Himalayan Children's Care Home

The ancient kingdom of Mustang also known as the forbidden kingdom is in a spectacular location on a high plateau in central Asia, hidden behind an almost impassable wall of the world's highest mountains. The dominant geological feature is the Kali Gandaki gorge. This is the deepest gorge in the world, and is part of an ancient trade route stretching from Lhasa, across the Tibetan plateau and then down the gorge via Nepal to India. The isolation of Lo-manthang was at times helpful in maintaining a degree of independence during periods of conflict between warlords.

There are close cultural ties between Tibet and Lo-manthang. Due to its proximity to Tibet and the arid mountainous terrain that surrounds and protects upper mustang-culture, religions and language have remained entirely Tibetan Its people, known as the Loba, speak a dialect of Tibetan, and geographically Lo-manthang is a western extension of the same plateau, with the same problems of inaccessibility. It's an austerely beautiful land demanding and harsh: alternately sun drenched and snowdrift, whipped and scoured by fierce, ceaseless wind a land where comfort is scarce. With the onset of winter most people here bundle up and descend to the Himalayan foothills, and return only after the temperatures go up again. Most of the people engage in farming during summer, though there is little vegetation as the region itself is high mountains desert. It is reached only by foot or on horseback from Jomsom, nearest airport.