Industry & Tourism

The Temple Where Fire Burns on Water: Inside Nepal's Strangest Sacred Site at 12,343 Feet

At Muktinath, a natural-gas flame flickers directly above a cold mountain spring — a geological quirk that Hindus and Buddhists have both worshipped…

By Laxman Rawal · Aug 4, 2026

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Twelve days into the Annapurna Circuit, after the trail climbs out of Kagbeni's wind-scoured desert onto the Mustang plateau, trekkers reach a small stone shrine where the ground itself catches fire. Inside the Jwala Mai temple, next to the main Muktinath…

Travel Himalaya Nepal · News

What this means for trekkers

Muktinath isn't a detour — it already sits on two of Nepal's most-walked routes. It's the turnaround point of the classic Jomsom-Muktinath trek and a fixed waypoint on the Annapurna Circuit, reached either on foot over the 5,416m Thorong La from Manang, or by…

Travel Himalaya Nepal · News

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