Upper Mustang Trek and Lo Manthang Helicopter Tour  - 14 Days

After landing at the Tribhuwan International Airport, we will be greeted by a representative of Himalayan Glacier who will drop us off at our hotel. We then check-in at the hotel, freshen up and take a rest. In the evening, a welcome dinner will be hosted by Himalayan Glacier. Overnight in Kathmandu.

We tour Durbar Square, Pashupatinath temple, Swayambhunath stupa and Bouddhanath stupa which are all world heritage sites. The Durbar Square sheds light on the life of the royals in ancient times. Pashupatinath temple is one of the most important places of pilgrimage for all Hindus. Swayambhunath is also known as the Monkey Temple and Baudhanath Stupa is one of the largest stupas in the world. At noon, we are introduced to our fellow participants and discuss our trip at Himalayan Glacier’s office. Overnight in Kathmandu.

We have breakfast then leave for Pokhara, also known as The Lake City owing to the large number of lakes in the city. Upon our arrival in Pokhara, we are rewarded with magnificent views of the Himalayas including Dhaulagiri (8,167m/26,794ft), Manaslu (8,156m/26,759ft), Machhapuchhre (6,993m/22,943ft), the five peaks of Annapurna and others. We then check-in to our hotel and take a rest. We enjoy boating in the Fewa Lake and stroll in the city’s quaint streets. Overnight in Pokhara.

Today we will take an early morning flight to Jomsom which is famous for its apples, strong winds and the landscape. We begin our trek on an open trail alongside a beautiful valley. We pass through Eaklibatti village before reaching Jomsom which is ideally located at the bank of two rivers. The village is beautiful with flat roofed houses and also has ruins of an old fortress. Overnight in Kagbeni.

We begin our trek on a trail alongside the east bank of Kali Gandaki Valley. We walk on both high valley trails and trails that run alongside the Kali Gandaki River. Next, we walk on a wide path whereby we can see a number of mules carrying goods. The valley narrows as we walk through ancient caves towards Tangbe Village. As we continue towards Chuksang, we admire the well-kept narrow alleys, whitewashed houses, buck wheat and barley fields, and apple orchards of Tangbe Village. Chuksang is only around 2 hours walk from Tangbe. Overnight in Chuksang.

We cross a suspension bridge and follow the trail that goes along the banks of the Kali Gandaki River and ascend on a steep trail to the Chele Village. On the way, we get good views of Nilgiri and Tilicho peaks. From Chele, we climb on a steep path and continue ascending alongside a steep canyon towards the Darori La Pass at 3735 meters. From the top it is a gradual descent all the way to the small and picturesque village of Samar. The village is beautiful with poplar trees surrounding it. Overnight in Samar.

We climb on a ridge above the village and descend into a large ravine. Next, we walk on a trail filled with juniper trees before crossing a stream. The trail then ascends steeply towards the Bhena La Pass at 3838m.  We descend from the pass for a while before ascending again towards the Yamda La Pass at 3860m. From the top of the pass, we get our first view of Upper Mustang. We descend from the pass and continue walking towards a big stupa. Next, we pass cairns before descending to the village of Geling which is beautiful with far-reaching fields of barley. Overnight in Geling.

We ascend gently through barley fields and pass Tama Gaon (village) and a chorten on the way. Next, we climb on a steep trail towards the Nyi La Pass at 4,010m. From the top of the pass, we get excellent views of the Annapurna range. We then descend and walk on a trail that leads us to Ghami. The village is large with whitewashed houses and barren fields sheltered by overhanging cliffs. Overnight at Ghami.

Our trek today begins with a descent through a rough and often slippery trail. We then cross a suspension bridge over the Ghami Khola and begin ascending. The pathway is beautiful with mani walls along the trail. Next, we cross the Tsarang La Pass at 3870m and reach Tsarang village. The village lies atop the Charang Chu canyon with a huge fortress and a red gompa towards its east. Overnight in Tsarang.

We visit the red gompa and a fortress in the morning before beginning our trek towards Lo-Manthang. Our trail drops down to Tsarang Khola and we cross a bridge over the river. Next, we climb up towards the Lo La pass at 3950m. From the top of the pass we get good views of northern Mustang and Lo-Manthang. We descend to Lo Manthang which is an ancient walled capital of Mustang. The town has only one entrance so we circumambulate the wall to the gate on the north east corner. Overnight in Lo Manthang.

Lo Manthang is a walled town of the remote Upper Mustang region of Nepal. We spend the day touring three major gompas of the town namely Jhampa, Thupchen and Chhoeda. All of these gompas have undergone expert restoration over the last two decades. Overnight in Lo Manthang.

Having explored the exquisite region of Upper Mustang, we enjoy a helicopter tour on our return trip to Pokhara. The helicopter tour which begins from Lo Manthang is one of the major attractions of this entire trip. From the chopper we get remarkable views of the unique landscape of Upper Mustang. As we get near to Pokhara we are also in awe of the mighty Himalayas and serene lakes that the city proudly boasts. We can spend the rest of the day boating in the serene waters of Fewa Lake, resting and discovering the quaint streets of Lake Side, Pokhara. Overnight in Pokhara.

After breakfast, we say goodbye to the beautiful northern skyline of Pokhara and drive towards Kathmandu. This will be a journey along river banks with wonderful views of terraced hills and the rural Nepalese lifestyle. After reaching Kathmandu, we take a rest or do some souvenir shopping. To celebrate the successful completion of our journey, we will have a farewell dinner in the evening. Overnight in Kathmandu.

Our ‘Upper Mustang Trek and Lo Manthang Helicopter Tour’ in Nepal comes to an end today! A representative from Himalayan Glacier will take us to the airport approximately 3 hours before the scheduled flight. On our flight back home, we take with us amazing memories of our Lo Manthang trip and Nepal.