There are well-made roads in Mustang. But the trekkers aren’t happy. Lower Mustang Trek still provides the required thrills with scenic beauty. Cultural and geographical diversity along with the welcoming people makes the Lower Mustang trek worth the wait.
You can even go through the pre-Buddhist Bon Village which can provide you with an enthralling experience. Jomsom and Muktinath are the lookouts on the way to Lower Mustang. Trekkers would know the fact that Lower Mustang is the gateway to Upper Mustang. Upper Mustang can be pretty tough for every trekker but the Lower Mustang trek tends to provide the same feel to the tourist.
Anyone who has gone to Lower Mustang or planning to do so will tell you about the beauty of the place. Lower Mustang trek is filled with plenty of highlights which is the key.
Some of the highlights of the trek are:
Muktinath is one of the most important points in the Lower Mustang trek. Having the essence of being religious, Muktinath tends to fulfill the devotees with bliss. Muktinath is at an altitude of 3800m and is famous as one of the rare temples at a higher altitude. Muktinath is famous for its 108 stone faucets which are built in a semi-circular structure.
There is a religious belief that bathing in these taps would end up washing away all of your sins. The religious belief of 108 is related to nine planets and 27 lunar ecliptic segments.
No matter you do the Lower Mustang trek or the Upper Mustang cost of the trek is an important aspect. The number of people involved in the trekking would directly affect the cost of the trek. Until and unless you know what costs to pay, it is tough to make the trek work well.
For the Lower Mustang trek, you would need an ACAP permit along with the TIMS card. For the ACAP permit it would cost you $30 while the TIMS card will cost you Rs 2000 per person. Besides this, choosing a better travel and tour agency will help you to manage your expenses along with a balance in the total cost.
Before going into the lower Mustang Trek, it is necessary to know the difficulty of the trek. For lower Mustang the toughest point includes the Muktinath. Muktinath resides at an altitude of 3710m which can be tough for many. However most of the time the altitude hovers around 3000m. Moderate to best experience on trekking can help you ace the lower Mustang trek.
If you are planning to go as a solo for the Lower Mustang Trek, try and be together with other groups who have the experience. Being together with others during the trek will provide assistance in tough times. The solo or group trekkers should be careful not to carry too much baggage. As most of the trek requires a stern walk heavy baggage can bring you down
The time taken for any trek is dependent on the trekkers let alone the weather and also the time when you are doing the trek. For the Lower Mustang Trekking though the expected time is 10 days and 9 nights. With the trekking being not so difficult, you can manage the hardships that come along the way. But someone with a proper experience in trekking can easily make it into the Lower Mustang Trek.
Talking about the best season for the trek, it is good all around the year. Lower Mustang doesn’t get a huge amount of rainfall as compared to Jomsom. As a result that the trekkers can make the trek even in monsoon. However spring season from March to May and autumn from September to November is the best time to make it into the trekking periphery. Monsoons and winter can be tough as the roads can be slippery and you would need a huge amount of clothing to protect yourself from winter.
Lower Mustang trek can be easy and tough at the same time. People with no experience in trekking can find it harder to ace the destination. More than the toughness of the trek, there are places that are less talked about and can be missed. One such is the Tatopani region which can be enjoyed by the tourist. During the cold weather, the hot spring water facility can be delightful.
Besides the glaring beauty of Rupse waterfall can make you spellbound. It passes through Kali Gandaki Gorge and it falls from an altitude of 3000m. The second-highest waterfall in the world is located on the Beni-Jomsom highway. It is very hard for the tourist to unsee the beauty of it. Lastly, the time taken for the trek is a maximum of 10 days with the difficulty being of a moderate nature. Anyone who wishes to have a 10 days break and enjoy the silence can easily hover into Lower Mustang.
You just need to be careful about the weather situation and also the time when you are thinking of trekking into the wilderness. So, what are you waiting for, hop in and enjoy the ride.
Day 01: Arrival in Nepal
Day 02: Kathmandu sightseeing and trek preparation
Day 03: Bus to Pokhara(8,20m/2,690 ft) 6 hours of drive
Day 04: Bus to Nayapul and trek to Tikhedhunga (1,540m/5,052ft) 1.5 hours of drive 3 – 4 hours of hike
Day 05: Tikhedhunga to Ghorepani (2,810m/9,220ft) 6 – 7 hours
Day 06: Ghorepani to Tatopani(1,190m/3,905 ft) 6 – 7 hours
Day 07: Tatopani to Ghasa(2,010m/6,595 ft) 6 – 7 hours
Day 08: Ghasa to Marpha(2,670m/8,760 ft) 5 – 6 hours
Day 09: Marpha to Kagbeni(2,806m/9,205ft) 6 – 7 hours
Day 10: Kagbeni to Muktinath(3,760m/12,335 ft) 5 – 6 hours
Day 11: Muktinath to Jomsom(2,720m/8,925 ft) 5 – 6 hours
Day 12: Jomsom to Pokhara(820m/2,690 ft) 20 min
Day 13: Pokhara to Kathmandu(1350m/4,264ft) 6 hours
Day 14: departure your destination.
Day 01: Arrival in Nepal
Welcome to Nepal! A representative from Karma Eco Trek will receive you at the airport and drop you at your hotel. On this day you will not do much but relax and go around your hotel location. Overnight in Kathmandu.
Day 02: Kathmandu sightseeing and trek preparation
Thank you for booking lower Mustang trek! If you booked this trek long time back your permits are ready before you arrive but if it is a last minute booking you permits will be made on this day. While the back office is busy making permits on the back end, you will get involved in sightseeing some UNESCO world heritage sites. Sometime in the day, you will as well do last minute preparation, packing and purchase if necessary. In the evening you will meet your guide and your guide will brief you about the trek.
Day 03: Bus to Pokhara(8,20m/2,690ft) 6 hours of drive
On this day we have our breakfast by 6:00 a.m. in the morning and head towards tourist Bus Park at Thamel and board a tourist bus to Pokhara. The bus ride will take around 7 hours through curvy roads of hilly terrain with couple of breaks in between for snacks and lunch. The drive to Pokhara on one of the major highways is exhilarating with beautiful views of never leaving tributaries, lush green hills and road side settlements.
Day 04: Bus to Nayapul and trek to Tikhedhunga (1,540m/5,052ft) 1.5 hours of drive 3 – 4 hours of hike
On this day we wake up early to have our breakfast by 7:00 a.m. and board car, van or bus; according to our comfort and preference, by 8:00 a.m. and drive for around 1 hour and 30 minutes to Nayapul. We unload our luggage and cross the rustic bridge of Modi khola and walk for about 15 minutes to Birethanti and get our permits checked. Today we walk on the jeep track and make easy ascend to Tikhedhunga. In spring we can take the opportunity to cool off the scorching heat and fatigue by swimming in one of the streams on our way to Tikhedhunga, which has been the major attraction of this trail.
Day 05: Tikhedhunga to Ghorepani (2,810m/9,220ft) 6 – 7 hours
On this day we make an ascent of 1360 meters in total within 4-6 hours of trek. Today we trek on this beautifully crafted, manmade staircase with 3500 steps is physically challenging but not technical and yet beautiful. Once we reach Ulleri we come across beautiful settlement of Magar communities to the pasture land which further leads into deep forest. We make our way through beautiful oak and Rhododendron forest, 2 crystal clear streams and a ridge before we make a final and short climb to Ghorepani.
Day 06: Ghorepani to Tatopani(1,190m/3,905ft) 6 – 7 hours
Today we start our day early in the morning to cover 1750m in descent and 140m in ascent with 5-7 hours. With the view of Nilgiri and Dhaluragiri on the front, we head through beautiful Magar settlement. Further we make descend through beautiful forest of Magnolia and Rhododendron and further pasture grounds until we reach Ghorepani. We make a halt at Ghorepani which is a must after long walk.
Day 07: Tatopani to Ghasa(2,010m/6,595ft) 6 – 7 hours
On this day we start early to ascent 900m and descend 90m in 5-6 hours. On this day we walk on jeep trails except for many occasions when we walk on the mule trails. We walk past north of beautiful waterfall named Rupse Chahara further on rocky trails carved right out of the hills. The day is very tiring because of the fine ascend we make on jeep trail along Kaligandaki river, from in between lush green hills. From Ghasa we make an entry to the district of Mustang.
Day 08: Ghasa to Marpha(2,670m/8,760ft) 5 – 6 hours
Today we make 600m in ascent on jeep track mostly, except for once and twice when we dodge vehicle route to stroll on mule tracks. Most of the day’s walking is done on dry and arid landscape with the view of Annapurna massif on the south now. Through the rustic old settlements of Tukuche and larjung and fine orchards we enter in Marpha. Marpha is famous for its apple orchards, apple distillery, apple cedars and apple pies.
Day 09: Marpha to Kagbeni (2,806m/9,205ft) 6 – 7 hours
The trekking trail of Marpha to Kagbeni is effortless and on today’s day we ascent 220m and descent 60m. Making our way through most remarkable town of Jomson which holds the only airstrip of region, where wind gauge breaks the record every afternoon and which offers amazing view of Nilgiri mountain, we make our way further towards Kagbeni on more flatter trail. Further we walk on a straight trail through the gorges and on the banks of Kaligandaki which further leads to desert like landscape. Finally we make a very stable ascent until we arrive at Kagbeni.
Day 10: Kagbeni to Muktinath(3,760m/12,335ft) 5 – 6 hours
Kagbeni is an interesting fortress like village which gives a hunch about its inhabitants being from warrior race. There are big walls known as Kheni in local language and it is believed to be protecting the entire village of Kagbeni from the evil spirit and intruders. From Kagbeni we again amble on the jeep trail with the view of Nilgiri range and Mustang himal and ascend 600+ meters. We make our way through small patches of villages in Jharkot and Khingar, until we arrive at Muktinath temple, which is overwhelmed by the devotees of Hindu and Buddhist religion.
Day 11: Muktinath to Jomsom (2,720m/8,925ft) 5 – 6 hours
From Muktinath we further descend down to Jharkot and watch Kagbeni from the ridge and make our way towards Jomsom. We take jeep track all the way to Jomsom; a beautiful mountain settlement placed on the laps of Nilgiri Mountain. Jomsom also has a air strip which serves the entire region on everyday basis. We do not board the flight on the same day as the flights are disrupted by the heavy wind that blows in Mustang afternoon. We rather stay back and enjoy the vista and ambiance of Mustang.
Day 12: Jomsom to Pokhara(820m/2,690ft) 20 min
We board an early morning flight to Pokhara which takes around 20 minutes. The flight is also a wonderful opportunity to watch the aerial view of mountains in Annapurna region.
Day 13: Pokhara to Kathmandu (1350m/4,264ft) 6 hours
On this day we have our breakfast by 6:00 a.m. in the morning and head towards tourist Bus Park and board a tourist bus back to Kathmandu. The bus ride will take around 7 hours through curvy roads of hilly terrain with couple of breaks in between for snacks and lunch. Once in Kathmandu your guide will transfer you to your hotel and hence, your Lower Mustang trek comes to an end officially.
Day 14: departure your destination
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