Jomsom Muktinath Trek from Pokhara
The Jomsom Muktinath Trek from Pokhara is the shortest way to reach the sacred temples of Muktinath and the extraordinar
Porter
$193 $175/porter
No payment required yet
Trip Overview
The Jomsom Muktinath Trek from Pokhara is the shortest way to reach the sacred temples of Muktinath and the extraordinary landscape of the Kali Gandaki. A twenty-minute mountain flight lifts you from Pokhara over the Himalayan crest to Jomsom (2,700 m), where the green middle hills give way abruptly to the ochre cliffs and wind-scoured river flats of the Tibetan rain shadow.
Three walking days lead through the medieval walled village of Kagbeni (2,800 m) to Muktinath (3,800 m), sacred to Hindus and Buddhists alike, with its 108 water spouts, eternal natural gas flame, and Vishnu temple. The return retraces the valley to Jomsom for the flight back to Pokhara. Five days, two spectacular flights, and a landscape that looks nothing like the rest of Nepal.
Trip Highlights
Five Days from Pokhara: The fastest route to Muktinath and the Kali Gandaki, with two short mountain flights and no Kathmandu days.
The Sacred Site of Muktinath (3,800 m): Visit the 108 water spouts, the eternal flame, and the Vishnu temple revered by Hindus and Buddhists.
Medieval Kagbeni: Explore the mud-brick alleys of the walled village that guards the entrance to Upper Mustang.
Flights Over the Himalayan Crest: Fly between Pokhara and Jomsom on one of the most dramatic short air sectors in Nepal.
The Deepest Gorge on Earth: Walk the Kali Gandaki between Dhaulagiri (8,167 m) and Annapurna I (8,091 m).
Itinerary
A 5-day Pokhara-to-Pokhara trek with return flights to Jomsom, walking through Kagbeni to the sacred temples of Muktinath at 3,800 m.
1Day 1Fly from Pokhara (822 m) to Jomsom (2,700 m)
Fly from Pokhara (822 m) to Jomsom (2,700 m)
This compact version starts and ends in Pokhara, with a dawn flight north. The early departure is dictated by the weather: the wind that funnels up the Kali Gandaki makes the Jomsom airstrip unusable from mid-morning on most days of the year.
The 20-minute flight is one of the most spectacular scheduled services anywhere in the world. The aircraft flies north straight up the gorge, passing between Dhaulagiri (8,167 m) and Annapurna I (8,091 m) — two eight-thousand-metre peaks barely 35 km apart, with the river more than 5,000 m below their summits. That vertical relief is what makes the Kali Gandaki the deepest gorge on earth.
You land at Jomsom (2,700 m) in the Himalayan rain shadow: bare brown hills, a wide braided riverbed and hardly a tree. The rest of the day is for gentle acclimatisation. The Mustang Eco Museum, covering Thakali culture and Tibetan medicine, is a good hour. Overnight in Jomsom.
2Day 2Trek from Jomsom (2,700 m) to Kagbeni (2,800 m)
Trek from Jomsom (2,700 m) to Kagbeni (2,800 m)
A short, easy walk of about three hours, deliberately gentle to let you settle into the altitude and the wind.
The route runs north along the broad gravel bed of the Kali Gandaki on essentially level ground. Walk part of it looking down: this riverbed is the world's best-known source of shaligrams, the black spiral ammonite fossils that weather out of the old Tethys seabed now lifted into the Himalaya. Hindus regard them as forms of Vishnu, and pilgrims collect them here.
The wind builds through the morning but will be at your back heading north. Kagbeni (2,800 m) arrives as an abrupt patch of green in the brown: a tight medieval village of mud-brick houses, alleyways tunnelled beneath the buildings, and a red-walled monastery, sitting where the Jhong Khola joins the main river. The police post here marks the boundary of restricted Upper Mustang. Overnight in Kagbeni.
3Day 3Trek from Kagbeni (2,800 m) to Muktinath (3,800 m)
Trek from Kagbeni (2,800 m) to Muktinath (3,800 m)
The climbing day — a full kilometre of ascent out of the main valley and up the Jhong Khola.
The trail leaves Kagbeni heading east, gaining height steadily through eroded, wind-carved terrain with very little shelter. It passes Khingar and then Jharkot (3,550 m), well worth a stop: a ruined fort standing on a bluff, a red-walled Sakya monastery, and apple and apricot orchards that are vividly green against otherwise bare hills.
The last section climbs to Muktinath (3,800 m), reached in the afternoon. The Thorong La (5,416 m) descends into the village from the north, so this is where Annapurna Circuit trekkers arrive after their pass crossing. Evening light on Dhaulagiri and Nilgiri to the south is exceptional. Overnight in Muktinath.
4Day 4Visit Muktinath (3,800 m) and Trek Back to Jomsom (2,700 m)
Visit Muktinath (3,800 m) and Trek Back to Jomsom (2,700 m)
An early visit to the temple complex, before the pilgrim buses reach the village. Muktinath is sacred to Hindus and Buddhists alike — Mukti Kshetra, the place of liberation and one of the 108 Divya Desams of Vishnu; and Chumig Gyatsa, the hundred waters, tied to Guru Rinpoche.
Behind the temple, spring water runs from 108 bull-headed spouts in a curved wall, and pilgrims bathe under each in turn — genuinely demanding in the cold at 3,800 m. In the small Jwala Mai temple nearby, a natural gas flame burns over running spring water: fire and water in the same place, which is why the site is understood as where all five elements meet.
We then descend, dropping through Jharkot and Khingar into the Jhong valley and back to the Kali Gandaki, then turning south to Jomsom (2,700 m) with the wind in our faces for the final hour. Overnight in Jomsom.
5Day 5Fly from Jomsom (2,700 m) to Pokhara (822 m)
Fly from Jomsom (2,700 m) to Pokhara (822 m)
An early flight out, for the same reason as the flight in — Jomsom's usable weather window is a morning one, so departures are scheduled at first light.
The 20-minute flight runs back down the gorge between Dhaulagiri and Annapurna. Watching the change from the window is the best part: within a few minutes the bare brown high desert of Mustang gives way to the green, humid, terraced hills around Pokhara (822 m), and you are back below 1,000 m.
Jomsom flights are entirely weather-dependent and cancellations are common — the road alternative is a full day — so if you have an onward international connection, a buffer day in Pokhara is strongly advised. Arriving mid-morning leaves the rest of the day free by the lake. Overnight in Pokhara.
Inclusions & Exclusions
Return Pokhara-Jomsom flights, teahouse lodging, all trekking meals, conservation area permits, a licensed guide, trekking map, first aid, and government taxes are included, while international flights, visa, insurance, personal gear, porter service, city accommodation and meals, personal expenses, and tips are excluded.
What's Included
Domestic flights from Pokhara to Jomsom and Jomsom to Pokhara as per the itinerary.
Accommodation in local teahouses during the trek.
Annapurna Conservation Area Permit (ACAP) and required trekking permits.
Professional English-speaking licensed trekking guide.
Three meals a day (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) during the trek.
Group trekking map for route guidance.
First aid kit carried by the guide.
All government taxes, permit fees, and service charges.
What's Excluded
Travel insurance, including emergency helicopter evacuation coverage.
Personal trekking equipment and clothing.
Porter services (available at an additional cost).
Accommodation and meals in Kathmandu or Pokhara unless mentioned in the itinerary.
Snacks, bottled water, hot showers, Wi-Fi, charging fees, and alcoholic or soft drinks.
Personal expenses such as laundry, phone calls, and souvenirs.
Tips for guides, drivers, and support staff.
Any additional accommodation, transportation, or expenses caused by domestic flight delays, bad weather, or other unforeseen circumstances beyond the itinerary.
Route Map
Explore the terrain map showing the trek route.
Loading map...
Altitude Profile
Pricing
Transparent per-person pricing based on group size, covering the services listed in the itinerary with no hidden charges.
Add-ons
Customize your trek with optional services such as porter support and other personalized arrangements at an additional cost.
Best Time to Trek
The Kali Gandaki's position in the Annapurna rain shadow gives this trek an unusually long season. March to May and September to November are the strongest windows, offering clear skies, moderate temperatures, and the most dependable flights. Autumn is best for visibility, spring for warmth.
Unusually for Nepal, the route is also viable during the monsoon (June to August), because the Himalaya block most of the rain and Mustang stays comparatively dry — although flights are more frequently cancelled by cloud on the Pokhara side. Winter is cold and windy but perfectly walkable with fewer visitors at the temples. The valley wind is a constant in every season, picking up strongly by late morning.
For a month-by-month look at weather and trail conditions, see our guide to the best time to trek in Nepal.
Trek Difficulty & Who This Suits
This is an easy to moderate trek and one of the most accessible in Nepal. Three walking days of three to five hours each, comfortable road-accessible lodges, and a maximum altitude of 3,800 m make it suitable for first-time trekkers, families, older travellers in good health, and pilgrims of any level of walking experience.
The one factor to plan for is the wind rather than the terrain. From late morning the up-valley wind blows hard and carries dust, which is why walking days start early and finish by early afternoon. A month of regular walking is ample preparation for most people, and the trail surface is mostly gentle river flats and a graded climb to Muktinath.
To see where this trek sits among Nepal's routes, read our guide to Nepal trek difficulty grades.
Travel Insurance
Travel insurance covering trekking to at least 4,500 m is required, which brackets Muktinath at 3,800 m with room to spare. Check the altitude clause explicitly, and confirm that travel on small domestic aircraft is covered — the Pokhara-Jomsom sector is flown by turboprops into a short mountain airstrip and some policies exclude it.
The policy must include emergency helicopter evacuation, medical treatment, and cover for delayed or cancelled domestic flights, which matters a great deal on a five-day itinerary built around two of them. Jomsom flights are regularly grounded by wind and cloud, and the alternative is a full-day jeep journey. Send us your policy number and the insurer's emergency contact before departure.
Our guide to travel insurance for trekking in Nepal explains the altitude limits, evacuation terms and common exclusions to check before you buy.
Packing List
Mustang is dry, bright, and persistently windy, so pack accordingly. Bring waterproof trekking boots, two or three base layers, a fleece, a light down jacket for Muktinath, and a proper windproof shell jacket and trousers, which will get more use here than anywhere else in Nepal. Add trekking trousers, a warm hat, a sun hat that will not blow off, gloves, and wool socks. A sleeping bag rated to -5°C is sufficient.
Sun and dust protection are as important as warmth: high-SPF sunscreen, lip balm, wraparound sunglasses, and a buff for blowing dust. Also pack a 25-litre daypack, trekking poles, a headlamp, a reusable bottle with purification tablets or a filter, moisturiser for the very dry air, a small first aid kit, quick-dry towel, toiletries, and a power bank. Note that the Jomsom flight has a strict baggage limit, typically around 15 kg.
For the complete kit list, organised by the altitude you will reach, see our Nepal trekking packing list.
Accommodation, Food & Drinking Water
All four nights are spent in teahouses at Jomsom, Kagbeni, and Muktinath. Because the valley has road access and mains electricity, lodges here are among the most comfortable of any trekking region in Nepal — proper twin rooms, many with attached bathrooms, dependable hot showers, heated dining rooms, and in Jomsom and Kagbeni several genuinely good small hotels.
Three meals a day are included on the trek. Menus are wide, covering dal bhat with free refills, Tibetan bread, momos, thukpa, noodles, fried rice, and pasta. Mustang apples are the local speciality and appear as fruit, pies, juice, and brandy, particularly around Marpha. Refill your bottle at the lodges and treat it with tablets, a filter, or a UV pen — the dry air means you will drink noticeably more than you expect, so carry at least two litres each day.
What the lodges are really like, from rooms and meals to showers and charging, is covered in our guide to teahouse trekking in Nepal.
Frequently Asked Questions
Find quick answers to common questions about the Jomsom Muktinath Trek from Pokhara.
1How many hours do we walk each day?
Three to five hours. Jomsom to Kagbeni takes around three hours on river flats, Kagbeni to Muktinath four to five hours with a steady climb, and the return to Jomsom about five hours, mostly downhill.
2Which permits are required and do you arrange them?
The Annapurna Conservation Area Permit and trekking registration are included and arranged by our team from passport copies and photographs sent before departure. Kagbeni marks the boundary — travelling north into Upper Mustang needs a separate restricted-area permit.
3What happens if the Jomsom flight is cancelled?
Flights operate almost exclusively in the early morning and are regularly grounded by wind or cloud. If yours is cancelled the alternative is a long jeep journey up the Kali Gandaki taking most of a day, so we recommend keeping a spare day in your plans at each end.
4Is there a baggage limit on the flight?
Yes. Domestic flights on the Pokhara-Jomsom sector typically allow around 15 kg of checked baggage plus a small carry-on, and the limits are enforced. Leave anything you do not need at your Pokhara hotel.
5Why is the wind so strong here?
The Kali Gandaki funnels air between Dhaulagiri and Annapurna, producing a powerful up-valley wind that starts around mid-morning and blows hard all afternoon. It is why walking days start early and why flights only run in the morning.
6Can I visit the Muktinath temple complex?
Yes, and it is the highlight of the trek. The complex welcomes visitors of all faiths. Walk clockwise, remove shoes where indicated, and dress modestly. The 108 water spouts and the eternal natural gas flame are the main features.
7Is this trek suitable for beginners or families?
Very much so. Short walking days, comfortable lodges, road access for most of the route, and a manageable maximum altitude make it one of the easiest genuine Himalayan treks in Nepal.
8Is mobile network and Wi-Fi available?
Yes, and it is better than on most treks. The valley has mains electricity and good coverage, and lodges in Jomsom, Kagbeni, and Muktinath sell Wi-Fi at reasonable speeds.
9Where can I withdraw cash and charge devices?
There is a reasonably reliable ATM in Jomsom, and charging is available at all lodges from mains power, often free of charge. Carry enough Nepalese rupees from Pokhara regardless.
10Can I leave extra luggage in Pokhara?
Yes, and you should. Your Pokhara hotel stores anything you do not need free of charge, which helps considerably with the strict baggage limit on the Jomsom flight.
Gallery
Explore authentic moments, landscapes, and mountain views from the Jomsom Muktinath Trek from Pokhara.
Trekking Guides & Articles
Jomsom Muktinath Trek: Pilgrimage and Desert in the Kali Gandaki — A trek behind the Himalaya into arid Mustang, through Marpha's apple orchards and the medieval village of Kagbeni to the pilgrimage temple at Muktinath.
Diamox for Trekking in Nepal: When to Start, Dose and Side Effects — Diamox is the most discussed tablet on any Nepal trek, and the most misunderstood.
Fix Departure
This trek runs every week on the selected day. Choose custom dates for one-off departures.
Showing fixed departures in Oct 2026
Guest Reviews
Book it — you will not regret it
“We joined Jomsom Muktinath Trek from Pokhara as pilgrims and came away feeling we had done something truly special. Everything — transport, accommodation, timing — was arranged with great care. Our gu...
Landon Kim
Get in Touch
Tell us the dates you have in mind and roughly what you want out of the trek — one of our guides will reply, usually within 24 hours.
Email Us
info@greencompasstreks.com
Call Us
+977 9864379436
Office
Lakeside, Pokhara, Nepal
Office Hours
Sunday – Friday, 9:00 AM – 9:00 PM
Similar Treks
You might also like these treks
Porter
$193 $175/porter
No payment required yet