NO MAN'S LAND

So much more than just a treacherous drive into Nepal’s famed Mustang Valley

- Aadil Naik

When you think of Nepal, the first thing that comes to mind is Mount Everest, as that’s all everyone knows about the country. But it does have another hidden gem. One that arguably has a stronger allure than the world’s tallest mountain. Think of Mustang like what Pagani is to the supercar fraternity. Not many people know of it, but the ones that do would gladly sell their own brother for one without blinking an eye. And a journey through Mustang is pretty high on every adventurer’s list, which is exactly what the motley crew you see here did.

Yes, the cars are Mahindra Adventure vehicles (wow, good eyesight), but the trip was organised and managed by Women Beyond Boundaries (WBB). Yes, led by a woman, with a majority of the participants and drivers being female. So being one of the sexist males that most of us are, I went in with eyebrows raised so high they disappeared under my hair. Until I read up on Nidhi Tiwari, the lady in charge. And that is where this story really starts. For those who aren’t aware, Nidhi has been driving off-road vehicles for longer than I’ve been alive. Besides doing every adventure route in India, her international resume includes a Delhi-to-London drive and a solo drive through a Siberian winter to the world’s coldest inhabited village. So yeah, if you thought she struggles with parking like your mother does, you couldn’t be more wrong.

You see, Nidhi had this dream of driving all the way into the Upper Mustang region. Why? Because it is stunningly beautiful and incredibly treacherous. And because they said she couldn’t do it. A lot of planning later, an expedition formulated along with Mahindra Adventure, and she managed to convince a bunch of like-minded (but not as experienced) women and men to come along. And thus, we were headed from Delhi for the Nepal border.