Mustang FAQs

The Nepal visa fees are as follows: If you wish to visit Nepal for 15-days, you need to pay 30 USD for the visa. If you wish to visit Nepal for 30-days, you need to pay 50 USD for the visa. If you wish to visit Nepal for 90-days, you need to pay 125 USD for the visa.

The Upper Mustang comprise the northern two-thirds of Mustang District of Gandaki Pradesh, Nepal. Mustang—commonly referred to as ‘Upper Mustang’—is an arid river valley that runs north-south off the upper corner of the Annapurna Circuit. Both culturally and geographically, it’s more similar to Tibet than Nepal and used to form its own kingdom, with its capital in Lo Manthang. Upper Mustang is all about exploring the hidden world of the ancient Buddhist Kingdom of Mustang.

The Upper Mustang trek has a difficulty grade of moderate level. This is not as comfortable as the easy treks nor as difficult as the strenuous level treks. However, you can modify the difficulty level of the Upper Mustang trek like most treks to a certain degree to suit your needs.

Upper Mustang is very scenic, its attracts many tourist to discover an isolated region for centuries. Highest altitude of Upper Mustang Lo Manthang trek is 3840 meters / 12598 feet above sea level. Mustang is hidden behind the spectacular Himalayan ranges.

Mustang is famous for adventure sports such as cycling, rock climbing, trekking, horse racing, and riding. The geographical structure of Mustang is composed of highlands and lowlands with plains, which makes it suitable for mountain cycling and trekking.

When you are planning to go trekking or hiking in the Upper Mustang, you can expect to stay in a decent hotel in Pokhara and you are likely to stay in teahouses along the trek. Regardless of where you stay in Nepal, do not expect a luxury show. Accommodation is relatively basic but is perfect for those who are resting their legs from hiking and trekking.

Upper Mustang was a restricted demilitarized area until 1992, which makes it one of the most preserved regions in the world due to its relative isolation from the outside world, with a majority of the population still speaking traditional Tibetic languages.

For the Upper Mustang Trek trek you need two kinds of permits. All permits are arranged by your trekking provider. 1. ACAP (Annapurna Conservation Area Permit) and RAP (Restricted Area Permit)

An average 12 days Upper Mustang Trek costs roughly around USD 1800-USD 2100. An average 12 days Lower Mustang Trek costs around USD 800-USD 1100.

It is possible to visit Mustang from the beginning of March to late December. June to September is the best time of the year to visit mustang to see the vegetation of Himalayan arid plateau. Upper Mustang lies in rain shadow area of Himalayas that is quite magnificent during monsoon season. The Tiji festival is a great annual festival in Upper Mustang is quite popular trek in Nepal. Thus, May month is best to visit to Upper Mustang and experience the Tiji festival.

In order to reach Mustang, visitors can take a flight to Pokhara from Kathmandu. To go there, you need to reach Pokhara by flight from Kathmandu, or by bus in a long way through the Prithvi Highway (from 6 to 8 hours, it costs no more than 20$). Then you can go to Jomsom by jeep rental or by flight (20 minutes) or walking for 6 days. Jomsom is the starting point to explore Lo’s Kingdom.

The difficulty of the trek will also depend on how much weight you are carrying. If you are trekking without a porter, you will need to carry all your gear. A 15 kg backpack can really start to weigh you down after a while, slowing your pace. Depending on your route, you may need to carry extra water on some long days, which of course means extra weight.

You’ll find our packing lists for trekking in Upper Mustang. The first outlines the clothing you should take and the second is a list of equipment/gear we recommend for the trek. In the colder winter months, extra warm clothing is necessary. There are many outdoor clothing shops in Kathmandu and Pokhara (some knock-offs, some the real deal), so it’s certainly possible to stock up on gear when you arrive in Nepal. Saying that, we’d strongly suggest buying and breaking in your boots at home.

Note that it’s very common to leave excess baggage for free at hotels and guesthouses in Kathmandu or Pokhara.