Upper Mustang Trek

Upon arrival in Kathmandu, you will be greeted at the Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu and transferred to the hotel. It’s only 6km from the airport to the downtown area. After a little bit of rest, you can wander around this old city by yourself. The colorful houses, a dazzling array of shops, and the bustling crowds will make you feel the enthusiasm of Kathmandu for the first time. In the evening, you can try the local cuisines.

Stay overnight in Kathmandu

The real start of your tour of Kathmandu is today. So, this is a big day for you. You'll soon get to discover the unique culture of this lovely city. Kathmandu is the capital and largest city of Nepal. Its most famous destination is, of course, the famous Durbar Square.

Your tour guide will stroll you along with the Kathmandu Durbar Square. This square is replete with amazing ancient palaces and temples. It is a showcase of Nepali architecture and culture. It is situated in front of the old royal palace, surrounded by great architecture that colorfully showcases the craftsmanship of Nepali artists of the past centuries. Here, you will see the palaces of the Shah and Malla Kings.

You'll also get to visit the Pashupatinath Temple, one of Hinduism's holiest places in the world. It is located along the riverbanks of the Bagmati River. This temple complex is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Here you will be bewildered by the sprawling collection of ashrams, temples, images, and inscriptions.

Afterward, you can go straight to the Boudhanath Stupa, the world’s largest stupa and a UNESCO Heritage Site. Its massive mandala is very impressive. Then, you will see the Swayambhunath Temple, in the west of Kathmandu City. Its name, of course, means "self-existent. This temple is known for the monkeys that reside in the area. Hence, it is also alternately called the "Monkey Temple." The monkeys in this temple are playful and known for their notoriety; so be very careful in dealing with them.

Stay overnight stay in Kathmandu

• Meals:
• Breakfast

After breakfast, you will start your adventure to Pokhara, the capital of Gandaki Pradesh. Pokhara is second only to Kathmandu in size. It is a lovely and pleasant lake city, considered as the tourism capital of Nepal. Pokhara is best known as an adventure tourist site. You can enjoy paragliding or bungee jumping per request. At Pokhara and surrounding valley, you will see myriads of ancient temples and gambas, as well as the captivating view of the Annapurna range. By the way, many travelers choose to start their Annapurna Circuit Trek from Pokhara as it's a relaxing place.

In the evening, you can take a stroll through the city and relax by the lakeside of Phewa Lake.

Stay overnight in Pokhara

• Meals:
• Breakfast

Today, you will take a local flight from Pokhara to Jomsom. When the weather is good, you can see the snow mountains Annapurna, Machhapuchhre (6,997m) and Dhaulagiri (8,167m) not far away. Jomsom is located in the Kali Gandaki River Valley, the longest gorge in the world. You will start trekking along the picturesque Kali Gandaki River Valley, which is the only way to Mustang - the last Kingdom of Nepal. In the afternoon, we’ll visit the Buddhist temple built in the 14th century in Kagbeni.

Overnight in teahouse/camp

Starting from Kagbeni Village, you will officially enter the Upper Mustang area. In the afternoon, a howling south wind blows through the valley, so it is called the Valley of Wind. There is a group of pagodas in the small village on the roadside. Mustang mainly believes in the Sakya sect of Tibetan Buddhism. The pagodas and temples have obvious Sakya characteristics and are painted in red, white and blue.

Overnight at teahouse/camp

Starting from Chele Village and turning around the corner of the mountain, you will see a huge yellow valley. On the right side of the hillside is your hiking trail. After climbing up a pass, a huge valley appears in front of you, and the Eroded Rock Cliffs are extremely spectacular. After three hours of hiking, you will arrive at Syanbochen. In the pine forest area surrounded by streams, you can light pine branches to pray for blessings from the gods like the locals do, and then visit the famous Ramchung Cave. Huge stalactites support the cave-like pillars. This hidden temple is guarded by a monk who washes the scriptures on the rocks with water every day.

Overnight at teahouse/camp

After breakfast, you will walk up the mountain trail. After passing some Tibetan teahouses, shrines and local villages, you will arrive at the Yamda la Pass at 3,850m, then pass through several mountain passes, a poplar avenue and fields full of barley, and finally get to Nyi La Pass (4,010m). The process is a little bit long. Afterward, you will descend to Ghami for the night. Ghaymi is the third largest village in the area, surrounded by large tracts of barren land.

Overnight at teahouse/camp

Today’s hike was relaxing and enjoyable. After passing through the Ghami Khola, pass a Long Mani Wall, a sacred stone wall built by Buddhist followers. According to legend, Padmasambhava exorcised demons here and suppressed them here. The stone path that follows is a pilgrimage path paved by devout Buddhists. After the stone road ends, continue heading east along the mountain road towards Charang Village. Charang Village is located at the top of Charang Canyon, with beautiful field scenery. The houses are separated by willow trees and stone walls, and there are also many Tibetan monasteries including Charang Gumpa.

Overnight at teahouse/camp

Today's hike is accompanied by magnificent snow-capped mountain scenery, and you can see Niljiri Peak, Tilicho Peak, Annapurna 1 Peak and Brikuti Peak along the way. Starting in the morning, you will first descend to the bottom of Charang Khola, cross the Khola River, go up the mountain trail abruptly, and then slowly rise to the windy sand zone at 3850m, from where you can admire the beautiful Lo Manthang Valley.

Overnight at teahouse/campsite

Lo Manthang, the capital of Mustang, is located at an altitude of 3,800 meters on an open flat land in the mountains. The city wall is about 7 meters high and has a circumference of about 750 meters. It is L-shaped overall, with the only city gate opening to the northeast. Built-in 1441 AD, now there are currently more than 150 houses in the ancient city, home to thousands of people. Walking through Lomathang, strolling in the mysterious monasteries, and going through countless alleys full of prayer wheels, pagodas as well as stupas, you can feel a mysterious Buddhist tradition coming to life with every step you take. You will spend a whole day visiting the three main monasteries there, namely Jhampa, Thupchen and Chhoeda. We can also hike to Tingkhar, a beautiful village located northwest of Lo Manthang, and then stroll back to the hotel.

Overnight at teahouse/campsite

Today, you will drive back by taking another road back from Lo Manthang. Go to Dhakmar to visit the ancient temple - Ghar Gompa with a history of more than 1,200 years (It is said that this is the first Tibetan Buddhist temple in the world, earlier than the Samye Monastery in Shannan). The main deity here is Guru Rinpoche. It’s also famous for its rock paintings. It is said that making a wish here is easy to come true. After that, walk around and feel the primitiveness and sacredness of this place. There may be a lot of dust here, so it is recommended to go out in the morning.

On the way, we’ll pass Muktinath, which is a great place to view Mount Dhaulagiri and a religious pilgrimage site.

Overnight at teahouse/campsite

After breakfast, we will take a small plane to Pokhara. The plane flies through the valley between Annapurna and Dhaulagiri, and you can enjoy the snow-capped mountains up close. This experience is very rare! Before noon, you can transfer to Kathmandu. Or you can take a car from Pokhara back to Kathmandu the next day.

Overnight in Kathmandu

Today your trip in Nepal comes to a perfect end! We will send you to Kathmandu Tribhuvan International Airport according to the flight schedule.