The word ‘Mustang’ simply conjures up ideas of forsaken, remoteness and isolation, a place lost amongst the mountains. This was an independent country until it was closely consolidated into Nepal just a few decades ago.The kingdom of Mustang lies in the rain shadow formed by the Annapurna & Nilgiri Himalayas and thus gets very little rain which, fortunately, makes the area ideal for trekking even in the mid-monsoon while the other areas of Nepal remain unsuitable for trekking due to heavy monsoon rains.
Trekking to the upper mustang is magnificent by any means, it’s a sheer pleasure to walk through the majestic hill and see superb view of the barren mountains. This barren desert is so beautiful that it can put green lands in shame. The scenic landscape of this region is quite familiar to Tibetan landscapes as geographically it is a part of the Tibetan plateau. Even the culture of this place is highly influenced by the Tibetan people.
Upper Mustang Trek is a thrilling experience where you can explore ancient monasteries from the 14th century, Buddhist shrines, culture that will leave an impression on your heart. You’ll have to march through an almost tree-less barren landscape, a steep rocky trail up and down the hill during Upper Mustang Trek while enjoying panoramic views of Nilgiri, Annapurna, Dhaulagiri, and several other peaks.
Trip Code
UM62
Starts
Jomsom
Finishes
Jomsom
Duration
16 Days
Difficulty
Moderate
Group-Size
2 - 14
Age
Minimum 16
Seasons
Mar-May,Sep-Nov
Elevation
3810 m/ 12500ft
Trip View
4130
Activities
Trekking
Travel Style
Original
Trip popularity
TRIP FACTS
The Upper Mustang was a restricted demilitarized area until 1992 which makes it one of the most preserved regions in the world, with a majority of the population still speaking traditional Tibetic language.
Upper Mustang is also known as "The Last Forbidden Kingdom" because of the restriction to travel until the 1990s.
Mustang's status as a kingdom ended in 2008 when its suzerain Kingdom of Nepal became a republic.
Mustang is rich in Buddhist culture similar to the area of the Tibet Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China.
The first westerner in Mustang was Toni Hagen, Swiss explorer, and geologist who visited the Kingdom in 1952 during one of his travels across the Himalayas.
French Michel Peissel is considered the first westerner to stay in Lo Manthang during the first authorized exploration of Mustang in 1964.
Upper Mustang proffers the spectacular views of Nilgiri, Annapurna, Tukuche Peak, Dhaulagiri, and the other Himalayas along with the uniqueness of tree-less landscapes and rocky trails throughout the way.
Why this Trip
•The forbidden walled city of Lo-Manthang (Upper Mustang)•1000 years old Buddhist Monastery•Wonderful landscapes those are almost identical to the Tibetan region.•Colorful barren hills holding interesting myths
Trip Notes
•We reserve the right to change and that the program may be reversed. Things can happen that make it impossible to meet them as planned. If any meeting or plan would not be feasible, we always try to find an equivalent alternative. In Nepal, you always have a plan B and C!
•What follows is a general flow of events. Expect the unexpected and prepare to be flexible
•A trekking permit is a must to travel to controlled areas. Permit, however, is issued only to groups. Individual trekkers will not be issued trekking permit
High above from the clouds and those gigantic peaks, landing in the congested valley yet colorful with diverse culture and tradition, the bittersweet feeling can't be expressed. You will find a Swotah representative eagerly waiting for the glance of you at the airport who will escort you to the hotel. In the evening, we will discuss about our trek over dinner. Overnight stay at the hotel;
Kathmandu valley is an ancient city with diverse cultures and traditions. It has a significant part in the history of Nepal. Home to 7 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, it has been chosen as a cultural and historical site of study and excursions throughout history. We’ll observe some of the UNESCO world heritage sites in Kathmandu throughout a day. Overnight stay at the hotel;
After breakfast, we will leave for Pokhara early in the day, so that enough time would be possible to explore the beautiful city of lakes; Pokhara. It’s an approx. 6-7 hrs of drive through beautiful villages. Overnight stay at the hotel in Pokhara;
Fight to Jomsom is quite an experience in itself. We will fly northwest from Pokhara toward the great portal between the snow-covered peaks of Annapurna and Dhaulagiri. You will enjoy the well-raised massifs of more than 8000 meters, and the deepest gorge on this planet. And soon after arriving at Jomsom, we will start our trek to Kagbeni, which is the entrance gate to the upper Mustang. Overnight stay at a teahouse in Kagbeni;
We start out trek to Tselle after the breakfast; Tselle is a mystical village from where the culture changes from the Manangi culture found in Jomsom to the Tibetan culture of Lo. During the trek, we will pass through rough and steep trail and waterless terrain. We pass through the small village of Chukshang, where you can taste world famous apples straight from the farm. After the gentle walk, by crossing the river Kali Gandaki and climbing steeply up a rocky gully we reach Tselle. Overnight stay at a teahouse in Tselle;
The climb continues along steep, treeless, waterless but beautiful terrain, along the side of the spectacular steep canyon to a pass and cairn of rock. This trail is fascinating that has wonderful views of barren cliffs, amazing mountains, and winding path. After walking for a few hours we reach Samar village. After reaching the Samar Village, the trail descends into a large gorge, the trail goes into another valley field, crosses a stream and climbs up to a ridge at 3800 meters. The route climbs over yet another pass, follows a ridge and then descends to Syangbochen. From there we gently climb to a pass at 3770meters and descend to Geling Village. Overnight at a teahouse in Geling;
We will enjoy our breakfast in the lodge before start our journey to Charang. The trail continues to dry trail. Shortly, we will reach Ghami where we will pass through one of the longest Buddhist Mani walls of Nepal surrounded by the beautiful Himalayas at Ghami. Continuing further will take us to the village of Charang for the overnight stay. Overnight at a teahouse in Charang;
After the breakfast, we will visit the monastery in Charang village before we commence our journey to the Hidden Kingdom of Lo Manthang. The trail is spectacular together with various Himalayan peaks including Annapurna I, Nilgiri, Tilicho Peak, and Bhrikuti. Upon reaching the capital of Mustang, you will get nice lodges to spend the night. Overnight stay at teahouse;
Lo Manthang is a spectacular village with beautiful monasteries and fascinating Tibetan culture. It had been completely closed for outsiders until 1992 AD. Take this day to explore the Lo Manthang the fullest. We will also visit the infamous cave of Chosar a little far from the capital. Overnight stay at teahouse;
On the 10th day we say farewell to amazing Lo Manthang and head to Dhakmar, Trails pass through several climbs and descent before we reach the Ghar where we will have the opportunity to visit the 1200-year-old monastery. Continuing the trek further will take us to Dhakmar village for overnight. Overnight stay at a teahouse in Dhakmar;
After the breakfast, we will continue our trekking to Syangbochen. Our trail will comprise several caves on the way to Ghemi from where we will have great views of the pass Furthermore, crossing two beautiful passes will take us to Syangbochen for the overnight stay. Overnight stay at a teahouse in Syanboche;
We leave the village of Tselle behind and head to the Kagbeni from where we actually started the trek. After reaching to Kagbeni we will take a jeep to the Jomsom. It will be our final day before we depart for Pokhara. Overnight stay at a teahouse in Jomsom;
Pokhara is a beautiful city with lots of tranquil lakes and wonderful mountain views and adventure activities like; Paragliding, Bungee Jump, zip liner etc. On this day we will take a flight to Pokhara after breakfast. It will be a free day at Pokhara. Overnight stay at a hotel in Pokhara;
After breakfast, we will be heading back to Kathmandu along the beautiful Prithvi Highway. It is an approx. 7-8 hrs drive to Kathmandu. After finding your inner self being lost in nature for all those days, you will be back in the city with the new you and therefore this evening is the time for yourself, whether you want to shop the souvenirs, find a convenient spa or explore the more of the city. We will arrange the schedule as per your preference. Overnight stay at the hotel;
Our representative will meet you at the hotel and escort you to the airport depending on your flight schedule. The airport Check-In time is 3 hours prior to the flight time.
For nights in cities, we use standard/superior standard/deluxe rooms whereas, during the trek, we use lodges/tea houses/guesthouses/home stay for our clients, and whatever is available and accessible. We also arrange sleeping bags for our clients, on their request.
We believe in operating small intimate group to provide personal attention and services to our guests. Small groups can enjoy the trek hassle free and enjoy the customized trip according to their need and suitability. We do not incorporate more than14 People in a group, unless we get special requests from our clients.
Upper Mustang is one of the most popular trekking routes in the world. Upper Mustang is a thrilling experience where you can explore ancient monasteries from the 14th century, Buddhist shrines, Tibetan culture, rustic villages and beautiful hospitable people of Mustang. It is little bit hard to do this trek so you will have to be physically and mentally fit and healthy to do this trek.
Yes, Nepal can proudly boast as one of the safest countries in South Asia for women, you will find people very friendly and respectful especially towards women. Locals are very respectful and welcoming toward women and tourist in general and our guides will make sure you are comfortable and safe while trekking in remote areas.
We make sure to take security measures during trek to make your trip delightful. We hire experienced and license holding guides to safeguard your life in mountains. We suggest you to follow the guide’s instruction carefully and take responsibility for personal belongings. Always keep your valued belongings near you and lock the door from inside during the night.
Upper Mustang is trekking region and mostly we spend our night at Guesthouse. In Guesthouse, you can get pasta, noodles, bread, soup etc. Dal Bhat (Rice, Lentils and Vegetables) are great way to gain energy for the strenuous trek. As you trek higher, it’s better to avoid meat because non-vegetarian is heavy meals which may cause food poisoning so we avoid it.
There are plenty of water stations on each stop on the route. You can easily fill up the bottle from the open taps. We recommend that you bring water purifier tablets with you or at least get it from Kathmandu before you depart for trekking. You can also buy mineral waters but we usually recommend tap water which is pure and it helps us not promoting plastic bottled water.
We use private transportation for sightseeing inside the Kathmandu Valley and to drive towards Pokhara too. We also drop and pick up from the starting and ending point of trek on private car or Jeep depending on the number of travellers.
Spring season (March to June) and autumn season (September to December) are the best time to do this trek. Upper Mustang Trek can be done even in the mild monsoon.
Before coming to Nepal, make sure that you are covered by insurance policy for the altitude of 5500 meters. In the case of an emergency like altitude sickness, dehydration or any medical conditions ask your tour leader/guide to contact us as soon as possible so that we can manage/arrange helicopter for the rescue. Then you will be transferred to hospital for the treatment.
Trekking in Upper Mustang is a little bit hard and tiresome activity that requires a lot of physical movement. So, pack your active wears and trekking pants for at lower altitudes. Weather at high altitude is unpredictable so carry a light weight waterproof jacket along with thick down jacket, pant and thermal inner wear to escape severe cold. Needless to say, good shoe is very important for trekking in rough and snowy terrain. So invest on good quality shoes or rent it from us in a minimum price. As you are trekking in remote village, try to wear modest clothes to quickly gel up with the local people without hesitation.
We contact the lodge/guesthouse owner for reservation of the room before trekking on a particular day. On other days, porters reach the destination on advance and book the rooms for you. But there are always going to be exceptions but even in those cases, we may have to be flexible about very basic sleeping arrangements. We always try to make sure that we have everything well arranged.
All our guides are trekking experts holding license from Nepal Tourism Board, Nepal Government. They are the most valuable assets of the company. Guides know the trekking route like the back of their hand and use their expertise in ensuring your safety in the mountains.
While trekking in higher lands, you need to pay for charging the electronics upon request to the guesthouse owner. The best idea is to bring your own power bank with you. It is easier and cheaper.
In some villages, you can make local and international calls from telephone provided by the guesthouse owner after paying the price directly. Our guide is also provided with a mobile phone. In case of emergency, you can use his mobile and make a call.
If you need extra day to complete the trekking, you'll need to inform the guide in advance and the guide will let the company know. Adding a day to trekking can result in many changes in other arrangements such as transportation, guide’s schedule, flight details, hotel bookings and all, so we really don't recommend this to our clients unless there is an emergency case. But it is true that those changes could be made but it will cost extra. The best way to do it is to inform the agent company about it.
Before coming to Nepal, make sure you are covered for diphtheria & TB, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, malaria, typhoid, polio and tetanus. Make sure you are in best shape to complete the trekking without any complication.
Usually, we have to walk about 7-9 hours a day. But it should not be taken as certain thing because the hours of walk depends on client’s speed. So it is really relative.
To confirm your booking, a deposit of 15% of total trip amount is required if you are booking at least a year in advance before trip departure date. If booking is made between 100-364 days before the trip departure, you'll need to pay 20% to confirm the trip. If payment is made between 99-60 days, 25% of the total trip amount will need to be paid and if booked between 59-30 days, 50% of the total trip amount needs to be paid and finally, if you are booking 29 days prior to trip departure, then 100% payment should be made. The payments can be easily made by the bank transfer. The due balance is payable on arrival in Kathmandu with cash (preferably USD/EURO) or card on POS/credit card machine. Please note that non refundable fee is 10% or $200 whichever is greater.
No, you cannot use the credit card during the trek. You have to withdraw the money before you start the trek. You can use credit card only in Kathmandu and Pokhara.
You have to carry your personal bags with water bottle and medicines and remaining bags will be carried by porters to make you easy to trek. The weight limit for porters is 15 KG.
