Upper Mustang Trek

Arrive at Tribhuvan International Airport and meet your Mantra Adventure guide. Transfer to hotel in Thamel. Evening briefing covers the Upper Mustang permit requirements — this is a restricted area requiring a special USD 500 per person permit — and the unique conditions of trekking in the trans-Himalayan rain shadow. Welcome dinner included. Overnight: Kathmandu hotel. Meals: Dinner.

Morning flight to Pokhara, then connect to a 20-minute flight in a small propeller aircraft through the world's deepest gorge — the Kali Gandaki Valley, flanked by Dhaulagiri and Annapurna — to Jomsom airport. The Mustang region immediately asserts its character: arid plateau, eroded cliffs, turquoise rivers, and a sky of impossible blue. Afternoon acclimatisation walk around Jomsom. Overnight: Jomsom hotel. Meals: All included.

Walk through the world's deepest river gorge along the Kali Gandaki — a route that has been used by Tibetan salt traders for over 2,000 years. Kagbeni is a medieval walled village at the gateway to the restricted zone. Present your Upper Mustang permit at the checkpoint and enter one of the world's most remote trekking areas. The village, with its red-walled monastery and labyrinthine alleyways, looks exactly as it has for centuries. Walking time: 3–4 hours. Meals: All included.

Enter the rain-shadow desert of Upper Mustang — a landscape so dramatically different from the rest of Nepal that it feels like a journey to another continent. Eroded cliffs of red, ochre and white sandstone rise on all sides. Tibetan Buddhist chortens mark trail junctions. The path follows the Kali Gandaki past ancient cave dwellings carved into the cliff faces — some of the oldest human habitation sites in the Himalaya, predating the current settlements by thousands of years. Walking time: 4–5 hours. Meals: All included.

Cross the vast Mustang plateau on a trail that winds through eroded badlands, past mani walls and prayer flags, with the massive northern face of the Annapurna and Nilgiri ranges visible to the south. The silence here is profound — the only sounds are wind, the crunch of boots on grit, and the occasional bell of a yak caravan. Ghiling is a small but welcoming village with a fine local monastery. Walking time: 5–6 hours. Meals: All included.

Trek across the undulating plateau past Samar and Shyangmochen to the dramatic walled town of Tsarang. The monastery here contains 14th-century Thangka paintings of extraordinary beauty — among the finest examples of Tibetan Buddhist art in Nepal. The town's red-painted buildings, narrow alleyways and flat rooftops covered in drying yak dung create an atmosphere of timeless remoteness. Walking time: 5–6 hours. Meals: All included.

The greatest day of the trek. As you crest the final rise and Lo Manthang spreads below you — the walled capital of the ancient Kingdom of Lo, its whitewashed walls gleaming against the blue plateau sky — the emotion is difficult to describe. For centuries this city was completely closed to the outside world. Walking time: 3–4 hours. The afternoon is spent exploring the city's extraordinary monuments: the Thubchen Gompa with its vast painted murals, the Chhoede Gompa, and the former Royal Palace. Meals: All included.

A full day in the ancient kingdom. Visit the Namgyal Gompa and Rongchen Gompa monasteries, whose interiors contain centuries-old Buddha statues and Thangka paintings. Walk the perimeter wall of the city and explore the Mustang Cave systems nearby — some contain pre-Buddhist relics and skeletal remains. In the evening, a cultural programme may be arranged with local musicians and dancers. Meals: All included.

Trek north towards the Tibetan plateau to Lo Gekar — home to one of Nepal's oldest surviving Buddhist monasteries, said to have been founded by Guru Rinpoche (Padmasambhava) in the 8th century. The route crosses the remote northern plateau with views extending deep into Tibet. Return to Lo Manthang or continue south. Walking time: 5–6 hours. Meals: All included.

Begin the return journey south through the ancient landscape, stopping at the famous Ghami chorten — one of the largest and most colourful in the Mustang region — and exploring the cave complexes in the cliff faces above the village. Walking time: 5–6 hours. Meals: All included.

Return through the Mustang plateau to Kagbeni, then ascend east to Muktinath — one of the most sacred pilgrimage sites in Asia for both Hindus and Buddhists. The temple complex has 108 water spouts and an eternal flame fed by natural gas. Pilgrims from across South Asia come here to bathe in the sacred waters and seek blessings. Walking time: 5–6 hours. Meals: All included.

Descend through the ancient pilgrimage route from Muktinath back to Jomsom, passing the Bon monastery at Lubra and the apple orchards of Marpha village — famous throughout Nepal for its apple brandy and dried apricots. Walking time: 4–5 hours. Meals: All included.

Morning flight from Jomsom to Pokhara — weather dependent; afternoon reserve in case of delays. Arrive in Pokhara for a lakeside dinner and the luxury of a hot shower in a comfortable hotel. Overnight: Pokhara hotel. Meals: Breakfast, dinner.

Morning flight to Kathmandu. Afternoon free for final shopping and exploration of Boudhanath Stupa or Thamel. Farewell dinner with your guide in the evening. Overnight: Kathmandu. Meals: Breakfast, dinner.

Airport transfer for your international departure. Upper Mustang is one of the last places on earth where Tibetan civilisation survives in its purest, most ancient form. You have seen it, and that is a privilege. Meals: Breakfast.