Trekking Nepal’s Upper Mustang ~ where rivers swirl around mighty peaks and life in chalk-white villages moves slowly ~ a Pristine Corner of the Himalayas

On this expedition-style trek, you’ll learn about the Mustang’s status as a forbidden kingdom, which ended in 2008 when its ruling kingdom of Nepal became a republic.  We’ll start our trip by exploring the temples and markets of Kathmandu, Nepal’s bustling capital city before travelling to the lakeside city of Pokhara at the foot of the Himalayas and onto the large village of Jomsom to start our journey.

Highlights

• Trekking in the Himalayas
• Caves, Monasteries, Temples Royal Palace
• Fossil Scavenging in the Kali Gandaki River
• Spectacular Landscapes
• Antique Villages
• Authentic Tibetan Culture
• Traditional Arts and Crafts and Meals
• Nepalese Homestay : Nepalese cultural immersion in the mountain villages picking vegetables, cooking, and learning from locals.   

Until 1992, Mustang was closed to the outside world. Even today, only a few thousand find their way to Upper Mustang each year. It’s vast, arid, and one of the few places left of Earth where one might truly escape to an authentic Tibetan enclave.  Upper Mustang is isolated by culture, by government order, and by geography.  The government has instituted a forward-thinking permit system that demands a $500USD fee of every visitor to keep this contemplative corner of the Himalayas pristine.

Princes of ancient kingdoms walk the walled cities, remains of the long dead rest in peace in caves from prehistory, and barely-cut roads wind through skies topped with mountains. The region, defined as much by its 13,000-foot passes, striated rock formations, and colorful stupas as by its almost unfathomable remoteness, was, until 2011, accessible only by foot, horseback, or private aircraft.  The name Mustang is derived from the Tibetan word ‘mun tan’ which translates in Nepali to mean ‘fertile plain’  Tibetan is widely spoken and the traditional culture of Tibet largely remains throughout the region. 

This is an “off the beaten” path adventure. As with other treks in Nepal, teahouses are available along the entire trek in Upper Mustang. Teahouses are simple houses, often the home of the family that runs them, and offer basic meals in a communal eating hall along with rooms which share 2 – 4 people. 

Expect camping conditions with rustic toilets and long periods of no hot water nor shower facilities.  

This is ADVENTURE travel, and many of the trip destinations in this site are remote areas, within under developed countries, where events are less predictable than is usually the case in. The unexpected is the norm in these areas and, despite painstaking planning and organization, our adventure trips can never be taken for granted like regular trips. Many of the places that we visit do not have the same quality of emergency health and safety services that you are used to in the developed world. Internal flights can be canceled, road transport is generally uncomfortable and unreliable, and hotels often do not approach the standards of the West.

IF YOU ARE NOT PREPARED FOR THIS, YOU SHOULD NOT TRAVEL WITH US. This unpredictability also means that the itineraries that we put forward for each of our trips should be seen as statements of intent, rather than as contractual obligations. A variety of factors, including weather, transport difficulties and political instability, might dictate that we change any itinerary. 

The trip leader will make any changes that are necessary, after consultation with the group. Only rarely will such changes be significant, and we will always do everything within our powers to minimize the effects of the enforced changes. We cannot be held responsible for the results of changes or delays, irrespective of how they are caused.