Upper Mustang Trek cost | Outline Itinerary | Difficulties

Trekking to the desert of Nepal is known as the Upper Mustang Trek. This unique and barren land with Tibet China has something different to explore in Nepal’s Himalayas. The main attractions of this trek are the landscapes, the giant mountain peaks, Tibetan Culture, and the Buddhist religion. And the Upper Mustang Trek cost quite a big money than other normal trekking trails.

This trek is in between the two world’s tallest peaks Mt. Dhaulagiri and Mt. Annapurna and also surrounded by other beautiful mountain peaks. Upper Mustang is a part of Nepal and people are Nepali although they are more in touch with the Tibetan culture. To trek between these snowy peaks and explore the Tibetan culture is not as easy as you think. So the Upper Mustang Trek Cost stands more than other normal trekking trails in Nepal.

The dramatic landscapes in every corner of the Upper Mustang are something incredible to see. Dry territory, covered by different colors or surfaces and just a little bit of greenery in the places where people live. And the best practices of Himalayan Buddhism in the region reflects in the Monasteries in every village, Stupas and Mani walls, and Prayers flags in every part. To see all the things in the upper Mustang, you need to purchase the Upper Mustang Trekking package and which is a bit expensive.

Upper Mustang Trek Cost Factors

Upper Mustang Trek is very costly because of permits, transportation, mandatory guide, and many more things. To do Mustang Trek requires a special permit for the restricted area and a normal Annapurna Conservation Area (ACAP) permit. The special permit will cost per trekker USD 500 and USD 30 for a normal ACAP permit and not require a TIMS (Trekking Information Management System) card. And need to have a minimum of 2 people to issue permits.

And this $500 is just for 10 days, if you want to trek for more than 10 days then each day needs to add $50 for each person. Another fact why the Upper Mustang Trek cost is expensive is needed a minimum of two trekkers to issue the Upper Mustang Trekking permit. A government-trained license-holder trekking guide is mandatory. These permit fees only apply to foreign trekkers and it is free of cost for Nepali hikers. And Mustang Trekking permits are only issued by registered trekking companies therefore company service charge will add to your total trekking cost.

Transportation is also a reason why this trek is expensive. Permits will issue in Kathmandu so first need to travel to Pokhara and then need to fly to Jomsom. To travel to Pokhara by air or land choice must be your but if you want to fly then it cost big money. Fly to Jomsom is also the same the flying cost is expensive and the drive there is very rough and tough.

So that is the main reason why Upper Mustang Trek is very expensive are the permit, guide, and transportation.

How difficult is Upper Mustang Trek?

Upper Mustang is a trans-Himalayan land in the shadow of the two tallest peaks and it’s a fewer trees area. That’s why there is less air than in other normal regions. Altitude wise not very high just above the 4200m a trekker has to walk to get to his/her destination. So it looks easier by the altitude but in reality, it’s not easy as we think.

Less greenery means less Oxygen and less oxygen means difficult to walk in the Upper Mustang. This region produces less air to breathe but this is the region where a lot of winds come and make it even harder to walk. Sometimes the wind from the opposite side tries to stop us to walk. So that the main difficulties of the Upper Mustang Trek are the less air and the heavy wind while walking to a destination.

The outline Itinerary of the Upper Mustang Trek

This itinerary is based on how I did the Upper Mustang Trek. This can be changed as you wish to visit different places and wish to stay more days in Upper Mustang. As a trekking guide, I have walked all the trekking trails in Mustang and explored and show the region to national and international trekkers.

Nowadays because of the road, many trekkers combine Upper Mustang Trek with four-wheel drive one way. For Upper Mustang Jeep Tour trekkers first, walk to Lomanthang via exploring villages like Chhusang, Chaile, Ghaker, Samar Chusi Cave, Syangbochen, Giling, Ghami, Dhakmar, and Tsarang. After exploring Lomanthang trekkers will drive back to Jomsom. Upper Mustang Trek Cost will be even more expensive when people do a Jeep Tour.

Why Upper Mustang Trek is an authentic trek in Nepal?

There are many significant elements in Upper Mustang and when you do a trek to Upper Mustang you must visit those places. Those places are natural, cultural, and historical.

Distinct Landscapes

The landscape in Upper Mustang is completely different than other trekking regions in Nepal. Different colors and mostly red, gray, and brown colors landscape in the Upper Mustang part. The most beautiful thing about this region is the treeless land and highland with distinct colors.

Ancient Monasteries

The Upper Mustang regain is the holiest region in Nepal for Buddhism. Inside there all four sects of Buddhism can find, all these sects belong to one route of Buddhism. There are very ancient monasteries that can not find in every village and those monasteries are the symbols of the richness of Buddhism in Mustang.

It’s believed that The Ghar Gumba is the oldest Monastery in Nepal and Tibet. As per the legend, this monastery was built by Guru Rimpoche (Padmasambhava) during his trip to Tibet to keep peace and stability in Tibet. Similarly, Luri Gumba in Upper Mustang is also a very popular Buddhist site in Nepal. 

Cultural diversity

In Upper Mustang, there are living different castes, such as Gurung, Thakali, Lama, and Bista. These all different communities have different types of cultural values; so exploring mustang means exploring the cultural differences of the different communities. Such various elements make Upper Mustang Trek is a lifetime journey to the Himalayas.