Trekking in the Upper Mustang is a special privilege. Here you will meet the lifestyles of true mountain people, and their wealthy cultural heritage. Until recently, their king was formally recognized by the Government of Nepal.
In many ways, a trek into Upper Mustang is comparable to trekking in Tibet, as geographically it is a part of the Tibetan plateau. The district of Mustang was, till 1950, a separate kingdom inside the boundaries of Nepal.
The remaining king, the Raja of Mustang, still resides in the historical capital recognized as Lo Manthang.
Your gear is your best friend while being out in the mountains. In fact, it doesn’t matter where you are going, your equipment is key. In extreme cases, gear can make the difference between life and death.
In every case, the right equipment can make the difference between you having a good time and ending up miserable.
You can bring supplies, gears, and equipment from home or you can buy it in different places before starting the actual trek. This article may prove to be helpful in deciding where to buy the Upper Mustang trekking equipment stuff.
The basic idea of the clothing you will take is to keep you warm, dry, protected from the sun, able to move comfortably in the mountains and able to be comfortable in the evenings and night.
We recommend you to bring only the basic clothing and accessories for the trek. Though you might have your own preferences, here is a list of items we recommend you for this trek. Please keep in mind that the luggage weight limit per trekker is 9 kg.
The main Upper Mustang Trek Packing List are as follows:-
- Bags – Rucksack or duffel bag for a porter to carry plus a day pack to be carried by you. Dry bags inside to store clothes.
- Rain protection – Top and bottom waterproofs to keep off wind/rain, also an umbrella
- Layers – Shirts, trousers, shorts, T-shirts, jumpers and jackets, hat and gloves.
- Walking – Comfortable boots with a good sole and ankle support. Lighter footwear to change into in the evenings. Trekking poles
- Sleeping – 3 or 4 season is enough in the lodges where there are beds and mattresses and blankets
- Water – Water bottles should be hard plastic (Nalgene), not throwaway bottles. Water can be boiled or treated.
- Personal hygiene – wash kit, towel, small first aid kit
- Sun protection – sunglasses, sunhat
- Miscellaneous – head torch, camera, books, music, power bank and leads
The Upper Mustang does get cold at night, but not as cold as other regions and by that time you’ll be in your lodge. Overnight temperatures outside of winter in Lo Manthang can drop to -8C and day time can reach 25 – 30C, so you need a range of clothing. Late in the afternoon it can be windy and with the desert environment – dusty, so a buff is glasses are a good idea.
Kathmandu has an area called Thamel which is full of hundreds of equipment shops, each one an emporium of new, used, quality and fake equipment all very reasonably priced for rental and buying. You can buy almost anything needed for any trek.
The same can be said in Pokhara where any kit or western treats are in abundance.
Our team in Nepal all year round and we run many private or bespoke treks over Upper Mustang. The only restriction in place for a private trek of the Upper Mustang is that we must have a minimum of two people.
