Upper Mustang Trek 2024

You’ll run into a member of our office staff at the airport; he’ll be holding a sign that says “Sherpa Travel Partner and Sherpa Mountaineering Teams,” so you’ll recognize him. He’ll help you go to the hotel where you’ll be staying on vacation. To tell you about the hike, you’ll hold a brief meeting at the hotel. There are no further plans, so you are free to unwind or browse the markets in Thamel. Enjoy yourself while you’re there!

We depart Kathmandu and continue our drive to Pokhara today after breakfast at the hotel. The trip will take around 6 hours in total, and we plan to get in Pokhara by 2:30 or 3 PM to give you time to explore. Once in Pokhara, a transfer will take you to your hotel. You are free to explore the rest of the evening.

We set out on the trail to Kaligandaki Maidan after landing in Jomsom. In order to go to a spot named Ekali Bhati (lone inn), where there are now three or four tea houses, the road curves to the right bank of the river, and our hike climbs a little. However, most of the way is easy. When it was known as “Ekli-bhatti,” it was previously the only teahouse in the neighborhood. From this point, two roads diverge: one leads to Muktinath from the summit, and the other, from Kagbeni, leads to Upper Mustang and Tibet. As the route widens, it gradually gets easier to walk along the meandering path, and we stroll along the river toward the windswept village of Kagbeni for the night. Our journey leads northwest through Ekalai-Bhatti.

After finishing our day’s activities with a special permit check, we continue to the river bank above Kaligandaki. We pass by charming, scenic locations to stop along the sand and wind trails as we walk. There are ups and downs on this trail. We initially travel through a village called Tangbey, past whitewashed homes and orchards of apples, barley, and wheat. From there, we ascend to Chusang and cross the stream to the large red rock that crashed from the bhir above, carving out a tunnel and tracing the path of the Kaligandaki. We will stop at some small rocks on the way to Chele Village and our tea house lodge for the night.

We begin our ascent to Eke Bhatti today. Through plateaus and gorges with views of Tilicho Peak, Yakawa Kang, and Damodar Hills, we ascent to Taklam La Pass (3,624m). We continued on down to Samar Village. then ascend the route that leads down to the waterfall from Samar Village. We travel nonstop for three hours to reach Sangboche. We stop for breaks by cold streams and juniper trees along the way. To call upon the gods and begin any fortunate action, locals use dried juniper leaves as incense. We also go into Ramchung Cave, which is a cave. We spend the night at our lodge after visiting the cave.

Once beyond the walled village-town of Lo Manthang, the road leads to a gradual ascent to a pass that provides the final look of Lo Manthang. The route today is more or less descending with a few brief climbs up to Ghimi. From here, it is a somewhat downhill stroll to the settlement of Ghami. Another significant settlement in this formerly rich area is Ghami. We settle in at our tea house lodge for the evening.

From Ghmi today, the trip ascends to the Ni La Pass at 3,950 meters, the highest point of the journey, gradually reaching the valley’s center across a level area and passing beneath the Tamagung villages. The Lo’s southern boundary is the pass itself. After a slow downhill for 30 minutes, we arrive at a fork in the road. The right path leads directly to Tsarang, while the left way leads to Ghmi village, one of the major settlements in the Lo region that we had previously traveled through. Our trail descends the valley’s blue, brown, and red rocks to a steel bridge that spans the Tangmarchu River, and from there, it leads to a magnificently long portion of the Mani Wall, arguably Nepal’s longest wall. A pleasant drop from this point leads to our overnight lodging in Tsarang, an interesting village with farmland, willow trees, and a big five-story white jong labyrinth. From here, the final ascent of the day takes us to a pass of 3,600 meters. In close proximity to Kaligandaki ghat lies a red Gompa. Tsarang has a unique electrical infrastructure. It would be interesting to stay the night here.

We climb to Lo-Manthang today, which is an interesting day with fantastic views of the Nilgiris, Tilicho, Annapurna I, and Bhrikuti Peak. After crossing the river, the trail first falls into Charang Chu Canyon before beginning a difficult ascent. The track also softly ascends Lo’s 3,850m meandering slope, where you can glimpse the Lo-Manthang Valley. Views of a walled city with mountains on the Tibetan border can be seen as one descends Lo-Manthang.

We go out foraging in the neighborhood today. At Tinkhar and Namgyal Gompa, we check in. On top of the hill, Namgyal Gompa acts as both a local court and a significant monastery for the neighborhood. We continue to explore Tinkhar, the last major village northwest of Lo-Manthang, after visiting Namgyal Gompa, and then we head back to our guesthouse. The principal features of this walled city are the soaring Red Thagchen Gompa, also known as the Champa Lakhang “House of God,” Chyodi Gompa, and Pravesh Hall. The King’s Palace, a four-story structure, and the expansive views of the surrounding Himalayas are additional attractions.

We take a different path on the way back from Lo-Manthang than the one we took there. We travel from Gyakar, which has a more than 1,200-year-old Ghar Gompa with Guru Rinpoche as its main figure, to Drakmar. The Gompa is renowned for its cave paintings as well. A folktale states that anyone who makes one wish at the Ghar Gompa would have it granted. It is advised that we take the hike in the morning because of the possibility of a dusty wind while we explore the neighborhood.

After a long hike, it will take us around 5 or 6 hours to travel back to Geiling, where we will spend the night. We have lunch when we get there, then spend the rest of the day touring the region. However, we decide that since it would be windy and dusty in the afternoon, it would be best to go for a walk in the evening. We stop at the Geiling settlement for the night.

The walk will be among the most enjoyable as we continue to reduce height from Geiling onward. The trip passes through the historic villages as it makes a gentle descent toward the Kaligandaki River Valley. Spend the night at Chuksang.

When we get at the riverbed at Ekale-Bhatti, we find a tiny community with roughly 3/4 teahouses, where we can rest for a while. From this point on, it can become very windy in the late afternoon as our walk continues along a mild track for another two hours until we arrive in the sizable town of Jomsom, where we will set up tent for the night. The administrative center for the Mustang area is Jomsom, a sizable township with an airstrip located right above the Kaligandaki River. We will have enough time to enjoy the local apple goods, such as cider, brandy, and pure apple juice, here. It is well known for its wonderful apples and its products from Kagbeni to Larjung. A few swigs of the apple brandy could set our moods on a high after a wonderful memorable trip we just completed.

We check in at the airport following breakfast in order to return to Pokhara. We will enjoy the nerve-wracking 22-minute flight to Pokhara that passes through the gap formed by the two enormous mountains Annapurna and Dhaulagiri. Our guide will transport us to the lakeside hotel from the Pokhara airport. We spend the remaining time on lake exploration before spending the night at our hotel close to the lake.

On this day, we will go back to Kathmandu. There are 200 kilometres between Pokhara and Kathmandu. The Prithvi Highway connects Kathmandu with Pokhara. Bus travel from Pokhara to Kathmandu takes six hours. You will be driven to the hotel, where you may have a comfortable night.

On the final day of the walk, you can reserve a mountain flight for an hour if you want to see the world’s highest mountain. $200 per individual was spent. We will check out of the hotel at 9 am on the final day of trekking so that we can explore Kathmandu’s historical landmarks. At Boudhanath, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, we first see the well-known Buddhist stupa with its enormous mandala. This stupa is one of the biggest circular stupas in the entire world. And after our initial visit to Boudhanath, we’ll have lunch at a hotel restaurant close by before moving on to Kathmandu Durbar Square, one of the three Royal Durbar Squares in the Kathmandu Valley (which also has UNESCO designation). Of Kathmandu Durbar Square, there are interesting buildings, temples, and locations in Newari style. Then we will visit the Soyumbunath Temple also known as the Monkey Temple. And then we go back to our hotel.