Highlights
- Discover Upper Mustang sacred caves that hid ancient Buddhist texts and artwork for centuries.
- Hike the route that carved the red-rock cliffs in high-altitude desert with a dramatic backdrop of impressive 8,000m peaks
- Wander labyrinthine alleys of Upper Mustang villages and well-preserved Tibetan Buddhism monasteries
- Visit medieval fortress - the capital city of Lo Manthang surrounded by white-washed wall reveals a history of prosperity and grandeur
- Experience the flight between the two giant Himalayas Annapurna and Dhaulagiri to Jomsom
Reviews
Itinerary
Welcome to Nepal.
Upon arrival at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, Top1Trekking’s staff will pick you up then transfer you to the hotel located in Thamel, a touristy area in Kathmandu.
Your hotel is in the center of Thamel, a buzzing area contains numerous hotels, restaurants, stores that sell many things from trekking gear, Tibetan singing bowl, prayer flags, mala to metal handicrafts, kukri swords.
Please make sure you are at the hotel by the early evening, as we will have a meeting with our experienced trekking guide and have a brief session about the trip.
Meals Included
- There are no meals included on this day.
Today is free for you to explore Kathmandu.
Or you can choose to book a Kathmandu Day Tour that covers 3 out of 7 World Unesco Heritage Sites in the valley
Meals Included
- Breakfast
Take a drive to Pokhara, the city which is 200km west of Kathmandu.
Leaving the capital behind. The drive will take us the whole day through the countryside landscape and later when Annapurna Range comes into view when we arrive at Pokhara.
Take your time wandering the lakeside street and enjoy the sunset over the Phewa Lake
Meals Included
- Breakfast
Upgrade transportation option: Take a flight from Kathmandu – Pokhara
Take a mountain flight between the towering peaks of Annapurna and Dhaulagiri to Jomsom, the starting point of Upper Mustang Trekking.
Feel the fresh air of the mountain, admire the Nilgiri peak rising above the desert-like landscape. We’ll walk our way along the Kali Gandaki River to Kagbeni, a village at the bank of two rivers.
Meals Included
- Breakfast, lunch & dinner
Average hiking duration: 3-4 hours
Sleeping elevation: 2,858m/8,376ft
Continue heading north along Kali Gandaki River, the trail gradually climbs up and down sandy and the windy trail offers charming scenery with dazzling peaks Kagbeni and Nilgiri mountain at the backdrop.
Reaching Tangbe (for lunch), if you have time discover this traditional upper mustang village with narrow alleyways, white-washed houses
Continue forward to Chusang, crossing river then heads towards Chele through a ridge.
Meals Included
- Breakfast, lunch & dinner
Average hiking duration: 6 hours
Ascent: 430m
Sleeping elevation: 3,050m/10,006ft
The whole route will be on plateaus and little sections with a mix of steep ascent and descent. After passing through the Chele La (3,630m), Bhena La (3,830m), and Yamdo La (4,010m) passes, you descend to Syangboche.
With a layer of mountains on top, you get to see the “Canyon Cliffs Road” in Nepal from the top of the mountain passes.
Meals Included
- Breakfast, lunch & dinner
Average hiking duration: 8-9 hours
Ascent: 920m, Descent: 210m
Sleeping elevation: 3,800m
Take a short gentle climbing to Syangboche La (3,870m), following downhill bypassing Ghiling then uphill toward Nyi La (4,010m)
After leaving the pass, the scenery changes quite dramatically with some of the magnificent views of the Himalayas, valley and bright-yellow mustard fields come in. Trail descent down until you reach Ghemi.
Meals Included
- Breakfast, lunch & dinner
Average hiking duration: 5 hours
Ascent: 590m, Descent: 890m
Sleeping elevation: 3,510m
The hike from Ghemi to Tsarang is mostly “Nepalese” flat means slightly up and down, cross the red, blue, grey cliffs and the longest Mani wall in Nepal.
Trail ascent to the Choya La (3870m) and descent to Tsarang, the formal capital of Upper mustang region has an impressive monastery and former Royal Palace, which you can visit later in the day.
Meals Included
- Breakfast, lunch & dinner
Average hiking duration: 5 hours
Ascent: 440m, Descent: 360m
Sleeping elevation: 3,575m
Leaving Tsarang after breakfast take you down to the river then back up again, crossing the windy pass of Lo La (3,950m) from where you catch your first glimpse of Lo-Manthang, the crowning jewel of the journey, a thriving hub of the salt trade in the 15th and 16th centuries.
The trail then descends along the heavily sanded path leads you to the entrance of the capital of upper mustang. We spend two days discovering the Tibetan kingdom of Lo Manthang.
Meals Included
- Breakfast, lunch & dinner
Average hiking duration: 5 hours
Ascent: 450m, Descent: 200m
Sleeping elevation: 3,800m/12,467ft
Drive to choser village and take a visit to Nyphu Cave monastery, 2500 years old Jhong Sky Cave where typical traditions make us enter the new world of human seniority.
Meals Included
- Breakfast, lunch & dinner
The return route from Lo Manthang turns southwest to Lo Gekar which is off the main trail. Cross the highest pass of the trip the Cho Go La (4325m), the route continues to climb through a ridge then descent through the red color cliff to Drakmar.
Meals Included
- Breakfast, lunch & dinner
Average hiking duration: 7 hours
Ascent: 710m, Descent: 730m
Sleeping elevation: 3,820m
The trail descent to Ghemi then traverse on the same route to Nyi La (4020m) back to Gehling
Meals Included
- Breakfast, lunch & dinner
Average hiking duration: 5 hours
Ascent: 391m, Descent: 595m
Sleeping elevation: 3,570m
Retrace our steps back to Chuksang
Meals Included
- Breakfast, lunch & dinner
Average hiking duration: 5 hours
Ascent: 280m, Descent: 1150m
Sleeping elevation: 2,980m
Back to Kagbeni and finish the 10-day upper mustang restricted permit.
Meals Included
- Breakfast, lunch & dinner
Average hiking duration: 5 hours
Descent: 70m
Sleeping elevation: 2,858m
Easy walk to Jomsom where our mustang trek comes to an end.
Meals Included
- Breakfast, lunch & dinner
Average hiking duration: 3 hours
Take a flight back to Pokhara.
Spend time wandering around the lakeside watching sunset or boating over the Phewa lake or hiking to World Peace Pagoda for a panorama view of the beautiful city with the lake and Annapurna Mountain Ranges.
Optional activity: Take a tandem paragliding for another great experience
Meals Included
- Breakfast
Return to Kathmandu after one day drive.
Spend some last-minute shopping, summarize our trip in Farewell Nepalese dinner with traditional dancing.
Meals Included
- Breakfast & dinner
3 hours before your international flight, our representative will drop you at the airport for your flight toward your next destination. Say goodbye and see you again.
Meals Included
- Breakfast
Payment conditions
Inclusion
- Private transfer between Tribhuvan Internation Airport and Thamel
- Two-way flight ticket between Pokhara and Jomsom
- Accommodation (comfort) for 5 nights with Daily Breakfast
- Professional English-speaking trekking guide, as per itinerary
- Porters (Two guests share a porter)
- Accommodation (Basic) for 12 nights in the mountain with Full Meal
- Trekking Permits: TIMS, ACAP, Upper Mustang Restricted Area
- Map of Upper Mustang Trek and detailed itinerary
- Taxes & service fees
Not include
- Flights to/from Nepal
Meals & drinks (unless otherwise stated) - Personal travel insurance
- Any services not listed above as “Included”
Top1Trekking charges a non-refundable $100 deposit at the time of booking. The remaining amount you will pay on arrival.
Currency rate
All bookings are charged in US DOLLAR (USD)
After booking with Top1Trekking
After booking your tour with Top1Trekking, you will be contacted within two working days by one of our travel consultants, who will be your main contact point for all of your travel information before, during and even after your trip.
Your travel consultant will provide you with details about your booking and your remaining payment (if not paid in full). You will also receive more information about what to expect during your holiday.
Trip Information
MUSTANG HAS ITS TALES
Guru Rinpoche, who had brought Buddhism to Tibet, once passing Mustang he had fought against the Demon among Mustang’s desert canyons.
What we will see today: The red-rock cliffs are Demon’s blood, the longest mani wall nearby is his intestine.
But that’s not the best part.
The Kali Gandaki once were a strategic salt trading route in the region where scientists have some proof that it end up crossing the famous Silk Road.
Mysterious Mustang hides 1,000 year old man-made caves were carved into the rock, approximately 10,000 caves were used as burial chambers, living places, meditation chambers.
Come and experience the way of life of true mountain people, feel the howling winds that create such incredible landscape melting in front of your eyes.
GETTING THERE
The main tourist entry point to Upper Mustang Nepal is by air from Pokhara to Jomsom where most trekkers end their classic trip to Annapurna Circuit
Few others choose the tougher option is by bus along the Kali Gandaki Gorge in 13 hours
TREK ROUTE
Upper Mustang Trek Route also called the Salt Route leads through the bottom of the deepest gorge in the world – the Kali Gandaki
The trail requires crossing several high passes between 3,500m and 4,300m, passing timeless medieval villages, along red-rock cliffs and hidden caves
After 6 days trek we will get to the forbidden kingdom of Lo Manthang, which means “The Southern Plains of Aspiration” and here ancient monasteries, royal palaces, and ruins of fortresses surrounded by a 6-meter white-washed wall. This city is almost untouched by time and modern development.
MUSTANG ROAD CONDITION
Life is changing fast in Mustang, Chinese government plan the road connection with Lo Manthang going through the high pass of Kora La at elevation 4,660 metres (15,300 ft)
From the south, roads are built all the way up to Lo Manthang for moto and 4WD vehicles hence the trek from Kagbeni to Chhusang can’t avoid moto road.
Our default itinerary customizes the return route via Dhakmar and then continue to Muktinath to avoid the main road.
VARIATIONS
- The tougher option is to follow the classic Mustang trek with the mind-blowing trail from Yara to Muktinath at the base of the Annapurna. Take this route you should be preparing for the long day from Tange to Tetang (9-11 hours)
- If you are short on time, you can trek up to Lo man thang then return by the Upper Mustang Jeep Tour from the capital to Jomsom.
WHY IS UPPER MUSTANG RESTRICTED?
The Tibetan kingdom
Geographically part of a Tibetan plateau with passes on its northern border is easy to cross, this area once was a strategic trade route between Tibet and India and was a wealthy kingdom.
The Gorkha unification
Later became under the power of Ladakh and then Jumla’s vassal and in the end, the Gorkha king founded Nepal to unify Jumla’s vassal in his conquests.
Upper Mustang restricted area
After the Chinese gain control over Tibet, the fiercest Tibetan nomads known as the Khampa retreated to Mustang made the Nepal government declared Mustang as a restricted area.
Only until 1992 did the new government reopened Upper Mustang to outsiders with a limited number of visitors.
Mustang Restricted Area Permits
- Foreigners must get the permits to cost $500 USD for the first 10 days then an extra $50/day for a party at least from 2 people.
- Trekkers enter Mustang Restricted Area at Kagbeni village, a three-hour walk from Jomsom.
- No expensive permit require for lower mustang trek.
BEST TIME
Except from late December to the beginning of March, the rest of the other months are doable for trekking to Mustang.
If you like:
Getting festive
- The Tiji festival (At the end of the third Tibetan month, around mid-May): three-day festival held in Lo Manthang, Monks perform mask dance which tells the story about the kingdom of Mustang, local gather from all over Mustang to the capital
- Yartung Festival (August, by the end of monsoon): Three-day Horse racing festival where the locals show up their horse riding and archery skills
Experience local activities
- Seeing the local herding yaks: The summer month from June to Sep is a good time
- Harvesting activities: Early autumn in Oct
Flora and Plants
- witnessing the bucket wheat: Monsoon from late Jul to early Sep
- Bright-yellow mustard: June-Aug
- Barley fields: Jun-Sep
The landscape against blue skies
- Autumn (Oct-Nov) is an ideal time to experience the sky of this dramatic landscape.
- Another good time is Apr-May
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