In the footsteps of Ekai Kawaguchi

Ekai Kawaguchi was a Japanese Buddhist monk who wanted to find original Buddhist texts in Tibet, then closed to foreigners. In 1899 he came to Nepal and travelled up the Kali Gandaki, through Tukuche and Marpha, until he reached Tsarang. Here he settled to study Buddhism and Tibetan rhetoric under a Mongolian Buddhist scholar living in the village, staying for many months. It was an extraordinary journey for its time, made alone and with very little money.

As we walk through Tsarang, your guide tells his story: how he lived among the villagers, learned their language and customs, and prepared for the dangerous crossing. In 1900 he went back to Marpha and then crossed into Tibet over a pass in the Dhaulagiri Himal, reaching Lhasa in disguise. He was the first recorded Japanese citizen to travel to Nepal or Tibet. His journey took great courage and patience.

His book, Three Years in Tibet, published in English in 1909, describes the people and places of Mustang as they were more than a century ago. Reading a few pages before your trip makes Tsarang come alive. We finish at the gompa and the canyon edge, where you can imagine the village as Kawaguchi knew it, before the road, the lodges and the trekkers. Free editions are easy to find online.