The route, in one paragraph
Upper Mustang is a desert above the clouds — geologically Tibetan, culturally Tibetan, politically Nepali. You need a restricted-area permit ($500 USD for ten days, included in the price), and that fee is what keeps it the way it is. We walk the old salt-trade trail to Lo Manthang, sleep in homestays, and spend two full days inside the walled city.
What you'll remember
The days that stay with you.
- 01
Two full days inside the walls of Lo Manthang — the old kingdom
- 02
Chhoser sky caves and the cliffside monastery of Garphu
- 03
A morning at Ghami's eight-hundred-year-old red walls
- 04
The colour of the Mustang light at 5 pm
Day by day
The 17-day itinerary.
- 01 DAY
Kathmandu → Pokhara (drive or fly)
- End alt.
- 820 m
- 02 DAY
Pokhara → Jomsom (fly) → Kagbeni
- End alt.
- 2,810 m
- Walking
- 3 h
- 03 DAY
Kagbeni → Chele
- End alt.
- 3,050 m
- Distance
- 14 km
- Walking
- 6 h
- 04 DAY
Chele → Syangboche
- End alt.
- 3,475 m
- Distance
- 16 km
- Walking
- 7 h
- 05 DAY
Syangboche → Ghami
- End alt.
- 3,520 m
- Distance
- 13 km
- Walking
- 6 h
- 06 DAY
Ghami → Tsarang
- End alt.
- 3,560 m
- Distance
- 10 km
- Walking
- 5 h
- 07 DAY
Tsarang → Lo Manthang
- End alt.
- 3,840 m
- Distance
- 8 km
- Walking
- 4 h
- 08 DAY
Lo Manthang — city, monasteries
- End alt.
- 3,840 m
- 09 DAY
Lo Manthang → Chhoser caves → Lo Manthang
- End alt.
- 3,840 m
- Distance
- 12 km
- Walking
- 5 h
- 10 DAY
Lo Manthang → Drakmar (via Ghar Gompa)
- End alt.
- 3,810 m
- Distance
- 16 km
- Walking
- 7 h
- 11 DAY
Drakmar → Ghiling
- End alt.
- 3,570 m
- Distance
- 13 km
- Walking
- 6 h
- 12 DAY
Ghiling → Chhusang
- End alt.
- 2,980 m
- Distance
- 18 km
- Walking
- 7 h
- 13 DAY
Chhusang → Jomsom
- End alt.
- 2,715 m
- Distance
- 17 km
- Walking
- 6 h
- 14 DAY
Jomsom → Pokhara (fly)
- End alt.
- 820 m
- 15 DAY
Pokhara — rest day
- End alt.
- 820 m
- 16 DAY
Pokhara → Kathmandu
- End alt.
- 1,400 m
- 17 DAY
Kathmandu — debrief, departure
- End alt.
- 1,400 m
The fine print
Everything that's in the price.
No surprise add-ons. No "premium upgrades." This is the trek.
Included
- Restricted-area permit ($500/10d + $50/day after) and ACAP
- Twin-share lodging — mix of teahouses and homestays in Lo Manthang
- All meals · Tibetan-influenced menu (tsampa, thukpa, butter tea)
- Mukunda as lead guide + government liaison officer (required by permit)
- Porters (12 kg limit)
- Flights Pokhara ↔ Jomsom
- All ground transport in Kathmandu and Pokhara
- Two pre-trek briefings · cultural primer on Mustang history
Not included
- International flights and Nepal visa
- Travel and rescue insurance
- Tips for guide team, porters and liaison officer
- Personal trekking gear (rental list provided)
- Donations at monasteries (recommended — bring small notes)
What to expect
- 5 to 7 hours of walking daily on dry trail
- Strong afternoon wind in the Kali Gandaki — we usually start at 6 am
- Dry, dusty, dazzlingly clear air. Lip balm is your best friend.
- Less altitude exposure than the Circuit — top out around 3,800 m
Fitness honestly
Less altitude than the Circuit but the days are long and the wind is constant. Comfortable walking 6 to 7 hours, six days in a row, with a small pack.
Permits
Restricted-area permit issued by Department of Immigration — requires passport copies and 4 photos six weeks in advance. Mukunda handles the application.
From past clients on this trek
“Upper Mustang was the most surprising landscape I have ever walked through. Mukunda's connections with the homestay families — many of whom he has known for fifteen years — gave us a trek that no agency could buy.”
Priya London · 2025
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