
Days
16 Days
Arrival City
Kathmandu
Departure City
Kathmandu
Best Season
Sept – Dec, March – May
Max Altitude
3,840m
Accommodation
Hotel/lodge (3-star standard; 4–5 star accommodation available for a supplement)
Transportation
Private vehicle/flight
Difficulty
Moderate
Group Size
2 - 16
Upper Mustang Trekking, also known as trekking to Lo – Manthang is popular as cold desert trekking in Nepal among serious adventure seekers. Upper Mustang trekking is specially focused in remote trekking area. Upper Mustang Trek explorers thousands of years old monasteries around the Himalayan deserts of Nepal. Mustang is a typical valley & is known as hidden treasure of Nepal. The landscapes are really amazing through lots of small caves which are thousands of years old. The northern part of Upper Mustang area is jointed with the Tibetan plateau. Upper Mustang area is rain shadow area so the trek is idea for monsoon season. Another interesting fact about the Upper Mustang is that people have their own Local King of Mustang. Upper Mustang Trek is the most popular trekking route among all camping treks of Nepal.
Entering Upper Mustang was prohibited for foreigners until 1992 and this land is still forbidden for individual trekkers so that the trekking should be arranged by a company in group basis. You will also need an Immigration Permit issued by Department of Immigration, Nepal. Normally, Upper Mustang trekking starts after a scenic flight to Jomsom which is about half an hour. Jomsom is a beautiful valley which is mostly windy during the day. Jomsom is also the capital city of whole Mustang District. From Jomsom the trekking goes slowly to high regions looking like deserts. Upper Mustang area is home of Tibetan influenced people & can be found them with their untouched typical culture. The trekking region is comparatively expensive than Annapurna, Everest & Langtang Regions of Nepal.
Upper Mustang Trek basically includes scenic flight to Jomsom through white snowcapped mountains of Nepal, discovering the hidden kingdom of Nepal, Dhaulagiri, Annapurna, Nilgiri and Mustang Himalayan ranges, amazing caves, natural landscapes, the king of Mustang, untouched Tibetan cultures.
📍 Route: Kathmandu ➔ PoKhara ➔ Jomsom ➔ Charang ➔ Lo-Manathang ➔ Dakamar ➔ Kagbeni ➔ Pokhara ➔ Kathmandu
After landing at the Tribhuwan International Airport, we will be greeted by a representative of Himanshu tours who will drop us off at our hotel. We then check-in at the hotel, freshen up and take a rest. In the evening, group will give a information about our trek. Overnight in Kathmandu.
We have breakfast then leave for Pokhara, also known as The Lake City owing to the large number of lakes in the city. Upon our arrival in Pokhara, we are rewarded with magnificent views of the Himalayas including Dhaulagiri (8,167m/26,794ft), Manaslu (8,156m/26,759ft), Machhapuchhre (6,993m/22,943ft), the five peaks of Annapurna and others. We then check-in to our hotel and take a rest. We enjoy boating in the Fewa Lake and stroll in the city’s quaint streets. Overnight in Pokhara.
Today we will take an early morning flight to Jomsom which is famous for its apples, strong winds and the landscape. We begin our trek on an open trail alongside a beautiful valley. We pass through Eaklibatti village before reaching Jomsom which is ideally located at the bank of two rivers. The village is beautiful with flat-roofed houses and also has ruins of an old fortress. Overnight in Kagbeni.
We get our permits checked then begin our trek on a trail alongside the Kali Gandaki River. We walk on sand amidst strong winds before ascending on a hill. We reach the Tangbe Village and admire its narrow alleyways, white-washed houses, barley and buckwheat fields, and apple orchards. We continue our walk and pass another village and cross a river on our way. Next, we walk on a ridge before reaching Chele Village. Overnight in Chele.
Our trek from today will be a little hard compared to what we experienced before. Our walk today involves crossing two passes, Taklam La pass (3,624m) and Dajori La pass (3,735). On our way, we enjoy great views of Tilicho, Yakawa Kang and Damodar Danda and pass by Ramchung Cave. We descend further and reach Samar Village. From here we walk on a trail above the village and reach a ridge. Next, we descend on a steep trail to a stream and continue our trek to Syanboche. Overnight in Syanboche.
We ascend to the Yamda La pass at 3,850m. On the way, we pass by a few teahouses, chortens and beautiful villages. We trek through poplar forests and barley fields and reach Nyi Pass at 4,010m. From here, we descend to Ghami which is one of the biggest villages in the Lo region. The village is beautiful with fields surrounding the entire village. Overnight in Ghami.
Our trek today begins with a descent through a rough and often slippery trail. We then cross a suspension bridge over the Ghami Khola and begin ascending. The pathway is beautiful with mani walls along the trail. Next, we cross the Tsarang La Pass at 3870m and reach Tsarang village. The village lies atop the Charang Chu canyon with a huge fortress and a red gompa towards its east. Overnight in Tsarang.
We begin our trek by descending to a canyon and cross a river before beginning our uphill trek to Lo La pass which at 3950m. From the top of the pass we can admire the beautiful Lo Manthang village. From the pass we descend to Lo Manthang which is a beautiful walled village. From here the views of the Himalayas including Nilgiri, Tilicho and Annapurna I, Bhrikuti Peak as well as Damodar Kunda (pond) is quite good. Overnight in Lo-Manthang.
Lo Manthang is a walled town of the remote Upper Mustang region of Nepal. We spend the day touring three major gompas of the town namely Jhampa, Thupchen and Chhoeda. All of these gompas have undergone expert restoration over the last two decades. We can also trek to Tingkhar which is a beautiful village located north-west of Lo-Mangthang. Overnight in Lo Manthang.
We trek on a different route when returning from Lo-Manthang. Our trail passes through Gyakar village which houses a century old Ghar Gompa with beautiful rock paintings. According to a local legend, anyone who makes a wish at the Gompa will have it fulfilled. We explore the Gompa and continue our trek to Drakmar for an overnight stay.
We start our trek early to avoid strong winds and descend for the most part of the trek. Our trail passes through a dry plateau and fields before reaching Ghiling. The walk can be relatively difficult as we are most likely to experience strong winds on our face. Ghiling is mostly dry, but we still get good views of Dhaulagiri and Nilgiri mountains. We can tour the village around the evening. Overnight in Ghiling.
We begin our trek after breakfast. We walk on the same trail as before going up to Lo Manthang. On the way to Chhuksang we can enjoy great views of the Himalayas and small villages we pass en route. Overnight in Chhuksang.
Today is the last day of our trek and it is a long one. After trekking for a while, we come to an end of our Mustang trails and join the trails of the Annapurna circuit. We stop for lunch at Kagbeni. After lunch, we continue our trek to Jomsom for an overnight stay.
We take an early morning flight to Pokhara. The airplane passes through a gorge between Annapurna and Dhaulagiri mountains making the flight itself an amazing experience. After arriving in Pokhara, we can spend the rest of the day in leisure. Overnight in Pokhara.
After breakfast, we say goodbye to the beautiful northern skyline of Pokhara and drive towards Kathmandu. This will be a journey along river banks with wonderful views of terraced hills and the rural Nepalese lifestyle. After reaching Kathmandu, we take a rest or do some souvenir shopping. To celebrate the successful completion of our journey, we will have a farewell dinner in the evening. Overnight in Kathmandu.
Our Upper Mustang Trek in Nepal comes to an end today! A representative from Himanshu Tours will take us to the airport approximately three hours before the scheduled flight. On our flight back home, we take with us amazing memories of our Lo Manthang trip and Nepal.
This trip runs on a customizable, on-request basis — choose your own start date and we'll build the group and logistics around it.
📍 Route: Kathmandu ➔ PoKhara ➔ Jomsom ➔ Charang ➔ Lo-Manathang ➔ Dakamar ➔ Kagbeni ➔ Pokhara ➔ Kathmandu
Every itinerary can be adjusted for extra acclimatization days, private departures, or combining with another region. Mention it in your enquiry and we'll rework the day-by-day plan accordingly.
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