Kali Gandaki, Upper and Lower Mustang
Mustang
Tibet's weather, Tibet's architecture, Nepal's side of the border.
Mustang was a forbidden kingdom until 1992 and still feels like somewhere you need permission to see, which you do. North of Kagbeni the green stops abruptly and the landscape turns to ochre cliffs, wind-carved pinnacles and thousand-year-old cave complexes cut into vertical rock.
The walking is not hard. The altitude sits between 2,700 m and 4,200 m and the days are short. What it asks of you is time and attention: whitewashed monasteries, walled Lo Manthang, and villages that have farmed the same irrigated fields for six centuries.
- 2Journeys here
- 4,200 mHighest point we reach
- 8Prime months a year
Timing
When to come.
The one region that works through the monsoon — Mustang sits in the rain shadow north of the Annapurnas.
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- Prime
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Signature experiences
What you came for.
- The walled city of Lo Manthang and its three main gompas
- Sky caves at Chhoser, carved into cliff faces above the valley
- Muktinath, sacred to Hindus and Buddhists alike
- Apple orchards and distilleries at Marpha, on the way back south
2 journeys
Ways to walk it.
Every departure in Mustang, from the shortest to the most committing.
Mustang villages & sacred caves
11 days · Max 10 travellers · Mar–Nov
Eleven days north of the Annapurnas into the old kingdom of Lo — walled cities, cliff monasteries and a landscape with no green in it.
Lower Mustang by mountain bike
8 days · Max 8 travellers · Mar–May · Sep–Nov
Eight days riding the old caravan trails of the Kali Gandaki, with a support jeep, hardtails that are actually maintained, and mornings that start before the wind.
Local knowledge
Who leads here.
Elsewhere in Nepal
Other regions.
Everest & Khumbu
The valley that made trekking famous, walked at a kinder pace.
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Annapurna
Rice terraces to high desert in a single walking week.
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Langtang & Tamang country
The closest big mountains to Kathmandu, and a valley rebuilt by hand.
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Manaslu & Tsum
The circuit people walk once they have already walked Annapurna.
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Private departures
Mustang, on your dates.
Every journey on this page can run privately, at your pace, for your group. Same guides, same lodges, your calendar.