Mustang Sees Tourist Rush During Tihar Holidays

Tourists are flocking to Mustang in large numbers during the Tihar holidays, with police figures showing 35,858 visitors entered the Himalayan district between 1 and 15 November.

Of those, 27,107 were domestic tourists and 8,751 were foreign visitors, according to the District Police Office in Mustang. Among the foreign visitors, 7,714 came from SAARC countries and 1,037 from other countries.

Police inspector Santosh Basyal, the office's information officer, said domestic arrivals rose sharply as Tihar approached, helped by the long government holiday around the festival. Schools, colleges, offices, banks and cooperatives are closed, and many people are using the break to travel.

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Arrivals had been below expectations around Dashain, when forecasts of heavy rain, snowfall, avalanches and storms kept many visitors away. As the weather improved with Tihar approaching, both domestic and foreign arrivals picked up, Basyal said.

Most visitors first pay their respects at Muktinath temple, while some travel on to the Korala border point with China. Others visit Lo Manthang palace, caves, monasteries and lakes such as Dhumba, Sekung, Bhutarchy and Titi, as well as Kagbeni, Jomsom, Marpha and Thasang.

Tourism businessman Suraj Gurung of Muktinath said young people are increasingly choosing Mustang during the Tihar and Chhath holidays. Although winter cold is rising sharply in the district, he expects arrivals to continue while the government holiday runs until Chhath.

Road travel has become easier in Mustang in recent years, although the Beni-Jomsom road was blocked at times and bad weather disrupted movement this season. Police said arrivals on festival days still ran into the thousands each day, with no effect on the overall numbers compared with last year.