FIRST FAMILY CAR TRIP MUSTANG VALLEY NEPAL FROM INDIA.

MUKTINATH THROUGH THE WORLD’S DEEPEST GORGE

AN 815cc. 4 WHEELER VENTURE

FIRST FAMILY CAR TRIP MUSTANG VALLEY NEPAL FROM INDIA.

Route – NAIHATI TO MUKTINATH (INDO NEPAL)

Organized By: SUJOY MONDAL & FAMILY (Self drive, self car)

“REPORT”

SUMMARY DAY SCHEDULE

21^ST OCTOBER, 2018 TO 01^ST NOVEMBER, 2018

21^st October: Started from Naihati at 3 am. Reached Muzaffarpur (Bihar) at 8.30 pm..

22^nd October: Left Muzaffarpur at 7am. Crossed Raxaul-Birgang border (Indo-Nepal) and Reached Hetauda at 8 pm.

23^rd October: Started from Hatauda at 8am. Reached Pokhara at 6pm.

24^th October:  Stayed at Pokhara for permission for Mustang valley and Muktinath.

25^TH October: Started from Pokhra at 7am. Reached Typliang at 5pm.

26^th October: Started from Typliang at 7 am. Reached Kobang at 4pm.

27^th October: Started from Kobang at 8am. Reached Kagbeni (Upper Mustang) at 2.30pm.

28^th October: Started from Kagbeni (Upper Mustang) at 8.30am, reached Muktinath at 9.30am, spent 3hrs. at the Mandir. Came back to Lete at 4 pm.

29^th October: Started from Lete at 8.45am and reached Beni at 5 pm. Then reached Pokhara at 9 pm.

30^th October: Stayed in Pokhara for car wash and rest.

31^st October: Started at 10 am. Entered India at 6 pm. Reached raxual 8.30pm.

01^st November: Started from Raxual at 3 am. Reached home in Naihati at 11.30 pm.

MEMBER LIST:-

·        SUJOY MONDAL. (Leader & Driver)

·        SUJOYA GOSWAMI MONDAL. (Manager )

·        SOHAM MONDAL. (Photographer & Navigator)

                                                                             

OUR ROUTE MAP

CAR USED: HYUNDAI EON DLITE+

REG. NO.: WB 24Y 7058

ROUTE: Naihati-Durgapur-Dhanbad-Bodhgaya-Jahanabad-Patna-Muzaffarpur-Motihari-Raxaul-Birganj-Hetauda-Bharatpur-Pokhara-Beni-Tiplyang-Kobang-Kagbeni-Muktinath-Lete-Pokhara-Raxaul-Naihati.

TOTAL KILOMETER COVERD: - 2579 K.M.

STATE CROSSED :- WESTBENGAL – JHARKHAND – BIHAR

COUNTRIES CROSSED :- India – Nepal .

FIRST FAMILY CAR TRIP FROM WESTBENGAL. 

FIRST FAMILY CAR TRIP MUSTANG VALLEY NEPAL FROM INDIA.

DETAILS REPORT :

21^ST October 18: We are three family members ie. Sujoy Mondal (Leader CUM Driver of this venture), Sujoya Goswami Mondal (Quartermaster cum Manager of the team), Soham Mondal (Photographer cum Navigator of this team). Three of us started from our home town, Naihati for Muzaffarpur at 3.30am in the morning. The route we followed was through Kalyani exp.way, then crossed Ishwar Gupta Setu, drove through Magra-Gurap road. At Dhasghara, we took Durgapur Expressway which was followed by NH 19. At 5.19am we crossed Palsit Toll Plaza. At 6.15am, we crossed Banskopa, at 8.07am we crossed Beliyad, at 10.43am Ghanghari, at 11.56am Rasoiya, and then Muzaffarpur section at 20.03 pm.  Finally we took shelter in muzaffarpur at 9.00.pm. Upto  Bodhyagaya we followed NH2, also called NH19. It was nice and was 4 lane highway. After that, NH22 was a single lane road. Somewhere, construction works were going on for 4 lane. Road condition was not good in this stretch. We covered a total of 696 km. We spent 17hrs. on road, including rest, breakfast, lunch, tea, road jam etc.

22^nd October 18: We started from Muzaffarpur at 8.00am. We crossed Parsoni Toll Plaza at 8.41am. We reached Raxual at 1.00am but we had to face huge traffic jam of three and a half hrs. near Birganj border. So we finally got permission at Raxaul-Birganj border for Nepal at 14.27 pm. After entering Nepal we had our lunch at Birganj. We took permission for our car for 12 days in total. The fee for 12 days was 5424.00 INR from Customs Office near border. After that, we followed Tribhuban highway, then east-west highway. We took shelter at 8 pm at Hetauda. Bihar roads were horrible up to the border, after crossing the border 5km was bad road in Nepal with huge traffic, then it was better.

23^rd October 18: We started for Pokhara at 8 am from Hetauda. It was a nice sunny morning with nice roads. We went through some Nepali tribal villages, we crossed Parsha Wildlife Reserve’s forest, nice dense forest. Its green environment will give you peace of mind. Then we crossed dense Chitwan National Park. We got to see two deer in the forest from the roadside. We took pictures and enjoyed the silence of dense jungle. Finally we reached Pokhara at 5.30pm. We took shelter at Holly lodge near the Phewa lake. We got welcome tea and we felt fresh with the landlady’s pleasant warm reception, unforgettable. Hotel had its own parking so that was nice for us.

24^th October 18: It was a busy day for us at Pokhara. At 9am we had our breakfast and then we took the car for a checkup at a local garage before the final off-road conditions after Beni. At 12pm we reached the Nepal Tourism Board’s office in Pokhara for individual permissions for Mustang Valley. If you are Indian,  you need 1000 rupees per person for the permit for Mustang Valley. We got our id card cum permits and entry receipt from there.  You need 4 copies of passport size photo, and your photo id proof. Within 3pm we completed all the formalities. Afterwards we took local food from a local roadside shop for lunch. And then we were back to lakeside. We witnessed the beautiful sunset at the Phewa lakeside. It was magnificent. We spent some time at the lakeside market buying souvenirs and other things.

25^th October 18: At 7am we left our hotel. As per information, for the next 100km the road was metalled. Then, after Beni, off-road starts. We had no definite plan for our destination for the day. As it was off-road, how many km we would be able to cover we didn’t know as our car was also a low clearance, 2 wheel drive city car. So we decided after Beni we would go slowly as per road condition and before sun down we will take shelter wherever we reached. Pokhara to Beni is mountain roads with ups and down and bends. At near about 1pm we reached Beni. Beni has the last petrol pump enroute Muktinath although you can get fuel from local shops in bottles after Beni. So we had our lunch and also filled full tank with petrol. Now off-road started. I cannot explain how intimidating it can feel to drive off-road. You have to be careful with the littlest of factors to drive safe. Our car is a low clearance car. Here only high clearance SUVs are running fine like the Bolero or the Scorpio. Also our car is low in power. So today at 4.30pm we reached a small village called Typliang and stayed here for the night. Started from Beni at 2:30pm and reached typliang at 5.30pm; so it was 3hrs of driving and I covered only 35 km.

26^th October 18: We started from Typliang at 9am. The hotel owner told me that it is quite impossible for my car to cross even Tatopani. He declared that after Tatopani you cannot go further. It was a mental pressure to me and so were every negative comment about us being able to make it to Muktinath on our car. Another problem that arised is that there was an unusual sound coming from the engine. I was a little tensed. So I asked a local driver to examine the situation. He drove the car for a test and told me to go slowly and carefully. The sound was of the release bearing, may be it needed to be changed. But he also encouraged that the car can go if driven skillfully and given it the time it needed. At Jomsom as there is mechanic shop, I had the option to change it. So I started carefully and faced the off-road. I didn’t know the road condition, so tried to go carefully. Had to cross various nalas and streams, some being more than knee deep. All roads are non-metalled and full of boulders, all naked. Its harmful for low clearance car like mine. Any time rocks could hit our oil tank or engine portion or engine oil tank; so every rotation of the wheels had to be calculated. Anyways I crossed the ups and downs very carefully. Sometimes I crossed the hurdles without the members in the car.  Sujoya and Soham sometimes had to walk the severe patches of roads as I made the car climb them up. This was no problem for me. I saw Scorpios also emptying for some patches of road. Bolero drivers also told their passengers to empty the vehicle to cross the patch. It was full of dust and slippery boulders. At 4.30pm we called it a day and stayed at Kobang coz we were very tired. In addition to such road conditions, high altitude and cold winds are a problem in this region. I crossed only 40 km. today within 8 hrs. Only 1^st and 2^nd gears used for today’s climb. So engine cool down is necessary for a healthy drive.

27^th October 18: We started at 8am after having our breakfast at Kobang. Road was too tough; we also crossed Marpha valley. Its semi arid beauty is unexplainable. Its breathtaking beauty mesmerizes and fills you with happiness. Its landscaping is different and unique in itself. I had seen the moonland in Ladakh. Here also I saw similar features of landscape. Same colure of mountains. It is indescribable. Anyways I crossed the ups and downs of its naked boulder roads very carefully. Sometimes my wheels free rotated in roads and slipped in dust and on boulders or moraine. This was the most thrilling adventure for me full of excitement and enjoyable driving on the off-roads. The winding boulder filled paths give you a different pleasure of off-road driving. It’s a significant experience of off-road driving. Today we reached Kagbeni at 2.30pm after covering 30km within 6 hrs. We took shelter over there and enjoyed the Upper Mustang Valley. Its beauty is unexplainable.

28^th October 18: This was the most thrilling day for us. Our dream to reach Muktinath with small car was very close to us, so we started at 8.30am for Muktinath. It was a nice metalled road for the final 12km, with a high gradient. So only 1^st gear & 2^nd gears used for the upward drive. We reached at the last mile stone stating Muktinath 0km. and this was a great pleasure to us. We finally reached the dream place. Mission accomplished. From that point the actual temple complex was a 2km trek away. We parked our car and walked to the mandir, we spent few hours for puja and rituals. Then back to Kagbani hotel, had our lunch and got down to Lete through that off-road again full of patience. We reached Lete at 4.30 pm.

29^th October 18: We started from Lete at 8.45am and reached Beni at 5.00pm. It was off-road and full of loose boulders with moraine filled dust roads. At Beni, we saw again the metalled roads and were so happy. Finally we were back to Pokhara at 9pm.

30^th October18: Rest day for car wash and mental and physical rest. And we celebrated our safe return to Pokhara.

31^st October18: Now the time to go back home had come. So we started at 9.45am after having our breakfast. We crossed border at 5 pm. Entering India again and at 8.00pm we reached Raxaul and took Shelter for few hrs.

01^st November 18: Finally we reached home. Today we started early at 3.00am and safely at home at 11.30pm. We covered a total of 760km. On the way we had our breakfast, lunch and tea break too. We crossed Parsoni toll plaza at 4.57am, Hajipur at 7.18am, Rasoiya at 2.20pm, Ghangari at 15.25pm, Beliyaj at 18.14pm, Banskopa at 19.41pm, Palsit at 22.00 hrs. All the toll plaza slips are attached in page 2.

Thanking you.
Sujoy mondal
9830290830/9477150743