Tour Overview

Trip Code
DE-0022
Starting Point
Kathmandu
End Point
Kathmandu
Max Altitude
4,380 m
Duration
17 Days
Country
Nepal
Trip Grade
Demanding
Activities
Trekking
Best Season
Spring and Autumn

Upper Mustang is one of the wishlist destinations for most travellers. This site is also known as “the Last Forbidden Kingdom of Nepal” or “the Kingdom of Lo” and is situated in the northernmost region of the Mustang district in Nepal.

This place was restricted especially for tourists till 1992. Now, tourists can explore this place, but they need special permits. Upper Mustang is famous for its preserved Tibetan Buddhist customs, rugged landscapes, and unique historical sites.

Here at Destiny Excursion, we are honoured to organize this 17-day trek that offers an authentic experience to all the travelers. While trekking, you can discover the Himalayan desert, historic caves, and secluded villages alongside breathtaking views of mountains like Annapurna and Dhaulagiri.

The actual trek is just 12 days, and the remaining days are allocated for sightseeing and travel. This trek offers you a cultural immersion and natural exploration, making it a perfect destination for travelers who want to experience both adventure and culture.

Led by Hari Dharel, Founder of Destiny Excursion and Honorary Consul General of Denmark to Nepal. With 35+ years in Himalayan tourism, Mr. Dharel has served as Chairman of the Himalayan Rescue Association Nepal and General Secretary of TAAN.

Upper Mustang: Adventure, Culture, and Scenic Beauty

The Upper Mustang trekking path leads you across the semi-desert terrain of the Mustang area, typical Tibetan villages, and the walled town of Lo Manthang.

This Lo Manthang acts as the historic capital of the Kingdom of Lo. During the trek, you have to walk through narrow streets. Furthermore, you can visit centuries-old palaces and monasteries and experience the deep-rooted Tibetan Buddhist culture of the local people.

These 17-day packages take you from the remote village that borders China. This settlement offers a fascinating glimpse into Mustang culture. While trekking, you can witness the breathtaking views of the mountains such as Annapurna and Dhaulagiri. Furthermore, you can also observe the Himalayan desert landscape.

At Destiny Excursion, your Upper Mustang trek won’t just be about witnessing the breathtaking views of massive mountains; your trek can also be about immersing in the local culture.

You can get an opportunity to experience the warm hospitality, traditions, and daily life of the local people. Furthermore, you can also get a chance to explore the ancient monasteries and gain some information about centuries-old Tibetan rituals and customs.

This package suits those travelers who are seeking adventure, cultural depth, and remote exploration. This 17-day package includes acclimatization, sightseeing, and exploring the walled city of Lo Manthang.

To explore the beautiful scenery and for a good trek, the best months are March, April, May, September, October, and November. During these months, the climate is clear, pleasant, and offers the most stunning mountain views.

The Upper Mustang trek with the Destiny Excursion offers a unique adventure which combines gentle trekking, cultural richness, and the beauty of Nepal’s last forbidden kingdom.

Tour Highlights

  • Witness the magnificent views of mountains such as Dhaulagiri, Annapurna, and Nilgiri
  • Immerse yourself in the unique blend of Tibetan Buddhist culture
  • Visit the centuries-old monuments and gompas
  • Explore the King’s palace
  • Experience the warmth of Tibetan hospitality and their lifestyle
  • Explore the distinct desert scenery, crimson cliffs, and profound canyons of the Kali Gandaki Valley

Points of Attraction

The Upper Mustang trek is not just about discovering unique locations (Kathmandu to Pokhara to Upper Mustang to Kathmandu), it is also about having an experience of adventure, culture, and stunning Himalayan landscapes. Furthermore, this trek allows you to experience every moment like a journey through untouched landscapes and vibrant local life. Here are some of the key points of attraction of the Upper Mustang trek.

Natural and Scenic Attractions

  • Panoramic Himalayan Views: Observe the breathtaking vistas of the Himalayas such as Annapurna South, Dhaulagiri, Nilgiri, Machhapuchhre (Fishtail), and Lamjung Himal.
  • Kali Gandaki River and Deep Valleys: Trek near the roaring Kali Gandaki River and explore the deep valleys.
  • Red Cliffs and Desert Trails: Descend from the Dhakmar village while witnessing the enchanting red cliffs. Trek from a desert trail to reach Lo Manthang.
  • Sunrise and Sunset Points: Encounter the spectacular views of sunrise and sunset from Sarangkot and Nyela pass.
  • Lakes and Caves in Pokhara: Take a boat ride to Phewa Lake and visit Mahendra and Gupteshwor Caves.

Cultural and Historical Sites

  • Kathmandu Durbar Square and Temples (UNESCO World Heritage Sites): Discover the UNESCO World Heritage Sites such as Boudhanath, Pashupatinath, and Swoyambhunath.
  • Tibetan Communities: Discover the way of life of Gurung, Thakali, and Tibetan Buddhist inhabitants in Chele, Ghami, and Yara.
  • Historic Gumbas and Monasteries: Explore ancient monasteries and Gumbas, such as the 1200-year-old Ghar Gumba, Luri Gumba, and numerous cliffside monasteries.
  • Lo Manthang “Forbidden Kingdom”: Explore the historic palace, remnants of the village, and old caves such as Chhoser and Shija Jhong.
  • Local Interaction: Meet the locals and learn a bit about Tibetan traditions.

Adventure and Trekking Highlights

  • Chogo La Pass (4,380m) and Pa Pass (4,210m): Cross the rugged and highest passes while marveling at the stunning mountain landscape.
  • High-Altitude Trekking: Trek at high-altitude places such as Lo Manthang, Ghar Gumba, and Yara.
  • Scenic Flights: Take scenic flights from Kathmandu to Pokhara to Jomsom for breathtaking aerial views.
  • Trekking Along Rugged Trails: Walk on narrow trails, high passes, and far-off routes for a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Stay and Experience

  • Pokhara and Kathmandu Comfortable Hotels: Overnight stay in comfortable hotels at Pokhara and Kathmandu.
  • Tea House Lodges in Mustang: Overnight stay at the local tea houses at Kagbeni, Chele, Syangboche, Ghami, Ghar Gumba, Lo Manthang, Yara, Tangge, and Chhusang.
  • Locals’ food and hospitality: Enjoy the generous locals’ food and hospitality throughout the trekking duration.
  • Leisure Time at Pokhara and Kathmandu: Spend the leisure time at lively spots such as Thamel, lakeside cafe, and local bazaar.

Itinerary

Elevation:

Your journey begins once you arrive at the Tribhuvan International Airport of Kathmandu, the capital city of Nepal. There, our representative will be waiting for you to welcome you with a bouquet of flowers. After we meet you, you will be transferred to the tourist standard hotel to spend the night. Once you arrive at the hotel, you can unwind there while savoring the tasty food.

Overnight: Hotel in Kathmandu

Meals: Welcome Dinner

Elevation:

The second day of the Upper Mustang Trek is all about trek briefing and getting the permits. You begin the day with a comfortable breakfast, following which, you meet up with a group alongside the trekking experts. During this briefing, they provide you with information such as itinerary, safety measures, expected weather, and necessary permit arrangements. Once the briefing is done, you head outside to get the discussed permits from the Nepal Tourism Board. The entire process should be done within a day or two, as long as there are no major complications. Given that you get the required permits, you can spend the day as you please. You can stroll across the alley or spend the rest of the time in some quaint cafe. The day ends with a hearty meal and an overnight stay in the hotel.

Overnight: Hotel in Kathmandu

Meals: Breakfast

Elevation: 700 m

On this day, you will head towards Pokhara (700m) through a picturesque flight. The flight takes around 25 minutes. After arriving in Pokhara, you can unwind for a few hours. After that, you can fully enjoy the day by exploring attractive places such as Phewa Lake, Tal Barahi Temple, Sarangkot, and World Peace Pagoda. If you get lucky and have clear skies, you can witness the jaw-dropping views of the Himalayas such as Annapurna South, Hiun Chuli, Machhapuchhre (Fishtail), and Lamjung Himal. Then, you must return to your hotel and spend the night there.

Overnight: Hotel in Pokhara

Meals: Breakfast

Elevation: 2,800 m

This day is the first day of trekking. After having a hearty breakfast, you have to take an early flight to arrive at Jomsom (2,720m), which can take around 25 minutes. Upon arriving in Jomsom, you will have a brief period during the trek. Following that, you need to get ready for the hike. Your journey starts from Jomsom to Kagbeni (2,800m), lasting approximately 3-4 hours. Upon arriving in Kagbeni, a tasty lunch will be served to you. In this period, you can appreciate the stunning scenery of this location. Additionally, you can explore the areas surrounding Kagbeni. You can also explore the monasteries by navigating through numerous stone mani-walls, chortens, and ancient traditional dwellings. From Kagbeni village, you can observe the breathtaking sights of the Kali Gandaki river bank and valley, as well as Mt Nilgiri and Mt Dhaulagiri.

Overnight: Tea house

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Elevation: 2,980 m

On this day, you must stroll beside the thundering Kali Gandaki River. You need to ascend for around 3-4 hours to reach the Chhusang village, where you will be served with a meal. After having a meal, you will further trek for around 3 to 4 hours to reach Chele (2,980m). This traditional Tibetan-style village is filled with Gurung, Thakali, and Tibetan Buddhist community people. You can interact with locals and gain some knowledge about the lifestyle. In this village, you can experience the windy climate along with prayer flags and chortens. Moreover, you can experience the breathtaking views of mountains such as Dhaulagiri, Nilgiri, and Tukuche. The total time needed to finish the hike for this day is around 7 hours.

Overnight: Tea house

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Elevation: 3,800 m

After the substantial breakfast, you will get ready for the trek. The trek on this day is fully uphill, so you may be exhausted and need to take a short break and fuel yourself. Once you commence your journey to Syangboche (3,800m), you must first arrive at Samar, which may take approximately 2-3 hours. There, you can take a short break. After taking a break, you will be moving towards the Bhena village, which takes around 1-1.5 hours. In this place, you will have a delicious lunch while enjoying the stunning view ahead. After that, you will continue your trek to Syangboche for around 2 hours, where you will eat dinner and sleep.

Overnight: Tea house

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Elevation: 3,510 m

After having breakfast in the very early morning, you will immediately begin your trek by descending towards the Ghiling village for around 45 minutes. Once you reach there, you have some time to rest and explore the village, as this village is filled with many locals. After that, you will continue the trek by ascending towards Nyela pass (4,020m), where you can witness the mind-blowing views of mountains such as Annapurna range, Nilgiri, and Mustang village. Once you traverse through the Nyela pass, you will then descend for around 1.5 hours towards Ghami (3,510m). It is an authentic traditional Tibetan village where you can observe the locals wearing traditional clothes and observe their rich culture. The total time required to finish this trek is approximately 7 hours.

Overnight: Tea house

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Elevation: 3,920 m

After having breakfast, you will begin your trek by descending towards the Dhakmar village, where you will take a short tea break. From this place, you will witness the enchanting, fascinating red cliffs throughout the trails. After that, you will ascend to Ghar Gumba (3,920m), an ancient monastery built 1200 years ago by Guru Rinpoche. At this place, you will find only a single tea house. If the tea house is occupied, you will be staying in the Gumba itself, where you will be served with lunch. In the evening, you will have dinner and stay there overnight. Finishing the hike for the day takes about 4-5 hours.

Overnight: Tea house

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Elevation: 3,840 m

Following breakfast, you will begin your trek with gradual desert trails towards Lo Manthang. Before you reach Lo Manthang (3,840m), you have to traverse through Chogo La Pass (4,380m) – the highest point of the trek that offers breathtaking views of Himalayan landscapes, rugged cliffs, and snow-capped peaks. After crossing the pass, you will then descend to reach Lo Manthang. At this place, you will eat a delicious lunch at the guest house. You will reach Lo Manthang in the morning, so you have enough time to explore the village, wash your clothes, and relax the whole day in the afternoon. This trek takes approximately 4-5 hours to successfully complete.

Overnight: Tea house

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Elevation: 3,840 m

This day is set aside for your body to acclimatize to these elevated heights. After having breakfast, you will trek gently to Chhoser village, where you can explore the Chhoser cave and visit the Shija Jhong cave, which consists of fascinating histories with 5 stories. In Shija Jhong cave, people say that people used to live there before human settlement. At the Chhoser village, you can explore many different monuments. Additionally, in this village, you will be served a delicious lunch. Following lunch, you will return to Lo Manthang. Once you reach Lo Manthang, you can further explore the village deeply. When you explore Lo Manthang village more deeply, you will find the old palace (Durbar), also recognized as “The Forbidden Kingdom” or the “Kingdom of Lo”. This palace was initially a separate kingdom in the past. This palace was founded by the Maepal in the 15th century. The Maepal was also the first king of the Upper Mustang.

Overnight: Tea house

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Elevation: 3,600 m

On this day, you will trek through the solitude and isolated route. After breakfast, you will start your journey to Yara (3,600m). Before you reach Yara, you have to cross the beautiful village called Ghara, where you will find only 30-40 houses. This place is peaceful because it is hidden and most travelers are not interested in visiting this place. In this place, you will find the famous monastery called Luri Gumba, which is located on the cliff. If you want to explore this monastery, you can enter there and explore it. Traveling from Yara to Luri Gumba takes about 1.5 hours one way and 1 hour to come back. As there is no tea house between the trails, you will get your lunch directly at Yara. This trek takes around 5-6 hours to finish.

Overnight: Tea house

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Elevation: 3,240 m

After breakfast, you will begin your trek. On this day, you have to cross the Sertang La pass, which is located at an elevation of 4,250m, by ascending steeply for around 3-4 hours. In between the trails, you won’t find any tea houses to have a short tea break. Therefore, our team will carry a packed lunch along with water. In between the trail, you will enjoy eating the delicious lunch while witnessing the beautiful natural scenery. After that, you will continue your trek by descending downhill for around 2-3 hours to reach Tangge (3,240m) – a village that is surrounded by stunning scenery and has a traditional way of lifestyle. This trek requires approximately 6-7 hours to finish.

Overnight: Tea house

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Elevation: 2,980 m

This day is a challenging and long day of this trek. While returning towards Chhusang village from Tangge, you have to cross the Pa Pass, which offers the awe-inspiring view of the full Mustang Valley and the majestic mountain views (Mt Annapurna and Mt Nilgiri). At this pass, you will take a short break to enjoy the astonishing views. This pass is located at an elevation of 4,210 meters above sea level. Before reaching the pass, the trail has a sharp incline. As the trail is less crowded and doesn’t have any tea houses, we will manage all the supplies such as enough water, snacks, and packed lunches for you. You have to trek through ridges and narrow trails by descending for around 3-4 hours to reach Chhusang village (2,980m). There, you will eat a delicious dinner and stay overnight.

Overnight: Tea house

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Elevation: 2,720 m

After a long and exhausting trek, you have finally completed the trek. You will be served with breakfast a little later than on other days – around 8-9 am. While having breakfast, take a deep look at the mind-blowing mountains, as this is the last day in the Himalayan region. After that, our driver will come to your hotel to pick you up for a picturesque drive to Jomsom. The journey from Chhusang to Jomsom will last approximately 3 hours. Once you reach Jomsom, you can rest and relax for the whole day, or you can explore the places nearby Jomsom (2,720m).

Overnight: Tea house

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Elevation: 700 m

On this day, you need to return to Pokhara early in the morning. So, you have to eat breakfast, prepare for the scheduled flight, and check out from the lodge. This scenic flight takes around 25 minutes from Jomsom to Pokhara. Once your flight takes off from the Pokhara airport, our representatives will be there to take you to the comfortable hotel in a private vehicle. After you reach the hotel, you can relax and refresh there. Furthermore, if you want to explore Pokhara city more deeply, you can explore some lakes, viewpoints, and caves. You can also enjoy boating at Phewa Lake, and eat delicious food at any restaurants. In the evening, you can visit the lakeside of Pokhara.

Overnight: Hotel in Pokhara

Meals: Breakfast

Elevation:

This day is the last day to stay and visit the capital city of Nepal (Kathmandu). On this day, you will catch the early flight from Pokhara to Kathmandu. During the flight, you will witness the jaw-dropping natural beauty. After you reach Kathmandu, you will be transferred to a tourist-standard hotel. There, you can rest and relax the whole day. If you want to explore the Kathmandu valley, you are free to explore it. At night, you will return to your hotel where you will eat a delicious dinner and stay overnight.

Overnight: Hotel in Kathmandu

Meals: Breakfast

Elevation:

After having a hearty breakfast, you will check out of your hotel. Our driver will be waiting for you outside your hotel. Our driver will help you arrive at Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) 3 hours before the flight. Then, you will take a flight to your hometown by remembering the warm hospitality, breathtaking Himalayan views, and enriching cultural encounters. We hope we will meet again and get the chance to serve you in exploring the heart of the Himalayas.

Overnight:

Meals: Breakfast

Trek Route

What's included

  • Welcome dinner at a local restaurant.
  • Comfortable hotels in cities on a bed and breakfast plan.
  • Tea house or lodge accommodation during the trek.
  • All meals as per the itinerary (breakfast, lunch, dinner).
  • All domestic flights required for clients and staff.
  • Private transfers for all scheduled travel.
  • Skilled guide and porters with meals, accommodation, insurance, and transport.
  • All mandatory permits and park entrance fees.
  • Group first aid kit (notify us if special medications are needed).
  • Single Room Supplement if there’s an odd number of travelers.

What's excluded

  • International airfare, visa fees, airport taxes, and luggage charges.
  • Insurance covering medical emergencies and evacuation.
  • Any services not mentioned in the itinerary.
  • Personal equipment or clothing for trekking.
  • Expenses such as beverages, laundry, phone calls, and snacks.
  • Optional amenities like hot showers or charging devices.
  • Tips for guides and support staff.
  • Costs due to delays or unforeseen events.

Gallery

Frequently Asked Questions

The Upper Mustang trek is regarded as moderately challenging, including several tough sections. You need to traverse through the high passes such as Nyela Pass, Chogo La Pass, Sertang La Pass, and Pa Pass. Furthermore, you sometimes need to ascend steeply and sometimes descend steeply.

Certainly, having a guide is crucial for hiking in the Upper Mustang. As the Upper Mustang region is a restricted area of Nepal, you must have a licensed guide to obtain the special restricted area permits (RAP). Solo trekking to the Upper Mustang is prohibited.

Yes, Upper Mustang is a worthwhile trek for all the travelers as you can immerse yourself in the unique blend of cultures, landscape, and traditions. Along the way, you can also experience the beauty of the Himalayas.

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Starting From:

US$2938

No. of peoplePrice per person
1 Pax$ 3983
2-3 Pax$ 2938
4-5 Pax$ 2754
6-7 Pax$ 2775
8-9 Pax$ 2693
10 Pax$ 2633

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