Mustang “a lost Tibetan plateau” or 'Land beyond the Himalayas" is life behind the mountains in a rain shadow area, an alpine desert, located in the Kali Gandaki valley in Western Nepal. Mustang in Tibetan means "fertile plain" in an arid landscape. When we walked through the streets of Mustang, we could see the meaning of fertile land with a vast area of cultivated land that produces enough food for locals and to export/ exchange for other requirements. The natural system of streams and rivers supplies water – the lifeblood of people to their doorstep. These living hamlets depend upon nature for their daily living, a beautiful yet difficult destination due to its geographical location and constantly blowing wind as it says the winds take your prayer to Buddhist paradise. These winds are caused by differences in atmospheric pressure between the Tibetan plateau and the valley’s lower reaches. This created the unique architecture of this region. The stone-flagged streets with an efficient underground drainage system and the flat-roofed houses with a central courtyard make an attractive spot to spend an extra day resting. Use your free time to sample apple products of this region from the lush orchards up in the valley. The layout of the villages and the design of the houses are unique to this area. The houses are designed to protect the inhabitants from the strong winds that blow up the valley every day from late morning onwards.

Lower Mustang is the major section of the world-famous Annapurna circuit. To conserve this unique surrounding and culture Mustang district is one among five districts Under the Annapurna conservation area. Annapurna Conservation Area is the first Conservation Area and also the largest Protected Area in Nepal is managed by National Trust for nature conservation (NTNC) as the Annapurna Conservation Area Project, an integrated, community-based conservation and development approach, an experimental model promoting the concepts of “Conservation Area” through an “Integrated Conservation and Development Program”. Annapurna Conservation Area covers an area of 7,629 sq. km. and is home to over 100,000 residents of different cultural and linguistic groups. Annapurna Conservation Area is rich in biodiversity and is a treasure house for 1,226 species of flowering plants, 105 mammals, 518 birds, 40 reptiles, and 23 amphibians. 

Short Introduction of Destination

Kagbeni is a settlement in the confluence of the Krishna Gandaki River which flows from Muktinath and the Kaligandaki River. It is believed that the settlement was named Kagbeni after a black crow plunged into the confluence of the two rivers and came out as a white dove who flew towards Muktinath. 

Muktinath is a combination of two separate words. Mukti means savior/nirvana and Nath means god/ master. Devotees visit Muktinath Temple for Moksha, or freedom, from the continuous spiritual cycle of birth and rebirth. Mukti Kshetra in Nepali means Place of Salvation in Nepali – and Chumig Gyatsa in Tibetan means Hundred Waters). Muktinath is frequented by Hindus and Tibetan year-round. Muktinath temple is surrounded by an outer courtyard where there are promising 108 water foundations. It is believed that sacred water, the origin of the Gandaki River system in Nepal will wash away past sins and deeds. Muktinath Temple is one of the few places on Earth where we will come across all five elements of life together: Earth, Fire, Water, Sky, and Air.

Thini is situated at an altitude of 2,862m from sea level. In the 6th Century, three brothers of the Royal Family “Thin” ruled in Thini.  It is also believed that the Thakali caste and its language originated from Thini. Thini is naturally beautiful with its landscape and scenery and it has complex biodiversity as well. The endangered carnivore species, the queen of the mountain – the snow leopard can be found in the pasture land of the Thini. This Area is home to Snow Leopard, Musk deer, Blue sheep, Nayaur, Himalayan Tahr, Tibetan Antelope, Wild Ass, etc. It is also rich in Medicinal plants.

Dhumba Lake is situated 2830m from sea level. The lakeside is perfect for spending the afternoon among picturesque snow-clad peaks and spectacular views of the valley, with a small pond and Mt. Dhaulagiri in the background.

Lupra, a Bon village, is nestled deep in the Panda Khola gorge of Lower Mustang on the south side of the Lubra Pass (4000 M). A small settlement tucked away from the main trail, Lupra allows visitors to enjoy the sounds of the river and enjoy village life. Locals believe Lubra was founded in the late 12th century when Bon Lama Yangton Tashi Gyaltsen came from Tibet via Dolpo and subdued the unruly local spirits, allowing the area to become suitable for human settlement. He planted a walnut tree as divination to determine whether a village would flourish there. The ancient, gnarled walnut tree survives to this day. From Lubra, there is a challenging trail to reach the other side of the mountain to reach the world’s highest, Tilicho Lake.  

Jomsom has been the district headquarters of Mustang since the early 1970s. The name of Jomsom is a Nepali deformation of the Tibetan ‘Dzong Sampa’ meaning ‘New Fort’. The inhabitants of Jomsom are mostly traders of the Thakali tribe. The town is the main hub and gateway for upper Mustang and Muktinath. Regular flights to Pokhara are operated from Jomsom Airport. The culture in Jomsom is a rich combination of Hinduism, Tibetan, and Buddhism. Houses in this region are designed to protect the inhabitants from the strong winds. Kali Gandaki River flows right through the center of the Jomsom. Jomsom offers visitors modern facilities, an airport, and a splendid view of the Nilgiri range.  

Marpha is famous for its unique setting, walking through Marpha you feel like you are walking to some ancient towns around the world, the monastery in Marpha offers a wide view of Mt Annapurna. Marpha and the lower Mustang are known for beautiful apple orchards and farmland. 

Kali Gandaki River

Several features make the Annapurna region a unique place in the world. It has the world’s deepest river gorge—Kali Gandaki Gorge, which is 3 miles long and 1.5 miles wide, is a valley with fossils from the Tethys Sea dating 60 million years ago. Along the banks of the Kali Gandaki, black fossilized stones ‘Shaligram’ considered an iconic symbol of the god Vishnu in the Hindu culture can be found. 

Kalopani 

The walking view of Mt. Dhaulagiri is another major attraction of the Mustang journey

Kali Gandaki Gorge or Andha Galchi (the world’s deepest gorge) 

Kali Gandaki Gorge or Andha Galchi goes down three miles/ almost five KM vertically separating two 8000m High Mountain ranges in the world Mt Annapurna range with Mt Dhaulagiri range.  Walking through either side, we feel we have walked through the other side of the mountain in a dry atmosphere with constant wind and another side from the dry arid atmosphere to one of the wettest areas of Nepal. 

Pokhara “Mystical Pokhara” is a magical city and the perfect place for adventure where one can enjoy the fantastic view of FishTail Mountain and Annapurna, Manaslu, and Dhaulagiri range; fly like an eagle by paragliding, boat at Phewa Lake, explore Seti River, and much more.

11N/12D

Day 1: Arrival day in Kathmandu, pick up assistance, and transfer to hotel.

Day 2: Preparation for trek /around KTM valley.

Day 3: KTM- Pokhara (By Tourist Bus/ private van) (7 hours)

Day 4: Pokhara- Jomsom (Fly)-Around Jomsom

Day 5: Kagbeni - Muktinath (walk) (4-5 hours)

Day 6: Muktinath- Jomsom (jeep)- Jomsom- Marpha (walk)

Day 7: Marpha- Lete (Kalopani)

Day 8: Lete- Pokhara 

Day 9: Pokhara Around beautiful Pokhara ( Sakangkot)- Peace Stupa

Day 10: Pokhara-KTM Option of (By surface or flight)

Day 11: Kathmandu free day 

Day 12: Onwards 

Travel plan: 

Arrival Day

Transfer to hotel and travel planning and preparing everything needed for the journey. Walk around and if possible meet friends and contacts

Kathmandu Day

More preparation and finding details. 

Travel Days

Day 1: Arrival in Kathmandu

On the day of your arrival, we will be there to pick you up from the airport and check you into your hotel. After that, you can take a rest as you will probably be tired because of a long flight. If you arrive early, after taking some rest you can walk around the places near your hotel and freshen up or do some last-minute shopping for things that you will need or buy souvenirs. 

Day 2: Kathmandu

On the second day, we will rise early and have breakfast as well as the tour guide will brief you on your travel plans. Then we will begin our journey, we will first go to Swayambhu MahaChaitya. We will arrange all the required travel permits before we head to our main destination.

Day 3: Kathmandu to Pokhara 

After breakfast, we will travel to Pokhara (either by tourist bus, by air, or by private vehicle). At Pokhara, we walk around the lakeside and make final preparations. Depending on arrival time the activities may vary. 

Day 4: Pokhara- Jomsom (Fly)-Our early morning flight will take us to the Country behind the mountains. After crossing across the deepest gorge through two eight-thousanders (8000M + mountains) we land at Jomsom, the district headquarter of Mustang.  After breakfast at Jomsom, we will go across the other side of Jomson to Thini. 

At Thini we will explore Dumba Lake and other natural attractions.

Day 5: Kagbeni 

From Jomsom, we will take a short walk to Kagbeni. In the evening we stroll around the small oasis. Kagbeni is a crossword puzzle where Hindus come to purify and pay homage to dead relatives before embarking Journey to salvation. 

At Kagbeni two trails separate - one takes us to the upper Mustang the mystical Kingdom of Lo the lost Tibetian plateau. Another to the temple of Muktinath and Thorgla pass to reach the other side of Annapurna.

The short climb across the river will reach high above the viewpoint from where we could see both trails and beautiful surroundings of each direction, Upper Mustang, Muktinath and Throngla, Jomsom, and Nilgiris, and the silent Dolpo.

Day 6: Kagbeni - Muktinath (walk/jeep) (4-5 hours) (Spiritual awakening) 

From Kagebeni, we will walk the Uphill toward Muktinath - the picture-perfect road and the constant wind will make our day memorable. The breathtaking surrounding of nature, the alpine atmosphere offers time for reflection offering immense joy. You will see many vehicles stopping to sneak view the beauty before continuing the journey. 

On the way, we walk through the ancient Jharkot village known for more than 500 years old Red Gompa, an active Tibetan Medicine school. The rustic structures and farmland make the journey pleasant. The more we climbed, the more we could see the view of Kagbeni and the surrounding hills. 

In the evening we will walk around Muktinath temple and monastery.

Muktinath to Lupra (Walking fun) - Side trip (Optional)

From Muktinath, we will follow the new trail to Lupra, A Bon village nestled deep in the Panda Khola gorge of Lower Mustang.

After a short uphill, from the top of Lupra Pass (4000 M), we could see the trail we had climbed the day before. From Lupra pass the ruins of the Tibetan Khampa army camp, from where guerrilla operations were conducted against the Chinese in the 1960s can be reached.

After crossing Lupra Pass we descend a long winding trail till we reach Lupra, a Bon Po village. A small settlement tucked away from the main path. At Lubra we will visit Yungdung Phuntsok Ling, an ancient Bon monastery, and enjoy the sounds of the river and the village life, and Bon Po culture.

The name ‘Lubra’ refers to uniquely textured cliffs on that side of the Panda Khola, which look like snakeskin, spread out and frozen in time on the rock face. Serpentine naga spirits are known as ‘lu’ in the local dialect of Tibetan, and ‘bra’ (also pronounced ‘dak’), means rock cliffs.

Day 7: Muktinath- Jomsom - Marpha (jeep/walk) (Community learning)

In the morning we will go to pay homage to Muktinath ‘Chumig Gyatsa’. Muktinath is one of the few places on Earth where we will come across all five elements of life together: Earth, Fire, Water, Sky, and Air.

After a short jeep ride, we will travel back to Jomsom. From the window, we could see the trail walked and memories made. From Jomsom, we will walk 45 mins to reach Apple Orchard Marpha. 

Marpha village is famous for its unique setting, walking narrow alleys Marpha gives the feel of walking ancient towns around the world, and the monastery in Marpha offers a comprehensive view of Mt Annapurna.

In Marpha we will explore allies and farming. 

Day 8: Marpha- Kobang (Community learning)

From Marpha we will walk a short distance to reach our next destination Kobang. A typical Thakali village in the Lower Mustang. 

The water coming from Nilgiris Mountain is considered the purest in the Thakali community. 

Today we will walk around the community and interact about culture, nature, and farming practices.  

Day 9: Kobang-- Pokhara 

From Kobang we will walk to Kalopani to enjoy the scenic beauty of Mustang. The gentle and easy walk will give us the time to reflect on the beauty, the mystical and magical Mustang we enjoyed.

After lunch, we will travel back to Pokhara. On the way, we will Kali Gandaki Gorge or Andha Galchi (the world’s deepest gorge) 

The best part of this is reaching Pokhara where you can put your feet up and enjoy the variety of food, drinks, and natural beauty.

Explore your imagination 

Day: Pokhara (Optional – we can combine Days: 4 and 5 to make time or extend the trip to 9 days)

The Journey will be incomplete without exploring Pokhara Valley. In the early morning, we will drive to Sarangkot to witness the magic. The golden rays in the mountains with a wide diverse view of 1000M to 8000 meters plus from following Seti River, farming terrains, and unique landscape.

In the afternoon we will visit the International Mountain Museum, Davis Falls, and the World Peace Stupa. 

Walking around the lakeside in the late afternoon gives vibes to explore more with travelers around the world enjoying music, food, and each other's company.  

Day 10: Pokhara-Kathmandu fly/drive

Today we will travel back to Kathmandu 

Day 11: Kathmandu free day

Kathmandu /Onwards