Nearly 8,000 tourists enter Mustang in two days after Dasain; crowds also at Sauraha and Annapurna Base Camp

Tourist arrivals in the Himalayan district of Mustang have risen sharply after Dasain. According to the District Police Office, Mustang, around 7,800 tourists entered the district via the Beni–Jomsom road over Thursday and Friday, the two days following Tika.

Police Inspector Ishwar Mahat said about 3,000 arrived on Thursday and about 4,800 on Friday. In contrast, only around 5,700 tourists had arrived in the entire 10 days from Ghatasthapana to Bijayadashami. Of them, about 3,700 were men and nearly 2,000 were women, with roughly 78 percent being foreigners.

Mustang's tourism had slowed after the Beni–Jomsom road was completely blocked following heavy rain on Asoj 11 and the Bhotekoshi flood in Rasuwa. The road closure had also affected hotel and transport businesses.

In Chitwan's Sauraha, crowds of domestic tourists travelling with family during the Dasain holidays have also been seen. Tourists have likewise begun reaching the Annapurna Base Camp at Narchyang in Annapurna Rural Municipality-4, Myagdi, and the Maurice Herzog trail.

Trekking route campaigner Tej Gurung said more than 100 domestic tourists set out on the trek via Humkhola on Dasain day, and the number reached 250 by Thursday. The base camp, at an altitude of 4,050 meters above sea level, is the northern base camp of the 8,091-meter Annapurna I.