Sample journey · 14–17 days
Behind the Annapurnas: on foot to the walled city of Lo Manthang
Kathmandu, Pokhara, Jomsom, Kagbeni, Ghemi, Tsarang & Lo Manthang
Photo: ashok acharya / Unsplash
Illustrative journey ideas — not bookable packages. No prices, dates or accommodation are implied.
Beyond Annapurna and Dhaulagiri, where the monsoon clouds no longer reach, a different Nepal begins. Upper Mustang is a dry, wind-carved high plateau whose culture and language are closer to Tibet than to Kathmandu. For centuries it was the separate kingdom of Lo, with its own rulers; it opened to foreign visitors only at the end of the last century and is still visited on a special permit. In the villages, chortens painted white, red and grey stand among barley fields, ancient caves gape from the cliffs, and the gompas hold murals centuries old.
This is far from the Everest and Annapurna trails, in spirit as much as in landscape. From Jomsom you walk for nine days, usually five to seven hours a day, sleeping in simple but warm village lodges at roughly 2,800–3,800 m, with a couple of passes above 4,000 m. It's meant for experienced, strong walkers; we arrange a guide who speaks the local language, horses or porters for the luggage, and, in Kathmandu and Pokhara, calm and comfortable stays before and after the trek.
The route
The journey
- Kathmandu
- Pokhara
- Jomsom
- Kagbeni
- Chele & Ghemi
- Tsarang
- Lo Manthang
- Dhakmar
- Pokhara & Kathmandu
01Days 1–4 · Kathmandu & Pokhara
Getting ready in the valley
Two nights in Kathmandu, in a quiet house with a courtyard away from the busiest streets. The first day is for recovering gently from the flight, with an evening at the Boudhanath stupa as pilgrims circle it, turning prayer wheels. On the second, Kathmandu Durbar Square with its pagodas and carved wood, and in the afternoon a meeting with your guide, who talks you through the route and checks your kit while we take care of the permits. On day three, a flight of about half an hour to Pokhara and an afternoon by Phewa Lake, with Machapuchare beyond it if the sky is clear. Early on the fourth morning, a short flight to Jomsom through the Kali Gandaki gorge between Annapurna and Dhaulagiri. These flights only operate in calm morning air, as a strong wind rises in the valley later on, which is why the journey always has a spare day.
02Days 4–6 · Jomsom & Kagbeni
The gateway to Lo
From Jomsom, at around 2,700 m, comes the first walk: about three hours along the broad, stony bed of the Kali Gandaki to Kagbeni. It's a village of mud and stone at the meeting of two rivers, with a red gompa, narrow lanes and old guardian figures by its gates. Two nights here, because the second day is for adjusting to the altitude: a short walk into the hills above the village, where you can see the green oases end and the bare plateau begin, and a visit to the gompa as the monks gather for prayers. A strong wind blows up the Kali Gandaki valley every afternoon, so we walk in the mornings and keep afternoons easy. On the northern edge of Kagbeni stands the sign marking the start of the restricted area: beyond it, you travel only with a permit and a licensed guide.
03Days 6–9 · Chele, Syangboche & Ghemi
Among chortens and red cliffs
Three days north, five or six hours a day, with nights in Chele, Syangboche and Ghemi. The trail climbs from the river onto higher plateaus, and where possible the guide takes the old footpaths away from the new dirt road. Along the way, cliffs riddled with caves where people once lived and meditated, the first passes hung with prayer flags, and villages whose rooftops are stacked with firewood, a sign of wealth in a land with almost no trees. In Ghemi stands the longest mani wall in Mustang, thousands of stones carved with prayers, and nearby the red cliffs of Dhakmar, which legend links to the blood of a demon defeated by Guru Rinpoche. Evenings bring soup, Tibetan bread and butter tea by the stove. The lodges are simple, but warm.
04Days 9–12 · Tsarang & Lo Manthang
The city within the walls
Day nine brings Tsarang, with its great gompa and abandoned royal palace above a ravine. The next morning, about four hours over the last pass, from which Lo Manthang first appears: a rectangle of white houses and red temples inside an earthen wall, with the royal palace at its centre. Two nights here. The full day is for the city: the gompas of Thubchen and Jampa, where 15th-century murals have been restored, narrow lanes where horses and goats are brought in at dusk, and a conversation with local people about how life is changing now that the road has come. In the afternoon, on horseback or on foot to the Chhoser valley, where cave dwellings several storeys high are cut into the cliffs, with a small monastery among them. We visit the gompas with a guide and on the community's terms: in some, photography isn't allowed.
05Days 12–16 · Ghar Gompa, Dhakmar & the way back
Back by another way
On day twelve you head back by another way: over a high pass to Lo Gekar, home to Ghar Gompa, held to be one of the oldest in the Himalaya and linked to Guru Rinpoche, then down to Dhakmar beneath its red cliffs. It's the longest day of the trek, about seven hours, so it's only for those who have adjusted well. On day thirteen, about six or seven hours by four-wheel drive on a dusty road back to Jomsom, and a last evening with your guide and porters. On the morning of day fourteen, the flight to Pokhara and a free afternoon by the lake; on day fifteen, on to Kathmandu, with time for the Patan Museum or a quiet dinner in a Newar courtyard. Day sixteen, the flight home. If the Jomsom flights are held up by weather, we use the spare day or take the road to Pokhara.
Experience highlights
- 01
Lo Manthang
A walled city with a royal palace and gompas whose centuries-old murals have been restored.
- 02
The Chhoser caves
Cave dwellings several storeys high, cut into the cliffs where people once lived and meditated.
- 03
Ghemi's mani wall & the cliffs of Dhakmar
Mustang's longest wall of prayer stones, and red cliffs wrapped in legend.
- 04
The flight up the Kali Gandaki
A morning flight through one of the world's deepest gorges, between Annapurna and Dhaulagiri.
First, we listen. Then, we explore what's possible.
Make it your own
Less walking
Part of the route can be driven by four-wheel drive, walking only the finest stretches, which shortens the journey to around two weeks.
The Tiji festival
In spring, usually in May, Lo Manthang holds the several-day Tiji festival of masked dances; the dates move each year with the lunar calendar, and lodges fill very early.
With Muktinath
From Kagbeni it's worth adding Muktinath, sacred to both Hindus and Buddhists, for one or two more days.
A slower ending
After the trek, a few days in the hills above Pokhara or the forests of Chitwan, where a warm, green and entirely different Nepal awaits.
Practical considerations
- The best times are roughly March to May and September to November. Mustang lies in the rain shadow, so it's drier than the rest of Nepal during the monsoon, but flights and roads to Jomsom are often disrupted then. Winter is very cold, and some residents move south.
- Upper Mustang needs a special restricted-area permit, issued through a licensed agency, and you may only travel with a licensed guide. We check the current rules and arrange everything before you travel.
- The trek runs at 2,800–3,800 m, with passes above 4,000 m. The route is designed for a gradual gain in altitude, with an acclimatisation day in Kagbeni; days are dusty and windy, and nights are cold even in summer.
- Flights to and from Jomsom depend on the weather and are often delayed, so the journey always has a spare day, with the long road to Pokhara as the alternative.
General guidance only. Seasons, weather and wildlife are never guaranteed, and travel requirements are always worth checking before you go.
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