Mustang

The Region

This trek visits the ancient Kingdom of Mustang where the language, culture and traditions are still almost purely Tibetan in nature. Until 1992 Mustang was the most inaccessible and restricted area in Nepal and few foreigners had visited the region. Entry to the region is still strictly controlled and because of this a high trekking permit charge is made. Mustang has a long and complex history that makes it one of the most interesting places in Nepal. 

 

Corn field in the sacred Mustang Region

 

The Mustang Trek

A feature of this trek is the opportunity to experience the unique and ancient culture of the Mustang people which, because of its isolation, has remained unaltered for centuries.

We start our trek from Jomsom and trek northwards into the heart of Mustang reaching the region's capital Lo Manthang after 5 days of trekking through amazing villages and stunning landscapes. We spend two days in this ancient city before returning to Jomsom for our return flight via a slightly different route that takes in the pilgrimage site of Muktinath.

Outline itinerary

Day	Program	Altitude
1	Arrive Kathmandu, transfer from airport to hotel
2	At leisure in Kathmandu, preparation for trek
3	Fly to Pokhara
4	Fly to Jomsom, trek to Kagbeni	2810 m
5	Kagbeni to Chele	3030 m
6	Chele to Shyangmochen	3650 m
7	Shyangmochen to Geling	3440 m
8	Geling to Charang	3490 m
9	Charang to Lo Manthang	3730 m
10	Day in Lo Manthang
11	Lo Manthang to Dhakmar
12	Dhakmar to Yamda
13	Yamda to Chhuksang
14	Chhuksang to Muktinath	3800 m
15	Muktinath to Jomsom	2713 m
16	Fly to Pokhara
17	Fly to Kathmandu, accommodation in Hotel
18	At leisure in Kathmandu
19	Transfer from hotel to airport, fly home

Day by day itinerary

Day 1
Arrive Kathmandu, transfer from airport to hotel

Day 2
At leisure in Kathmandu, preparation for trek

Day 3
Fly to Pokhara, transfer to hotel

Day 4
Fly to Jomsom, trek to Kagbeni

From Pokhara it is a short flight to reach the airstrip at Jomsom at 2713m. Jomsom is a large, bustling settlement which is the administrative centre of the region, containing the airport, army camp, and numerous hotels, shops, banks and government offices. Here we meet our trekking crew and prepare for our trek to Mustang. We begin by trekking north to the village of Kagbeni. We cross the river to the eastern bank of the Kali Gandaki and continue onwards to Eklai Bhatti at 2730m. From here we will follow the trail along the river to Kagbeni at 2810m, a fascinating village with many Tibetan influences. Kagbeni is situated at the junction of the Jhong Khola and the Kali Gandaki, and is the northernmost village that can be visited without a permit to continue on to Mustang.

Day 5
Kagbeni to Chele

The trail continues up the eastern side of the Kali Gandaki, heading northwards through Tangbe at 2990m and then on to Chhuksang at the confluence of the Narshing Khola and the Kali Gandaki. The trail continues north before crossing the river to the west bank and climbing out of the Kali Gandaki valley up a rocky gully to Chele at 3030m. We can now see the increasing evidence of Tibetan culture as we trek closer to Mustang.

Day 6
Chele to Shyangmochen

From Chele the trail climbs along the side of a steep canyon to a pass at 3480m before descending to the popular stopping place of Samar at 3290m. The trail then climbs and drops a few times before reaching the small settlement of Shyangmochen at 3650m where we stop for the night.

Day 7
Shyangmochen to Geling

After breakfast, we will make a side trip to the canyons and gorges to the east. We will have lunch by a mountain stream after making an excursion to the Cave of The Self-Emanating Buddha. The trail then climbs back up to Shyangmochen and to a pass at 3700m where there is a trail junction for Geling and the Nyi La. We take the right fork and descend to Geling at 3440m where we camp for the night.

Day 8
Geling to Charang

The trail initially climbs gently up the valley, passing above Tama Gaon to the west, before rejoining the direct trail and climbing up the head of the valley to the Nyi La at 3950m. We make a gentle descent from the pass to reach another trail junction and continue to the large village of Ghami at 3460m. The trail now crosses a small bridge over the Tangmar Chu river before climbing past a long mani wall. We then climb to another pass before descending into Charang at 3490m.

Day 9
Charang to Lo Manthang

We are now well into the Mustang region and today we trek on to our ultimate destination, the walled city of Lo Manthang. From Charang the trail descends to cross the Charang Chu before climbing to enter the Tholung valley. The trail continues to climb to a ridge where we get our first view of Lo Manthang, and shortly afterwards we reach the city itself, at 3730m. Lo Manthang is surrounded by a whitewashed wall and we enter the city by the gate at the north-eastern corner.

Day 10
Day in Lo Manthang

There are many fascinating ancient buildings to visit in Lo Manthang and this will occupy our day. There are four major temples as well as the Raja’s palace, but it is equally satisfying to observe the unique culture of this place, the people, their houses, and their approach to life.

Day 11
Lo Manthang to Dhakmar

From Lo Manthang we will return by a slightly different route to take in villages that were not visited on the route in. We initially head for Lo Gekar along a local herder’s trail, and shortly afterwards reach the important Ghar gompa, which is one of the oldest active gompas in Nepal. From here we ascend a pass and make a steep, dusty descent to the pretty village of Dhakmar.

Day 12
Dhakmar to Yamda

We rejoin our walk-in route at the village of Ghami at 3460m, and continue to trek southwards and meet up with the trail from Charang, before ascending to the Nyi La and then dropping into the Geling valley. From here we vary the route to that taken on the way up and descend to the village of Tama Gaon. Continuing south we eventually rejoin the main trail and climb up to the village of Yamda.

Day 13
Yamda to Chhuksang

We continue to descend and cross back to the eastern bank of the river before continuing south to Chhuksang where we spend the night.

Day 14
Chhuksang to Muktinath

We begin by trekking east and then in a southerly direction along a rarely-used trail with no human settlements to reach the impressive abandoned fortress of Jhong. We then cross the Jhong Khola and climb up to the holy Hindu and Buddhist pilgrimage site of Muktinath at 3800m. We spend the night at Muktinath and have plenty of time to visit the temples and religious shrines.

Day 15
Muktinath to Jomsom

The last day of our trek - from here we retrace our steps down the Kali Gandaki to Jomsom, from where, tomorrow, we will fly out to Pokhara and then on to Kathmandu.

Day 16
Fly to Pokhara

Day 17
Fly to Kathmandu, accommodation in Hotel 

Day 18
At leisure in Kathmandu 

Day 19
Transfer from hotel to airport, fly home 

Map Mustang Trek