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The trail from Tsarang to Lo Manthang

Annapurna (Mustang)

Upper Mustang

North of Jomsom, behind the Himalaya: a high-altitude desert of red cliffs, fortified villages and the walled city of Lo Manthang.

  • Walking days 5–13 days
  • Highest point 4,280 m
  • Level Challenging
  • Permits 3,000 NPR (≈ €17) + from 50 USD (≈ €45)
  • Start Pokhara
  • Agency and guide mandatory

At a glance

From Jomsom and Kagbeni, you follow the Kali Gandaki upstream through high-altitude desert, via Chele, Syangboche and Ghami, to Lo Manthang (3,820 m), the fortified capital of the old kingdom of Lo. You visit its monasteries and the Chhoser caves, then return via Ghar Gompa and the red cliffs of Dhakmar.

Mustang lies in the monsoon's rain shadow (about 200 mm of rain a year): it is one of the few treks you can do in summer. A road now runs all the way to Lo Manthang; most trekkers combine jeep rides with trails that avoid it.

Highlights

  • Lo Manthang, a fortified medieval city, and its monasteries
  • The red cliffs of Dhakmar and the Chhoser cave dwellings
  • Doable during the monsoon, when the rest of Nepal is under rain
  • A very well-preserved Tibetan culture; the Tiji festival in spring

Drawbacks

  • An expensive permit: 50 USD (≈ €45) a day in the restricted area
  • The road to Lo Manthang: dust and jeeps on some sections
  • Strong afternoon wind, sun and high-altitude cold

In pictures

The eroded cliffs of Tangye
Rooftops of Lo Manthang, capital of Mustang

Route

Out via Chele, Syangboche and Ghami, a day in Lo Manthang, back via Ghar Gompa and Dhakmar; or jeep for part of the way.

13 daysof walking
4,280 mhighest point
155 kmD+ 4,920 m D− 4,920 m
Track (jeep)TangbeChhusangJomsom — 2,720 mKagbeni — 2,810 mChele — 3,050 mSyangboche — 3,800 mGhami — 3,520 mTsarang — 3,570 mLo Manthang — 3,820 mGhar Gompa — 3,930 mDhakmar — 3,810 mNyi La — 4,010 mChhoser — 3,900 mMarang La — 4,280 mMui La — 4,170 mJomsom — Start: Jomsom · Finish: JomsomSamar — Start: SamarLo Manthang — Finish: Lo Manthang (back by jeep)JomsomSamarLo ManthangNyi La 4,010 mChhoser 3,900 mMarang La 4,280 mMui La 4,170 mKagbeniCheleSyangbocheGhamiTsarangGhar GompaNilgiri 7,061TangbeChhusangAirstrip — JomsomMove to change your starting pointStartMove to change your finishing pointFinishN
  • Track (jeep)
  • Airstrip
  • Chosen route
  • Other possible trails
  • Possible start or finish

Drag the “Start” and “Finish” labels to another served point, or tap a point. The “+” buttons add a side trip. Zoom with + and − (or Ctrl + scroll wheel), then drag the map to move around.

How do I use it in a hiking app?

The file contains the route you chose on the map (start, finish, side trips), with altitude, and a marker for each night, pass and viewpoint.

  • Organic Maps or Maps.me (free, offline): download the Nepal map before you leave, then open the GPX file from your phone and choose the app.
  • OsmAnd: menu “My places” → “Tracks” → “Import”.
  • Komoot, Gaia GPS, Wikiloc, Garmin: use the app's or website's “Import a GPX file” feature.

With no signal, your phone's GPS still works: you can see your position on the track. The track is indicative: on the ground, waymarks and advice from the lodges come first.

Itinerary
  1. D 0Jomsom2,720 m
  2. D 1Kagbeni2,810 m+90 m9 km110 m20 m
  3. D 2Chele via Tangbe, Chhusang3,050 m+240 m14 km400 m170 m
  4. D 3Syangboche via Samar3,800 m+750 m14 km1,080 m380 m
  5. D 4Ghami via Nyi La 4,010 m3,520 m−280 m12 km320 m530 m
  6. D 5Tsarang3,570 m+50 m10 km440 m420 m
  7. D 6Lo Manthang3,820 m+250 m13 km450 m200 m
  8. D 7Lo Manthang via Chhoser 3,900 m3,820 m±0 m14 km150 m160 m
  9. D 8Ghar Gompa via Marang La 4,280 m3,930 m+110 m11 km480 m380 m
  10. D 9Dhakmar via Mui La 4,170 m3,810 m−120 m5 km190 m320 m
  11. D 10Syangboche via Ghami3,800 m−10 m16 km710 m740 m
  12. D 11Chele via Samar3,050 m−750 m14 km370 m1,070 m
  13. D 12Kagbeni via Chhusang, Tangbe2,810 m−240 m14 km190 m410 m
  14. D 13Jomsom2,720 m−90 m9 km30 m120 m
Distances and elevation gain estimated from OpenStreetMap and a terrain model.
  • Jomsom — Flight Pokhara → Jomsom (20 min, morning) or bus/jeep from Pokhara (7 to 9 hrs). You enter the restricted area just north of Kagbeni.
  • Jomsom — Back on foot via Syangboche, Chele and Kagbeni, then flight or bus to Pokhara.

Elevation

above 3,000 m: climb slowly2,0003,0004,0005,000D 0 · Jomsom — 2,720 mJomsom 2,720 mD 1 · Kagbeni — 2,810 mD 2 · Chele — 3,050 mD 3 · Syangboche — 3,800 mNyi La — 4,010 mNyi La 4,010 mD 4 · Ghami — 3,520 mD 5 · Tsarang — 3,570 mD 6 · Lo Manthang — 3,820 mChhoser — 3,900 mChhoser 3,900 mD 7 · Lo Manthang — 3,820 mMarang La — 4,280 mMarang La 4,280 mD 8 · Ghar Gompa — 3,930 mMui La — 4,170 mMui La 4,170 mD 9 · Dhakmar — 3,810 mD 10 · Syangboche — 3,800 mD 11 · Chele — 3,050 mD 12 · Kagbeni — 2,810 mD 13 · Jomsom — 2,720 mJomsom 2,720 m2468101213
Altitude of each night, with the day's passes and viewpoints (red dots). Green dot: rest day.

Permits

The Upper Mustang special permit (restricted area, through an agency, charged per day) and the Annapurna Conservation Area Permit (ACAP).

Restricted area

Upper Mustang special permit

from 50 USD (≈ €45)

Obtained through a licensed agency: 50 USD (≈ €45) per person per day spent in the restricted area (since late 2025; the old 500 USD (≈ €445) flat fee for 10 days no longer exists).

Conservation area

ACAP permit (Annapurna)

3,000 NPR (≈ €17)

At the Nepal Tourism Board in Kathmandu (Bhrikutimandap) or Pokhara (Damside), in cash, with your passport and 2 photos. Or online at epermit.ntnc.org.np (card, +2.9%). Bought at the checkpoint, it costs double.

Since 22 March 2026, special permits are issued even to solo trekkers, still with a licensed guide and an authorised agency. See Permits.

Guide

Agency and guide mandatory

Restricted area: authorised agency and licensed guide mandatory.

The guide also gets monastery doors opened and knows the trail options that avoid the road. See Guide and porter.

A guide for this trek? The Guides Nepal directory lists guides, porters and agencies who know this trek, with their licence checked, the languages they speak and traveller reviews.

See guides for this trek

Transport

Getting to the start

Pokhara → Jomsom

Duration 20 minPrice ~170 USD (≈ €150)

Morning flights only (wind in the afternoon), frequent cancellations.

Pokhara → Jomsom by road

Duration 7 to 9 hrs

Bus or jeep via Beni and the Kali Gandaki valley.

Getting back

Lo Manthang → Jomsom

Duration one long day

Jeep along the road; then flight or bus to Pokhara.

When to go

J: Not advisedF: Not advisedM: PossibleA: IdealM: IdealJ: IdealJ: PossibleA: PossibleS: IdealO: IdealN: PossibleD: Not advised

IdealPossibleNot advised

April–June and September–October: the best periods; July–August is still doable, only access (flights, Kali Gandaki road) may be disrupted.

December to February: very cold, many lodges closed. The Tiji festival takes place in Lo Manthang in spring (mid-May in 2026).

On the trail

AccommodationFamily-run lodges in every village, often comfortable for the region.
BudgetAbout 35 to 50 USD (≈ €31 to €45) a day, excluding permit, guide and transport.
MoneyThe only ATM is in Jomsom: bring all the cash you need.
SignalNTC and Ncell in places, patchy.

Good to know before you go

The wind picks up around 9–10 am in the valley: set off early, with sunglasses, a scarf and sunscreen.

What about the visa? A two-week trek plus a few days in Kathmandu and Pokhara quickly adds up to more than 15 days: get the 30-day visa. The calculator on our sister site Visa Nepal shows the cheapest length.

Which visa length?

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Preparing your trek

PermitsPrices, where to buy, documents needed, trek by trek.Guide and porterMandatory or not, region by region, and what it costs.TransportBuses, jeeps and flights to the start of each trek.Altitude and safetyAcclimatisation, altitude sickness, rescue, insurance.BudgetDaily costs, cash to bring, ATMs.FAQThe questions people ask before they go.