Upper Mustang Overland Tour — 7 Days
Most people think the only way into Upper Mustang is on foot, days of trekking through a restricted zone few travellers ever reach. This tour skips that requirement entirely. A private 4x4 jeep, a driver who knows this route cold, and a licensed guide who handles the permits and the plan get you into the same walled city and the same trans-Himalayan desert without a single trekking day.
Your guide handles the ACAP and Restricted Area permits before you even leave Kathmandu, so there's no paperwork to sort out mid-trip. Each jeep seats up to seven, comfortable enough for families, older travellers, or anyone who wants Mustang's landscape without training for it. Free date change if your Kathmandu plans shift.
Day to Day Itinerary
Day 1 — Kathmandu to Beni (830m) | 9–10 hrs West on the Prithvi Highway through terraced farmland and river valleys. Lunch in Pokhara, then on to Beni, the quiet market town where the Mustang route begins.
Day 2 — Beni to Kagbeni to Chhusang (2,980m) | 7–8 hrs The landscape shifts dramatically. The road enters the Kali Gandaki Gorge, the deepest river valley on earth. Past Tatopani's hot springs, the forests of Lete, and the apple orchards of Marpha before reaching Jomsom. At Kagbeni, a painted archway marks the boundary into Upper Mustang. From here the world changes: green hills gone, air dry, terrain ochre and ancient.
Day 3 — Chhusang to Lo Manthang (3,840m) | 5–6 hrs The road tells a storey with every kilometre. Through Samar, where cave shelters dot the cliffs. Through Ghami, where a long prayer wall stretches across the hillside. Through Tsarang, where a red monastery sits above the valley like it has been there forever. Then, at the end of a long track across the high plateau, the walls of Lo Manthang appear, the walled capital of the former Kingdom of Lo.
Day 4 — Lo Manthang: Full Day No driving. Walk the alleys, visit the Royal Palace, and step into Jampa Lhakhang, Thubchen Gompa, and Chodhe Monastery, centuries-old murals still intact. Afternoon at Chhoser Cave and Jhong Cave, cut into the cliffs above the valley. During Tiji Festival in May, the entire city comes alive with three days of masked ritual and ceremony.
Day 5 — Lo Manthang to Muktinath (3,800m) | 6–7 hrs Leaving Lo Manthang always feels like a return to the world. South through Tsarang and Ghami, descending towards Muktinath, sacred to Hindus and Buddhists alike. Arrive late afternoon as the Annapurna peaks catch the last light.
Day 6 — Muktinath to Marpha to Pokhara (822m) | 8–9 hrs One more Mustang sunrise. Stop in Marpha, the apple village of the Kali Gandaki. Then follow the river south through Ghasa and Tatopani, out of the mountains and into Pokhara.
Day 7 — Pokhara to Kathmandu | 7–8 hrs Final drive east through river valleys back to Kathmandu. Drop-off at your hotel.
