Upper Mustang Trek

Upon your arrival at Tribhuvan International Airport, Kathmandu, our office representative will come to pick you up and then you will be transferred to your hotel in Thamel, which happens to be the tourist hub of Kathmandu. You can wander the narrow winding streets and do some last-minute shopping or find a good café/bakery to spend the remainder of the day.

This morning we head out on a tour of Kathmandu and will visit many places of historical significance. We will visit Bouddhanath Stupa, one of the biggest Buddhist temples in the world where you will see Buddhist monks in prayer in the monasteries surrounding the stupa. Next stop is Pashupatinath, the most famous Hindu temple in Nepal located next to the holy Bagmati River where you can see Hindu holy men (sadhus) meditating, pilgrims bathing and occasionally funeral pyres burning on the ghats. We will also pay a visit to Bhaktapur Durbar Square, which is a collection of pagoda and shikhara - temples grouped around a fifty-five window palace constructed of brick and wood. The main feature at Bhaktapur Durbar Square is the Lion gate, the Golden gate, the Palace of fifty-five windows, art galleries and the Statue of King Bhupatindra Malla.

This morning your guide will pick you up at 6:30 am to so as to catch a 7.30 am tourist bus to Pokhara. 

Today we have a 25 minute flight from Pokhara to Jomsom with views from the plane of the famous Kali Gandaki Gorge (world’s deepest), and views of several massive peaks such as Mt. Dhaulagiri, the Annapurna Ranges and Machapuchare (Fishtail). From Jomson we trek to Kagbeni, about a 3-4 hour trek. Kagbeni is also the checkpoint where authorities will check your permits before you enter the restricted Upper Mustang region. Along the trail we will have some fantastic views of Mt. Dhaulagiri, Nilgiri and Tukuche Peak. 

We hit the trail early in so as to avoid the high winds that develop later in the day. In the morning light we can see Nilgiri that has an orange glow due to the sun’s reflection on it. We follow the trail along the east bank of the Kali Gandaki River until we enter the broad Chhusang Valley. After leaving Kagbeni we head higher and have fantastic views of the village and Mt Nilgiri (7061m).The trail then heads east towards the more barren rocky land common to the Mustang region. We then come to the village of Tangbe with its red and whitewashed houses located next to the river. High up on the cliffs above the village are caves that are said to have been home to the earlier people of this area. We next arrive at Chele from where we have views of the Himalayan Mountains. 

Today we will climb the rugged hills and will come to a stone cairn at 3540 meters from where we descend to the small village of Samar with its chortens (stupa religious– monuments) and other Buddhist structures. After leaving Samar we head down into a large canyon and then again ascend to a 3800 meter ridge before again descending to the isolated Shyangmochen Village and finally to Geling Village where we stay overnight. 

From Geling the trail continues up to of Nyi La Pass (3932m) and then descends to and follows the Tangmar Chu River and its Mani stone walls (stones inscribed with Lamaist prayers). We then continue on to Charang Village with its vast five –storey Dzong (monastery), red Gompa (type of monastery) and Thankas (forms of art).  

Today the trail is mostly uphill as we initially head to Lo Gekar - home to one of the oldest Tibetan monasteries in the world. Lo Gekar Gompa is older than the renowned Samye Gompa in Tibet. After visiting Lo Gekar we travel by horse to Lo Manthang. The trail passes the ancient walled city of Lo Manthang before descending to cross a stream before arriving at Lo Manthang.

Today we climb for around two hours to Namgyal Gompa located at the top of a peak and then head to Tingkhar to the north-west of Lo Manthang. It is a small village consisting of about 40 houses.

From Lo Manthang we head to Dhi Pass 4,100 meters and then down to Dhi Village. Dhi village is one of the best villages of Lo Manthang that is prosperous and thriving. We then cross the river and follow the west bank to Yara Village (3,650m).

This morning we trek for around two hours and then cross the river from Damodar Kunda, one of the sacred lakes. There is no bridge on the river so you need to walk across in bare feet to cross this river. After crossing the river the trail heads up to a 3850 meter pass. The trail then descends to Tange village (3,370m). Tange is a village of around 30 houses.

The trail today takes us to Tetang Village that is located and sheltered between two hills. Tetang is the upper village of Chhusang which we visited on our first day after entering the Mustang region from Kagbeni. 

Today the trail takes us to Chhusang Village and to the valley above the village from where we can see Muktinath in the distance. We then trek through the valley, descending and crossing the river over a suspension bridge. This area is well known for fossils found in the Gandaki River (Shaligrams – black holy stones). As we continue along the trail we have magnificent views of Annapurna, Dhaulagiri and Tukuche Himalayan ranges. 

Today we head by bus back to Kathmandu. You may decide to take a tour to Chitwan and a Jungle Safari, a river rafting adventure, a Kathmandu shopping tour or a scenic Everest flight. This evening Uma Holidays Travels & Tours will host a farewell dinner at a traditional Nepalese restaurant together with a cultural performance.

A representative from Sherpa Expedition Teams will drop you to the Kathmandu International Airport at least three hours prior to your scheduled departure. We look forward to hearing from you in the future and to be able to offer you another amazing time in Nepal.