Upper Mustang Trek, also known as mountain Desert of Nepal, is one of the famous treks among the Tourists. The beautiful landscape and the authentic culture and tradition of the Upper Mustang is what attracts thousands of tourists every year.
Upper Mustang was a restricted area for tourists until 1992 which helped to preserve the place in the world. Here most of the population speak Tebatian and Nepali language. It is not influenced by any western culture and religion. Upper Mustang is a rare privilege where you can experience the true life of mountain people who have very little contact with the rest of the world.
Upper Mustang is located in the Mustang district of Gandaki Pradesh. The highest altitude of the Upper Mustang is 3840m above sea level whereas the overall area is 2020km. Its capital is Lo Manthang. It lies in the rain shadow of the Dhaulagiri creating a majestic view of the colorful and impressive formation of rock. The formation of the rock is what attracts tourists for trekking. The whitewashed houses, prayer flags add a splash of color to this barren landscape.
One can conveniently get to Upper Mustang by a flight from Pokhara to Jomsom and start the trek from there. The flight through the deepest gorge i.e. Kali Gandaki is an adventure in itself. The restricted area of Upper Mustang starts from Kagbeni. However, it’s worthwhile to visit Muktinath, the famous pilgrim before heading north for Upper Mustang. The trek from Kagbeni northward will lead to Lo Manthang on the 4th to 5th days. After crossing 2 passes of around 4,200m you can return partly in different ways via Dhakmar. You can find the oldest Tibetan monastery in the world i.e. Lo Gear Monastery. The monastery was built in the 8th century by the famous Tibetan magician Rinpoche. It’s said that he killed an evil demon and the rocks around Dhakmar is painted by its blood.
Along the whole trekking route, you can find many guest houses. The guest houses are built in Tibetan culture, here you are welcome to sit with owners for dinner. Monsoon is the best time to trek in Upper Mustang as the region in the rain shadow. However, you can trek any season to see the exhilarating views of upper mustang.
While November is still a nice time to trek in Mustang keep in mind that seasonal migration takes place at this time and many residents from Lo Manthang and surrounding areas will move down to lower altitudes for the winter months. This may cause an inconvenience in restaurants and accommodation availability.
Some trekking areas of Nepal require a special permit especially if the area is an open border or has a connection with other countries. Similarly, Upper Mustang also needs a special permit before entering the area because Mustang shares the border with China. Talking about the trekking permit for foreign tourists, it’s a bit expensive. Tourist needs two different types of permit i.e. Mustang Restricted permit and Annapurna Conservation Area Permit. The cost is given below:
Mustang restricted permit: USD500 per person for 10 days and USD 50 per additional day.
Annapurna Conservation Area permit: USD 27.
Important Note: Itinerary we can make as per number of holiday in Nepal, nowadays we can jeep drive too so kindly write us your requirement etc.
Note: Itinerary can customize or flexible.
No of people | Price P.P |
1-1 Pax | US$ 2200 |
2 | US$ 1860 |
4-6 | US$ 1690 |
8-10 | US$ 1530 |
12-14 | US$ 1490 |