Mustang Trekking
The main Mustang trekking route is the Upper Mustang Trek, which typically starts with a flight from Pokhara to Jomsom, then follows a trail through villages like Kagbeni, Chele, Syangboche, Ghami, and Tsarang before reaching the walled city of Lo Manthang. The return journey often retraces the path, but can be varied with options like visiting Chhoser, Yara, and Tangge before ending back in Jomsom and flying to Pokhara.
Upper Mustang Trek route
- Start: Fly from Pokhara to Jomsom.
- Jomsom to Lo Manthang:
- Jomsom to Kagbeni.
- Kagbeni to Chele.
- Chele to Syangboche.
- Syangboche to Ghami.
- Ghami to Tsaran.
- Tsaran to Lo Manthang (the ancient capital).
- Return Journey:
- Explore Lo Manthang and nearby areas like Chhoser.
- Retrace the path through Dhakmar, Geling, and Chhuksang, or take a different route through Yara and Tangge.
- Return to Jomsom.
- End: Fly from Jomsom back to Pokhara, and then take a bus or drive back to Kathmandu.
Key characteristics of the route
- Landscapes: Features a rainshadow desert landscape with high plateaus, gorges, and ridges.
- Culture: Explores Tibetan Buddhist culture, including monasteries and ancient caves.
- Altitude: The altitude is not as extreme as some other Himalayan treks, but it's important to be mindful of altitude sickness.
- Connectivity: The route can connect to the Annapurna Circuit or be used as a continuation after crossing the Thorong La Pass from Muktinath Temple.
The standard route takes you up the western, more developed, side of the Kali Gandaki river and passes multi-coloured canyons and over wind-blasted passes (the highest is 4,325m). Each night you will stay in a small fortified village built around a monastery with accommodation in guesthouses rich in Tibetan atmosphere. It takes four days to walk from Kagbeni to Lo Manthang and the same for the return leg. This allows two full days in Lo Manthang, which is really the minimum required to explore the town and nearby monasteries and caves.
