Trip Overview
The region is also known as the ‘Last Forbidden Kingdom’ (organised treks only started visiting the region in 1992, and numbers are restricted with an average of less than 1,000 visiting each year) and it is steeped in undisturbed Tibetan Buddhist culture with ancient monasteries, traditional villages and cave dwellings high up on the cliffs, as well as the stunning architecture on view at the walled city of Lo Manthang (capital of Mustang region).
The Upper Mustang trek in to the remote Trans-Himalayan Region of this semi-independent Tibetan Kingdom offers an adventurous 14 day itinerary with spectacular trekking through striking semi-arid desert with colourful rock formations, deep ravines and snow-capped peaks surrounding you. The history, culture, myth and legend blends perfectly with the stunning scenery.
In common usage, the name Mustang refers to the arid Tibet-like region at the northern end of the Kali Gandaki (known to its inhabitants as Lo). Mustang has a long, rich and complex history that makes it one of the most interesting places in Nepal. The early history of Lo is shrouded in legend, myth and mystery, but there are records of events in Lo as early as the 8th century. It is quite likely that the Tibetan poet Milarepa, who lived from 1040 to 1123, visited Lo. In Lo itself the countryside is similar to the Tibetan plateau with its endless expanses of yellow and grey rolling hills eroded by wind. There is more rain in the lower part of upper Mustang and the hills tend to be great red fluted cliffs of tiny round stones cemented together by mud. Villages are several hours apart and appear in the distance almost as mirages; during the summer season, after the crops are planted, they are green oasis in the desert-like landscape.
Below is a short clip from independent traveller and film maker Yannick Calonge which perfectly captures the essence and beauty of the people and region.
Detail Itinerary
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- Day1
Drive to Pokhara (820m / 2,690ft) west of the Kathmandu Valley
Itinerary Facts Driving Hours 205km / 127miles) 6-7 hrs After an early breakfast, we travel to Pokhara on a tourist bus. The journey will take around 6 to 7 hours. On our way, we can see the picturesque Trishuli and Marsyangdi rivers. Pokhara is a beautiful river valley known for its panoramic views of Annapurna and Machapuchare in the north, Dhaulagiri in the west, Manasulu and Lamjung Himal in the east. Pokhara is a tourist paradise complete with the most modern comforts.
- Overnight stay at Silver Oaks Inn (room with attached bathroom)
- Day2
Fly from Pokhara to Jomsom (2,720m / 8,915ft) and trek to Kagbeni (2,800m / 9,500ft)
Itinerary Facts Flight Hours 25 minutes Trek Distance 11.4km / 7miles Highest Altitude 2,800m / 9,500ft Trek Duration 4 hrs We take an early morning flight to Jomsom. During the early morning, the weather is the clearest, and you will see spectacular mountain views – including two eight-thousanders mountains – Dhaulagiri and Annapurna. The landscape below is absolutely breathtaking.
We land in Jomsom – the district headquarter of Mustang. The trekking starts from Jomsom. The route follows a pleasant trail up the arid valley of the Kali Gandaki River to the fort of Kagbeni, an ancient trade post with a Buddhist monastery. Kagbeni is just south of the restricted area of the Upper Mustang.
- Overnight stay at Hotel New Annapurna (room with attached bathroom)
- Included meals (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
- Day3
Trek from Kagbeni (2,800m / 9,500ft) to Chele (3,055m / 10,025ft)
Itinerary Facts Trek Distance 11.2km / 6.9miles Highest Altitude 3055m / 10,025ft Trek Duration 5-6 hrs The area above Kagbeni is called Upper Mustang, and you cannot enter the upper Mustang without a permit. There is a check post at the gateway, where we register our documents and trek forward.
We will start our trek early in the morning, along the eastern bank of a Kali Gandaki River to Chuksang, to avoid the heavy Mustang wind in the afternoon. On the way, you will get fantastic views of Mt. Nilgiri glowing orange from the early sun rays. The area beside the river can be windy with dust all over the air, so you will need sunglasses and perhaps a face mask to cover your nose and mouth.
You will then pass by the Mustang’s unique red sandstone pillars and rock formations, formed by thousands of years of erosion, and reach Tangbe Village. Tangbe is a pretty village with red and whitewashed houses, picturesque apple orchards, and barley fields. Then we follow a relatively narrow canyon to Chele, a small town along a ridge. The views from Chele are other-worldly. We are sure you will not get similar views from any other parts of the world.
- Overnight at Mustang Guest House.
- Included meals (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
- Day4
Trek from Chele (3,055m / 10,025ft) to Syangboche (3,930m / 11,400ft)
Itinerary Facts Trek Distance 11.5km / 7.1miles Highest Altitude 3,930m / 11,400ft Trek Duration 5-6 hrs This day’s trek will be considerably challenging as we will be gaining around 800m in height. From Chele, we climb a steep spur and then continue up a steep canyon to Eklo Bhatti and ascend to the Taklam La (3,625 m/11,940 ft), a high pass. We cross the Taklam La pass to reach Samar.
We can catch beautiful views of Mount Nilgiri from Samar. This is also a usual place to stop horses and mule caravans for rest. From Samar, we descend to a large gorge past Rangchyung Chorten – painted red, black, yellow, and white, and trek ahead to reach Syangboche.
- Overnight stay at Hotel Nilgiri (room with attached bathroom)
- Included meals (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
- Day5
Trek from Syangboche (3,930m / 11,400ft) to Ghami (3,520m / 11,535ft)
Itinerary Facts Trek Distance 9.3km / 5.7miles Highest Altitude 3,930m / 11,400ft Trek Duration 5-6 hrs The day begins with an ascent to another pass – the Yamda La (3,845m/12,655 ft) Pass, through an astonishing desert landscape and a few remote settlements. Again, The trail climbs up to a large valley then descends to a wide barley field at Gelling. The mud and stone houses at Gelling are painted white and ochre, just like in Mustang.
From Geling, we reach a settlement – Tama Gaun and climb a pass known as the Nyi La (4015 m/13,205ft). We will be descending from this pass and trek ahead to Ghami.
- Overnight stay at Hotel Lho Ghami (room with attached bathroom)
- Included meals (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
- Day6
Trek from Ghami (3,520m / 11,535ft) to Tsarang (3505m / 11,500ft)
Itinerary Facts Trek Distance 11.2km / 6.9miles Highest Altitude 3,520m / 11,535ft Trek Duration 5-6 hrs This day’s trek takes you through the driest part of Mustang. However, the heavenly countryside perspective you gain compensates for a difficult climb. Finally, we arrive at Tsarang, an extensive spread-out town with around 1000 inhabitants.
- Overnight stay at Hotel Lumbini (room with attached bathroom)
- Included meals (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
- Day7
Trek from Tsarang (3505m / 11,500ft) to Lo Manthang (3810m / 12,135ft)
Itinerary Facts Trek Distance 11.5km / 7.1miles Highest Altitude 3,810m / 12,135ft Trek Duration 5 hrs Starting on flat land, we ascend over yet another pass – Lo La Pass, from where you can enjoy the delightful views of the valley below – including Lo Mathang. We descend from Lo La Pass and enter Lo Mathang from the north.
- Overnight at Hotel Shangri La (room with attached bathroom)
- Included meals (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
- Day8
Rest and exploration day in Lo Manthang
Today will be the day for you to explore the historical Lo Manthang – a walled city with around 150 houses. This ancient city dates back to the 1390s approximately.
Lo Manthang was the walled capital of the Kingdom of Lo since its founding in 1380 by Ame Pal. The village is best known for its tall whitewashed mud-brick walls, gompas, and the royal palace.
This palace is a nine-cornered, five-story structure built around 1400. It is the oldest existing structure with such architecture. This town is also home to four major temples – Jampa Gompa (Jampa Lhakhang), Thubchen Gompa, Chodey Gompa, and Choprang Gompa. Jampa Gompa is the oldest and is also known as God’s house. Similarly, Choprang Gompa is also known as New Gompa. The Nepal government opened Upper Mustang for foreigners in 1992, but, even today, tourism to Upper Mustang remains limited.
- Overnight stay at Hotel Shangri La (room with attached bathroom)
- Included meals (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
- Day9
Trek from Lo Manthang (3,810m / 12,135ft) to Ghami (3,520m / 5,577ft)
Itinerary Facts Trek Distance 16.1km / 10miles Highest Altitude 3,810m / 12,135ft Trek Duration 6/7 hrs From Lo Manthang, we head south towards Kagbeni. However, we will not take the same route we took to arrive at Lo Manthang. As our journey passes through Drakmar, we will also make sure we head to the famous Ghar Monastery decorated with beautiful wall paint. Our trek continues until we reach Ghami.
- Overnight stay at Hotel Lho Ghami (room with attached bathroom)
- Included meals (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
- Day10
Trek from Ghami (3,520m / 5,577ft) to Samar (3,700m / 12,139ft)
Itinerary Facts Trek Distance 13.2km / 8.2miles Highest Altitude 3,700m / 12,139ft Trek Duration 6/7 hrs We trek through the remote and arid landscape carefully, enjoying the magical views all around the path. You will be ascending to reach Chemi La and Yiy La passes and then descend steeply to reach Geling. After Geling, the descent eases as you reach Syangboche, but our destination lies further at Samar. Samar is a Tibetan-style village, complete with mani walls, monastery, and terraced fields.
- Overnight stay at a lodge
- Included meals (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
- Day11
Trek from Samar (3,700m / 12,139ft) to Chhusang (2,980m / 9,776ft )
Itinerary Facts Trek Distance 9.9km / 6.1miles Highest Altitude 2,980m / 9,776ft Trek Duration 5/6 hrs From Samar, we join the regular trekking trail to Chhusang. The trails lead to the Kali Gandaki river bed. We cross this river through a rock tunnel and trek forward to reach Chhusang.
- Overnight stay at Hotel Braka (room with attached bathroom)
- Included meals (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
- Day12
Trek from Chhusang (2,980m / 9,776ft) to Muktinath (3,760m / 12,335ft)
Itinerary Facts Trek Distance 14.5km / 9miles Highest Altitude 3,760m / 12,335ft Trek Duration 6 /7 hrs. Today you will be crossing Gyu La Pass (4077m) as the trek follows the world-famous Annapurna circuit, but you will cross the pass from a different direction. From this pass, you can see several majestic Himalayan peaks extending northwards into Tibet before you, and as you look behind, you can see the Annapurna range.
The trail passes through several ancient villages before reaching Muktinath – a common Hindu and Buddhist holy site. Buddhists call Muktinath ‘Chumig Gyatsa’, which in Tibetan means “A Hundred Waters”. The walled Muktinath temple complex houses a Buddhist monastery, several Hindu shrines, 108 bathing spouts, and an eternal flame.
- Overnight stay at Hotel Town House Muktinath (room with attached bathroom)
- Included meals (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
- Day13
Trek from Muktinath (3,760m /12,335ft) to Jomsom (2,720m/8,915ft)
Itinerary Facts Trek Distance 22km / 13.6miles Highest Altitude 3,760m / 12,335ft Trek Duration 5 hrs You have reached your final day on the trekking trails. We descend to Jharkot and Khingar- where there are beautiful monasteries that you can explore. We gradually lose elevation as we join Jomsom, which sits on the bottom of Kali Gandaki River Valley. Jomsom market area is a huge change from the serene trails and remote villages we visited.
- Overnight stay at Hotel Himalayan Inn (room with attached bathroom)
- Included meals (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
- Day14
Early morning flight from Jomsom to Pokhara (820m / 2,690ft) (and optional flight back to Kathmandu).
Itinerary Facts Flight Hours 25 minutes We bid goodbye to Mustang and catch an early morning flight over the southern Kali Gandaki Valley to Pokhara. Then you can either fly back to Kathmandu or spend a day exploring Pokhara – a famous tourist hub in Nepal.
- Overnight stay at Silver Oaks Inn (room with attached bathroom)
- Included meals (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
- Day15
Drive from Pokhara (820m / 2,690ft) to Kathmandu (1,350m / 4,450ft) 6-7hrs
We depart on a tourist bus for a return to Kathmandu. It’s a 200 km route that first follows Marsyangdi River and then the Trishuli River. If you want, you may choose to return by a 25-minute flight (not included in the package). Your trek package completes at Kathmandu.
- Overnight at your own selected hotel at Kathmandu.
- Included meal (Breakfast)
Trip Includes
- 2 nights Hotel in Kathmandu
- Ktm-Pokhara flights fare
- Guide,cook, kitchen staff ,porters
- Annapurna Conservation Area Project(ACAP) fees
- Mustang permit fee
- Trekker’s Information Management System (TIMS) fees
- All ground transportation
- Insurance for all staff and porters
Trip Excludes
- International flight
- Bar bills
- Tips for staff and porters
- travel insurance
Note: For further details, you are kindly requested to contact us.
