Culture · Lo Manthang, Nepal
A morning inside the walls of Lo
Walk the lanes of Lo Manthang as the town wakes: herders driving goats out through the gate, women at the water point, the royal palace, prayer wheels and stupas, and the view from the walls across barley fields to the brown hills of Lo.
Photo: Wimbex · CC BY-SA 3.0 · CommonsLo Manthang's wall encloses a compact town of about 150 houses, a palace and several gompas. Traditionally, the single main gate in the north wall was closed at night. Start there at about 7 am, when herders take goats, sheep and horses out to graze and villagers turn the prayer wheels by the gate.
Walk past the royal palace, a tall four-storey building of mud brick with carved windows, home of the kings of Lo until the monarchy ended in 2008. Some years parts of it are open; ask your guide. Then wander the lanes past whitewashed houses with juniper and firewood stacked on their roofs and courtyards where barley is threshed after harvest.
Climb to a rooftop cafe or a point above the town for the view of the wall, the fields outside it and the bare hills beyond. In spring, this square fills for Tiji. Keep your voice down near houses and do not enter courtyards uninvited.
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Questions
Before you book
Can I visit the royal palace in Lo Manthang?
Access varies by year and with the family's wishes. Ask your guide on arrival. Respect any closures.
Is Lo Manthang still ruled by a king?
No. The local monarchy was ended by the Government of Nepal on 7 October 2008. The royal family remains respected locally.
How big is Lo Manthang?
Small enough to walk around inside the walls in under an hour, with a few hundred residents in the old town and more in the newer houses outside.