Mountain Calling: Toyota Rush Mustang Road Trip

Mustang… a land isolated from the modern yet chaotic world. A land tucked away behind some of the harshest of roads the country has seen. We are not going to write paragraphs about Mustang like an arrogant princess and spoil it for you because we believe that every person in this country should go visit this land at least once before they kick the bucket. We’ll only tell you this… the sheer beauty of the place still manages to send tingles down our spines, which is why when United Traders Syndicate led on with their campaign to take the all-new Toyota Rush to Mustang and invited us to be one of their media teams, we couldn’t say no.Beginning from 5^th of March and ending on the 10^th this campaign would serve as a way for UTS to get away and interact with the automotive media houses of the country, but mainly this 6-day trip would serve as a testament to the Rush’s off-road capabilities on one of the most treacherous roads in the world. And right off the bat, we’ll tell you this… the Toyota Rush is a highly capable off-roader because if it weren’t then we wouldn’t have made it back in one piece and this article wouldn’t have been possible.[gallery size="full" ids="8885,8886,8887,8888"]Our journey started at 8 in the morning at the UTS Headquarters in Dhumbarai. The team from Toyota greeted us and took us to our cars. A convoy of 9 vehicles comprised of 7 Toyota Rush SUVs and 2 Toyota Hilux support pick-ups. After everyone had fastened their seatbelts the event was underway and we were off to Pokhara. One of the things that stood out was how spacious the Rush felt even with four passengers on board, with enough room to stretch your legs the rear reclining seats made us look back on how all our road trips in the past would have been so much comfier if we had the Toyota Rush.[gallery size="full" ids="8894,8891,8893,8892,8889,8890"]We arrived at Chumlingtar and stopped at Siddartha Riverside Resort where our starving convoy finally had lunch after which an interaction session was held amongst the UTS team and the media representatives. Leaving the comfort of the resort behind, we made our way for Pokhara savoring every moment of the relaxing drive on the route knowing that road ahead would be everything but asphalt. After reaching Pokhara, we filled ourselves with a Thakali and hit the bed early because tomorrow was going to be a long day.[gallery size="full" ids="8897,8898,8899,8900,8901,8902,8903,8904"]The next day, everyone showed up in front of the hotel at 5 in the morning. Packing our belongings we made our way towards Mustang leaving the mesmerizing view of Sarangkot along the way. Towards Beni and the black asphalt that we love so much had disappeared, and the proving grounds for the Toyota Rush had begun. The roads started narrowing down as the Rush effortlessly rolled on absorbing all that the terrain had to offer. Having driven past Beni Bazar we made Kaligandaki Resort our lunch point, after all, you can’t off-road with an empty stomach.[gallery size="full" ids="8908,8905,8909,8910,8911,8912,8913"]The kilometers and hours went by sluggishly and after a 10-hour drive, we reached our stop for the night, Lete. We checked into a guest house which had a postcard of a view. Surrounded by the Himalayas, the Mt. Annapurna, Mt. Dhaulagiri and Mt. Nilgiri looked spectacular. The hospitality of the locals made us feel that we weren’t tourists at all, but one of them. As the sun went down, the weather became chilly. We cozied up to sleep preparing for an early start the next day.[gallery size="full" ids="8914,8915,8917,8918"]After a heavy breakfast the third day, we made our way for Muktinath. We made a stop at the ever cheerful Jomsom then as we ascended towards Muktinath via Kagbeni the track was mostly off-road, it was after Kagbeni that we were greeted by asphalt which we had been dearly missing. We took the tarmac to our destination gazing at the view left by the snow bordered roads. The Rush climbed effortlessly on the snow paved, slippery road and we arrived at Muktinath rather easily than what we had predicted. We checked into our hotel, the UTS team had planned a cocktail dinner and like how the Toyota Rush effortlessly climbed the roads leading here, the booze, in the same way, effortlessly fought away all the cold.[gallery size="full" ids="8919,8921,8920"]On the fourth day, our convoy stopped at Jomsom for lunch and made our way to Dhumba Lake. Being awestruck by the lake and basking in its beauty we passed through an equally beautiful village of Marpha. We finally made it back to our hotel. Later that night, amidst the local snacks and liquor we put an end to what had been a beautiful journey to one of the best places in the country. We celebrated into the night and headed back to Pokhara the next morning leaving behind a place that is truly a grandeur by the gods above. Humping and bumping past Beni’s off-road again we made it to Pokhara. The UTS team threw a cocktail dinner celebrating the capabilities of their small SUV, we all raised a toast for the Toyota Rush.[gallery size="full" ids="8928,8927,8924,8925,8926"]We made it back with fond memories of the place and with an assurance that the Toyota Rush can handle the most treacherous roads the country has to offer with confidence. We would like to thank the UTS team for their hospitality and for including us in this campaign. And as for testing their SUV’s capability on one of the most dangerous roads in the country… we can say that the Toyota Rush, has passed it with flying colors.[gallery size="full" ids="8934,8933,8932,8935,8931"]