Kingdom of Mustang - DVD

A forty-day expedition of Czech adventurers into the almost unknown regions of western Nepal. A journey of over a month awaits us into the mythical kingdom of Mustang, a place in western Nepal that was, until recently, completely inaccessible.

Our pilgrimage takes us along the main Himalayan ridge, through the Ganesh Himal range, around Manaslu, over the Larkya La pass, then briefly follows the Annapurna trek through the Tibetan town of Nar and the Teri La pass into Mustang. In the capital city of Lo Manthang, the expedition is received by the king. This four-part documentary is presented as an intimate travel journal, often with spontaneous commentary right from the heart of the action. We get a glimpse into a small, remote Himalayan kingdom, learning about the lives of its inhabitants, its culture, and its history. The word Mustang originated from the name Manthang (Lo Manthang translates to "Plain of Aspiration"), which is the country's capital and the king's seat. However, the land itself is called the Land of Lo. While all other Nepalese kingdoms were unified, this small kingdom of Mustang, hidden behind the wall of the Himalayas, retained its sovereignty even after the last unification in 1958. The first detailed knowledge of Mustang was brought by French explorer Michel Peissel as late as the 1970s.

He was the first person to receive permission for an extended stay and entry into the capital. He won the king's favour and discovered a rare historical document, the mola, a book chronicling the history of Mustang. The territory is inhabited mainly by people of Tibetan ethnicity. In this unique feudal kingdom, the number one man is the king. It is a land hidden behind mighty eight-thousanders, a land whose landscape at times resembles a desert, and at others, canyons straight out of an American western.