The Tucked-away Kingdom image-led feature about Upper Mustang in Nepal is my latest magazine article. Published in JRNY magazine on 6 July 2023, you’ll be treated to a visual feast of photography from the former Kingdom of Lo in Nepal.
Heavily restricted to foreigners until 1992, this stunning corner of Nepal that borders with Tibet is a hotbed of culture and breathtaking scenery. The mountain ridges of the Anna Purna range provide rain cover to the area which gives it the arid, desert-like appearance that you’ll see in many of the images.
Having been twice to the area, I approached JRNY to see if they’d be interested in publishing my photos from the trips that I’ve made here and they happily said yes.
Back in 2021, a Nepalese travel agent approached me to work together with him in order to create a photography tour to the area which is how I ended up discovering this truly magical part of Nepal.
Having been closed off from outside influence for so long Upper Mustang, or the former Kingdom of Lo, still retains its very traditional and untouched Tibetan influences. From the temples and religious ceremonies to the day-to-day way of like that people still follow. A visit to the region will give you a peak into a way of life that is slowly disappearing.
But it’s not just Tibetan Buddhism that influences the people’s lives in Upper Mustang as some villages still practice shaminism. If you walk around some places such as Lupra then you can discover what was the forerunner to Buddhism in the form of the Bon religion.
So head on down to your local newsagent to see the article in all its glory. And if you been inspired to see this magical corner of Nepal and want to photograph it for yourself then come join me on a photo tour to the area each April. You’re guaranteed to have your senses truly opened up.
