Muktinath-Tetang Ring Road to Slash Travel Time to Upper Mustang

Construction of the Muktinath–Tetang ring road, designed to provide a shorter and more convenient route from the sacred Muktinath temple to Upper Mustang, is currently underway in Varagung Muktikshetra Rural Municipality.

The Infrastructure Development Office under the Gandaki Province Ministry of Physical Infrastructure Development and Transport reported that the project has achieved 39 percent physical progress in the first five months of the current fiscal year.

The 10-kilometre road, running from Muktinath to Tetang via Jhong, is being developed as a six-metre-wide alternative route to ease access to Upper Mustang. The construction contract, valued at Rs 70.156 million, was signed on August 13, 2024, with a two-year completion deadline set for August 14, 2026.

According to Sub-Engineer Jagadish Chandra Joshi of the Infrastructure Development Office, the project involves opening 6.5 kilometres of new track and upgrading 3.5 kilometres of existing road. Although the new track has been opened, parts of the road were damaged by rainfall in October and require repairs.

Once completed, the provincially funded road project is expected to significantly reduce travel distance for residents of Upper Mustang and pilgrims visiting Muktinath. Local residents and tourists travelling from Upper Mustang will no longer need to descend to Kagbeni to reach Muktinath.

Instead, people from Chhusang and higher areas will be able to travel via Tetang using the alternative ring road, making travel shorter and more convenient. The completed road is also expected to greatly ease transportation for residents of Chhengur, Jhong, Pudak and Tetang villages in the Varagung Muktikshetra area. -- RSS