The Upper Mustang trek is not a high-altitude endurance test. It tops out around 4,000 metres and the walking is moderate. What makes it hard to arrange is the permit, and what makes it worth arranging is that very few people go.
Roughly a few thousand foreigners a year reach Lo Manthang. Everest Base Camp sees more than that in a fortnight.
Fourteen days from Jomsom and back, walking five to seven hours most days through a landscape with no trees and very little green. You cross several passes above 3,800 metres, drop into eroded canyons, and pass villages of whitewashed mud-brick houses with firewood stacked on the roofs.
The trail is old. It was the salt route between Tibet and the Nepali lowlands, and the mani walls and chortens along it were built for traders, not trekkers.
Days 1 to 2: Fly or drive to Jomsom, then walk to Kagbeni, the last village before the restricted zone.
Days 3 to 6: North through Chele, Syangboche and Ghami to Tsarang, crossing several passes. This is the stretch where the landscape turns fully Tibetan.
Days 7 to 9: Lo Manthang and the surrounding valleys, including the Chhoser sky caves and the monasteries at Namgyal and Ghar Gompa.
Days 10 to 14: Return by an alternative route through Drakmar and Ghiling, then back to Jomsom.
Moderate. There is no technical ground and no glacier travel. The difficulty is consecutive days of walking at altitude in a dry, exposed environment with strong afternoon winds. The wind is genuinely relentless in Mustang and it is the thing trekkers complain about most.
If you have done a multi-day trek before and are reasonably fit, you will be fine. If you have not, this is not a bad first one, because the altitude is manageable.
Teahouses along the whole route. They are simpler than on the Annapurna or Everest trails, because far fewer people come through. Expect a bed, a shared bathroom in most places, and a menu built around dal bhat.
The same as for the jeep route: a Restricted Area Permit at 500 US dollars per person for ten days, 50 dollars per day after that, plus an ACAP permit. Minimum two trekkers, licensed guide mandatory.
These permits are issued in limited numbers and cannot be arranged on arrival. They need a real agency and lead time.
Our trekking trips work differently from our road tours. On the Upper Mustang Trek the price includes accommodation on trek, all meals while trekking, your licensed guide, porter support and the permits.
Domestic flights, Kathmandu and Pokhara hotels, travel insurance, tips, and personal gear are not included. Flights to Jomsom in particular are weather-dependent and we quote them separately so you are not paying for a flight that may not run.
Moderate. Maximum altitude around 4,000 metres, no technical sections, but consecutive long days in a dry and windy environment.
500 US dollars per person for the first ten days, then 50 dollars per day, plus the ACAP permit.
No. The restricted permit requires a minimum of two trekkers and a licensed guide.
March to November, including the monsoon months, because Mustang lies in the rain shadow. Spring and autumn are the most comfortable.
Talk to us about dates well ahead, because the permits are limited and the flights to Jomsom fill quickly.
