Muktinath Temple is located in the Mustang district of Gandaki Province. Jomsom is the district headquarters of this region. The district lies at an altitude of about 2010 meters above sea level and experiences a dry and cold climate.

To the east of the district is Manang, to the west is Dolpa, to the north is the autonomous region of Tibet and to the south is Myagdi district. Due to the presence of the Dhaulagiri Himal at 8167 meters and the NilgiriHimal at 7060 meters, this district is known as the Himalayan district. The Kali Gandaki River flows through the central part of this district, which lies between the Dhaulagiri and Nilgiri mountain ranges.

The Dhaulagiri and NilgiriHimal have two prominent peaks whichis situated in the middle of these two mountains, along the banks of the Kali Gandaki River. In the tourist destinations of this district, there are places like Muktinath Temple, DamodarKunda, Titi Tal, NilgiriHimal, Dhaulagiri Himal, ThiniGaun Palace, Kaisang Camp (KhampaKyampu), Dhumba Tal, Tilicho Tal, Tilicho Base Camp, TharughangBhutawar, TatopaniKunda, Rak Climbing, Fukkelling old village, and others.

The beauty of Muktinath Temple has been a topic of discussion and admiration for a long time. Even just by looking at the pictures taken by travelers, it felt like being there. In a short three-day period, we managed to reach Mustang. On the first day of the journey, I started from Kathmandu and traveled to Muktinath with my companions. The road journey on the Prithvi Highway covered a distance of about 80-90 kilometers at a moderate pace. Passing through Dhadhing’sKurintar, we crossed the Mugling Bridge and continued towards Abu Khaireni. From there, we headed towards Pokhara and finally entered Baglung.

By midnight, we reached Baglung and settled into a comfortable hotel. Early in the morning, at around 4 AM, we woke up to start our daily rituals. After that, we visited the Kalika Bhagawati Temple in Baglung.

Following breakfast, we headed towards suspension Bridge, which is one of the longest suspension bridges in Asia.And we reached Beni, the district headquarters of Myagdi.

From Beni, the road above is quite treacherous, with steep and narrow paths, sharp turns, and risky sections. After covering around 20-25 kilometers from Beni, we were welcomed by the beautiful and smiling Himalayas. It was a heartwarming sight for all of us. We noticed Rupse Waterfall on the way, and after seeing it, we decided not to proceed further by the vehicle. Instead, we took pictures and enjoyed some food before heading towards our destination.

After that, we reached a place called Dana, which is situated in the deep Kaligandaki Gorge. From there, we continued to Lete, where construction of roads was going one. We crossed several police checkpoints along the way and finally we entered the Mustang district.

 By 2 PM, we reached Jomsom, the district headquarters of Mustang. The airport at Jomsom was visible, covered by a light layer of snow. The view was so captivating that we forgot we were ever planning to climb Sagarmatha (Mount Everest). We spent some time around the banks of the Kali Gandaki River and then headed towards Dhumbarahi Taal (Lake). The lake was so picturesque that we decided to take a group photo with the Nepalese flag waving in the background. It was a beautiful moment, and we even got a bit emotional, with some of us shedding tears of joy, leaving aside our mobiles for a while.

After exploring Dhumbarahi Taal, we decided to head back and make the decision to stay in MuktiNath to visit the MuktiNath Temple. As we walked along the Kali Gandaki River corridor and saw the majestic view of the river and the Nanga Dada (hill), it felt like this is the true essence of Nepal. It was so beautiful that we couldn’t stop admiring it.

We reached MuktiNath at around 6 o’clock in the evening. We stayed at the Grand Hotel, and the weather was quite chill. After having dinner, we went to bed around 11 PM, and by 5 AM the next morning, we woke up, fresh up, and move for the MuktiNath Temple at 7 AM.

The walk to the temple took about 30 minutes. During that 30-minute journey, we encountered many Indian tourists who were energetically climbing up the steep steps. Among them, there was one person who couldn’t walk, so he was carried in a stretcher all the way to the temple. Seeing such devotion towards God was a thought-provoking moment. Even though we had horses available for the ride, we decided to walk all the way to the temple.