With the intensifying winter cold, tourism activity has started to decline in Mustang, a district known for its religious and natural attractions.
As temperatures drop sharply, hotels in the district headquarters Jomsom and along the national highways have begun to fall silent. Tourism in Mustang generally comes to a standstill during the winter season, creating an “off-season” period when many tourism entrepreneurs move downhill to avoid the harsh cold.
Recently, because the Beni–Jomsom road has become easier to travel, some tourism operators are still waiting for tourists. However, due to extreme cold, Pokhara–Jomsom flights were suspended a month earlier than usual, and the number of tourist vehicles on national highways has also reduced significantly.
Upper Mustang experienced its first snowfall of the season in Kartik, while lower Mustang has not yet seen snowfall. Still, severe cold and northern windstorms have affected daily life across the region.
With the onset of Poush, temperatures in upper Mustang have been dropping to as low as minus 20 degrees Celsius in the mornings and evenings, while lower Mustang has seen temperatures fall to around minus 10 degrees Celsius.
Because of freezing temperatures and strong northern winds, local residents find it difficult to walk outside. Even when the afternoon sun appears, cold winds make daily life uncomfortable.
Due to the extreme cold, hotels and homes in Lomanthang of upper Mustang have completely shut down. Many residents have locked their houses and moved downhill to escape the winter chill, leaving the area almost deserted, according to Umesh Paudel, head of the Ekkyap Lomanthang office.
Though hotels in Muktinath remain open, tourist activity is minimal. Locals take turns moving downhill during the off-season, while a small number of staff keep some hotels running.
Most hotels that are crowded with tourists during the rainy season now remain empty in the off-season. During Poush and Magh, many Mustang residents go downhill to avoid the winter; residents of upper Mustang usually move down even before Kartik and only return after the onset of Baisakh.
In upper Mustang, rivers, streams, household taps, irrigation canals, and septic tanks have frozen into ice, severely affecting daily life. Those who remain in the villages without moving downhill face health problems due to the intense cold. Meanwhile, farmers in lower Mustang continue to manage apple orchards despite the harsh weather.
According to the District Police Office, tourist movement has sharply declined with the onset of winter. Police Inspector Santosh Basyal said that although the number of foreign tourists increased in Poush compared to Mangsir, domestic tourist numbers fell.
Domestic tourist arrivals decreased by 24,010, or 56.66 percent, in Poush compared to Mangsir. In contrast, foreign tourist arrivals increased by 5,559, or 54 percent, during the same period.
Police sources said that 100 to 150 tourists still visit Mustang daily via the Beni–Jomsom road. Although the level of activity is not comparable to peak tourist season, some tourists continue to visit even in winter, Inspector Basyal noted.
According to records from the District Police Office, tourist arrivals from Shrawan to Poush of the current fiscal year decreased by 10.05 percent compared to the same period last year.
In the first six months of the previous fiscal year, 312,471 domestic and foreign tourists visited Mustang. By Poush 21 of the current fiscal year, 280,929 tourists had entered Mustang—221,653 domestic and 60,347 foreign.
During the current fiscal year, domestic tourist arrivals by month were: 11,831 in Shrawan, 13,550 in Bhadra, 65,740 in Ashoj, 79,800 in Kartik, 42,371 in Mangsir, and 18,361 up to Poush 21. Likewise, foreign arrivals were: 7,950 in Shrawan, 9,655 in Bhadra, 9,859 in Ashoj, 13,966 in Kartik, 6,679 in Mangsir, and 12,238 up to Poush 21.
