MUSTANG: A total of 772 foreign tourists have entered Mustang via Thorong La Pass through the Besisahar-Manang route over the past two weeks.
According to the Jomsom checkpoint of the Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP), 43 tourists from SAARC countries and 729 from other countries entered Mustang during the period following heavy snowfall.
Foreign trekkers cross Thorong La Pass, which stands at an elevation of 5,416 metres above sea level, along the Annapurna Circuit trekking route from Manang toward Muktinath in Mustang.
The route is regarded as an adventurous but challenging and potentially risky trail for trekkers. Tourist arrivals in Mustang have resumed after the Thorong La Pass route, which was blocked by heavy rain and snowfall on September 26, was reopened.
On the Manang side, security personnel and local tourism entrepreneurs worked together to clear snow from the access route, making the Annapurna Circuit trail accessible again. The trekking route generally attracts foreign visitors during two main seasons each year, with many arriving in May, June, and July.
Sanjog Thakali, an assistant for natural resource conservation at ACAP’s Jomsom office, said a considerable number of foreign tourists also travel to Mustang through Thorong La Pass in October and November, before snowfall intensifies. Following the clearance of snow from the pass, 772 foreign tourists had reached Mustang by Thursday, Thakali said.
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