Upper Mustang Trek

You can either drive to Pokhara along the Prithivi highway or fly to the domestic airport of Nepal. The 8 hours of drive in a tourist bus/ private car along the Trishuli river bank and lush hills is also going to be fantastic. Or, you can fly above the lush green hills and witness the mountain vistas parallel to your eyes from the window seat of your plane.

If you fly to Pokhara, we will have some extra time for boating in Phewa and visiting nearby places. In the evening, you get to enjoy the nightlife of Lakeside.

Note: You can also book our Upper Mustang trek from Pokhara itself. We can pick you up from any other nearby cities of Nepal.

Overnight in Pokhara

From the Pokhara airport, we fly to Jomsom in the morning. This half an hour of mountain flight close to the Annapurna range is a beautiful experience. You can also drive to Jomsom from Pokhara off-road, but that’s a very long journey. Once we get to Jomsom, we get our bags ready and then trek to Kagbeni.

Walking along the Kali-Gandaki river in a neatly built road of Mustang is thrilling. Kagbeni has a fortress that was established in the later 16th century. Close by; there is a place called Drakmar where Guru Rimpoche is said to slew an ogress named Balmo. We visit a suspension bridge, monasteries, and many other places of Kagbeni before getting back.

Overnight in Kagbeni

In the early morning light, we wake up with Nilgiri before us. Heading north along the Kali Gandaki River, we first enter the Chhusang Valley. After some walk, we will be standing before the red and whitewashed houses of Tangbe. After lunch, we then reach the village of Chele. Perched high in the majestic cliffs, we can find some decent accommodation here.

Overnight in Chele.

Once we leave Chele, our plan during the Upper mustang trek is to climb into the Samar village. From Samar, we walk downwards for almost 30minutes before we start the climb to the Syangboche. The overall journey is not that long, but since we will be walking above 3800m, you need to walk slow and let your body rest.

Overnight in Syangboche

In the morning, we plan to climb towards the steep Yamada La. From the top, the views of the range, including Annapurna, Dhaulagiri, and Nilgiri, are absolutely stunning. Then, we do even a stricter climb to Nyu La Pass. Only then, we walk to Ghami for a few hours. The deserted land of Ghami has newly built houses and lodges.

Overnight in Ghami

The 8th day of our Upper Mustang trek starts with a downward walk to the colorful valley. The different colors of prayer flags look like the beauty of the rainbow before the Tangmarchu River. Then, we plan to climb above the plateau and cross the Mani Wall. After a few hours, we will be staying in the Charang village.

Overnight in Charang village

Today’s path on our trek to Upper Mustang is mostly uphill. We first climb to Lo-Gekar, one of the oldest Buddhist monasteries globally (even older than Tibet’s Samye Gompa). We take our time to visit this classic monastery before we take a horse ride to Lo-Manthang. Getting in the ancient walled city of Lo-Manthang, its immense beauty will lose you. We will only wander around the guest house in the evening and leave the rest of the journey tomorrow.

Overnight in Lo-Manthang

Lo-Manthang is a core of Buddhist culture and tradition in Nepal. Here are four unique temples- Chopramg Gompa, known as “New Gompa”; Jampa Lhakhang, known as “God House” (made in the early 15th century); Chodey Gompa; and Thubchen Gompa (made in the late 15th century).

Among many wonders of Lo-Manthang, we visit the Namgyal Gompa which is situated at peak top. Then, we visit the Tingkhar northwest. This is a tiny village with about 40 small houses. We also explore the king’s palace and call the day off with a delicious local dinner.

We initially ascend to 4070m and then climb to the Chogo La Pass, the most demanding section of our trip. Chogo top at 4320m is also the highest viewpoint of our trek. Then, the journey is all about the downhill walk to the Charang River. Walking to the Lo-Gekar, we hike via the monastery of Ghar Gompa. The absolute path then moves down to the Drakmar.

Overnight in Drakmar

We plan to walk further downwards from the stone walls and potato fields of Drakmar. In a few hours, we will reach Ghami and then to Jaite. For the daytime, we walk down to Chhung-Kah and continue walking to Tama Gaon. Lastly, our plan for the day is to walk downwards to Syangbochen.

Overnight in Syangbochen

Leaving Syangbochen, we walk via the river to Chhusang. Or, we can also walk via the Samar village to visit the Ranchung Caves (if we haven’t visited this cave before). Although this route via Samar makes our trip a bit longer, it’s worth it.

Overnight in Chhusang

Leaving Chhusang Village in the early morning, we plan to walk above the valley of Muktinath. For that, we need to cross the river that is known for the fossil stones called Shaligrams (black holy stones). We get to Muktinath in the evening with the awesome Annapurna, Dhaulagiri, and Tukuche before us. Our Upper Mustang trek ends here. Visiting this famous temple on the hilltop, we drive down to Jomsom.

Overnight in Jomsom

The flight from Jomsom to Pokhara is usually arranged in the morning. We will be in Pokhara before lunch if the weather supports our plan. Then, we shall have enough time to explore the nearby places, including Phewa lake, Tal Barahi, Devi’s falls, and caves. Or you can just rest in your room, enjoying hot showers and a spa. In the evening, join the nightlight of Pokhara.

Overnight in Pokhara

Now, the trip comes to an end while we drive to Katmandu in a tourist bus. Or, we have the option to fly to Kathmandu and visit some more temples and monasteries around Kathmandu valley- the choice is yours. Either way, we all gather for a farewell dinner in the evening and share our memories from the trip.