Upper Mustang Trek – 15 Days

Upper Mustang Trek Overview

"On the Annapurna Circuit, every turn of the trail rewrites your idea of what a horizon can be."

The Upper Mustang Trek takes you into a stark, high-altitude desert that mirrors the Tibetan Plateau. This territory is located in the rain shadow of the Annapurna and Dhaulagiri massifs, which shield it from the summer monsoon. You will walk through a landscape defined by deeply eroded red cliffs, deep gorges, and ancient cave complexes carved into vertical rock faces. The region remained entirely closed to foreigners until 1992, and the government still limits entry using strict permit regulations. This isolation preserves a raw environment where high-altitude winds sweep across wide, barren valleys.

Cultural preservation remains absolute across the former Kingdom of Lo. Local communities share direct ancestral, linguistic, and spiritual ties with Tibet, which manifests in daily life and architecture. You will encounter stone villages with whitewashed houses, extensive mani walls, and clay chortens painted in traditional red, grey, and white hues. The spiritual hub of the region sits within the walled capital of Lo Manthang at 3,840 m. Inside these protective walls, century-old Buddhist monasteries like Jampa Lhakhang preserve invaluable murals, ancient scripts, and living monastic traditions.

Safety and legal compliance require careful preparation before you start your journey. The Department of Immigration classifies Upper Mustang as a restricted area, which dictates specific logistics. You must secure a Regulatory Restricted Area Permit, but solo trekkers are legally permitted to enter this zone provided they hire a licensed guide. You do not need a second traveler, but navigating without a certified guide is strictly illegal. The Upper Mustang trek is quite challenging due to the constant altitude changes, which require steady pacing to prevent acute mountain sickness, especially when crossing passes above 4,000 m.

Flow of Journey

You begin your journey with an overland drive from Kathmandu to the lakeside city of Pokhara before catching an early morning flight to the mountain airstrip at Jomsom. The foot journey begins along the wide, winding gravel bed of the Kali Gandaki River to Kagbeni, the official gateway to the restricted Upper Mustang region. You ascend steadily through a dry, rain-shadow landscape, characterized by dramatic red cliffs, ancient cave dwellings, and traditional whitewashed villages such as Chuksang, Samar, and Ghilling. But you must pace your breathing and energy carefully, as the trail crosses multiple high mountain passes, including Taklam La and Nyi La at 4,010 m. Meanwhile, the route leads you past the longest ancient mani prayer wall in the region before you enter the historic, walled capital city of Lo-Manthang for a crucial rest-and-acclimatization day.

Our return route follows the rugged western loop, offering a completely different perspective on this Tibetan-influenced wilderness. You climb over the highest point of the entire trek at Chogo La pass at 4,230 m to visit the historic eighth-century Ghar Gompa monastery. The trail then drops through the vibrant red clay cliffs of Dhakmar and retraces southward through Syanbochen and Chuksang before turning east for a demanding climb over the Gyu La pass at 4,077 m. This path connects your route to the sacred pilgrimage hub of Muktinath, where you can see the holy water spouts and eternal natural gas flames. Finally, you hike back down the windy valley floor to Jomsom for your return flight to Pokhara, followed by a final overland drive back to Kathmandu along the Prithvi Highway.