Annapurnas, Dhaulagiri and Mustang area

Annapurna (Sanskrit, Nepali, Nepal Bhasa: अन्नपूर्णा) is a section of the Himalayas in north-central Nepal that includes 8,091 m (26,545 ft) Annapurna I, thirteen additional peaks over 7,000 m (22,970 ft) and 16 more over 6,000 m (19,690 ft). This section is a 55 km-long (34 mi-long) massif bounded by the Kali Gandaki Gorge on the west, the Marshyangdi River on the north and east, and Pokhara Valley on the south. Annapurna I is tenth among Earth's fourteen eight-thousanders. 8167 metre Dhaulagiri I rises 34 km to the west across the Kali Gandaki Gorge, considered Earth's deepest canyon.

Annapurna is a Sanskrit name which literally means "full of food" (feminine form), but is normally translated as Goddess of the Harvests. In Hinduism, Annapurna is "... the universal and timeless kitchen-goddess ... the mother who feeds. Without her there is starvation, a universal fear: This makes Annapurna a universal goddess ... Her most popular shrine is located in Kashi, on the banks of the river Ganga." Her association with the giving of food (wealth) led her in time to be transformed into Lakshmi, the Goddess of Wealth.

Mustang (from the Tibetan mun tan (Wylie: smon-thang), meaning "fertile plain") is the former Kingdom of Lo. It now forms part of north-central Nepal, bordering China on the Tibetan plateau between the provinces of Dolpo and Manang. The culture is Tibetan Buddhist.

The Kingdom of Lo, the traditional Mustang region and "Upper Mustang" are one and the same, comprising the northern two-thirds of the present-day Nepalese Mustang District. They are well-marked by official "Mustang" border signs just north of Kagbeni – where a police post checks permits for non-Nepalese seeking to enter the region – and at Gyu La (pass) east of Kagbeni.

Life in Mustang revolves around tourism, animal husbandry and trade. Apart from nine kilometers between Chhusang and Syangboche (just south of Ghiling (Geling)), it is bisected, as of August 2010, by a new road linking it to the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) to the north and to the rest of Nepal to the south. Plans call for these final nine kilometers to be linked within the next few years, at which time the road would become the lowest drivable corridor through the Himalayas linking the Tibetan Plateau to the tropical Indian plains. Ther highest point would be 4660 m at Kora La on the Mustang-TAR border. Currently, the easiest and only widely used road corridor, from Kathmandu to Lhasa via the Arniko Rajmarg (Arniko Highway), traverses a 5125 m pass.

Mustang District, a part of Dhaulagiri Zone, is one of the seventy-five districts of Nepal, a landlocked country of South Asia. The district, with Jomsom as its headquarters, covers an area of 3,573 km² and has a population (2001) of 14,981.

The district straddles the Himalayas and extends northward onto the Tibetan plateau where the former Lo Kingdom of Mustang is found, comprising the northern two-thirds of the Mustang District. This kingdom was officially abolished by the Nepalese government on October 7, 2008. In addition to trekking routes through the Lo Kingdom ("Upper Mustang") and along the Annapurna Circuit in lower Mustang, the district is famous for the springs and village of Muktinath (a popular Hindu and Buddhist pilgrimage site), apples, and Marpha brandy. Mustang was a lost kingdom of Tibet, and although it is now part of Nepal, traditions remains purely Tibetan in the former Lo Kingdom ("Upper Mustang.")

Charang, Chhonhup, Chhoser, Chhusang, Dhami, Jhong, Jomsom, Kagbeni, Kowang, Kunjo, Lete, Lo Manthang, Marpha, Muktinath, Surkhang, Tukuche

The Dhaulagiri massif in Nepal extends 120 km from the Kaligandaki River west to the Bheri. This massif is enclosed on the north and southwest by tributaries of the Bheri and on the southeast by Myagdi Khola. Dhaulagiri I at 8,167 metres (26,795 ft) ranks seventh among Earth's fourteen peaks over eight thousand metres. It was first climbed on May 13, 1960 by a Swiss/Austrian/Nepali expedition.

The mountain's name is धौलागिरी (dhaulāgirī) or धवलागिरी (dhawalāgirī) in Hindi and Nepali. This comes from Sanskrit where धवल (dhawala) means dazzling, white, beautiful and गिरि (giri) means mountain. Dhaulagiri I is also the highest point of the Gandaki river basin.

Annapurna I (8,091m/26,545 ft) is only 34 km. east of Dhaulagiri I. The Kaligandaki River flows between through its notable gorge, said to be the world's deepest. The town Pokhara is south of the Annapurnas, an important regional center and the gateway for climbers and trekkers visiting both ranges as well as a tourist destination in its own right.

Dhaulagiri (or Dhawalagiri) is one of the fourteen zones of Nepal. It comes under the Western division of Nepal. Baglung is the headquarters of this zone. Famous trekking areas like Mustang, Muktinath, Kali Gandaki valley and Mt Dhaulagiri fall in this zone. Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve, the only hunting reserve in Nepal is spread over Baglung and Myagdi districts of this Zone.

Dhaulagiri is divided into 4 districts, listed below with the headquarters in parentheses: