Upper Mustang Trek

A representative of enlightenment treks will come to pick you up at the airport. After some rest, we will offer a trip briefing about your 5 day Ghore Pani Trek and answer each of your questions at our office. We will also give you quick do’s and don’ts during the trip.
After the trip briefing prepare yourself and your equipment for your trek tomorrow.

We will take an early morning flight from Pokhara to Jomsom and enjoy the amazing views of the Annapurna and Dhaulagiri mountain ranges. Flying above the Annapurna range we land in Jomsom, and have breakfast. Then we will walk for a few hours along the river to reach the traditional town of Kagbeni, which has old temples and buildings. Kagbeni is situated at an altitude of 2,804 m, and we can see historical sites and monasteries here Overnight stay at Kagbeni.

Kagbaeni is the gateway to Upper Mustang, today we will go beyond here to Upper Mustang, where we will need restricted area permits to enter. We will start very early in the morning to avoid heavy winds. 

After we check in our permits at the check post gateway located there, we will trek east along the Kali Gandaki River. During the trek, we will see unique red sandstone pillars and rock formations that erosion has shaped over thousands of years. After trekking 11 km in 5 - 6 hours we reach Chele, a small town situated at an altitude of 3,070 m along a ridge

Today's trek will be challenging as we gain around 800m in elevation. Starting from Chele, we climb steeply to cross the high Taklam La pass at 3,625m. After the pass, we continue to the village of Samar, which is also a rest stop for mule caravans. 

Descending from Samar, we pass by the colorfully painted Rangchyung Chorten before reaching Syangboche. This section of the route involves steep climbs and descents through high mountain passes and gorges. After 5 - 6 hours of trekking and covering a distance of 12 km, we reach Syangboche.

We will start the day ascending to the Yamda La pass at 3,845 m through an astonishing desert landscape and remote settlements. The trail will climb up a large valley before we will descend to a wide barley field at Gelling, with its white and mud houses typical of Mustang. Continuing, we will reach Tama Gaun and climb another pass, Nyi La at 4,015 m. From the Nyi La Pass, we will descend again. After trekking for 5 - 6 hours along the 10 km route we reach the village of Ghami.

The day's short trek will be daunting, with an adrenaline-inducing suspension bridge crossing at Ghami Khola. This route takes us through Mustang's driest areas, but the countryside views make up for the challenging climbs.  We will continue over the Charangla Pass at 3,870m, passing many Mani walls - Buddhist stone structures with carved mantras. Our destination will be Charang village, known for its red gompa, located at the top of the Charang Chu canyon. After some rest, we begin our trek to Tsarang from Charang. After trekking for 5 - 6 hours on an 11 km long trail, we will finally l arrive at the spread-out town of Tsarang with around 1,000 inhabitants.

Starting on flat ground, we will pass through a canyon and cross a river to ascend over Lo La Pass. We can enjoy delightful views surrounded by peaks like Annapurna I, Tilicho, Bhrikuti, and Nilgiri and also of the valley below, including Lo Mathang. From here, we will descend and enter Lo Mathang from the north. After 5 - 6 hrs of trekking, to cover 11.5 km we reach Lo Manthang. Lo Manthang is also known as “the forbidden kingdom of Lo”.

Today we will have a day trip to the 4,000m high Choser cave, which is adorned with amazing murals of Varadhara, Chaturbhuja, Tara, and Avalokiteswara. We will visit these medieval "Sky caves" in Choser, fascinating archaeological sites, with five-story stone caves along daunting cliffs. These caves are rumored to have been a hiding place for Tibetan refugees fleeing the Chinese.

We will spend the afternoon exploring the walled historical city of Lo Manthang, which was founded in the 1390s. This ancient capital has tall whitewashed mud-brick walls, gompas like Jampa (the oldest), and the royal nine-cornered palace built around 1400. Besides housing four major temples, Lo Manthang will remain an intriguing limited-tourism destination since it opened to foreigners in 1992. The stunning scenery and medieval mysteries will make today an incredible day of sightseeing.

From Lo Manthang, we will head south towards Kagbeni, but we will not take the same route to return. As our journey passes through Drakmar, we will make sure to visit the famous Ghar Monastery decorated with beautiful wall paintings. Our trek will continue until we reach Ghami.

We will trek carefully through the remote and arid landscape, enjoying the magical views along the path. We will ascend to reach Chemi La and Yiy La passes, then descend steeply to Geling. After Geling, the descent will ease as we reach Syangboche, but our destination will be further at Samar. Samar is a Tibetan-style village, complete with mani walls, a monastery, and terraced fields.

From Samar, we will join the regular trekking trail that winds its way to Chhusang. The scenic trails will lead us down to the banks of the Kali Gandaki River. From Here we will walk along a unique rock tunnel passage to cross underneath the river itself. The Kali Gandaki has carved out an impressive gorge with dramatic cliffs rising around us as we hike. Finally, we reach the small village of Chhusang, after trekking 10 km in 5 - 6 hrs. We will be rewarded with spectacular views of the surrounding snow-capped peaks

Today we will cross Gyu La Pass at 4,077 m following the famous Annapurna circuit trail but from a different direction. From this pass, you can see many big Himalayan peaks towards Tibet, and behind you is the Annapurna mountain range. The trail then passes through several ancient villages before reaching Muktinath - a common holy site for Hindus and Buddhists. 

This will be your final day on the trekking trails. We will descend to Jharkot and Khingar where you can explore beautiful monasteries. Gradually we will lose elevation as we join the town of Jomsom, located at the bottom of the Kali Gandaki River Valley. The bustling Jomsom market area will be a huge change from the serene trails and remote villages visited over the past few days.

 We will say goodbye to Mustang and take an early morning flight to Pokhara. Your trek ends here.