Muktinath Helicopter Pilgrimage

The 108 Sacred Waters: A Helicopter Pilgrimage to Muktinath High in the Mustang region of north-central Nepal, at an altitude of 3,710 metres, lies one of the most extraordinary sacred sites in the Himalaya. Muktinath, known to Hindus as the place of liberation ( mukti means salvation) and to Buddhists as Chumig Gyatsa (the Hundred Waters), is a temple complex where an eternal flame burns on water, where 108 ice-cold spouts pour sacred water in an unbroken stream, and where pilgrims have come for centuries to wash away the karma of a lifetime. For most of its history, reaching Muktinath required weeks of arduous trekking through the Kali Gandaki gorge, the deepest river gorge on earth. Today, a helicopter can take you there and back in a single day, making one of Hinduism's most revered shrines accessible to those who cannot undertake the long overland journey. This one-day helicopter pilgrimage from Kathmandu is the fastest, most comfortable way to complete a darshan (sacred viewing) of Muktinath. You fly directly from Kathmandu to Ranipauwa, the helipad just below the temple, in approximately ninety minutes. On the ground, you have two to three hours to visit the temple, bathe un