Trip to Tiri

A day-trip from Kagbeni to Tiri is a wonderful experience one could have while trekking. The trail leads to the village named Tiri in Upper Mustang and was prohibited to the foreigners without a proper permit. The village has been recently opened to the tourists since 2007. The forty minute walk to Tiri is bliss as it takes you to the home of an eight hundred year old nunnery.



The trip is started by crossing the Kali Gandaki River opposite Kagbeni’s riverside dharmasala (pilgrim rest-house) near the sacred beni or the ‘fork of two rivers’ where usually the Indian ladies are seen in red saris, bathing and doing laundry. Across the bridge, there comes a trail on the riverside going north which is not so difficult as soon as you cross the avalanche scree just beyond the bridge. The trail takes you through the fields of wheat, barley and buckwheat which make a pleasant company when they flow along the gust of the Kali Gandaki winds. Above the town lay the sacred burial chortens and a wonderful collection of mani prayer stones and the view from here is just mystifying. You can also climb a little further to reach the nunnery.

tiri

There is also a new tractor road leading up and away from the town. The journey towards the gompa, however, need to be made on foot once you reach the top and the way is accompanied by numerous cairns, chortens, prayer flags and goat herder’s stone windbreak- a perfect for picnic in Kagbeni. North from here goes the way to Lo Manthang from where you could get a better view of Tangbe and its colorful mixture of green fields and red gompa. From here, the views of Upper Mustang is wonderful, however, to go there, you need to take permit. The trip isn’t long or difficult but the view is rewarding and gratifying. However, the wind blowing after 2 pm is harsh and unbearable and it also makes the avalanche scree scarier than before. Nevertheless, the trip to Tiri from Kagbeni is one of those trips that take you to the paradise while you are still alive and kicking on earth.