Almost the End of the World: Mustang, Nepal (Waypoints)

Dear Readers, this post will be different than others in this blog. The table below lists waypoints for the 12-day hike through the Mustang area of Nepal. Mustang is a province in north central Nepal, near the Tibetian border. A few months ago, I was unable to find any published waypoints, so the list below is intended to serve as a convenience to other hikers. Feel free to copy and then import into ArcMap software, Google Earth Pro, or other mapping tools.

Morning departure from Pokkhara

Most travelers to this remote area fly into Kathmandu, regroup after the exhausting flight from USA or Europe, and then fly to the lakeside town of Pokkhara. Then, early morning, they fly via turboprop to Jomsom, which is the southern gateway to Mustang. From Jomsom they hike north to the town of Lo Manthang, the capital of the Kingdom of Lo.

First of all, you can't just walk to Mustang; you need permits, and they cost a lot! The purpose is to control the number of tourists who enter the fragile ecosystem. This is a high-altitude desert, and water, fuel, and food are scarce. Possibly more important, the Government of Nepal is trying to preserve the unique and ancient Buddhist culture from the ravages of mass tourism. It is best to let an experienced travel outfitter in Kathmandu take care of permits and other logistics.
You also need a permit for the Annapurna Conservation Area. Here, too, the government is trying to monitor tourists who are traveling through the mountains and is funding conservation and preservation efforts.

In the table below, coordinates are in decimal degrees in geodetic datum WGS-84, data collected with a Garmin Geko 201 hand-held GPS receiver. Horizontal accuracy was typically 7-15 m. Elevations are in meters; accuracy unknown. The first waypoint is the Kathmandu Guesthouse (hotel), and the next two are from the town of Pokkhara. The remainder cover the trekking route. They start just north of Tatopani, in the Kali Gandaki River valley, and proceed north. The ancient walled city of Lo Manthang (location of the Mystique Guest House) is the capital of Mustang and the usual northernmost destination for most tourists. A road now goes from Lo Manthang to the Chinese border, which will likely cause profound cultural changes in the years to come. Already, many trade goods and supplies come from China via this road.

NAME	LAT_WGS84	LONG_WGS84	ELEV_M
KATH_GUESTOUSE	27.71623	85.3087	xxxx
POK_AIRPORT	28.19948	83.97775	804
POK_LAKE	28.21242	83.9552	758
AN-S-R	28.51027	83.65739	1493
DANA	28.54471	83.64541	1461
WATERFALL	28.55553	83.63644	1589
LEKALI_TEA_HOUSE	28.55568	83.63841	1587
ROAD	28.55763	83.63548	1611
BRIDGE05	28.56071	83.63741	1635
KOPCHE_PANI	28.56831	83.63966	1735
CANYON	28.56931	83.64186	1809
BRIDGE04	28.59011	83.64758	1996
EAGLE_NEST	28.59468	83.64328	1952
GHASA	28.60762	83.64402	2097
KAIKU	28.61494	83.63955	2168
GHUMAU	28.61999	83.63192	2237
IETEKH	28.62879	83.61691	2394
KALOPANI	28.64125	83.59901	2531
BRIDGE03	28.64663	83.59444	2506
DHAMPU	28.66067	83.59409	2538
BRIDGE02	28.67192	83.59757	2545
RIVER_CROSS	28.678	83.60389	2537
KHOBANG	28.68963	83.61669	2551
KHANTI	28.69392	83.62081	2560
TUKUCHE	28.71159	83.64914	2603
APPLE_FARM	28.74066	83.68058	2666
MARPHA	28.75391	83.6871	2689
DUMBAR	28.76214	83.69566	2681
JOMSON_SOUTH	28.7813	83.72185	2749
OMS_HOTEL	28.78296	83.72502	2744
EKLE_BHATTI	28.81849	83.77387	2807
KAGBENI	28.83631	83.78319	2861
RIVER_VIEW02	28.85507	83.79071	2896
KALI_GANDAKI02	28.8602	83.79223	2855
KALI_GANDAKI03	28.86385	83.79271	2858
RIVER01	28.86923	83.80091	2077
ORGANIC_FARM	28.88273	83.80907	3105
VIKKAG	28.8889	83.8047	3447
TANGBE	28.88918	83.80639	3045
RIVER_VIEW	28.89874	83.8087	3059
CHHUSANG	28.91457	83.81966	2956
BRIDGE	28.92759	83.82907	2958
CHELE	28.93102	83.82679	3060
CANYON01	28.94239	83.80762	3466
PASS	28.95305	83.80225	3601
SAMAR02	28.96171	83.80115	3643
SAMAR	28.9618	83.80108	3624
SAMAR04	28.96211	83.80223	3612
CHORTEN03	28.96535	83.80413	3595
SAMAR03	28.9683	83.80305	3653
BHENA_LA	28.97347	83.80934	3849
BHENA	28.97348	83.8093	3835
SYAN-LA	28.98425	83.82592	3995
YAMDA_LA	28.98447	83.82561	3982
PASS18	28.98757	83.83095	3889
SYANGBOCHE_LA	28.99048	83.84126	3839
SYANGBOCHE	28.99112	83.83821	3774
PASS03	29.00476	83.84767	3675
TAMAGAON	29.00781	83.84731	3712
CHHUNGGAR	29.01865	83.84861	3794
ZHAITE	29.0275	83.84851	3817
NYI_LA	29.03294	83.85304	3984
NYI_LA02	29.03309	83.85314	4006
NYI_LA03	29.03313	83.85314	4025
CLIFF	29.04717	83.86834	3790
GHAMI_LA	29.05202	83.87067	3768
GHAMI02	29.06112	83.87101	3586
MANI_WALL	29.06227	83.87894	3575
ROYAL_MUSTANG	29.06343	83.8731	3574
STREAM	29.06599	83.87244	3596
PASS15	29.06669	83.89672	3878
PASS05	29.0681	83.87924	3716
PASS14	29.07907	83.92224	3656
DHAKMAR	29.08325	83.8809	3724
CHORTEN02	29.08786	83.92759	3575
TSARANG_S	29.09208	83.93296	3559
TSARANG	29.09544	83.93064	3589
PASS06	29.09864	83.88245	4054
PASS13	29.10398	83.93903	3651
PASS7	29.10798	83.88426	4150
LO-GHY	29.12464	83.88847	3937
SUNGDA_CHORTEN	29.12988	83.94695	3742
STREAM02	29.13408	83.89233	3991
CAVES02	29.14637	83.94495	3818
PASS08	29.14761	83.89861	4259
PASS09	29.14873	83.89885	4265
STREAM03	29.15221	83.89888	4268
CHOGO_LA	29.15661	83.90231	4316
PASS10	29.16189	83.91043	4190
PASS11	29.16436	83.92784	4078
PASS12	29.16799	83.95274	3963
PAS-11	29.17082	83.95087	3904
MYSTIQUE	29.18159	83.95689	3887
SCHOOL	29.1839	83.95725	3820
FORT	29.1868	83.96332	3811
CHOSER	29.21776	83.97433	3852
NYIPHU	29.23467	83.97817	3928
CAVE	29.23624	83.98257	3952

I will post more descriptions and photographs of this fascinating area in the future. I plotted the points in ESRI ArcMap software.

Urban Adventures in Asia: Kathmandu, Nepal

This Urban Decay decay essay will take you about as far from New York City as possible: about 180 degrees in longitude around the world, 1300m higher in elevation, no ocean, 2000 years older, and vastly different in culture. Our destination is Kathmandu, the bustling landlocked capital of Nepal, a mountainous country squeezed between Tibet and India and dominated by the Himalaya. Kathmandu is an urban area of about 1.5 million inhabitants in the Kathmandu Valley in central Nepal, along the Bagmati River. Because of the fertile, well-watered land and the relatively comfortable climate (cooler than the sweltering Indian lowlands and warmer than the high Himalaya), the valley has been inhabited for millenia. As you can see from the signpost (photographed at the Kathmandu Guest House, a fun place to stay in the Thamel District), it is a long way from anywhere.

To reach Kathmandu, you fly from a US gateway city, cross the Atlantic or Pacific, wait at an Asian gateway city for hours, and then fly again, on and on and on. You finally reach Tribhuvan International Airport very grubby and jet-lagged and feeling pretty beat up. Your fellow passengers largely fit into three groups: local citizens (often workers on their way home from jobs in the Gulf states), hikers and climbers, and "adventure" travelers. The latter are the type who wear safari clothing and multi-pocket travelers' vests (but nothing is in the pockets), and have more luggage than the true climbers.


Most tourists stay in or congregate in the Thamel District. This was a popular stop-over on the Asia circuit in the 1970s. Hippies loved it because living was cheap, drugs were cheap and readily available, and it was trendy ("I'm going to be creative and unique and go to Nepal along with thousands of other hippies."). Oddly, some are still around, but a bit grayer and chubbier now. The district throbs with discos (yes, disco still lives), internet cafes, restaurants, shops, and bars. They even have their own Barnes & Noble book house. The pharmacies are well-equipped and most chemicals are sold without prescription. The supermarkets sell chocolates from around the world; the bookstores stock magazines and books in many languages. Another oddity: Nepal's time zone is GMT +5:45 hours (15 min different than India). This is the link to Google maps: Thamel.



Everything about Kathmandu is a visual delight. The buildings are colorful, rather funky, and have a somewhat makeshift look to them. Parts have been added to parts, colors are all over the spectrum, and the glass box monstrosities of US and European cities are largely absent.

Don't look too closely at the electrical wiring. Some of the outlets are the odd triple prong type used in India, others are the narrow dual-prong from Europe. The electricity was dependable during my visits.

The people are absolutely wonderful. This little girl kept her father company in his fabric shop.


Kathmandu is a city of shops, and you can find almost anything you need with a bit of hunting. But many vendors are out in the street. Pay attention when you walk on a sidewalk or you will fall over a merchant or stomp on his display.

The people I met were unfailingly friendly and gracious. They are alert and energetic. The ladies are petite and sophisticated.

(More Nepal in future essays. All 2007 photographs taken with an Olympus E-330 digital camera or a Fuji F31fd compact.)