Upper Mustang · Lo Manthang on Foot

THE JOURNEY IN DETAIL

On foot into the walled kingdom.

Upper Mustang lies in the rain shadow of Annapurna and Dhaulagiri, which is why people come in summer while the monsoon drowns the rest of Nepal. Culturally and linguistically Tibetan, it is a plateau of cave monasteries and a walled capital, Lo Manthang. A restricted zone: a guide and a special permit are compulsory.

• The walls and palace of Lo Manthang
• The Chhoser caves and Nyiphu monastery
• The red cliffs of Dhakmar and Ghami
• A summer trek while Nepal is under monsoon

1. 01
   DAY 1 · Permits and briefing

   Kathmandu and the restricted zone paperwork

   We meet in Kathmandu and hand over passports for the Upper Mustang permit, which is issued only through an agency and only for groups of two or more. An evening briefing on the rules of a restricted area.

   Overnight: Hotel in Kathmandu
2. 02
   DAY 2 · Transfer and packing

   Pokhara and preparation

   A flight or drive to Pokhara (820 m). We buy what is missing and pack duffels for the horses: in Mustang loads often travel on pack animals rather than porters. An early night before the morning flight to Jomsom.

   Overnight: Hotel in Pokhara
3. 03
   DAY 3 · 10 km along the river

   Flight to Jomsom, walk to Kagbeni

   A twenty-minute flight between Annapurna and Dhaulagiri into Jomsom (2,720 m). Then 10 km up the Kali Gandaki riverbed to Kagbeni (2,800 m), the medieval village at the gate of the restricted zone.

   Overnight: Guesthouse in Kagbeni
4. 04
   DAY 4 · 18 km, 860 m of ascent

   Kagbeni to Samar

   A checkpost on the way out of Kagbeni, and Upper Mustang begins. We follow the right bank of the Kali Gandaki through Tangbe and Chhusang, then climb steeply from Chele to Samar at 3,660 m. Around 18 km.

   Overnight: Guesthouse in Samar, 3,660 m
5. 05
   DAY 5 · 20 km, three passes

   Passes to Ghami

   The most broken day of the trek: three passes, Bhena La (3,860 m), Yamda La (4,010 m) and Nyi La (4,010 m), with full descents between them. We sleep at Ghami (3,520 m) below the red cliffs of Dhakmar.

   Overnight: Guesthouse in Ghami
6. 06
   DAY 6 · 15 km, a 3,870 m pass

   The Ghami mani wall and Tsarang

   Just outside the village stands Nepal's longest mani wall, some 300 metres of it. Over the Tsarang La (3,870 m) we reach Tsarang (3,560 m), with its palace and fourteenth-century monastery and its library of Tibetan manuscripts.

   Overnight: Guesthouse in Tsarang
7. 07
   DAY 7 · 14 km, the Lo La

   Entering Lo Manthang

   From the Lo La (3,950 m) Lo Manthang appears for the first time, a square of mud-brick walls on a 3,840 m plain. We enter through its single gate and stay inside the walls. Around 14 km.

   Overnight: Guesthouse in Lo Manthang, 3,840 m
8. 08
   DAY 8 · A day of sightseeing

   The monasteries of the capital

   A day inside the walls: Jampa Lhakhang with its fifteenth-century mandalas, Thubchen and Chode gompas, and the four-storey palace of the raja. In the afternoon a walk up the hill above town for the wider view.

   Overnight: Guesthouse in Lo Manthang
9. 09
   DAY 9 · 18 km out and back

   The caves of Chhoser

   A day trip north towards the Tibetan border: the five-storey cave village of Jhong with ladders cut into the rock, and the cave monastery of Nyiphu. Some 18 km there and back, with modest ascent.

   Overnight: Guesthouse in Lo Manthang
10. 10
    DAY 10 · 19 km, a 4,080 m pass

    The eastern path to Yara

    We return by the eastern variant rather than retracing our steps, going through Dhi and the Puyung valley. The Dhi La tops out near 4,080 m and we sleep in Yara (3,650 m), looking out over the canyons.

    Overnight: Guesthouse in Yara
11. 11
    DAY 11 · 20 km across the plateau

    Luri gompa and on to Tangge

    A morning detour on foot to Luri gompa, a chorten inside a rock cavity painted in the fourteenth century. Then a long stage across the plateau to Tangge (3,240 m), into the afternoon headwind.

    Overnight: Guesthouse in Tangge
12. 12
    DAY 12 · 22 km, a 4,230 m pass

    A 4,230 m pass and Tetang

    The high point of the route: a long climb to an unnamed pass near 4,230 m above the Tangge canyon, then a drop into Tetang (3,040 m), a village tucked out of the wind in a fold of the hillside.

    Overnight: Guesthouse in Tetang
13. 13
    DAY 13 · 16 km and a transfer

    Out to Jomsom

    The last walking day: through Chhusang to Kagbeni and on down the Kali Gandaki to Jomsom. If the wind is strong we take a jeep for part of it. Dinner and a gear hand-back in the evening.

    Overnight: Lodge in Jomsom
14. 14
    DAY 14 · Flight, transfer

    Flight to Pokhara, departure

    The morning flight to Pokhara: aircraft work the Kali Gandaki only before noon, before the wind gets up. From there a transfer to the airport or to a hotel, as you prefer.

    Overnight: —