Upper Mustang Jeep Tour 10 Days — Lo Manthang by Road
10 days
Kathmandu, Pokhara
Lo Manthang without the fourteen day walk — a private 4x4 up the Kali Gandaki to the walled city and back.
$1,025
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Upper Mustang is the old Buddhist kingdom of Lo, behind the Annapurnas in the Himalayan rain shadow. It was closed to outsiders until 1992 and it still requires a restricted-area permit.
Lo Manthang without the fourteen day walk — a private 4x4 up the Kali Gandaki to the walled city and back.
Fourteen days behind the Himalaya into Lo Manthang, the walled Tibetan capital that was closed to outsiders until 1992.
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Because it sits behind the mountains, almost no rain reaches it. The landscape is red cliff, ochre desert and eroded canyon — closer to Tibet than to the green hills most people picture when they think of Nepal. The culture is Tibetan, the language is Tibetan, and the walled city of Lo Manthang still has its royal palace and its monasteries.
Upper Mustang costs USD 50 per person per day in restricted-area permit fees, paid to the Nepal government, on top of the ACAP permit. That is not our charge and we do not mark it up. A ten-day trip therefore carries around USD 500 per person in permits alone, and you should know that before you plan.
By jeep takes about ten days from Pokhara and reaches Lo Manthang without walking. We will be honest: the road is rough, dusty and slow, and it is not a scenic drive in the comfortable sense. It is the way in for people who cannot trek.
On foot takes around fourteen days and is the better experience by a distance.
Mustang is the one Nepal trek that works in the monsoon, because the rain does not reach it. June to September is a good window here while the rest of the country is wet. March to November overall.
From Pokhara, either the road through Beni and Jomsom, or a short flight to Jomsom and start from there.
Most trips start with a flight from Pokhara to Jomsom, or the drive up the Kali Gandaki valley. From Kagbeni, where the restricted area begins, the route climbs north through Chele, Syangboche, Ghami and Charang to Lo Manthang, the walled capital at about 3,800 m. Most people spend a full day there before heading back south, sometimes by a different route through Dhakmar and its red cliffs.
Mustang sits in the rain shadow of the Annapurna and Dhaulagiri ranges, so it is dry, brown and wide open, more like Tibet than the rest of Nepal. Villages are whitewashed, with old monasteries, prayer walls and caves cut high into the cliffs.
No. It is a restricted area, so you need a special permit, a licensed guide and at least two people in the group.
It is moderate. Days are five to seven hours on good trails, but the altitude and wind make it tiring. The jeep route is much easier.
Yes. Because it gets very little rain, it is one of the few treks in Nepal that works well from June to September.
Tell us when you want to travel and how long you have. We come back with a route, the vehicle it needs and one price, usually within 24 hours. Our day rates are published in full, and your hotels stay your own choice.
Get a price for your Upper Mustang trip See our car and driver rates
