Upper Mustang Trek

Kathmandu is situated right in the lap of the Himalayas, and it’s brimming with exciting cultural attractions and UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Today, you’ll have the opportunity to visit some of the most impressive locations in the city. We’ll visit the Hindu Pashupatinath Temple, the Buddhist Boudhanath and Swayambhunath stupas, and the amazing statuary and architecture at Durbar Square. Of course, you’ll also want to set aside some time to explore the tourist markets, where you can shop for one-of-a-kind souvenirs and sample some of Nepal’s best local delicacies. When you’re ready to call it a day, you’ll return to your hotel in the city. 

This morning, we’ll exchange the urban sprawl of Kathmandu for the lakeside city of Pokhara: Nepal’s adventure capital. Our brief flight will touch down in the morning, leaving us a full day to check into our hotel and explore the many exciting attractions in Pokhara. The town’s biggest draw is undoubtedly Phewa Lake, where you can take a boat out onto the still waters to enjoy sublime views of the mountains reflected on its shining surface. Pokhara is also popular with tourists eager to explore the city’s temples and monasteries or to sample some of the many adventure activities offered here. Some of the best treks in Nepal also start here in Pokhara, including several routes into the Annapurnas. When you’ve explored the city to your heart’s content, you’ll spend the night in your hotel. Tomorrow, your trek in Mustang begins!

Today is the day that we’ll begin trekking in Mustang, one of Nepal’s most remote and fascinating regions. To get there, we’ll take a brief flight to the town of Jomsom—make sure to keep your eyes on the window to enjoy spectacular views of the mountains. When we arrive in Jomsom, you’re sure to be struck by the dramatic change in scenery. We’ll find ourselves on a high-altitude plateau, surrounded by the tall peaks of the Himalayas. From here, the rest of our trek in Mustang proceeds on foot.

We’ll start trekking by following the Kali Gandaki river, passing some small villages on the way to Kagbeni. The trail here is adorned with evidence of the region’s long Buddhist history, such as stupas, monasteries, and mani walls, which are comprised of many little stones engraved with Buddhist mantras. Keep your eyes peeled—lucky travelers may be able to find tiny marine fossils along the path. We’ll stop for the day at Kagbeni, where we’ll book ourselves into lovely lodge accommodations for the night.

After breakfast in Kagbeni, we’ll move into formerly restricted territory where our trekking permits will come in handy: welcome to the Upper Mustang! There are a couple of options for today’s hike, and the path we take will depend largely upon the water level of the Kali Gandaki. Either way, we’ll soon find ourselves approaching the little villages of Tangbe, where we’ll see some unusually colorful stupas, and Chhuksang, which is something like an oasis in the midst of the arid mountains of Mustang. Moving on, we’ll pass some of the ancient cliffside caves which have brought this region of Nepal some degree of international attention. Our path then climbs towards Chele, where the dress and customs of the local villagers—as well as the architecture—have a distinct Tibetan influence. We’ll enjoy a delicious home-cooked meal at our lodge before spending the night here in Chele.

From here, our path on the Upper Mustang Trek will bring us through many of the Kali Gandaki’s side valleys and multiple mountain passes. We’ll begin by ascending from Chele, climbing along yak-grazed meadows to catch picture-perfect glimpses of dramatic canyon landscapes beneath clear blue skies. The trail switchbacks steeply on the way to the pass known alternately as Dajori La or Chele La, which sits at an impressive 3,630 meters above sea level. From here, we’ll descend to the village of Samar. This is a pleasant place to rest and enjoy a bite to eat as we savor the quiet village scenery, including prayer wheels, white-and-red stupas, and mani walls.

When we’re ready to move on, we’ll ascend and descend through vast mountainous terrain, eventually reaching the high point of today’s trek at the pass called Yamdo La, situated at about 3,900 meters. From here, we can see all the way to the Tibetan plateau—and the village of Shyangmochen just below us. Also known as Syangboche, this is our destination for tonight. When we arrive, we’ll get checked into our lodge and enjoy plenty of time to eat and relax before spending another night in the picturesque wilds of the Upper Mustang.

After a hearty breakfast and hot tea, we’ll begin today’s hike by climbing to Shyangmochen La, another mountain pass that brings us into a broad valley. There’s a road here, but exploring this fascinating territory on foot is infinitely more rewarding. We’ll pass by pleasant barley fields and poplar trees as we approach the village of Geling, enjoying gentle hiking until we begin the steep climb to Nyi La. But our effort will be worth it: while the Upper Mustang is largely a dry landscape characterized by stunning canyons and craggy hills, no trek in Nepal would be complete without seeing some of the country’s biggest mountains. And it’s here at Nyi La where you can get a first-rate view of some seriously impressive snow-covered peaks, including Annapurna III and the Nilgiri Himal. After taking in the view, we’ll descend from the pass to reach today’s stopping point: the village of Ghemi. We’ll check in at a comfortable teahouse for tonight’s accommodations.

The town of Ghemi is actually one of the largest we’ll visit during our trek in Mustang, and this morning we’ll enjoy a delicious breakfast while the village comes to life around us. When it’s time to start hiking, we’ll climb through Ghemi’s fields, cross a river, and pass a hospital and greenhouse on our way out of town. We’ll also get to see what may be Nepal’s single longest mani wall, where the sight of thousands of these carefully inscribed stones stretching far beneath the brown mountains and red cliffs of Mustang is sure to make an impression upon you.

Then it’s on past the outskirts of Ghemi, where our path ascends to another mountain pass situated at 3,870 meters. This is Choya La, and you can anticipate the chance to enjoy some truly impressive, far-reaching vistas when we reach this lofty elevation. From here, we’ll make the gentle descent to the region’s former capital, Tsarang. A town is still an important place in the Upper Mustang, and we’ll visit its enormous five-story monastery after settling into our guesthouse. Our trek should have only taken about five hours today, so you’ll have plenty of time to explore Tsarang’s orchards, fields, and picturesque viewpoints before the sun goes down.

Our Upper Mustang Trek continues this morning by descending from the village and crossing the river known as the Tsarang Chu. We’ll enter an expansive valley and ascend to the north, where you can see mesmerizing views of the mountainous, barren plateau that is Mustang. Soon we’ll come across the unusually ornate Sungda chorten, or stupa, which is a sure signal that we’re about to approach the capital of the region: Lo Manthang. This ancient fortified city is nothing short of remarkable; its walls are painted variously red or white, and they stretch to nine meters high. But you needn’t worry about your reception—the people of Lo Manthang are famously hospitable, and you’re sure to receive a warm welcome from the many villagers you’ll encounter just inside the city walls. The culture and architecture of the capital are heavily influenced by the traditions of Tibet, and it’s possible to purchase souvenirs here that have traveled all the way from Lhasa. We’ll get checked into our comfortable guesthouse when we arrive, leaving you with plenty of time to explore the surrounding community.

It would be a shame to rush through Lo Manthang without becoming more acquainted with its many charms, and we’ll spend our day exploring the city and some of its outlying points of interest. There are a number of Buddhist monasteries, or gompas, right here in town which will reward curious visitors with hushed, peaceful interiors and gorgeous statuary. We’ll also spend a few hours hiking in the dramatic valley just east of the city. It’s here that we’ll find the Chosar caves: an undisputed highlight of any Mustang trekking itinerary. The region is famous for its “sky caves,” where the people of this Himalayan kingdom once resided within the mountains themselves. Chief amongst the caves near Lo Manthang is the Jhong Cave, where we’ll explore dark, quiet passages honeycombed through the rock. If time permits, we’ll also visit the hilltop Namgyal Gompa, dramatically perched at the top of a ridge where we can enjoy spectacular views of the surrounding plateau. Later, we’ll return to Lo Manthang to spend a second night at our guesthouse.

After breakfast this morning, it’s time to bid farewell to the captivating city of Lo Manthang and turn our steps towards home. But we’ll take a different route to return, ascending to a high mountain pass known as Chogo La. Along the way, we’ll have the chance to catch a glimpse of the bharal, or blue sheep, which are native to the Himalayan mountains. Then we’ll descend steeply to cross the Tsarang Chu once again before arriving at Ghar Gompa. This is one of the oldest monasteries in Mustang, and it’s heavily associated with the great Buddhist saint Padmasambhava or Guru Rinpoche. Notably, the gompa still holds its affiliation with the Samye Monastery in Tibet. After checking out its exquisite interior and colorful artwork, we’ll leave the monastery behind to travel across alpine meadows and arrive at today’s destination: the peaceful, stone-walled village of Drakmar. We’ll spend the night here in another cozy teahouse or trekker’s lodge.

We’ll depart from Drakmar this morning by following the course of the stream that runs through town. We’re nearing the end of our Upper Mustang Trek, but there’s still plenty of jaw-dropping scenery ahead of us. We’ll climb a series of ridges, earning marvelous views of the stark, dry mountains before ascending once again to the pass of Nyi La. Then we’ll descend to Jaite, a little settlement which consists of scarcely more than a single teahouse, and return to the familiar town of Shyangmochen. But we’ll press on a little further today, making the short climb back to Yamdo La and trekking through a landscape peppered with oak trees and pastures before making the final descent to Chele. Here, we’ll get checked in at our lodge and enjoy a filling meal and a good night’s sleep. 

We’ll get an early start on today’s trek—while it’s our last real day of hiking on the Upper Mustang Trek, we can still expect to spend about six hours on the trail. Our path begins with a long descent, following the Kali Gandaki river to reach Chhuksang. From here, we’ll march onwards to Kagbeni, where our trek began over one week ago. Rather than catching a ride back to Jomsom, though, we’ll make the return journey on foot. The road is reasonably level here, and the last three hours of our trek will serve as a pleasant bookend to an epic two-week hiking itinerary here in Nepal’s remote Mustang region. When we arrive at Jomsom, we’ll get checked into our lodge to enjoy some well-deserved rest and relaxation.

This morning, we’ll board a brief flight to return to Pokhara. Mountain flights in Nepal operate in the morning when visibility is clear and you can enjoy amazing Himalayan views stretching beneath the shadow of your plane. When we arrive in Pokhara, you can look forward to a hot shower and plenty of time to explore this amazing city. Whether you’re in the mood to sample the city’s many bars and restaurants or to try some adventure activities like paragliding or river rafting, you’ll quickly discover that Pokhara has something for everyone. We’ll spend the night here before returning to Kathmandu in the morning.

Now that our Upper Mustang Trek is over, it’s time to return to the metropolis of Kathmandu. We can take the scenic route by boarding a tourist bus and driving back to the city, which takes approximately seven hours and showcases the sights and sounds of rural Nepal along the way. If you’d rather fly, we can be back in Kathmandu in just about half an hour. Either way, you’ll have time this evening to peruse the tourists markets of Thamel on the hunt for interesting souvenirs of your trek in Nepal. If you’re staying on in Nepal, your overnight accommodations will be at a hotel here in Kathmandu. If you’re leaving today, Alpine Ramble Treks will transport you to the airport in time for your departing flight. Thank you for choosing us to lead your Upper Mustang Trek!