Upper Mustang Trek: The Last Forbidden Kingdom (Self-Launched)

Land at Tribhuvan International Airport and take a pre-paid airport taxi or local taxi to Thamel (£4-6). Check into a Thamel guesthouse and spend the afternoon on trek admin: buy your TIMS card and Annapurna Conservation Area Permit (ACAP) at the Nepal Tourism Board office, and confirm your Upper Mustang Restricted Area Permit (US$500 for 10 days, US$50/day after) and a registered guide through your chosen local agency — trekkers cannot get the Mustang permit independently. Pick up a SIM card (Ncell or NTC, ~£2) and any last gear. Evening briefing over momos on Thamel's side streets.

🚌Airport taxi to Thamel ~£4-6

🛏Guesthouse in Thamel (£10-15)

• →Nepal Tourism Board office: TIMS + ACAP permits
• →Arrange Upper Mustang Restricted Area Permit with local agency and registered guide
• →Buy Nepali SIM card
• →Gear check in Thamel

Take a tourist bus from Kathmandu's Sorhakhutte/Kantipath area to Pokhara, roughly 7-8 hours on the Prithvi Highway (£7-10); book a day ahead through any Thamel agency. Alternatively a 25-minute flight runs ~£70-90 if you'd rather save time. Check into a Lakeside guesthouse near Phewa Tal and spend the evening strolling the lakefront bars and restaurants — a good carb-load before the trek.

🚌Tourist bus Kathmandu-Pokhara ~£8 (7-8 hrs)

🛏Guesthouse near Phewa Tal, Pokhara (£10-15)

• →Lakeside stroll along Phewa Tal
• →Boat hire on Phewa Tal (~£3)
• →Trek prep and permit check

Take the early morning 20-minute flight from Pokhara to Jomsom (~£80-100 one-way; book ahead, flights are weather-dependent — the £30 jeep alternative from Pokhara takes 7-8 hrs on a rough track). The flight is spectacular: Machapuchare, Nilgiri and Dhaulagiri line up on either side of the Kali Gandaki Gorge, the deepest gorge in the world. Walk 3-4 hours north from Jomsom past Thini to Kagbeni (2,810m), the gateway checkpoint for Upper Mustang, where your guide registers the restricted-area permit. Explore the red-walled Kagbeni monastery in the afternoon.

🚌Pokhara-Jomsom flight ~£85; trek Jomsom-Kagbeni on foot

🛏Teahouse in Kagbeni (£6-10)

• →Scenic flight over the Kali Gandaki Gorge
• →Trek Jomsom to Kagbeni (3-4 hrs)
• →Permit check at Kagbeni checkpoint
• →Kagbeni monastery and village wander

Enter the restricted kingdom properly. The trail climbs away from the Kali Gandaki through Tangbe, a whitewashed village of buckwheat fields and chortens, then crosses to Chhusang and follows a cliff path to Chele (3,050m). About 5-6 hours of walking with some dusty, exposed sections. Teahouses in Chele are simple — bring cash as there are no ATMs beyond Jomsom.

🚌On foot, 5-6 hrs

🛏Teahouse in Chele (£6-10)

• →Trek through Tangbe and Chhusang villages
• →Cliffside trail above the Kali Gandaki
• →First views of Nilgiri and Tilicho Peak

A shorter but windier day: climb over a small pass out of Chele, drop into the Samar valley, and contour through juniper and eroded ochre gullies to Syangboche (3,800m). Roughly 4-5 hours. The landscape here changes abruptly to Tibetan-style desert — expect strong afternoon winds, so start early.

🚌On foot, 4-5 hrs

🛏Teahouse in Syangboche (£6-10)

• →Samar village
• →Eroded Mustang badlands scenery
• →Acclimatisation walk to a viewpoint above the village

Cross the Nyi La (4,010m) — the trek's high point on this side — then descend through Geling's barley terraces to Ghami (3,520m), one of Mustang's largest villages. About 5 hours. If you have energy, walk 20 minutes to the long mani wall outside town, one of the longest in Nepal, and the nearby gompa.

🚌On foot, 5 hrs

🛏Teahouse in Ghami (£6-10)

• →Nyi La Pass (4,010m)
• →Geling village
• →Ghami mani wall and gompa

A gentler 3-4 hour day across the plateau to Charang (3,560m). Afternoon for the sights: the five-storey Charang Gompa, a major Sakya monastery, and the ruined medieval fort above the village. This is a good place to take an extra rest hour — altitude is now consistently above 3,500m.

🚌On foot, 3-4 hrs

🛏Teahouse in Charang (£6-10)

• →Charang Gompa (five-storey Sakya monastery)
• →Medieval fort ruins above Charang
• →Village walk through barley fields

The finale: descend to Lo-Gekar Gompa (one of Mustang's oldest), then climb to the Lo La (3,950m) for the first view of the walled city of Lo-Manthang (3,840m). Some operators use horses on the last stretch — you can hire one locally for roughly £15-20 if you're tired. About 4-5 hours on foot. Enter through the town gate and settle into a teahouse inside or just outside the walls.

🚌On foot, 4-5 hrs (optional horse hire ~£15-20)

🛏Teahouse in Lo-Manthang (£7-12)

• →Lo La viewpoint over Lo-Manthang
• →Lo-Gekar Gompa
• →Walled city of Lo-Manthang

A full day on foot inside the old kingdom. Visit the royal palace complex and the Jampa Lhakhang (Champa Lhakhang) with its huge 15th-century Buddha, then walk 45 minutes to Tingkhar village at the north end. If your visit coincides with the Tiji festival (usually May), the three-day masked dance in the main courtyard is the highlight of the year — plan the whole trek around it.

🚌On foot, 2-3 hrs of sightseeing

🛏Teahouse in Lo-Manthang (£7-12)

• →Champa Lhakhang and Lo-Manthang Gompa
• →Royal palace (exterior; interior when open)
• →Tingkhar village walk
• →Optional: Tiji festival masked dances (May)

Leave by the north gate and climb to the Chogo La (4,230m), the highest point of the trek, before a long descent through windswept country to Drakmar (3,810m). About 6 hours. En route detour to Ghar Gompa, a small Nyingma monastery with a rock carving said to date to Guru Rinpoche — ask your guide to time the walk so you can see it today or tomorrow morning.

🚌On foot, 6 hrs

🛏Teahouse in Drakmar (£6-10)

• →Chogo La Pass (4,230m)
• →Ghar Gompa rock carvings
• →Drakmar red cliffs

Cross back over the higher country via Rachen Gompa, a large nunnery with a striking assembly hall — worth a 30-minute visit. Continue down to Syangboche (3,800m), roughly 5-6 hours. You'll be retracing parts of the outbound route in reverse, but the light and the wind make it feel different.

🚌On foot, 5-6 hrs

🛏Teahouse in Syangboche (£6-10)

• →Rachen Gompa nunnery
• →Return descent toward the Kali Gandaki
• →Views of Dhaulagiri and Nilgiri

Descend on the eastern trail through Tetang to Chhusang (3,050m), about 5-6 hours. Tetang is a tight cluster of mud-brick houses with a fine gompa. Back down near 3,000m the air is noticeably richer and the teahouses better stocked — a good night to eat properly.

🚌On foot, 5-6 hrs

🛏Teahouse in Chhusang (£6-10)

• →Tetang village and gompa
• →Descent through juniper and wheat terraces
• →Chhusang village

Walk out through Kagbeni (formalities at the checkpoint on the way out) and on to Jharkot, a compact medieval village with a walled fort and a monastery-cum-Tibetan herbal medicine centre you can visit for a small donation. Continue the final 1.5 hours into Jomsom (2,720m). About 6-7 hours total. Celebrate with a proper dal bhat and a cold beer if you like.

🚌On foot, 6-7 hrs

🛏Guesthouse in Jomsom (£7-12)

• →Kagbeni checkpoint exit formalities
• →Jharkot fort and monastery
• →Tibetan herbal medicine centre
• →Descent through the Kali Gandaki Valley

Morning flight back to Pokhara (~£80-100; jeep is ~£25-30 and takes 7-8 hours, or a shared jeep can be split). If flights are cancelled for weather — common in the afternoon — take the jeep or wait for the next morning's flight. Afternoon in Pokhara: Devi's Falls (£1 entry), Gupteshwor Cave, and the World Peace Pagoda on the ridge above Phewa Tal (walk up or take a taxi for ~£3). Evening at Lakeside.

🚌Jomsom-Pokhara flight ~£85 (or jeep ~£28, 7-8 hrs)

🛏Guesthouse near Phewa Tal, Pokhara (£10-15)

• →Devi's Falls and Gupteshwor Cave
• →World Peace Pagoda viewpoint
• →International Mountain Museum (optional, ~£2)
• →Lakeside evening

Tourist bus back to Kathmandu (£7-10, 7-8 hours) or a short flight (~£75). Arrive Kathmandu in the late afternoon; transfer to the airport for your onward flight or stay a final night in Thamel. If you have time, the Boudhanath stupa or Swayambhunath is 20 minutes by taxi.

🚌Tourist bus Pokhara-Kathmandu ~£8 (7-8 hrs); taxi to airport ~£4

🛏Optional Thamel guesthouse (£10-15) if staying a final night

• →Bus back along the Prithvi Highway
• →Optional Boudhanath or Swayambhunath visit