Upper Mustang Trek

As of 2026 the restricted-area permit costs 50 US dollars per person for each day you are inside the zone, which begins at Kagbeni. This replaced the old flat fee of 500 dollars for ten days, so shorter trips now cost less and you only pay for the days you actually use. On top of that you need the Annapurna Conservation Area Permit, around 25 to 30 dollars, and a TIMS card, around 20 dollars. We arrange all three, and the restricted permit can only be issued through a registered agency, never to an individual.

Upper Mustang is a restricted area, and the rules require a licensed guide on every trip. A notice in early 2026 began allowing solo trekkers to hold a restricted-area permit with a guide, but enforcement is still settling and several requirements remain in transition, so we currently run this trek with a minimum of two trekkers. If you are travelling alone and want to go, talk to us - we can often pair you with a departure. A guide is mandatory either way.

It can be either, and we are deliberate about telling you which. A dirt road now runs the length of the valley to Lo Manthang, so many trips sold as treks are really jeep tours. Our Trail tier is an honest jeep tour - fast and accessible, but you gain altitude quickly with little walking acclimatisation, and we say so plainly. The Journey walks the classic trail to Lo Manthang and back on foot. The Transformation walks a full circuit. We tell you, day by day, what is driven and what is walked.

The sleeping altitude is moderate - Lo Manthang sits at 3,840 metres, and the highest pass on the standard route is around 3,950 metres, lower than most major Nepal treks. The difficulty is not altitude but distance, wind, and aridity: long days across an exposed desert plateau with a strong afternoon wind. The Transformation circuit crosses higher ground, up to around 4,320 metres. With a measured pace and the Lo Manthang rest day, most reasonably fit walkers manage the Journey comfortably.

Tiji is a three-day Tibetan-Buddhist festival in Lo Manthang, set by the monastery on the lunar calendar, usually in May. The strongest current indication for 2027 is the 1st to 3rd of June, though the date is confirmed only a few months ahead, so treat it as provisional until then. The Transformation tier can be timed to Tiji as an optional departure. If timing your trek to the festival matters to you, tell us early so we can confirm the dates and secure lodging, which is tight during the festival.

Yes, and this is one of the region's genuine advantages. Upper Mustang sits in the rain-shadow north of the Annapurna and Dhaulagiri massifs, so it stays largely dry through June, July, and August when most of Nepal is under monsoon rain. It is one of the few Himalayan treks that works well in summer. The trade-off is that the approach through the lower valley can still see rain and the occasional flight delay, which is why we build a buffer day into the schedule.

It means the government controls who enters and how. North of the Kagbeni checkpost you must hold the restricted-area permit, which only a registered agency can obtain, and you must travel with a licensed guide. You cannot trek here independently. The rules exist for both border-security and cultural-preservation reasons - Upper Mustang borders Tibet and holds a living Tibetan-Buddhist culture that the permit system is meant to protect. Overstaying or entering without a permit carries heavy penalties, so we keep the paperwork exact.

Yes, on request. Muktinath, the temple sacred to Hindus and Buddhists, sits on a side valley east of Kagbeni - the opposite direction to Lo Manthang - so it is not part of the core Upper Mustang route. Because Kagbeni is the shared gateway, though, it is straightforward to add the Jomsom-Muktinath route to your trip as an extension. It needs no restricted-area permit and adds a few days. Ask us and we will build a combined itinerary.