Upper Mustang Jeep Tour

Your trip begins with the trip from Kathmandu to Pokhara. Most travellers drive, following the Prithvi Highway along the Trishuli River, past terraced hills and small roadside towns. It's a long day in the car, but the scenery keeps changing, and you'll get your first glimpse of the Annapurna range as you pull into Pokhara in the late afternoon.

If you'd rather skip the road time, a 35-minute flight from Kathmandu gets you to Pokhara before lunch, leaving the rest of the day free. Either way, you'll spend the night by Phewa Lake, with Machapuchare's sharp peak visible from the lakeside if the sky is clear. This is your last proper city comfort before Mustang's roads get rougher.

A short 25-minute flight (or a longer scenic drive, depending on your preference) takes you from Pokhara to Jomsom, the last real town before the restricted zone. Jomsom is in the Kali Gandaki gorge, with strong afternoon winds that funnel up the valley almost every day, so mornings are calmer for travel.

From Jomsom, your jeep heads north past Kagbeni, where officials check your Upper Mustang permit before you continue. The landscape shifts fast here, from green apple orchards near Jomsom to bare, wind-shaped cliffs as you climb toward Ghami. You'll reach Ghami by evening, a village known for one of the longest mani walls in the country, and settle in for a quiet night at altitude.

The drive from Ghami to Lo Manthang is shorter than the day before, but it's arguably the most dramatic stretch of the whole tour. The road climbs over passes strung with prayer flags and drops through valleys where the rock has eroded into towers and ridges that look almost man-made.

You'll pass small settlements like Charang, where an old fort and monastery sit above the village, before the walls of Lo Manthang finally come into view. Entering the walled city for the first time is a genuine moment on this trip, since so few outsiders ever get this far into Nepal. You'll check into your lodge here for two nights, giving your body a break from daily driving.

Today is set aside fully for Lo Manthang, and it's the heart of this trek. You'll walk the narrow lanes inside the old city walls, visit monasteries that hold centuries-old murals and thangka paintings, and meet local families still living much as their ancestors did.

Later in the day, a short drive takes you out toward the Nepal-Tibet border for sweeping views across the plateau, and on to Gharphu cave, one of the hand-carved cave dwellings scattered through this part of Mustang. 

Some of these caves are believed to be over a thousand years old, used originally for shelter, storage and meditation. By evening you're back in Lo Manthang, having covered more history in one day than most trips manage in a week.

Leaving Lo Manthang is the start of your journey back south, and today's drive is long but full of good stops. The road retraces part of your route through Ghami and Tsarang before turning toward Muktinath, one of the most sacred pilgrimage sites in Nepal for both Hindus and Buddhists.

At Muktinath, you can visit the temple complex, see its 108 water spouts, and watch pilgrims who've travelled from across South Asia to be here. From Muktinath, the jeep continues down to Jomsom, back at a friendlier altitude, where you'll spend the night before the final leg of the trip toward Pokhara.

A short flight from Jomsom brings you back to Pokhara by mid-morning, weather permitting, since Jomsom's flights run early to avoid the afternoon winds. Those who'd rather stay on the ground can continue by jeep instead, taking in the last stretch of the Kali Gandaki valley one more time.

Once you're back in Pokhara, the rest of the day is free. If your onward flight from Pokhara to Kathmandu needs booking, our ticketing service can sort that for you too. After five days on rough Mustang roads, most travellers are happy to slow down by Phewa Lake, get a proper hot shower, and enjoy a full night's sleep at a lower, warmer altitude.

The final day of the trip retraces the route back to Kathmandu, either by road along the Trishuli River or on a short flight if you'd prefer to save the hours. Either way, you'll arrive back in the capital with a phone full of photos from a part of Nepal that most travellers never get to see.

From here, your trip wraps up with a transfer to your hotel or straight to the airport, depending on your onward plans. If you have extra days in Nepal, our team is happy to help you add a short city tour or a few relaxed days before you fly home.