Upper mustang trek is one of the very best trek routes that lie behind the trans himalayan region of Nepal. Known as Nepal mini tibet this offers the perfect mountain view and best opportunity to learn the local people cultures and their traditions. The colourful and dry landscape and the Buddhist cultures (Tibetan Buddhism) is another attraction of the upper mustang trek. The Lomanagthang is the ultimate destination of the trek where you can see 6-7 very old monasteries as well as the royal king palace of the lomangthang. The lomangthang is a small city of the Mustang where you can see the different types of cultural celebrations as per their time and schedule as well as Tibetan Buddhism.
Religiously the Mustang is one of the most important districts for both Hinduism and Buddhism. The oldest monastery of the Upper Mustang is Ghar Gompa which was the oldest monastery which is 800 years old and built-in 12 Century by Guru Padmasambhava located in Dhakmar village. Jampa Gompa, the oldest monastery in the lomangthang, built in the early 15th century and also known as the “God house” where you can see the giant size buddha statue. Thubchen Gompa, Chodey Gompa, Choprang Gompa are other Monetary to look in the Lomangthang while in Tsarang there is also a Tsarang Monastery to look and know how the culture looks like. 
Nepal Trek hub team is here to help you to organize this trip for you. Our professional and friendly guide and porter are always very sincere to make your trip very successful and lifetime memorable. Come and join with us to achieve this achievement with us.
Table of contents
Upper Mustang trek highlights
Upper Mustang trek highlights are as belows, which you can experince while doing upper mustang trek
- Scenic drive to Pokhara, you will see the beautiful landscape of the Nepal’s countryside as well as rafting on Trisuli river
- Splendid view of the Pokhara city including the magnificent Phewa lake and panoramic view of Annapurna.
- Super mountain flight with outstanding Annapurna range, which includes fishtail, Annapurna South, Annapurna II, Dhualgiri, Dhaulagiri II and many other peaks.
- Colorful and diversified landscape of the Himalayas and trans-Himalayan region mustang of Nepal
- Brilliant view of Mt, Dhaulagiri, Mt. Nilgiri, Damodhar peak and many other snow-capped peaks of mustang.
- Interesting and very nice walk on the bank of the Kali Gandaki river valley to see the colourful structures of the mountains.
- Observation of the chimsi cave and monasteries over there
- Sightseeing in Ghelling, Ghami and Tsarang villages and different monasteries inside it.
- Longest mani walls in the trekking trail to Upper mustang.
- Old royal palace of the Mustang which is located in the Tsarang villages.
- Sightseeing in Lomangthang where there are 4-5 monasteries and cultural things to see inside the walled city of Lomangthang.
- The Choser cave where the Khampas fighters were hiding when there was war between Tibetan khampas and Chinese soldiers.
- The oldest monasteries of the Nepal Ghar Gompa and sightseeing over there.
- You will have a spiritual feeling and walk through many chortens, and mani walls, flapping prayer flags, caves, rock paintings, and century-old monasteries.
Upper Mustang trek best time/season
Upper mustang trek best time/season categorized in 3 major seasons. Upper mustang trek is unique in terms of splendidness and the cultural aspects, even though it is one of the best treks, the trek experience differs as per the time you trek to Upper Mustang trek. Here we have discussed what the treks look like in each upper mustang best time/season.
Spring season (March, April and May)
The spring season is Nepal’s second-best season for trekking and first best season for mountaineering and climbing. The season is often considered the season of flowers. You can see the whole rhododendron forest get colourful flowers and the mountains become very clear. The sky generally remains very blue but sometimes the weather can be bad as well. In general, the weather at this time is very best for any trekking in Nepal. You can do all types of trekking in this time such as an Annapurna circuit trek, Annapurna base camp, Manaslu Trek, Everest base camp and you will get the best view of Himalayas and so as Upper Mustang trek. You can get the best experience if you do the upper mustang trek at this time.
Autumn season (September, October and November)
the perfect time for the trekking as well as mountaineering. This is post-monsoon time and you can see the whole Nepal gets colourful due to the rice field and greenery everywhere. Looking at the mountains you can get a magnificent view each day. The weather and temperature are best at this time plus this is the time when there is a big festival running in Nepal that is why this is the best time to trek in Nepal, you can do an Upper mustang trek and get a very fruitful experience with the splendid view of the Himalayas and diversified landscape.
Monsoon season (June , July and August)
Known as the rainy season of Nepal, it rains a lot so the weather is not that nice usually, there is very less chance of Himalayas to be seen. Floods and landslides are very normal at this time. If you do the trekking in monsoon time then you might get a lot of leeches as well. So it is not a nice experience to do the trekking but you can do upper mustang as well because of the trans-Himalayan region Upper mustang remains clear even though it is rainy season in Nepal, you can see the Himalayas from the mustang not often but most of the time.
Winter season (December, January and February)
This is not a good season to trek in upper mustang due to the cold temperatures as well as poor visibility. Snowfalls are very common at this time. So we recommend only small and short treks and tour activities.
Upper Mustang trek permits cost
Upper mustang trek is controlled region trek of Nepal, Upper mustang trek permits cost is set by the department of tourism of Nepal and the permits is issued from Nepal Immigrations office with only the help of government registered trekking agency. Due to the government policy, the government allows only a few people to enter into the special regions of Nepal. Here we have included.
| S.N | Descriptions |
|---|---|
| 1 | Upper mustang trek area lies inside the Annapurna Conservation Area Project which means the trek goes inside the Annapurna conservation area that is the reason the trekkers are required to get the ACCAP Permits, this allows you to enter into the conservation area. |
| 2 | Nepal Immigration issue the permits for Upper Mustang Trek via a registered trekking agency. They need the original passport and so many other documents to issue the permits and for the upper Mustang trek, they issue the permit for a minimum 10 Days. and cost for a single person 500 USD. If you want to extend the trekking furthermore days then each day you need to pay 50$. |
So overall you need two types of the permits one is ACCAP and another is Upper Mustang Special Permits which is issue from the Nepal Immigrations.
Upper Mustang trek difficulty
Upper mustang trek difficulty depends on the duration, how long trekking days are you going to do and how many destinations you go to cover on your trip. You need to walk 6-7 hours each day on high altitude. The maximum altitude you will cross is about 4200 Meter when you are going to dhakmar from lomangthang. It is one of the well-facilitated treks because of the availability of the vehicle as per your needs. The hotel on the trek route is not that good but it is good to stay, this is more like homestay type. In Lomangthang there is a well-facilitated hotel as well but the other hotels in the trekking route are not that good. You need to walk on high elevations 6-7 hours each day and the distance is also long, due to too many passes on the trekking trail you might feel exhausted as well.
Upper Mustang trek route
Upper mustang trek route starts from Jomsom. The upper Mustang trek begins from Jomsom, and ends at Jomsom. The special control region begins from Kagbeni where the 10 Days trek starts and ends. Trekking through the village of Chusang, then to Tsele is a 1-day trek. From here the trek goes to Samar, Syangbochen, Ghelling, Ghami, Tsarang, Lomangthang, Dhakmar then back to Jomsom is Upper Mustang Trek route
Upper Mustang trek cost
Upper mustang trek costs vary as per the service you choose, there are some things which the cost matters on. The cost differs if you choose the flight from Kathmandu to Pokhara or take the bus. If you take the flight from Kathmandu to Pokhara then the price is expensive. If you have more time then you can drive to Pokhara or even to Jomsom as well but the road is very difficult. Here we have put the cost as per drive to Pokhara and then flight to Jomsom then trek.
| Date | Spring season(Must be a 2 person) | Autum season(Must be a 2 person) |
|---|---|---|
| October 3, 2020 | 1910 USD | 1910 USD |
| October 20, 2020 | 1910 USD | 1910 USD |
| October 26, 2020 | 1910 USD | 1910 USD |
Upper Mustang trek itinerary
- Day 01: Arrival in Kathmandu and transfer to you hotel
Upon your arrival at kathmandu international airport, we will pick up you and drive together to the hotel, where there will be a trip briefing as well as trek preparation and gear check up and hiring the insufficient gear or buy - Day 02: Kathmandu world heritage sightseeing by private vehicle with tour guide.
Nepal trek hub arrange the permits for your trek while at the same time you will do Kathmandu sightseeing with our tour guide in Pashupatinath Temple, Swayambhunath temple, Boudhanath temple and Kathmandu Durbar Square. All these historical sites are listed in world heritage sites. Nepal Trek Hub has to prepare all the stuff for the trekking such as shopping and tenting as well as porter arrangements. - Day 03: Fly to Jomsom 2750 Meter then trek to Kagbeni (2,800m/9,156 feet).
Early in the morning, you will do a flight to Jomsom. you will get the stunning view of Annapurna Himalayan Region. The Dhaulagiri 8167 Meter is just in front of the flight and as you get to closer to the Jomsom you will see more mountains. as you land to Jomsom you will start your trek to Kagbeni the valley is wider and dusty. after you reach to Kagbeni you will stay in the hotel and sightseeing in Kagbeni. There are monasteries and temple you will do sightseeing. - Day 04: Trekking to Tsele (3,100m/10,137 feet)
the trek through the bank of the Kali Gandaki river valley, as you go further you will see the very colourful landscape on both sides of the valley and if you look behind of you, you can see the towering Nilgiri mountains and Dhaulagiri Mountains. You can see apple farm and very nice village of tangbe as you get closer to Chusang the landscape is more colourful and attractive. heaving lunch at chusang we go to Tsele and stay overnight here. - Day 05: Chele to Gheling trek (3,570m/11,674 feet), 8 hours
As you start the trek the Nilgiri mountains seem very clear and there is very deep cannon you can see before you climb to Samar. From Samar, the trek goes up and down to reach the Chimsi cave where there is old monasteries and beautiful landscape on both sides of the cannon. you will further trek to Syngbochen for the overnight stay. - Day 06: Trek to to Tsarang from Syangbochen (3,560m/11,641 feet) trek, 7 hours
From syangboche the trek climbs slowly to the pass then down to the valley to straight, crossing the several small villages above the Ghelling through the several Chorten and monasteries you will pass the Nyla pass. The Nyala pass is very colourful and filled with the prayer flags. As you down towards the Ghami you can see the beautiful colourful landscape of the mountains. As you go close to Ghami, you can see the longest mani walls of Nepal. Ghami is a small village where there are some monasteries and Chorten. The landscape above the Ghami seems very green and beautiful. Heaving lunch at Ghami you have to pass another pass to go to Tsarang. Tsarang village is wider and more flat. There are different monasteries you can see. There are different monasteries you can visit here. - Day 07: Trekking to Lomagthang (3,840m/12,557 feet) trek, 5 hours
As you start your trek then you need to go down to the Tsarang river, then climb bit more to walk on the straight trails, you can see the big empty flat land and colourful hills on both sides the Himalayas are still visible. There are beautiful Chorten on the way to Lomangthang. The trail is not that steep but it gradually climbs to uphill near to Lomangthang from where you can see lomangthang very clearly. The whole city is visible from here plus you can see the green lands above the lomangthang as well. the trek is over when you enter into the city of Lomgthang today, stay overnight at Lomangthang. - Day 08: Trek drive or ride to Chooser cave
Today we are going to explore the sights which are in the last village of Mustang. There are magnificent caves and many monasteries. the colourful caves are very beautiful and the best things to see, there are different monasteries you can visit and if you are lucky enough you can also see the Himalayan Thar above the cave and around. the joy of the trip is very special as you can see the far distances and vivid landscape. Back to Lomangthang you will do the city sightseeing seeing the monasteries around here. There is also the monk’s school where you can see the monks who are practising Buddhism and the monasteries like Jhampa Gompa and many more. - Day 09: Descend back to Dhakmar from Lo-Manthang (3,520m/11,510 feet), 9 hours via Ghar Gompa
It is quite an interesting hike today as you take the upper route, you pass the highest pass of the Upper Mustang trek today which is 4100 meter. The trek slowly climbs the pass which is elevated 4100 meters, known as the highest pass which allows you to see the magnificent views of Himalayas. You can see yaks in the pasture grazing in the hills everywhere. The trail goes slowly down after you pass the highest pass and goes down to Ghar gompa where you will do lunch and climb slowly. The trek climbs again another hill to go down the Dhakmar village. The dhakmar village is very colourful due to its uniqueness in geological structures. The colourful hills are really beautiful to see. - Day 10: Trek down to Samar from Dhakmar (3,540m/11,576 feet), 6 hours
The trek today first goes down to Ghami then slowly climbs to Nyala Pass, then down to gelling village, then to syangbochen. from Syangbochen the trip climbs to the hills from where you can have a great view of Mt. Nilgiri and Mt. Dhaulagiri as well as many other peaks including Tilicho peak, and after few hours of going decents downs you will reach to Samar Village. - Day 11: Samar to Kagbeni (2,800m/9,156 feet) trek, 5:30 hours
We trek to Kagbeni today through the beautiful kalaigandaki river valley, overnight at kagbeni Village - Day 12: Trek back to Jomsom.
trek through the Kali Gandaki river valley, and arrive to Jomsom, In the evening you can go to Syang or Marpha village or even Dhumba lake if you like. - Day 13: Fly to Pokhara and sightseeing in Pokhara
walking around the lakeside, and some sightseeing stay in the hotel - Day 14: Drive to kathmandu
- Day 15: Departure
Upper Mustang trek cost includes
- Kathmandu international airport transfer by private vehicles.
- Meals on full board: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner each day during the trekking days – Tea House Trek
- English speaking licence holder guide, Required sherpa and porter for the entire trekking as per the group size
- Tourist bus to Pokahara, Pokhara to Kathmandu
- Flight ticket to Pokhara to Jomsom and Jomsom to pokhara
- Fully escorted trek with fluent English speaking license holder local guide and each 2 guest 1 Porter basis
- Annapurna conservation Area project permits
- Special trekking permits, Musatng Control regions permits
- Seasonal Fruits if possible
- Tourist Standard Hotel Accmmodiation in Kathmandu and Pokhara in B/B Basis.
- All expenses of the Nepal Trek Hub staffs (Guides/Porters/sherpa) that includes their Food, Accommodation, Salary, Insurance, Equipment during your trek.
- First Aid Box
- TIMS Permit
- All land transportation as per written on above itinerary
- Food and accommodation and salary of Nepali trekking staffs
Cost excludes
- Nepal entry visa fee cost US$ 40.
- Lunch and Dinner during the staying in Kathmandu and Pokhara city.
- Any kinds of battery charges, laundry service, phone calls and hot shower during the trekking.
- Personal trekking equipment and Clothing.
- Personal nature expenses, any drinks and bar bills.
- Your travel insurance (it is mandatory in case of emergency).
- Any donation and monuments entrance fees.
- Tips for the crew (Note : TIPS is not compulsory but highly expected)
- Any other things which are not mentioned above
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Upper Mustang Trek Facts
- Difficulty:moderate
- Duration:15 Days
- Accommodation: Tea House trek
- RegionAnnapurna
- MealsFull Board on trek
- altitude4100 Meter
- Group-Size1-18 Person
- Transport:Private Vehicle, flight
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Trek Information
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Why Upper Mustang Trek?
Splendid view of Dhaulagiri mountains, Dhaulagiri II, Dhaulagiri III, Dhaulagiri IV, Gurja Peak, Tukuche peak, Dhampus peak from the flight to jomsom
Super view of Nilgiri and Dhaulagir mountain during the entire trip, you can also see the Tilicho peak and some peaks in Annapurna Ranges.
Get know about the tibetan Buddhism, people and their unique cultures.
Trekking through the very open and colorful desertland of Mustang
Exploration of the hidden trasure of the upper mustang such as their unique cultures, festival and traditions.
Get know about the Chinese and Khamps war and how they were hiding in Nepal upper Mustang caves. You can see the countless cave in upper mustang trek