Lo Manthang is a walled city on a high, windy plateau in the north of Nepal, close to the Tibetan border, and it was the capital of the old kingdom of Lo, which survived as a semi-independent state until 2008. The city lies at about 3,800 metres on the dry side of the Himalaya, in the rain shadow of the Annapurna and Dhaulagiri ranges, and the landscape is a desert of eroded cliffs, red, ochre and grey, cut by the deep gorge of the Kali Gandaki river. The area was closed to outsiders until 1992, and permits are still required and costly. The people are of Tibetan origin, and the culture, language and religion are Tibetan Buddhist.
The walled city is a maze of whitewashed mud-brick houses, flat roofs stacked with firewood, narrow lanes and ancient monasteries. The walls, about six metres high, enclose a space of less than a square kilometre. The royal palace, a five-storey building, stands at the centre, and the monasteries, such as Jampa Lhakhang and Thubchen Gompa, hold wall paintings that date back to the fifteenth century and are among the finest of their kind. Restoration work has been carried out by international teams, and photography is restricted in some temples.
The road to Lo Manthang follows the Kali Gandaki, an old trade route for salt from Tibet and grain from Nepal, and it is a rough dirt track, with river crossings, landslides and steep sections. It is not a road for a standard bike: expect rocks, sand, washouts and wind, and strong winds blow up the valley in the afternoon, so travel in the morning. The weather is dry, and the season runs from March to November, with the monsoon barely reaching this area. Cold nights and strong sun make layers essential.
There are no real fuel stations, and supplies are brought up from Jomsom, a long way south, so riders carry extra fuel and parts. Guesthouses in the city serve dal bhat, tsampa and butter tea, and the Tiji festival, held in spring, with masked dances in the courtyard of the palace, draws visitors. Altitude is a serious matter, and acclimatisation is important. The wind, the dust, and the sense of arriving at a place that time has barely touched, make this journey memorable.