The restricted area of Upper Mustang looks like Tibet, and its people live like Tibetans. The landscape here has the lunar quality of the trans-Himalaya, with no trees, dramatic ochre cliffs, biting blue skies, and fierce winds that pick up during the day. The distinctive buildings with their grey, white, ochre and yellow stripes (all natural rock pigments) are a legacy of the Sakya school of Buddhism practised here, and the packed earth, sun-baked bricks, and large boulders are brought together to form remarkably sophisticated structures such as the walled capital city of Lo Manthang with its high palace.