New Roads Ruffle Remote Nepal

ASPHALT PAVES THE INTERSECTION OF ECOTOURISM AND DEVELOPMENT AT A FAMED HIMALAYAN TREKKING HUB

- Michael Shapiro

IN NORTHCENTRAL NEPAL, the remote district of Mustang has become a renowned Himalayan trekking destination for those seeking to hike through a place that in some ways has remained unchanged for centuries. Soaring, snowy peaks loom over landscapes riven by rocky clefts. Vibrant Buddhist prayer flags top summits, and burgundy-hued monasteries hug steep hillsides in this region bordering Tibet.

But change is coming quickly to Mustang, as it is throughout Nepal. The country has embarked on a fast-paced road-building programme that’s transforming the landscape as well as the lives of residents and the experiences of travellers. While some visitors bemoan the expansion of roads into what they view as pristine regions, many Nepalis living in remote settlements welcome easier access to cities and opportunities to enhance their economic prospects.

Tsewang Bista, founder of Mustang Adventure Trek, noted that tourism began in Mustang in 1992, when Nepal opened the historic kingdom to visitors. “Mustang was a totally different place, completely isolated, out of touch with the outside world,” he said, “a place unknown even to people from Kathmandu.” Tourism gave people a source of income, not just trek leaders and Sherpas, but cooks, teahouse operators, and shopkeepers. Foreigners unconsciously encouraged locals to revive age-old traditions, said Bista, a descendant of the royal family. “People who came to Mustang were interested in our religion. So we felt, these are the things that need to be kept intact.”