The Upper Mustang trek winds its way to the hidden Buddhist world of the Kingdom of Mustang, also known as Lo. This remote trans-Himalayan mountain area borders Tibet and has a distinct Tibetan feel, both in its people and culture and in its arid landscape of high cliffs and rocks of unusual formations and colour.
The trek visits Kagbeni, the gateway to Upper Mustang, then through a stark landscape in the rain shadow of the Dhaulagiri massif to Lo-Manthang, the seat of past Kings of the Kingdom of Lo.Explore caves, rock paintings, monasteries, and gompa and learn something about the culture of this area. Panoramic views of Nilgiri, Annapurna, Dhaulagiri, and others, are very much part of this exciting trip!
Within Lo Manthang itself, a visit to Namgyal Gompa and Tingkhar, the last main village in the northwest of the area, as well as the King’s palace, brings a further cultural understanding of the area.There is also an amchi (traditional Tibetan doctor) museum and school where visitors can learn about this ancient healing art and how it is being adapted to meet modern-day situations.A few hours’ walk from Lo Manthang is Gyakar, with its famous Gompa. Ghar Gompa is over 1,200 years old, is dedicated to Guru Rinpoche, who traveled these areas then.
The Gompa is famous for its rock paintings and the fact it is believed that if you make a wish here, it will come true. So make a wish at the Ghar Gompa, and hope to return again someday!The trek is at a relatively high altitude (3,000m to 3,800m), intensified by the dry air.While it is no problem for those born at this altitude to travel at speed, visitors will be more leisurely in their hike to avoid any altitude-related problems. On average, walking takes 5 to 7 hours a day, and some paths are particularly windy and dusty.
But this trek into the restricted area of Upper Mustang, which in part follows the ancient salt route, will remain in one’s memory forever.
Itinerary
After an early breakfast, we travel to Pokhara on a tourist bus. The journey will take around 6 to 7 hours. On our way, we can see the picturesque Trishuli and Marsyangdi rivers. Pokhara is a beautiful river valley known for its panoramic views of Annapurna and Machapuchare in the north, Dhaulagiri in the west, Manaslu and Lamjung Himal in the east. Pokhara is a tourist paradise complete with the most modern comforts.
We take an early morning flight to Jomsom. During the early morning, the weather is the clearest, and you will see spectacular mountain views - including two eight-thousanders mountains - Dhaulagiri and Annapurna. The landscape below is absolutely breathtaking.
We land in Jomsom - the district headquarter of Mustang. The trekking starts from Jomsom. The route follows a pleasant trail up the arid valley of the Kali Gandaki River to the fort of Kagbeni, an ancient trade post with a Buddhist monastery. Kagbeni is just south of the restricted area of the Upper Mustang
The area above Kagbeni is called Upper Mustang, and you cannot enter the upper Mustang without a permit. There is a check post at the gateway, where we register our documents and trek forward.
We will start our trek early in the morning, along the eastern bank of the Kali Gandaki River to Chuksang, to avoid the heavy Mustang wind in the afternoon. On the way, you will get fantastic views of Mt. Nilgiri glowing orange from the early sun rays. The area beside the river can be windy with dust all over the air, so you will need sunglasses and perhaps a face mask to cover your nose and mouth.
You will then pass by the Mustang’s unique red sandstone pillars and rock formations, formed by thousands of years of erosion, and reach Tangbe Village. Tangbe is a pretty village with red and whitewashed houses, picturesque apple orchards, and barley fields. Then we follow a relatively narrow canyon to Chele, a small town along a ridge. The views from Chele are other-worldly. We are sure you will not get similar views from any other parts of the world.
This day's trek will be considerably challenging as we will be gaining around 800m in height. From Chele, we climb a steep spur and then continue up a steep canyon to Eklo Bhatti and ascend to the Taklam La (3,625 m/11,940 ft), a high pass. We cross the Taklam La pass to reach Samar.
We can catch beautiful views of Mount Nilgiri from Samar. This is also a usual place to stop horses and mule caravans for rest. From Samar, we descend to a large gorge past Rangchyung Chorten - painted red, black, yellow, and white, and trek ahead to reach Syangboche.
The day begins with an ascent to another pass - the Yamda La (3,845m/12,655 ft) Pass, through an astonishing desert landscape and a few remote settlements. Again, The trail climbs up to a large valley and then descends to a wide barley field at Gelling. The mud and stone houses at Gelling are painted white and ochre, just like in Mustang.
From Geling, we reach a settlement - Tama Gaun and climb a pass known as the Nyi La (4015 m/13,205ft). We will be descending from this pass and trek ahead to Ghami.
This day's trek takes you through the driest part of Mustang. However, the heavenly countryside perspective you gain compensates for a difficult climb. Finally, we arrive at Tsarang, an extensive spread-out town with around 1000 inhabitants.
Starting on flat land, we ascend over yet another pass - Lo La Pass, from where you can enjoy the delightful views of the valley below - including Lo Mathang. We descend from Lo La Pass and enter Lo Mathang from the north.
Today will be the day for you to explore the historical Lo Manthang - a walled city with around 150 houses. This ancient city dates back to the 1390s approximately.
Lo Manthang was the walled capital of the Kingdom of Lo since its founding in 1380 by Ame Pal. The village is best known for its tall whitewashed mud-brick walls, gompas, and the royal palace.
This palace is a nine-cornered, five-story structure built around 1400. It is the oldest existing structure with such architecture. This town is also home to four major temples - Jampa Gompa (Jampa Lhakhang), Thubchen Gompa, Chodey Gompa, and Choprang Gompa. Jampa Gompa is the oldest and is also known as God's house. Similarly, Choprang Gompa is also known as New Gompa. The Nepal government opened Upper Mustang for foreigners in 1992, but, even today, tourism to Upper Mustang remains limited.
From Lo Manthang, we head south towards Kagbeni. However, we will not take the same route we took to arrive at Lo Manthang. As our journey passes through Drakmar, we will also make sure we head to the famous Ghar Monastery decorated with beautiful wall paint. Our trek continues until we reach Ghami.
We trek through the remote and arid landscape carefully, enjoying the magical views all around the path. You will be ascending to reach Chemi La and Yiy La passes and then descend steeply to reach Geling. After Geling, the descent eases as you reach Syangboche, but our destination lies further at Samar. Samar is a Tibetan-style village, complete with mani walls, monastery, and terraced fields.
From Samar, we join the regular trekking trail to Chhusang. The trails lead to the Kali Gandaki riverbed. We cross this river through a rock tunnel and trek forward to reach Chhusang.
Today you will be crossing Gyu La Pass (4077m) as the trek follows the world-famous Annapurna circuit, but you will cross the pass from a different direction. From this pass, you can see several majestic Himalayan peaks extending northwards into Tibet before you, and as you look behind, you can see the Annapurna range.
The trail passes through several ancient villages before reaching Muktinath - a common Hindu and Buddhist holy site. Buddhists call Muktinath ‘Chumig Gyatsa’, which in Tibetan means "A Hundred Waters". The walled Muktinath temple complex houses a Buddhist monastery, several Hindu shrines, 108 bathing spouts, and an eternal flame.
You have reached your final day on the trekking trails. We descend to Jharkot and Khingar- where there are beautiful monasteries that you can explore. We gradually lose elevation as we join Jomsom, which sits on the bottom of Kali Gandaki River Valley. Jomsom market area is a huge change from the serene trails and remote villages we visited.
We bid goodbye to Mustang and catch an early morning flight over the southern Kali Gandaki Valley to Pokhara. Then you can either fly back to Kathmandu or spend a day exploring Pokhara - a famous tourist hub in Nepal.
We depart on a tourist bus for a return to Kathmandu. It's a 200 km route that first follows the Marsyangdi River and then the Trishuli River. If you want, you may choose to return by a 25-minute flight (not included in the package). Your trek package completes at Kathmandu.