Ten nights to the former kingdom of Lo. After Kathmandu and a night in Pokhara, we fly to Jomsom (2,720 m) for three all-inclusive nights at Shinta Mani Mustang, visit Muktinath and Kagbeni, then drive by 4x4 to walled Lo Manthang (about 3,840 m) for three nights in the best lodge available.
Mustang lies behind the Annapurna and Dhaulagiri ranges in a rain shadow: a high, dry country of eroded cliffs, cave dwellings and whitewashed villages that feels closer to Tibet than to the rest of Nepal. Upper Mustang, north of Kagbeni, was closed to outsiders until 1992 and still needs a restricted area permit. Its capital, Lo Manthang, is a walled town at about 3,840 m with fifteenth-century monasteries whose wall paintings have been carefully restored. Because the monsoon barely reaches it, Mustang is one of the few parts of Nepal worth visiting from June to September.
We split the six Mustang nights between two very different places. Shinta Mani Mustang, A Bensley Collection, in Jomsom is all-inclusive with guided excursions and is the one luxury hotel in Mustang; we use it to acclimatise and to see Muktinath and Kagbeni. In Lo Manthang there is no luxury hotel. We book the best lodge available, warm and clean but simple, and say so plainly. The drive between them is about 80 km by 4x4, 6–7 hours on a rough road over passes close to 4,000 m.
Highlights
Why this route works
Three all-inclusive nights at Shinta Mani Mustang in Jomsom
Muktinath, sacred to Hindus and Buddhists, at 3,710 m
The walled town of Lo Manthang and its fifteenth-century monasteries
4x4 days past the red cliffs and cave villages of Upper Mustang
Kagbeni, the old gateway to the former kingdom of Lo
Day by day
The journey
Day01
Arrive in Kathmandu
Overnight: Kathmandu≈ 3 km · 15 minMeals: Dinner
We meet you at Tribhuvan International Airport and drive about 15 minutes to Dwarika's Hotel in Battisputali, built around carved Newari woodwork salvaged from old valley houses. The afternoon is free to rest. Before dinner your guide goes through the Mustang plan in detail: altitude, the restricted area permit, what the Lo Manthang lodge is like and what to pack for cold nights. We need your original passport for a short time to finalise the Upper Mustang permit, which is issued only through a registered agency, for at least two travellers with a licensed guide.
Day02
Boudhanath and Patan
Overnight: KathmanduMeals: Breakfast, Dinner
A day in the valley with a private guide, chosen to prepare you for the journey north. We start at Boudhanath, the great stupa at the heart of Kathmandu's Tibetan community, where monasteries of several schools, including the Sakya tradition followed in Lo, stand around the dome. After lunch, Patan's Durbar Square and the Patan Museum, with its bronzes and ritual objects, and a lost-wax casting workshop in the lanes behind. Dinner is at Krishnarpan, Dwarika's Nepali tasting menu. An early night helps: tomorrow's flight is in the morning.
Day03
Fly to Pokhara
Overnight: PokharaMeals: Breakfast, Dinner
The 25-minute flight to Pokhara puts you within reach of the morning-only flights to Jomsom. A car takes you to The Pavilions Himalayas, eco-luxury villas on an organic farm outside the town, with a spa and pool. In the afternoon take a boat across Phewa Lake to the island temple of Tal Barahi, or simply rest. We check bags tonight: the small aircraft to Jomsom have a tight baggage allowance per person (check current status before you travel), and anything extra goes by car to Kathmandu to wait for you at Dwarika's.
Day04
Fly to Jomsom
Overnight: JomsomMeals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
The Jomsom flight leaves early, before the afternoon wind rises in the Kali Gandaki valley, and takes about 20 minutes, flying between Dhaulagiri (8,167 m) and the Annapurnas. Flights are often delayed by cloud or wind; if they cannot go, we try again the next morning or drive the 160 km road in 7–9 hours. At Jomsom (2,720 m) we transfer to Shinta Mani Mustang. The rest of the day is deliberately quiet: lunch, a short walk, plenty of water and no alcohol tonight while your body adjusts to the height.
Day05
Kagbeni and Muktinath
Overnight: Jomsom≈ 50 km · 3 hMeals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
A day out by 4x4 with the hotel's guides. First Kagbeni (2,810 m), a village of mud-brick alleys and a red monastery where the Jhong Khola meets the Kali Gandaki, and the southern gateway to Upper Mustang. Then up to Muktinath at 3,710 m, a temple and spring complex sacred to Hindus and Buddhists, with 108 water spouts and a small flame fed by natural gas. Climbing high and sleeping back at Jomsom is the best preparation for Lo Manthang. Lunch is on the way, and the afternoon is for rest.
Day06
Drive to Lo Manthang
Overnight: Lo Manthang≈ 80 km · 6–7 hMeals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
An early start for the longest day: about 80 km north by 4x4 from Jomsom, past Kagbeni and into the restricted area, 6–7 hours with stops. The road climbs through Chele and over passes close to 4,000 m, past red and ochre cliffs pocked with caves, chortens painted in bands of colour and villages such as Ghami and Tsarang. Lo Manthang sits at about 3,840 m, more than 1,000 m above Jomsom, so we drive slowly and stop often. Our lodge is the best available in town: warm and clean but simple, not luxury.
Day07
Inside the walls of Lo Manthang
Overnight: Lo ManthangMeals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
A slow first day at height. We walk the lanes inside the town wall with a local guide: the palace of the former kings of Lo, seen from outside, and the two great monasteries, Jampa and Thubchen, both dating from the fifteenth century, whose wall paintings have been restored over many years. In the afternoon walk out to Namgyal Gompa on a ridge west of town, or sit in the sun on the lodge roof. Headaches, poor sleep and breathlessness are common at first; tell your guide about any symptom.
Day08
Cave dwellings of Chhoser
Overnight: Lo Manthang≈ 25 km · 1.5 hMeals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
We drive north of Lo Manthang towards the Tibetan border to Chhoser, where the cliffs are honeycombed with man-made caves once used as homes, shrines and granaries. At Jhong cave you climb inside a five-storey warren of rooms linked by ladders and passages. Nearby is Garphu monastery, built partly into the rock. Back in Lo Manthang for lunch and a free afternoon; your guide can arrange a visit to a family home for butter tea and a look at daily life in a town whose lanes are too narrow for cars.
Day09
Back to Jomsom
Overnight: Jomsom≈ 80 km · 6–7 hMeals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
We leave Lo Manthang after breakfast and drive back south for 6–7 hours, losing more than 1,000 m of height on the way. We stop in Tsarang to see its large red monastery and the ruins of the old fortress beside it, and in Ghami for its long mani wall, one of the longest in Nepal. By late afternoon you are back at Shinta Mani Mustang for a hot bath and a proper dinner. On a clear evening Nilgiri and Dhaulagiri stand above the valley.
Day10
Fly Jomsom to Pokhara and Kathmandu
Overnight: KathmanduMeals: Breakfast, Dinner
The morning flight from Jomsom to Pokhara takes about 20 minutes, and we connect to Kathmandu on the next available flight, 25 minutes more. If wind or cloud holds the Jomsom flights, we wait for a later morning slot or drive out to Pokhara, 7–9 hours, and fly to Kathmandu the next day. The final night in Kathmandu exists to absorb exactly this kind of delay. Back at Dwarika's Hotel you have the afternoon for the pool or spa, and your guide joins you for tea to go over the trip.
Day11
Depart Kathmandu
Overnight: Departure≈ 3 km · 15 minMeals: Breakfast
Breakfast at Dwarika's and the short drive to Tribhuvan International Airport, about 15 minutes. Mustang flights are the least predictable part of any Nepal journey, so we recommend booking an international departure in the afternoon or evening, and travel insurance that covers missed connections. If time allows, an hour at Pashupatinath or Swayambhunath makes a good last view of the valley before check-in. Your guide stays with you until you enter the terminal.
The Upper Mustang restricted area permit costs USD 500 per person for the first 10 days and USD 50 per day after, through a registered agency with a licensed guide and at least two travellers, plus ACAP; check current status before you travel.
Jomsom flights run only in the morning and are often delayed by wind or cloud; keep your international departure flexible.
Sleeping height jumps from 2,720 m to about 3,840 m in one day; we prepare with two nights at Jomsom and a day at Muktinath, and anyone with heart or lung conditions should see a doctor first.
Lodging in Lo Manthang is the best available, not luxury: simple rooms, limited hot water and heating that may run only in the evening.
Mustang lies in a rain shadow and is good from April to October, monsoon included; the Tiji festival in Lo Manthang usually falls in May.
Nights in Lo Manthang drop below freezing in spring and autumn; bring a down jacket, warm hat and gloves.
Since April 2023 foreign trekkers in most conservation areas must have a licensed guide; check current status before you travel.
Questions travellers ask
Good to know
What permits are needed for Upper Mustang?
Two. The Upper Mustang restricted area permit costs USD 500 per person for the first 10 days and USD 50 per day after, and is issued only through a registered agency, for at least two travellers with a licensed guide. You also need the Annapurna Conservation Area Permit. We arrange both from your passport details; check current status before you travel.
Is there a luxury hotel in Lo Manthang?
No. Lo Manthang has simple lodges, some newer and warmer than others, and we book the best available, with attached bathrooms where possible. Expect clean rooms, heavy blankets, limited hot water and hearty food. That is why we pair three nights there with three at Shinta Mani Mustang in Jomsom, the one luxury hotel in Mustang.
Will I get altitude sickness in Lo Manthang?
Mild symptoms are common at about 3,840 m: headache, breathlessness and poor sleep for the first night or two. We prepare with two nights at 2,720 m in Jomsom and a day trip to Muktinath at 3,710 m. Your guide checks oxygen saturation daily and carries supplemental oxygen. If symptoms worsen, we drive down at once; never go higher with AMS symptoms.
When is the best time to visit Mustang?
April to October. Mustang sits in the rain shadow of the Annapurna and Dhaulagiri ranges, so it stays fairly dry through the monsoon, when most of Nepal is wet, and May brings the Tiji festival to Lo Manthang. Autumn is clear and crisp. From December to February it is very cold and many Lo Manthang lodges close. Monsoon cloud can still disrupt Pokhara–Jomsom flights.
What is Shinta Mani Mustang like?
It is a luxury hotel in Jomsom at 2,720 m, part of Bill Bensley's Bensley Collection, run on an all-inclusive basis with meals and guided excursions included. The hotel plans outings to places such as Kagbeni, Muktinath and Marpha. We use it as the comfortable base for acclimatisation before Lo Manthang and for recovery on the way back.
How rough is the road to Lo Manthang?
Rough but driveable by 4x4 in the dry months. The 80 km from Jomsom take 6–7 hours on a dirt road with river crossings, steep switchbacks and passes close to 4,000 m. We use private 4x4s with experienced local drivers and stop often. After heavy rain, sections can be blocked by landslides or high water, so check current status before you travel.
Can we visit the Tiji festival?
Yes, if you plan early. Tiji is a three-day ritual in Lo Manthang, usually in May, with masked dances performed by monks in the square below the palace. Dates follow the Tibetan lunar calendar, so check current status before you travel. Lodges in Lo Manthang fill quickly for the festival, and we would add a night to fit all three days.
What if the Jomsom flight is cancelled?
We wait, or we drive. Flights between Pokhara and Jomsom run only in the morning, before the wind rises, and are often delayed by cloud or wind. If a flight cannot go, we try again the next morning or drive the 160 km road in 7–9 hours. The final night in Kathmandu is there to absorb delays before your international flight.
How much does a luxury Mustang journey cost?
This ten-night journey starts from about ₹8,50,000 per person, twin sharing. The price includes the Upper Mustang permit and ACAP, all-inclusive nights at Shinta Mani Mustang, full board in Lo Manthang, a private 4x4, a licensed guide and four domestic flights. It costs more than other Nepal journeys because of the permit, the hotel and the logistics of the far north.
Mustang: Shinta Mani and Lo Manthang10 nights · from ₹8,50,000 per personCheck dates and price
