Upper Mustang Trek

Arrive at Tribhuvan International Airport where you will be met by your representative of Swiss Nepal Family Trekking & Expedition. You will be escorted to your hotel where there are complimentary welcome drinks and a short briefing with plenty of time to relax from your flight.

Today is a great bus excursion to the beautiful lakeside city of Pokhara. This trip is by luxury bus as we make our way through canyons and alongside of raging mountain rivers. There is incredible mountain scenery along with terraced farms and quaint villages along the way. The trip to Pokhara is around six hours and we will arrive around 2 in the afternoon. Once we check into our Deluxe Hotel, you are free to explore around Lakeside, which is a lovely area along the eastern shores of Phewa Lake. From Pokhara are incredible views of the Annapurna Mountains, which feel so close that it seems like they may fall on you! There are also wonderful shopping possibilities at Lakeside.

This morning we rise early to catch a 45 minute flight into the mountains to Jomsom. This is a principal village on the Kali Gandaki River. It has always been a major destination point, being on the ancient trans-Himalayan trail to Tibet. Our trek begins today as we make our way to the windswept village of Kagbeni. Trekking time is 3 – 4 hours, a short day.

Today we enter the restricted region of Upper Mustang. We follow the left bank of the Kali Gandaki River. The first Mustang village we come to is Tangbe which has a medieval atmosphere. The train continues upwards to Chhusang Village. Further up, we pass 16 caves along the Kali Gandaki. We see some of the snowcapped peaks like Mt. Nilgiri Himal as we approach our destination of Tsaile Village where we will spend the night in a local lodge. Trekking time is 5 – 6 hours.

We leave Tsaile via an old pebble road that leads up the plateau. There we will see a large canyon. We continue on our journey as we head for Ranchung Cave Monastery which features stalactites that resemble Buddhist chhortens. It is said that the famed Guru Rinpoche meditated here. We will pass high pasturelands as the farmers continue in their traditional style of farming. We arrive at Syanmochen where we will see colorfully painted square chhortens as well as two ancient monasteries. We will overnight at a lodge in Ghiling.

We begin the long ascent to Nyl-La Pass. Once across the pass, we are now in the center of Mustang, in the central region called Lo. We will descend down a zigzag trail until we arrive at the village of Ghame for lunch. We cross the river over a suspension bridge and then start upwards along a trail with Mani Walls. Along the way are unique and strange rock formations with many shades of color. Our goal is the village of Drakmar where we will spend the night in a local lodge. Trekking time is 5 – 6 hours.

We are trekking today to the capital city of Lo-Manthang. Our journey takes us past Ghar Gompa and up to Marang-La Pass. The Gompa at Ghar Gompa is one of the oldest in Mustang. We make our way along grassland and pastures for grazing of mountain livestock until we reach Marang-La Pass where we will get our first glimpse of Lo-Manthang. We will descend to the ancient walled city of Lo-Manthang where we will spend the night. Trekking time is 7 – 8 hours.

We leave the ancient walled city for a hike to a cave monastery and explore around Dzong. There will be time today to take in the sights at Lo-Manthang. We will spend the night at our lodge.

We will leave the city with our destination being Lo-La Pass, climbing steep sandy slopes where we will have our final view of the ancient capital. There are numerous caves in this location along the rock face of the cliffs. Many of these have (and still are) used for meditation. After lunch, we will reach Tsarang Village where we will explore a five-storey Tsarang Palace and a Gompa that dates back to the 14th century. This Gompa is perched on the edge of the Kali Gandaki gorge. We will spend the night in a local lodge. Trekking time is 3 – 4 hours.

We will pass spectacular Mani walls and chhortens as we make our way toward the village of Syangmochen. We climb up the steep trail to Ghami-La Pass and then to Nyl-La Pass. There is a huge painted chhortens before rejoining the Ghiling Trail near the ridge. Our destination is Syangmochen, where we will spend the night in a local lodge. Trekking time is 6 – 7 hours.

We have another pass to cross at Yamdo-La. There are a number of small villages we pass through on the way. We see a big canyon and then encounter a steep downhill descent until we reach the Kali Gandaki River, crossing over on an iron bridge. We will spend the night at Chhusang Village at a local lodge. Trekking time is 5 – 6 hours.

We climb upwards today to the village of Tangbe which is a picturesque village in the mountains. This is our last day of trekking as we make our way toward the district village of Jomsom. We will have lunch at Kagbeni and wind up the trail along the Kali Gandaki River until we reach Jomsom where we will spend the night in a local lodge. Trekking time is 6 – 7 hours.

It is an early morning 45 minute flight back to Pokhara where we will check into a Deluxe Star Hotel. The rest of the day will be sightseeing around Pokhara with your guide. In the evening, enjoy a cultural show with traditional dances and food.

Our return trip to Kathmandu will be by luxury bus as we make our way through canyons and up the hill to Kathmandu. We will spend the night in our Deluxe Hotel.

All good things must come to an end, and your trip to Nepal is no exception. Before leaving, why not talk to your representative at Vertical adventures (P) LTD about returning to Nepal for your next holiday. The vast majority of people make a return trip to Nepal because they are impressed by not only the beauty, but also the local people. Vertical adventures (P) LTD offers trips into neighboring Tibet, Bhutan and India. Be sure to discuss your interests and plans with them today.