Upper Mustang Trek – 18 Days

Namaste and welcome to Nepal!

At the airport you will be welcomed by one of our employees. He has a sign with our logo. This way you can easily find each other when you leave the airport.

After a warm welcome a private chauffeur will take you by car to your accommodation in Patan. Our employee will accompany you and help you with the check-in at your hotel.

Depending on your time of arrival in Kathmandu, you will have free time to go out. Discover the lively old part of Kathmandu (streets of Asan) with nice markets and colourful temples and stupas.

During a short `meet & greet` with Maaike and/or Chuda you will get useful tips and can ask questions. You will also meet your guide for the coming days who will give you a briefing about the trekking.

You will spend the night in a standard hotel in Kathmandu.

Today the guide will take you on an exploration in Kathmandu. Kathmandu is a vibrant city with several beautiful world heritage sites.

On a green hill on the western side of Kathmandu lies the beautiful temple complex of Swayambunath. Under the watchful eye of a colony of monkeys you climb up. Afterwards you go down the back and visit Amideva Buddha Park, with its 3 impressive gold gilded Buddha statues.

Afterwards you will go to the Tibetan Buddhist heart of Kathmandu: Boudhanath. The gigantic white stupa attracts many pilgrims walking around it. You will have lunch with a view on the stupa (lunch not included).

Afterwards you descend to Pashupatinath. This is the sanctuary of the Hindus, situated along the Bagmati river. Besides following a ritual cremation, you can also find the Saddhu’s here. These coloured holy men live around the temple.

You stay in a standard hotel in Kathmandu.

Day a private car with driver will take you to Pokhara, the cosy town situated on the shores of the beautiful Phewa Lake. On the way you’ll stop at an idyllic spot along the river for lunch (lunch not included).

On arrival in Pokhara you’ll have free time to go out: take a nice walk along the banks of the river and follow the Aarti ceremony with the fire at the fall of darkness.

Stay in a standard hotel in Pokhara.

Upon arrival in Jomsom you will start your trekking. It is an easy walking day with spectacular views of the peaks of Nilgiri, Dhaulagiri, Tukuche Peak and Dhampus.

You hike as far as Kagbeni (2850m), a typical Tibetan village and also the gateway to Upper Mustang.

You spend the night in a teahouse in Kagbeni.

The day starts with a nice walk along the banks of the Kali Ghandaki River. At several places you will stop to enjoy the surroundings and have a nice view.

You will pass the village of Tangbe with its narrow streets and white houses. You walk along fields with buckwheat and grain and along apple orchards.

You continue to Chhusang and cross the river.

You’ll spend the night in a teahouse in Chele.

You’ll walk along narrow ledges until you reach Chele.

You’ll spend the night in a teahouse in Chele.

Today you first hike through steep and dry terrain and through a spectacular deep gorge. When you reach 3540 meters, the path slowly descends to a few chortens on a mountain ridge. You descend further to an easier path in the direction of Samar. The Annapurna mountain range, with the gigantic Nilgiri mountain, is visible far south.

After a climb you reach Samar. Afterwards you descend again and walk through a wide gorge. The path turns into another valley surrounded by rivers and juniper bushes. Then you ascend again to an altitude of 3800m. Before you reach Syanboche (3475m) you will visit the Ramchung cave.

You will spend the night in a teahouse in Syanboche.

After breakfast you continue your trekking to the Yamda La Pass (3.850m). Today you will pass several chortens and walk through charming villages with Tibetan white houses. You will also walk through the charming village of Ghilling.

Nadien you walk further to cross the Nyi La Pass (4010m) and descend further to Ghami (3520m), a small village protected by overhanging rocks and surrounded by large dry fields.

In the afternoon you will see the thirstiest part of Upper Mustang. This in combination with beautiful rough mountain views in the East and West provides stunning panoramic views.

When the cattle return to Ghami for the night, the village is filled with goats and cows returning to their homes through the small streets. A real spectacle!

You’ll spend the night in a teahouse in Ghami.

What an exciting day today: your main destination of this trekking is getting closer! You follow the path to Lo Manthang and enjoy a magnificent view of the Nilgiri, the Tilicho, Annapurna I and Bhrikuti along the way.

The path first descends into the Charang Chu Gorge. You cross the river and follow the steep path up. You continue until you reach the windy Lo Pass at 3850 meters. From this point you’ll see the entire Lo Mantang valley.

During the descent to the hidden city of Lo Mantang (3700m) you have an impressive view of the walled city with the Tibetan mountains behind it.

In Lo Manthang you will visit the three authentic Tibetan monasteries and the palace of the former king.

You will spend the night in a teahouse in Lo Manthang.

Where you visited the city of Lo Manthang yesterday after your arrival, today you will make an interesting day walk around Lo Manthang.

The western valley of Tingkhar, the site of the summer palace of the Raja`s and the panoramic views of the mountains are worth seeing. You walk to the villages of Kimling and Phuwa and see the Gompa of Namgyal. In the eastern valley we see the village of Chosar, also known for the typical Gompa. In this valley there is a centuries-old trade route to the capital of Tibet, Lhasa.

You will spend the night in a teahouse in Lo Manthang.

From Lo Manthang today you will return via a different route. First you walk through the green yak fields and cross the Morang La Pass over 4230 meters. After the pass the landscape changes and it’s dorrer again.

You walk along the authentic village Drakmar (3810m) where the more than 1200 year old imposing Ghar Gompa stands. Guru Rinpoche is the most important figure and the Gompa is also known for its beautiful rock paintings. Legend has it that you can be sure that what you wish for with the Gompa really comes true.

You will continue steadily to today’s end point in Ghami (3490m).

You’ll spend the night in a teahouse in Ghami.

In today’s trek you return to your steps: you take the path down that you climbed at the beginning of the trekking. It’s a pretty tough day of trekking today because you climb a lot of stretches and cross two passes.

For lunch you cross the Nyla La Pass (4010 m) and walk down to Syanboche, where you have lunch.

After lunch you climb for an hour to the second mountain pass Vena La (3860m). Then you descend to the river and cross it.

After a last effort of 15 minutes you climb steeply up to the village of Samar.

You will spend the night in a teahouse in Samar.

After breakfast you continue your trek. First you ascend steeply to a plain where you walk quietly and enjoy the surroundings.

The path then climbs quite steeply for three hours. After the climb to high above the valley the path suddenly turns right and you see the Gyu La pass (4077m). From the pass the snowy peaks seem incredibly close: the Thorung, the Tilicho, the Annapurna and the Nilgiri. On the flanks of the mountains are snowy glaciers.

You cross the pass and walk along an easy path that only slightly descends and rises towards Muktinath.

You cross a green valley and there are houses along the path, which means that you are approaching Muktinath.

Muktinath is an important place of pilgrimage for both Buddhists and Hindus. In and around Muktinath there are 108 natural sources. Bathing in them would bring you happiness. A small temple was built around the legendary eternal flame that would come out of a rock.

You will spend the night in a teahouse in Muktinath.

Today you fly back early with a domestic flight to Jomsom. During the flight you can still enjoy the snowy peaks of the Himalayas.

The rest of the day is free in Pokhara. If you want to relax, there are plenty of opportunities for massages and spa treatments. Or enjoy a drink on a terrace along the shores of the lake.

If you want some more action, you can go out and visit some of the highlights around Pokhara: the World Peace Pagoda, Davis Falls, Mahadev Guptheswor cave or the International Mountain Museum.

You’ll stay in a standard hotel in Pokhara.

Today you drive back to Kathmandu in a private car with driver. On the way you can see the Nepalese daily life. You will stop for lunch in a village next to the river, where you can taste the local fish.

After arrival in Kathmandu you will have some time to shop some souvenirs or walk around a bit.

Spend the night in a standard hotel in Kathmandu.

The end of your journey has come. Depending on your flight time, you may still have time to score some souvenirs or discover some nice spots.

At least 3 hours before the departure time of your flight, you will be picked up at the reception desk of your accommodation. The driver will take you to the airport.

We hope you’ll bring home a lot of great memories!