The walled city of Lo Manthang, ochre cliffs and Tibetan plateau light — Nepal’s most otherworldly trek.
Upper Mustang is the old Kingdom of Lo, a Tibetan-speaking realm that stayed closed to foreigners until 1992 and still feels separate from the rest of Nepal. The landscape is high desert: wind-carved ochre cliffs, cave monasteries cut into rock, whitewashed houses stacked above irrigated barley fields, and the walled capital of Lo Manthang sitting on a plateau at 3,840 m with the Annapurna and Dhaulagiri walls behind it.
Because it lies in the rain shadow of the Annapurnas, Upper Mustang is one of the few Himalayan treks you can walk during the monsoon — the sky stays dry while the rest of Nepal is under cloud. It is also a restricted area: you need a licensed agency, a minimum of two trekkers on the permit, and USD 500 per person for the first ten days. That cost is exactly why the trail stays quiet and the culture stays intact.
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March to November. Spring (March–May) is warm and clear; monsoon (June–September) works because of the rain shadow; October–November is crisp and cold at night. Winter (December–February) is possible but many lodges close and the cold is severe.
Drive or fly Pokhara–Jomsom (20 minutes by air, 6–7 hours by road), then trek north through Kagbeni, Chele, Syangboche, Ghami, Charang to Lo Manthang and back via Ghar Gompa and Muktinath. Jeep roads now reach Lo Manthang, so some itineraries drive the last stretch and walk the side valleys.
Upper Mustang is a restricted area: USD 500 per person for the first 10 days and USD 50 per extra day, arranged only through a licensed Nepali agency, with a minimum of two trekkers on the same permit. Add ACAP (NPR 3,000) and TIMS. The fee is permit-based, not per-day-optional — budget it as a fixed cost.
A 10-day Upper Mustang trek with agency support, permits, guide, porter and lodges runs USD 1,400–2,200 per person — the permit is a big share of that. Independent trekking is not permitted.
Family guesthouses and small lodges, simpler and colder than in Khumbu, with Tibetan food — tsampa, thukpa, momos, butter tea. Solar power and bucket showers are the norm; carry cash, there are no ATMs beyond Jomsom.
Trekking & Expeditions
Trekking & Expeditions
Yes — it is a restricted area and permits are only issued to licensed agencies for groups of at least two trekkers. You cannot trek it independently.
The USD 500 fee is a conservation and cultural-protection measure designed to limit numbers in a fragile Tibetan Buddhist region. It covers the first ten days; beyond that it is USD 50 a day.
Yes. It sits in the rain shadow of the Annapurnas, so June–September is dry and walkable — one of the few Himalayan treks that is.
Moderate. Daily walking is 5–6 hours, the altitude tops out around 4,200 m, and the trails are wide and non-technical. The challenges are dust, wind, cold nights and basic lodges rather than steep ground.
It has four intact gates and sections of wall, with the royal palace and monasteries inside. Conservation work after the 2015 earthquake restored several monuments; access to some interiors depends on local permits.
Start with the permits, pick your season, then choose the trek that fits your days. Our guides are updated for 2026 and written from the trail, not from a brochure.