Hidden Himalaya - Humla and Mugu , Nepal

Humla district, one of Nepal’s highest and most inaccessible district, is located in the far northwest of Nepal and has a population of around 45,000 living in scattered enclaves in the lower valleys of the Himalayas, between 1500-7300m altitude. Simikot, the district headquarters (indicated with the yellow dot in the map below), has a dirt airstrip that lands only a few flights per week in good weather.

The closest road-head in Nepal to Humla is nine days walk to the south; and from Tibet six days walk away to the northeast. These isolated mountain communities rely on subsistence farming and minimal trade with Tibet and India.