Nepal
A Newari trading town frozen on its ridge, then a forbidden kingdom opened to tourism only since 1992
Nepal
A journey between two rarely associated Nepals: Bandipur, a former Newari trading town perched on a ridge at fifteen hundred metres, whose intact architecture long benefited from its isolation after a road bypassed it in the 1970s, then Upper Mustang, a former Himalayan kingdom kept closed to foreigners until 1992, whose desert landscape evokes the Tibetan plateau far more than postcard Nepal.
When
March to May | Sept to Nov
Price
From 3 600€ excl. flights
(based on 2 people sharing)
How long
7 nights
Ideal length
Days 1-2
The first chapter unfolds in Bandipur, a trading town founded by Newari merchants along the old caravan route linking India to Tibet, whose prosperity collapsed when a modern road built in the 1970s bypassed it, paradoxically freezing it in its 19th-century architecture. The main square, entirely pedestrian and paved, still comes alive every evening with street vendors and residents chatting on the terraces of half-timbered Newari houses.
Day 1
The main square and Newari architecture
A stroll through Bandipur's pedestrian main square, lined with 19th-century half-timbered Newari houses, then a visit to a family workshop making cheese the old-fashioned way.
Day 2
Siddha Cave and Himalaya views
An excursion to Siddha Cave, one of Nepal's largest, then a hike to a viewpoint offering a panorama over the Himalayan range including Annapurna and Manaslu.
Days 1-2
A flight to Jomsom then the road to Upper Mustang, a former Himalayan kingdom kept closed to foreign visitors until 1992 due to its sensitive border position with Chinese-controlled Tibet, still subject to a special permit and a visitor quota. The desert landscape of eroded ochre and red cliffs, dotted with Tibetan Buddhist monasteries and centuries-old cave dwellings, contrasts radically with the greener Himalayan Nepal crossed so far.
Day 1
The road to Lo Manthang, the walled capital
A drive through the desert landscape of Upper Mustang to Lo Manthang, the kingdom's historic capital still ringed by its original walls, a visit to the royal palace and surrounding monasteries.
Day 2
The cave dwellings and painted monasteries
A visit to the cave dwellings carved into the eroded cliffs, whose original purpose remains debated by archaeologists, then a monastery painted with centuries-old Tibetan Buddhist frescoes, before the return to Jomsom.
Other trips built in the same spirit — more to draw inspiration from.
