire district would be in darkness. Chairperson Bista said that if the NEA completed the construction of the 33 kV line and substation, such problems would not have to be faced, he said. The distance of the 33 kV substation is 50 km. The NEA has made preparations to place two substations at a distance of 103 km from Kowang to Charang. For this, the NEA had called for electricity substation contracts in October of fiscal year 2023.

Similarly, a contract for the construction of a 33 kV electricity substation in Upper Mustang was called for on 6 July 2023. The authority had signed a contract agreement with Paradise Builders to complete the work of expanding electricity poles and other works within two years at a cost of Rs 276.5m and the work has been started.

Santosh Pyakurel, electrical engineer of the company, informed that the work of 33 kV electricity transmission in Mustang has been completed and the work of pulling wires has begun. According to him, out of a total of 2,265 poles to be expanded, 1,800 poles have been expanded.

Local residents in Mustang have long relied on collecting firewood during the winter, a practice that has been followed for centuries. Mustang, divided into upper and lower regions, is home to 16 Conservation Area Management Committees (CMCs) operating under the Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP). Among these, 10 CMCs, covering areas from Waragung Muktikshetra to the lower Mustang, organize annual firewood collection during winter. The committees, in coordination with ACAP Jomsom, implement time-specific schedules for collecting firewood from designated forests. This activity takes place across three local levels of Mustang, ensuring firewood needs are met during the harsh winter months.

After harvesting summer crops and sowing winter crops, farmers in Mustang find some respite from agricultural duties, although activities like apple orchard management continue. Firewood is essential for cooking, heating homes, and preparing livestock feed during winter. To meet these needs, the local conservation management committees, in partnership with village communities, arrange joint firewood collection efforts, often in the lakeside forests of Mustang.

Chandra Bahadur Thakali, chairman of the conservation management committee in Ghar Pajhong-4, Jomsom, explained that since December, registered households in Jomsom have been permitted to collect firewood. Residents brave the freezing temperatures, setting out early in the morning to gather firewood, prioritizing dry wood. However, if only raw firewood is available, it is also permitted for use. Pramod Raj Regmi, head of the ACAP Jomsom office, emphasized that the local conservation committees have the authority to manage and use natural resources responsibly, including firewood, except during restricted months like June and August.

Villagers often rely on oxen, donkeys, horses, and mules to transport firewood back home. Those without animals carry the firewood themselves. Strict regulations ensure that raw firewood is not cut, and violations result in penalties enforced by the conservation committees. Regular monitoring by the committees and local representatives ensures compliance with the standards.

Residents from villages like Jomsom, Thini, Dhumba, Syang, Marpha, Chhairo, and Chiwang travel to forests near the Nilgiri and Dhaulagiri foothills for firewood collection. Similarly, in Thasang Rural Municipality, locals gather firewood from forests under their jurisdiction. According to Sojan Hirachan, a resident of Thasang-2 Saura, the conservation management committee and village headmen determine specific periods for firewood collection.

Farmers like Lekh Bahadur Gurung of Jomsom maintain huts near the forests, enabling them to collect multiple loads of firewood daily. Gurung begins his day at 4 am, heading to the forests near Nilgiri Lake to gather enough firewood to last the year. “It’s cold, but I enjoy collecting firewood in the forest more than in the village,” he said. Similarly, farmer Manoj Gotame, who has temporarily set aside his agricultural duties, also collects firewood with the help of his huts. “The forest has been opened for 10 days by the Conservation Management Committee and village representatives,” Gotame noted. “Firewood is essential for families and livestock, and this collection will suffice for a year.”

Storing firewood on rooftops is a longstanding tradition in Mustang, symbolizing prosperity and preserving local art and culture. Villagers believe that having a large stockpile of firewood in front of the house is a sign of affluence. While the development of road networks in Mustang has reduced the dependence on firewood, it remains an integral part of daily life and cultural heritage in the region.

“I never imagined a snow leopard’s habitat would look like this,” said Sajal Tilija, a seventh grader at Janabal Secondary School in Marpha, Mustang, as he stood in a rugged grassland near the base of a massive, barren mountain. “From what I’d read, I thought it would be a desert—dry and all red. But instead, I found some greenery, with pine trees and prickly shrubs,” he added.

Sajal was participating in a camp in Mustang to learn about the elusive snow leopard. He was joined by two classmates, a teacher, and students from other schools. Other participants included field rangers, citizen scientists, artists, journalists, trainers, photographers, community members, and conservationists. The two-day Snow Leopard Scout Monitoring Camp took place in Thorangphedi and Chongur grasslands, near the holy Muktinath temple, on August 29-30, 2024.

“We mostly learned about the local landscape and how climate change is affecting the snow leopard’s habitat. We also learned about snowstorms, avalanches, and how to stay safe in those situations,” Sajal shared.

The participants were also taught how to use camera traps and the essential tools for snow leopard monitoring, like GPS devices, spotting scopes, and binoculars.

At one point during the camp, a group of locals excitedly shouted after spotting a blue sheep on a distant hilltop. Everyone quickly grabbed their binoculars, scopes, and cameras to take a closer look. “It wasn’t easy to spot the blue sheep sitting so far away,” Sajal recalled. “Focusing the lenses was tough. The sheep sat proudly, like a king, high on the ridge above the rocks.”

The camp has been held in Mustang since 2011, providing students with hands-on training in snow leopard monitoring and teaching them to observe their natural habitat, including potential prey species. This initiative continues with support from the Snow Leopard Conservancy, while Teka Samuha Nepal organized this year’s event.

After returning to school, Sajal eagerly shared his adventure with his friends. “I wrote everything in my diary! We spotted a pika, a red fox, and even a mother blue sheep with her baby. We sometimes see blue sheep near the village, but this time felt special. No one believed we found red fox scat!” he said excitedly. He also explained how they set up camera traps and used GPS during the camp.

At school, conservation teacher Amar Ghatane showed images of snow leopards on a projector and encouraged students to share what they had learned with their families and community. “I often tell my sisters and grandmother about snow leopards,” Sajal said proudly.

Sajal’s elder sister, Prasansa, noted how keen he is to share his knowledge. “He’s always learning and sharing something new,” she said. “When we’re out gathering firewood, he reminds me how important it is to protect snow leopards because their extinction would hurt the environment.”

Laxmi, Sajal’s mother, remembered a time when snow leopards preyed on her goats and cows while she lived in a remote area called ‘Chhair’. Now, living in Marpha, jackals prey on her chickens. “Sajal once told me that snow leopards are smaller than tigers,” she recalled. “They live in the mountains and depend on natural prey, mainly blue sheep, which sometimes come into our village.”

The story of snow leopards and human coexistence is playing out in Nepal’s Himalayas. Sajal is just one example of students involved in snow leopard conservation education, an initiative spreading through Mustang and Taplejung. The program raises awareness among students, encourages positive messages within communities that share habitats with snow leopards, and advocates for including conservation topics in local textbooks—working toward long-term sustainability and institutionalizing these efforts.

From January to early October 2024, a total of 105,698 foreign tourists visited Mustang district. Among these, 90,081 were from SAARC countries, while 15,617 were from other countries, according to the Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP) Checkpost in Jomsom.

During this period, 82.66 percent of the foreign tourists were from SAARC countries, and 17.33 percent were from other countries. The highest number of foreign tourists arrived in Mustang in May, with 29,762 visitors, while the lowest was in January, with 2,126 tourists.

According to ACAP, very few foreign tourists entered Mustang from late September to the first week of October compared to last year. Pramod Raj Regmi, head of the ACAP office in Jomsom, noted that the decline in tourists was due to incessant rains, floods, landslides, and river erosion in various parts of the country, which blocked roadways. Additionally, out of the total tourists who visited Mustang, 8,397 entered from Besisahar in Lamjung to Manang along the Round Annapurna Cycle Path. Regmi added that 7.94 percent of the total number of tourists who entered Mustang did so via the Annapurna Trail.

Of the tourists who visited the Annapurna Trail via Manang, 97.07 percent were from other countries, while 2.92 percent were from SAARC countries. The highest number of foreign tourists entered Mustang in May, with 1,818, and the lowest in January, with 186. From January to December 2023, a total of 121,352 foreign tourists visited Mustang district, comprising 98,253 from SAARC countries and 23,099 from other countries. Additionally, 10,424 people entered Mustang via Manang, and 1,547 foreign tourists visited Upper Mustang.

In 2023, 76.49 percent of visitors were from SAARC countries, and 23.51 percent were from other countries. According to Regmi, most tourists entering Mustang were Indian, as many Indian pilgrims are interested in visiting the famous religious site Muktinath.

Around 105, 698 foreign tourists have visited Mustang in the last nine months, according to the Area Conservation Office, the Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP).

At least 9, 081 visitors from the SAARC countries and 15,617 from third countries arrived in Mustang as of October 6. Eight thousand and 397 tourists entered Mustang via the Thorang-La Pass at an altitude of 5,400 meters.

The Office said 2,896 tourists had entered the district in a month's period until October 2.

Tourist arrivals have surged at Muktinath temple, Kagbeni, the Korala border transit, Lomanthang, Sinja Jong Cave, Jomsom, Dhumba Lake, Thini, Marpha, and Lete among the major tourism destinations in Mustang at present.

It has been learnt that 121, 352 foreign tourists had visited the trans-Himalayan district in 2023.

A 75-km route of the road linking Mustang of Gandaki and Dolpa of Karnali Province has been opened.

The road is considered important for the internal trade, tourism development and convenience of the locals in the mountainous districts of the two provinces.

Chair of Varagung Muktikshetra Rural Municipality, Rinjin Namgyal Gurung said the work of opening the road connecting Varagung Muktikshetra of Mustang and Charka Tangsong Rural Municipality of Dolpa under the Manang-Mustang-Dolpa-Jumla road project of the federal government has reached the final stage.

A 40-km road from Jomsom to Eklebhatti, Pakling, Falek, Sangta and an additional 35 km from Sangta to Dolpa border via Yakkharka has been opened, he said.

It is necessary to upgrade 20 kilometers of roads and construct motorable bridges in four places for regular and smooth operation of traffic on this road.

Saying that the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure Development and Transport Management has allocated Rs 8.5 million in the current fiscal year for the construction of bailey bridge at Sukusamba on the border of Dolpa, Chai Gurung said that a proposal has been made for the government to construct three more bailey bridges or motorable bridges and upgrade the roads in risky areas for regular transport operation.

The government had initiated the construction of a road connecting Manang-Mustang of Gandaki Province and Dolpa-Mugu of Karnali Province from the fiscal year 2075÷76 BS.

According to the Road Division Office, Baglung, 56.5-km of road has been opened from Pakling with an investment of Rs 220 million. A road had already been constructed from Dolpa to the border of Mustang.

It will be so far the shortest route to connect Dolpa with the federal capital, Kathmandu.

Ward member Tshering Pasang Gurung, also a resident of Sangta, said tourists have started coming to visit Sangta and Yakkharka after the construction of the road.

The 'Dhegaun' of Loghekar Damodarkunda Rural Municipality-5 of Mustang, which was full of human settlement two decades ago, is now turning empty.

Climate change is believably one of the reasons behind the eviction of villagers. With drying up of water sources in the village due to the effects of climate change, people were forced to leave the settlement.

The mass displacement did not only desert the village but also cause gradual disappearance of local traditions, culture and history.

Old houses are collapsing and the settlement looks ruined and rugged. Hundreds of hectares of cultivable land have turned barren due to the outflow of the locals in search of water.

Loghekar Damodarkunda rural municipality-5 ward chair Pasang Gurung said there was no one living in the village due to internal migration with the deepening water crisis.

"After the drying up of irrigation and drinking water sources, there was no condition to live", he said. People are forced to abandon their settlements with humans and animals being deprived of access to drinking water.

The ward chair bemoaned although he had spent his life at Dhe village since childhood, he was now forced to leave due to the water crisis.

Farming and livestock are the main sources of livelihood for the people. Ward Chair Gurung said that the water source has dried up after low volume of snowfall in the winter. "Snow was the main source of water, but due to climate change, there was a decreasing volume of snow", he said. According to him, the locals now go to the cowshed only to graze sheep and goats in the rainy season.

Agricultural land has not been cultivated when there was no adequate rainfall and drying up of irrigation water sources.

Dhey village was located in ward 9 of the then Surkhang Village Development Committee. At present, Dhe and Thamjung fall in the same ward. There is a large population of Gurung and Lowa people here.

The then VDCs and district development committees had initiated the process of relocating the settlements when water shortage was looming large.

Ward Chair Gurung said that infrastructure has been constructed in the new settlement with the help of the government and donor agencies. They are cultivating apples in the new settlement.

"We have been affected the most by the rise in temperature and climate change", he said.

The Dhe village is about 4,000 meters above sea level. The Thamjung-based new settlement on the banks of the river is at an altitude of 3,700 meters.

At present, there are 26 households in the village. Along with the settlement, the school has been shifted to Thamjung. Since 2064 BS, the migration to Thamjung had started.

Thamjung, which is close to Charang and Surkhang, has drinking water, electricity and other facilities. 

A new species of bird has been found in Mustang.

Ornithologists Sanjay Tha Shrestha and Shankar Tiwari found the new species of bird in Upper Mustang, according to the Nepal Ornithologists Association.

The Spotted Flycatcher bird was found for the first time in Nepal, said Dr Tulasi Subedi, Chair of Nepal Bird Records Committee through a statement today.

The scientific name of the bird is Muscicapa Striata and is locally called Taludharse Arjunak.

The picture of the bird taken by Shrestha and Tiwari at an altitude of 3,650 meters above sea level was sent to the Nepal Bird Records Committee for confirmation.

Based on the available evidence, detailed study and suggestions from national and international ornithologists, Taludharse Arjunak has been confirmed as a species and added to the records of birds found in Nepal, said Subedi.

This takes the number of bird species found in Nepal to 896. This bird is also found in Mongolia, in northern China and in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Over 400, 000 tourists visited Mustang by road from April 14, 2023 to April 12, 2024, according to data with the Ghasa police station located on the transit point to Myagdi-Mustang.

The statistics show that 414, 280 domestic and foreign tourists visited Mustang during that period.

The number of domestic visitors entering Mustang via road is 335, 466, including 220, 724 men and 114, 742 women, said Deputy Superintendent Bhojraj Pandey, the Chief of the District Police Office Mustang.

Similarly, DSP Pandey said 78, 814 foreigners visited Mustang during that period. Among them, 72 thousand 756 are from the SAARC countries while 6058 are from countries other than the SAARC member states.

According to him, 38, 821 males and 33, 935 women from SAARC countries visited Mustang during the period. Similarly, 3,648 male and 2,410 female visitors from countries other than the SAARC member countries visited Mustang in the same period.

The data shows that 11, 484 tourists arrived in Mustang via air. Among them, 1,679 are domestic tourists (1,134 males and 545 female), 8,055 including 3,767 male and 4,288 females are from the SAARC countries and 1,750 visitors (886 male and 864 female) are from countries other than the SAARC member countries.

Known as the district beyond the Himalayas, Mustang is a prime tourism destination known for its iconic desert-like landscape. The bare mountains, Himalayan climate, culture and lifestyle, lakes, monasteries, Muktinath temple, caves are the attractions of Mustang.

Inflow of tourists to the religious and tourist places of Mustang including Muktinath, Jomsom, Kagbeni, Lomanthang, Marpha, Thini, Dhumba Lake has gradually started increasing since last year, according to local tourism entrepreneurs.

Mustang district has witnessed an impressive number of tourists last month. Almost 80,000 tourists visited the mountainous district during the month of Kartik.

The number of domestic tourists is very high, thanks to the festive season.

According to the record of the District Police Office, a total of 5,504 international and 73,879 domestic tourists visited Mustang in Kartik.

The Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP) offices at Jomsom and Lhomanthang keep the record of the international tourists visiting the district while the Ghasa Police Post and Lete Police Post maintain the record of the domestic tourists.

Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) of Mustang Bhojraj Pandey said that the district witnessed queues of tourists in the festivals of Dashain, Tihar and Chhath adding that almost 14,000 vehicles entered the district by carrying tourists in Mustang in a month.

Besides Beni-Jomsom route, the travelers arrived here from Pokhara-Jomsom air route too.

Hotelier Surendra Gauchan of Hotel Ranipauwa at Muktinath said tourist arrival remained exciting in Kartik month. "Tourists did not come as expected during the last year's festive season due to rain but this time the tourists preferred Mustang for their short trip due to better road network and clear weather," Gauchan argued.

Autumn is considered an appropriate time for Mustang visit.

With this impressive number of tourists in the district, the hoteliers and stakeholders here have expressed their satisfaction at the tourism bounce-back in Mustang.

Muktinath, Jomsom, Kagbeni, Lhomanthang, Marpha, Thini and Dhumba Lake are the key tourist and religious attractions for visitors in Mustang.