One of the seventy-seven districts of Nepal, the Mustang has everything strikingly distinctive to offer you. Its history, culture, tradition, art, religion as well as geography, all are unique. the Mustang was an ancient forbidden kingdom, the Kingdom of Lo. Its status as a monarchy was abolished in 2008. Its history is closely linked to Tibetan religion, culture, geography, and politics. Upper Mustang was opened to foreigners only in 1992, and that too with a restriction on their number. This makes the region one of the most preserved in the world.
The entire district is included within the Annapurna Conservation Area, the largest protected area of Nepal. The region dotted with small villages seems to be painted in red ocher and white. Deep gorges and narrow cliffs make it pretty adventurous. What’s more, it is of great interest to the archaeologists and anthropologists. With some highly inaccessible, the thousands of cliff dwellings are mind-blowing. Moreover, the Mustang Caves or Sky Caves, a collection of 10,000 man-made caves have interested the archaeologists into exploration and research. Some were found to have partially mummified human bodies and skeletons that are at least 2,000 to 3,000 years old. Besides, Buddhist paintings, sculptures, manuscripts, and numerous artifacts dating back to the 12th century were discovered. The caves are near the Kaligandaki River, on the sides of high steep lands.
Due to its isolation for ages and still strictly regulated, ancient culture has been well preserved making it one of the last bastions of traditional Tibetan life. The trail is not only about rocky cliffs and deserts, it also takes you through green pastures. Though the region is predominantly Tibetan Buddhist, Hinduism has its significant reach somehow. The trail’s highest point Muktinath at 3,800 meters is one of the holiest pilgrimage sites to Hindus as well as Buddhists. Some major tourist attractions are Lomanthang, Muktinath, and the Mustang Royal Palace.
Day 01: Arrival in Kathmandu
Day 02: Visit Swoyambunath & Patan
Day 03: Drive Kathmandu to Pokhara
Day 04: Flight Pokhara to Jomsom & trek to Kagbeni
Day 05: Trek Kagbeni to Chaile
Day 06: Trek Chaile to Geling
Day 07: Trek Geling to Drakmar
Day 08: Trek Drakmar to Charang
Day 09: Trek Charang to Lo-Manthang
Day 10: Lo-Manthang (Exploration day)
Day 11: Trek Lo-Manthang to Ghami
Day 12: Trek Ghami to Samar
Day 13: Trek Samar to Kagbeni
Day 14: Trek Kagbeni to Jomsom
Day 15: Flight Jomsom to Pokhara
Day 16: Flight Pokhara to Kathmandu
Day 17: Visit Bhaktapur
Day 18: Departure
Day 01: Arrival at Kathmandu airport and you will be transferred to the hotel by one of our representatives. Welcome dinner at one of the traditional Nepali restaurants in Kathmandu.
Overnight: Hotel
Elevation: 1334m
Day 02: Visit Swoyambunath and Patan: we start our tour visiting a magnificent Buddhist stupa, Swoyambunath followed by a visit of Patan; a true open air museum.
Swoyambhunath is one of the oldest stupa of the Kathmandu Valley. It is situated on one of the highest hills in the valley. It watches over the Valley from the top of a hillock on its western side just three kilometers west of the city center. The stupa is one of the holiest Buddhist sites in Nepal and its establishment is linked to the creation of the Kathmandu Valley out of a primordial lake. Swayambhu is also known as Samhengu and is recognized as a World Heritage Site. It is also one of the oldest and most glorious Buddhist shrines in the world which is said to be two thousand years. The four sides of the stupa are painted with the eyes of Lord Buddha.
Patan- the second largest town in the valley is situated to the south of Kathmandu. Patan's great building boom took place under the Mallas in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries. Numerous temples of widely diverse styles, as well as many Buddhist monasteries, are scattered around the fascinating town. Patan is famous for its crafts and metal works which are wonderful souvenirs.
Overnight: Hotel
Day 03: Drive Kathmandu to Pokhara (820m): Early morning drive to Pokhara by private vehicle. In the afternoon we visit Devi’s falls, a waterfall goes through a very deep and narrow canal, also visit Guptesowri Cave, a very natural and attractive cave, and Fewa Lake, the second largest lake in Nepal.
Overnight: Hotel
Driving Time: 6 hours
Difference in Elevation: - 514m
Day 04: Fly Pokhara to Jomsom and trek to Kagbeni (2800m): A short and scenic flight to Jomsom then we start our epic journey. Jomsom is the administrative headquarter of the district. As we start our trek from Jomsom, we follow Kaligandaki valley which leads us to legendary Mustang region. It is about 3 hours trek to Kagbeni (2800m). Kagbeni is a very fascinating medieval village with stone houses, narrow alleys, green fields, and high mountains.
Overnight: Lodge
Flight Time: 20 minutes
Walking Time: 3 hours
Difference in Elevation: +1980m
Day 05: Trek Kagbeni to Chaile (3060m): The trail follows the East bank of the Kali Gandaki River and climbs over many ridges as it heads north to reach Tangbe Village. From Tangbe Village, the trail goes to Chhusang and then crosses the river, climbing up to reach Chaile.
Overnight: Lodge
Walking Time: 5-6 hours
Difference in Elevation: + 260m
Day 06: Trek Chaile to Geling (3500m): Our climb today continues along the treeless and waterless terrain along a spectacular and steep canyon. We pass a rock cairn at 3540m. After that the trail makes long gradual descent to some chortens on a ridge and then the trail descends further down to the village of Samar. The trail then climbs above Samar to a ridge, and descends into a large gorge and follows along another field, crossing a stream and climbing up to a ridge at 3800m. After that, the trail again climbs sharply up and down over a series of high passes before the final descend to Geling.
Overnight: Lodge
Walking Time: 6-7 hours
Difference in Elevation: + 440m
Day 07: Trek Geling to Tragmar/Dhakmar (3800m): we start our day with gentle ascent and a little steeper slope to reach the Col Nyi La (3950 m), the highest pass of the trek. We arrive at the center region of Mustang which is also known as Lo. The trek continues down to the valley to reach the village of Ghami (3520 m). Then we cross a river and begin a steep uphill about 45 minutes then gradual walk for 2 hours to Tragmar/Dhakmar.
Overnight: Lodge
Walking Time: 5 hours
Difference in Elevation: +300m
Day 08: Trek Dhakmar to Charang (3580m) via Ghar Gompa: we start our day hiking to Ghar Gompa Monastery; it is one of the oldest monasteries in the world which was built in 8th century. Then we continue our trek with a steady climb to a small pass, then descend in a valley overlooked by a cliff of red blue and gray and after crossing a steel suspension bridge on the River Tangmar Chu, we arrive to the Mani wall (prayer wall) and then go through another small pass at 3600m then a long and gentle descent until Charang. Charang is the second largest village of Mustang.
Overnight: Lodge
Walking Time: 6 hours
Difference in Elevation: -220m
Day 09: Trek Charang to Lo-Manthang (3900m): The trail descends about 100m down from Charang and crosses the Charang–Chu. After that the rocky trail climbs steeply up to the cairn on a ridge at 3850m; finally, we can see the walled city of Lo from that ridge and after a short descent followed by a gentle climb takes us to the plateau of Lo-Manthang.
Overnight: Lodge
Walking Time: 4-5 hours
Difference in Elevation: + 320m
Day 10: Exploration Day in Lo-Manthang (Capital city of ancient Mustang): We visit several different sites of Lo-Manthang today starting with Tungchen Gompa, the Champa Lakhang (God House), the Chyodi Gompa and Raja's Palace (Royal Palace).
Overnight: Lodge
Day 11: Trek Lo-manthang to Ghami (3570m): We start heading back now taking shorter route. The trek takes approximately 5-6 hours to reach Ghami.
Overnight: Lodge
Walking Time: 5-6 hours
Difference Elevation: - 330m
Day 12: Trek Ghami to Samar (3600m): retracing our route back to Jomsom, we trek through several small settlements enjoying the view of Mustang plateau.
Overnight: Lodge
Walking Time: 6 hours
Difference Elevation: + 30m
Day 13: Trek Samar to Kagbeni (2800m): it is fairly easy trek back to Kagbeni following the newly built dirt road and enjoying the view of Dhaulagiri and Nilgiri mountain ranges.
Overnight: Lodge
Walking Time: 5- 6 hours
Difference Elevation: - 800m
Day 14: Trek Kagbeni to Jomsom (2750m): final day of our trek bring us back to Jomsom. It is fairly short day so we can have some time to explore Jomsom in the afternoon.
Overnight: Lodge
Walking Time: 3 ½ hours
Difference Elevation: - 50m
Day 15: Flight Jomsom to Pokhara (820m): a scenic flight to Pokhara in the early morning.
Overnight: Hotel
Flight Time: 20 minutes
Difference Elevation: - 1930m
Day 16: Flight Pokhara to Kathmandu: a short flight back to Kathmandu which provides spectacular view of the mountain ranges one more time.
Overnight: Hotel
Flight Time: 30 minutes
Difference in Elevation: + 514m
Day 17: Kathmandu (1334m): today we visit Bhaktapur, an ancient city.
Bhaktapur - Located about 20 km east of Kathmandu in the Kathmandu Valley, Bhaktapur is known as the 'City of Devotees', the 'City of Culture', the 'Living Heritage', and 'Nepal's Cultural Gem'. It is one of the 3 royal cities in the Kathmandu Valley. This fascinating city reminds you the true Nepali culture and living style of medieval period.
Overnight: Hotel
Day 18: Transfer to the airport and departure
Special Note: This Itinerary can be customized according to the duration of your holiday. The Trek can be operated with Lodge/tea house and/or camping accommodation, based on your preference. We have many options for shorter visits based on your interests and budget. For the Pokhara - Kathmandu segment, we can depart by flight or by bus/van.
NOTE: The price of the tour will be adjusted according to the group size.
| Srl. |
Description |
Qty. |
Remarks |
|
| 01 | Day back-pack |
1 |
||
| 02 | Gore-Tex Jacket |
1 |
||
| 03 | Down Jacket |
1 |
||
| 04 | Fleece Jacket |
1 |
||
| 05 | Micro Fleece |
1 |
||
| 06 | Trekking pants(Trousers) |
2 |
||
| 07 | Hiking shoes (Boots) |
1 |
||
| 08 | Runners (sport shoes) |
1 |
||
| 09 | Trekking Socks |
3 |
||
| 10 | Rain poncho |
1 |
||
| 11 | Sun-glasses |
1 |
||
| 12 | Water bottles |
2 |
||
| 13 | Thermal underwear(long) |
1-2 |
||
| 14 | T- shirts |
2-3 |
||
| 15 | Sunscreen/lotion |
1 |
||
| 16 | Flip flop (sandal) |
1 |
||
| 17 | Towel |
1 |
||
| 18 | Hat(Baseball cap) |
1 |
||
| 19 | Pristine drops (Water purifier) |
1 |
||
| 20 | Head light/flash light |
1 |
||
| 21 | Sleeping Bag |
1 |
||
| 22 | Gloves |
1 |
||
| 23 | Wind Proof Trouser (s) |
1 |
||
| 24 | Personal medical kid |
1 |
||
| 25 | Toiletries |
1 |
||
Climate:
From the eternal snow of the high peaks to the extensive tropical lowlands, Nepal has a wide variety of climates.
Spring: March to late May: In this season, Kathmandu is in full bloom, lots of different types of flowers can be seen at this time of the year. Temperature is mild, end of the cold winter and approaching warm and hot summer. Temperatures vary between 10 ° C to 28 ° C but can rise up to 30 ° C. Between 2000 and 3000m, temperature rarely drop below 0 ° C. However, few frosts or snowfalls are possible in March above 4000 m.
The summer/monsoon period: It interrupts the majority of trekking from late June to late August. Some of the trekking regions "trans-Himalayan", Dolpo and Mustang, however, remain protected from monsoon prevailing rest of the country. They are the only channels available in Nepal in the summer.
Autumn: mid September – mid December - Perfect temperature and weather for trekking. Brings cooler days, but clear skies. Above 3000 m altitude, temperatures can drop to -10 ° C at night.
In winter: mid-December - mid-February - Nights are generally cold, dry climate, Above 3000m, temperature drop down to 0 ° C to - 15 ° C at night, the days are often sunny.
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