Pokhara, the gateway of most popular trekking and tour destination is one of the gate way of Upper Mustang region too. Driving tour to Upper Mustang from Pokhara can divided into the multiples days trip. Trip starts from Pokhara can be whole way driving with a jeep or fly to Jomsom and start driving. Nepal Highland Treks providing three different driving tour from Pokhara in this page. You can choose your own itinerary as per your time frame and interest. We are ready to customize the tour plan in your privae tour.
5 Days Upper Mustang tour from Pokhara - Shortest tour to Upper Mustang
This tour is involving flying to Jomsom airport from Pokhara. Pokhara is the only one airport that operate Jomsom flight. Jeep tour to upper mustang from Jomsom and flying back to Pokhara at the end of the tour.
5 Days shortest Upper Mustang tour itinerary with Jomsom flights
01: Early in the morning flying to Jomsom airport from Pokhara. This is 15 minutes flight and land at 2743 meters altitude. Meet our Jeep near Jomsom airport and start driving. On the way visit Kagbeni village, Muktinath village, temple and Monasteries. Further drive to Ghami for overnight. Ghami is in the altitude of 3560 meters. We visit other local villages with enjoying the enchanting landscape and Himalayan ranges from on the way.
Day 02: Drive to Lo-manthang, the capital of Upper Mustang. On the visit Dhakmar, Ghar Gumba. After reaching the capital, we take a villages tour and admire the view of Lo-manthang, the forbidden kingdom. Lomanthang is in the altitude of 3840 meters.
Day 03: Day visit of Lo-manthang and Chhosar. After our breakfast in the hotel, we start to visit Sky caves, monasteries including famous Chhosar cave, local villages. Overnight in Lo-manthang
Day 04: Continue drive to Jomsom for overnight. It is about 8 hours driving via the same road. Overnight in the Hotel and wait for next morning flight back to Pokhara
Day 05: Morning flight to Pokhara from Jomsom airport, since it is morning flight, you may connect another flight from Pokhara to Kathmandu or to Lumbini.
If you can manage to have aone more day, It is require to add another day in Lo-manthnag to explore more places and on the way too.
7 Days driving and flying tour to Upper Mustang from Pokhara.
It is one way driving so that you will have opportunities to visit the lower part of the Mustang and have enough time to acclimatization to reach 3800 meters altitude Lo-manthang. The first day of the tour can visit on the way touristic places and overnight in Marpha. At the end of the tour, drive till Jomsom and flying back to Pokhara.
7 Days Upper mustang driving tour itinerary from Pokhara
Day 01: Drive from Pokhara to Marpha village. On the way visit Kushma, Galeswor, Tatopani, Rupchechhara water fall, Kobang village and reach to Marpha for overnight. Marpha is in the altitude of 2650 meters
Day 02: Visit Marpha village, local apple field, monasteries and unique village. Further drive to Ghami via Jomsom, Kagbeni and Muktinath. We overnight stay in the altitude of 3560 meters
Day 03: Drive to capital of Upper Mustang (Lo-manthang) walking tour at local village and overnight in the altitude of 3800 meters.
Day 04 and Day 05: Visit Lomanthang, Chhoser, Tibet border, caves, monasteries and local villages. Overnight in Lo-manthang
Day 06: Driving back to Jomsom via the same way and overnight. If there were any places left to visit while going up, can visit on the way.
Day 07: Flying back to Pokhara from Jomsom airport at morning. There are option to make another connection flight to Kathmandu or Lumbini from Pokhara. Or stay self in Pokhara. We will provide you airport arrival vehicle accordingly.
8 days Upper Mustang driving tour from Pokhara
This is both the way driving tour and have more time to explore the region. Start driving from Pokhara with a Jeep, explore the region with your guide and driving back the same way again to Pokhara. It is also the way of saving tour cost skipping flight fair from Jomsom - Pokhara. It is also to skip the flight to Jomsom which is remote area flight and often listed as unsafe flight. The require itinerary is for 9 days but have option to make customization as per your interest.
8 Days Upper Mustang tour itinerary
Day 01: Start driving and reach Kalopani to overnight. On the way visit the Kushma, Galeswor, Tatopani, Rupchechhara and Kalopani. Kalopani is in the altitude of 2530 meters.
Day 02: Drive from Kalopani to Kageni for overnight. Visit Kobang village, Marpha, Jomsom, Muktinath, Dumba lake and Kagbeni village. Overnight at the altitude of 2800 meters
Day 03: Drive to Ghami by visiting one the way the local villages, monasteries and more. Overnight at the altitude of 3560 meters
Day 04: Ghami to Lo-manthang via Ghar Gumba. Overnight in the altitude of 3800 meters.
Day 05 and Day 06: Visit Lomanthang, Chhoser, Tibet border, caves, monasteries and local villages. Overnight in Lo-manthang
Day 07: Continue driving back to Marpha village for overnight
Day 08: Driving back to Pokhara
What is the tour cost including ?
Tour cost is including private jeep transportation, a professional guide, flight ticket as per the itinerary, Pokhara airport transportation if tour is with flight, Upper Mustang restricted area permit and permit of Annapurna conservation, accommodation in the local tea houses, all the foods from local tea houses, monasteries entry fees, company service charge and tax.
Your extra expenses
bills, bottled drinks, cost of drinking water, personal expenses, any tipping, travel insurance, emergency evacuation and medical expenses in case of need.
Minimum 2 peoples are require to get Upper Mustang permit
Upper Mustang region is one of the restricted area so that special permit is require for every foreigners other then Nepalese. To obtain Upper Mustang permit, need minimum 2 persons as per the government rules. The cost of this permit is USD 500 per person which is minimum cost and for 10 days. Upper Mustang region begins after Kagbeni and 10 days permit is enough.
Trip for single traveler
For the single but want to travel Upper Mustang is also have option to join in our group, or we can manage this permit with our group but you can plan to travel as single traveller with one of our guide. Only important is, your plan should match with our group or one of our another traveller have same kind of plan.
Tour cost of Upper Mustang driving tour from Pokhara
is based on group size and based on itinerary. All our optional itinerary mentioned above have different tour cost. The main cost of this tour is Mustang permit that is USD 500 per person. Another main cost is for private jeep, which can share up to 4 peoples comfortable. Cost of local accommodation stay, three times of foods and hot drinks are also inside our tour cost.
Travel Upper Mustang with professional guide
Mustang is only possible to visit with licence holder guide from trekking company. We provide professional tour guide who knows the region well. Our regular tour guides from company lead this trip in the way you want. Guide is professional and knowledgeable about the region, they can explain local cultures and peoples activities.
Best time to travel Upper Mustang
The best time to travel upper mustang is during spring and autumn season. Months of March, April May and months of October, November is clear sky and good weather. Beside those months, summer the rainy season months June till September is also suitable to visit the region. Upper Mustang is rain shadow area (Less rain) so that area is still dry or not much rain. After rain drop in the plateau land, it is more beautiful with herbs plants and with different colored busy flowers. Only one difficulties in the raining season may have road blog at the lower part of Mustang due to landslide or cancel the flight schedule. In the case of this situation, there will be optional way to cross.
Travel Upper Mustang in Monsoon season
season in Nepal is from month of June till September mid. Upper Mustang is more suitable during monsoon season. It is plateau land and is less rainfall. After drops of rainfall during the summer months' region is covered with blooming flowers and lush greenery which makes region more beautiful than other seasons. Road to upper Mustang does not disturb because of rain. The difficulties may create at the lower part of Mustang which is landslide and need to walk for changing the vehicle. Another difficult is flight to Jomsom from Pokhara. Flights can be stopped due to less tourist or cancel because of rain and bad weather in flight route.
Picture of Upper Mustang region during monsoon season
Travel Upper Mustang in winter season
Travel Upper Mustang region is not suggested to travel in winter month (December to February). It is more cold and most of the hotels are closed. Driving road may also close due to slippery ice. It is still possible to visit lower Mustang during winter. Lower Mustang is up to Muktinath, Kagbeni Jomsom area.
Upper Mustang tour with Motorbike
Mustang is also suitable to visit by motorbike. Entire region is road facilitated. Road connected from Pokhara and it goes till Tibet border called Korala. 8 to 10 days trip create from Pokhara or from Kathmandu. The suitable bikes for Upper Mustang riding tour is Himalayan royal en-field, Royal En-field classical, or dirt bikes like Holda CRF 250 cc.
Accommodation and foods in Upper Mustang tour
is in hotel and local lodges. There are similar categories of local lodges in most of the places during Upper Mustang driving tour. Option to overnight luxury hotel in Lo-manthang and better hotel in Muktinath village too. Local lodges are also tourist standard having attached washroom accept one night in Ghami or in Tsarang. During the festival times in Mustang, accommodation is hard to get in Lo-manthang without pre-book. Foods are all from local lodges, all the local lodges serve hygienic and authentic local foods.
Upper Mustang during festivals
Tiji festival and Yartung festival are the main festivals in Mustang region. The capital of Upper Mustang Lo-manthang celebrate Tiji festival. It is 3 days celebration and it is monk dancing festival with their musical instruments. It is celebrate around May month and the main days of three days festival have different dates every year fixed by head monks from local Monasteries as per their calender. During the festival, monks gather from different local monasteries. They perform different mask dance with their musical instrument. It believe that this kind of dance and music is to safe area from demons. Yartung festival is in August month. The Yartung Festival is celebrated mainly in Lo-manthang and Muktinath, especially people from lower Mustang are known for its celebration during the August full moon of every year. It is a multi-day festivity commended with horse races, drinking, and cultural dances from the Thakali and Tibetan people. During the three days festivity, the (local) king of the area, lamas, monks, and local people come together to fair bid to the summer season, which believe to bring them a lot of joy & prosperity throughout the year.
Picture of Tiji festival in Lo-Manthang
Upper Mustang trip for Indian
There are many other region in Nepal that Indian passport holders have less permit cost comparing other foreigners. But in the case of permit cost of Upper Mustang, it is the same cost USD 500 per person for Indian passport holders too. There is different cost in Jomsom flight and in Annapurna conservation area so that Upper Mustang tour cost for Indian passport holder get few less comparing other foreigners. Other arrangement of the tour is same as other foreigners for Indians too.
Payment and cancellation policy
500 is advance payment at the time of tour booking. This amount can pay online by using your card. You also have option to send amount wire transfer to our bank. Rest of the payment can made once you are in Nepal before departing to tour. Final payment can pay by card, bank transfer or online. The minimum cancellation is USD 200. Cancel the tour Only before a week time cost USD 500 per person.
Bank and ATM facilities on the way Upper Mustang
and ATM are only available in Jomsom which is gateway of Upper Mustang. But do not rely on ATM and bank service on the way, it is better to bring enough cash for your personal expenses on the way. Money exchange facilities are available in local lodges on the way but it is less rate there. You also have an option to borrow cash from your guide and return it once you are in the city.
Internet and WIFI during the trip
Wifi are available in every lodges and hotel on the way Mustang, but it may not stable due to weather and wind. If internet is much important for your all the time, you can buy anytime internet package from local SIM. Sim card can buy from Kathmandu or from Pokhara easily or if you ask us to provide one, we can provide you. NTC SIM is more stable connection in Mustang region.
Hot shower and drinking water
Bottled mineral water or boiled and filtered local water available in the region for drinking. You can buy on the way from any local lodges and tea houses. Hot shower is provided most of the hotels inside your room. Only few lodges, they provide hot shower common at out site from your rooms.
Upper Mustang trip for Nepali
Upper Mustang driving tour for Nepali is different arrangement. It does not need to issue any permits so that tour cost of the tour is less for Nepali. It is better to have one week plan from to Pokhara to have enough time to visit the region and back.
Packing list for the trip
Packing list for this tour depends which time of the year you are planning to travel. The region is windy and cold and the low region of Upper Mustang is still hot temperature. Following items are general idea to pack for the tour.
Clothing List
Warm head cover cap
Muff to cover mouth from heavy wind and cold
2 pairs warm inner thermal and inner trouser
1 pair warm outer trouser
1 pair warm wind proof warm outer trouser
One pair light and warm jacket or sweeter
One pair down jacket
One pair wind proof jacket
2 pairs light shocks
2 pair warm shocks
1 pair light shoe or sandal while staying inside guest house
1 pairs light trouser or half paint while you are in low land region
2 pairs of light t-shirt
Warm glove
Small bag pack
Duffel bag to keep your goods and put it inside jeep (You have option to get a duffel bag from our company and keep your bag safe in the Pokhara hotel and collect is once you back from the trip)
Other accessories
Head lamp with enough battery
Camera and its battery
Battery charger
Phone and charger
lip care
Sun cream
Toilet papers
Hand wash lotion
Thoth brush add paste
Washing shop and bath shampoo
Quick dry towel
