Upper Mustang

The forbidden kingdom

Upper Mustang is the part of Nepal that doesn't look like Nepal. It looks like Tibet — because, geographically and culturally, it is. The plateau north of the Annapurnas was an independent Tibetan Buddhist kingdom (the Kingdom of Lo) until 2008, ruled by the same royal lineage for over 600 years. It was closed to all foreign visitors until 1992, and access remains tightly restricted: only ~1,000 foreigners per year are permitted in.

The landscape is high desert — wind-sculpted red and ochre cliffs, deep canyons carved by the Kali Gandaki river, sky caves dating back 3,000 years drilled into the cliff faces, walled medieval villages sitting on barren plateaux at 3,500–4,000 metres. The capital, Lo Manthang, is a single fortified town of 800 residents inside ancient walls, with four monasteries containing some of the oldest surviving Tibetan Buddhist art in the world.

What this trek is, and isn't

This is a cultural trek above all else. The walking is long but never severe. The altitude is moderate. What you come for is the gompas (Lo's four monasteries are extraordinary), the medieval feel of Lo Manthang at dawn before the day's wind picks up, the conversations with monks who studied in Sera and Drepung in Tibet before the Cultural Revolution.

It is not a mountain-views trek. You will see Annapurna I, Dhaulagiri, and Nilgiri from the lower sections, but Lo Manthang itself is a high desert plateau — the surrounding peaks are 6,000-metre-class, not the 8,000-metre giants you came to Nepal for.

It is also not a beginner's trek in terms of comfort. Lodges in Mustang are simpler than Annapurna and the wind is brutal — afternoon gales are routine, and pack everything in dust-proof bags. We recommend Mustang for travellers who've done at least one previous teahouse trek and who care more about culture than about peak-bagging.

When to go

Mustang is in the rain shadow of the Annapurnas and is best in late spring (May) and post-monsoon (September–October). June through August are warm, dry, and quiet — counterintuitively a great window when most of Nepal is shut down by monsoon. November through April are too cold (the high plateau drops below -20°C and most lodges close).

A note on the Tiji Festival

If you can plan around it, do. The annual three-day Tiji Festival in early May is the cultural heart of Mustang's year — masked dances, the entire population of Lo turning out, monks travelling from across the Himalaya. We run one Tiji-aligned departure each year and it sells out 6–9 months in advance.