Lower Mustang Trek

You land at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu (1,400 m), where our representative meets you and drives you to your hotel in Thamel.

Your guide joins you for the pre-trek briefing. The Lower Mustang trek is a short, moderate route through the Kali Gandaki valley — the deepest gorge in the world — and needs no restricted-area permit, unlike Upper Mustang further north. We go through the flight schedule to Jomsom, the daily stages and the character of the region: dry, wind-scoured high desert in the rain shadow of the Annapurnas, with Tibetan-influenced villages and the major pilgrimage site at Muktinath.

Because it rarely rains here, kit priorities shift: a windproof shell, good sunglasses, sun cream and something to keep dust out of your face matter more than heavy waterproofs. The rest of the day is free. Overnight in Kathmandu.

After breakfast we leave the Kathmandu Valley on the Prithvi Highway and drive west to Pokhara (822 m), following the Trishuli River through its gorge for much of the 200 km route.

The journey takes most of the day and is scenic throughout — terraced hillsides, roadside bazaars, suspension footbridges and rafting groups on the green water below. We break for lunch at a riverside restaurant along the way.

Pokhara arrives in the late afternoon, on the shore of Phewa Lake with the Annapurna massif standing directly behind the town. Tomorrow's Jomsom flight leaves at first light and depends on wind conditions in the Kali Gandaki, so we pack tonight and get an early night. Overnight in Pokhara.

A dawn flight, because the wind funnelling up the Kali Gandaki closes the Jomsom airstrip by mid-morning almost every day. The 20-minute flight is one of the most dramatic in Nepal — the aircraft flies straight up the gorge between Dhaulagiri (8,167 m) and Annapurna I (8,091 m), with both eight-thousanders towering on either side.

You land at Jomsom (2,700 m) in a completely different Nepal: bare brown hillsides, wide gravel riverbed, and a horizon of rock rather than forest. This is the Himalayan rain shadow.

After breakfast we walk north up the valley to Kagbeni (2,800 m), around three hours on mostly flat ground beside the river. Kagbeni is a compact medieval village of mud-brick houses, covered alleyways and a red-walled monastery, sitting at the confluence of the Jhong Khola and the Kali Gandaki. It marks the gateway to Upper Mustang. Overnight in Kagbeni.

The main climbing day of the trek — a full kilometre of ascent from the river valley up into the Jhong Khola side valley.

The trail leaves Kagbeni and climbs steadily east, following the river through an increasingly arid, wind-carved landscape. It passes the villages of Khingar and Jharkot, both worth stopping in: Jharkot (3,550 m) in particular has a striking ruined fort and a red-walled Sakya monastery, and its apple orchards and apricot trees make a startling green against the bare hills.

The final climb reaches Muktinath (3,800 m) in the afternoon. Behind the village the Thorong La descends from the north — this is where Annapurna Circuit trekkers arrive after crossing the pass. The views south to Dhaulagiri and Nilgiri from here are superb in the evening light. Overnight in Muktinath.

A full day at one of the very few sites in the Himalaya held sacred by Hindus and Buddhists alike. Hindus know it as Mukti Kshetra, the place of liberation, and it is one of the 108 Divya Desams of Vishnu; Buddhists call it Chumig Gyatsa, the hundred waters, and associate it with Guru Rinpoche.

The temple complex sits in a grove of poplars. Its best-known feature is the wall of 108 bull-headed water spouts fed by a spring behind the temple; pilgrims bathe beneath all of them in succession, which at 3,800 m in the early morning takes real commitment. Nearby, the small Jwala Mai temple shelters a natural gas flame burning over spring water — fire and water together, which is why the site is revered as a place where all five elements meet.

The rest of the day is for exploring at your own pace: the Buddhist gompa, the surrounding villages, or simply the walk up the ridge behind for the view. Overnight in Muktinath.

A long descending day back into the main Kali Gandaki valley. The trail drops from Muktinath through Jharkot and Khingar and down to Kagbeni or, on the more direct line, straight down the Jhong valley to Ekle Bhatti.

Rejoining the main river, the walk turns south with the famous Kali Gandaki wind now full in your face — by early afternoon it is a genuine physical effort, and a buff or scarf is worth having. Keep an eye on the riverbed for shaligrams, the black spiral ammonite fossils that wash out of these hills. They are marine creatures from the Tethys Sea, which lay here before the Himalaya was pushed up, and Hindus revere them as forms of Vishnu.

The day ends at Marpha (2,670 m), the most attractive village in the valley — whitewashed flat-roofed houses on paved lanes, a gompa above, and orchards all around. Marpha is famous throughout Nepal for its apples, and its apple brandy. Overnight in Marpha.

A short and easy final walk of about two hours, ideally started early before the wind gets up.

The trail follows the Kali Gandaki north through orchards and pine, passing Syang and the Thakali settlements that gave this valley its distinctive cuisine — if you have enjoyed dal bhat anywhere in Nepal, the Thakali version from this area is generally reckoned the best there is.

Arriving in Jomsom (2,700 m) before midday leaves the afternoon free. Jomsom is the administrative centre of Mustang, split across both banks of the river, and there are a couple of genuinely good things to do: the Mustang Eco Museum covers local Thakali culture, Tibetan medicine and the region's natural history, and there is a short walk up to the viewpoint above town for a last look at Nilgiri and Dhaulagiri. Overnight in Jomsom.

An early flight out, for the same reason as the flight in — the Kali Gandaki wind makes the airstrip unusable from mid-morning, so departures are scheduled at first light.

The 20-minute flight runs back down the gorge between Dhaulagiri and Annapurna. The transition is remarkable to watch from the window: within minutes the bare brown high desert gives way to the green, humid, terraced hills around Pokhara (822 m).

Jomsom flights are weather-dependent and cancellations do happen — the road alternative takes a full day — so a buffer before any international connection is sensible. Once in Pokhara you transfer to your hotel with the rest of the day free for a hot shower and a long lunch by the lake. Overnight in Pokhara.

An unhurried morning in Pokhara. If you are awake early, sunrise over Annapurna and Machhapuchhre from the lakeside is worth stepping out for — you flew between those peaks twice this week. A boat trip on Phewa Lake or a walk to the World Peace Pagoda both fit before breakfast.

We then drive east on the Prithvi Highway to Kathmandu (1,400 m), following the Marsyangdi and Trishuli rivers back through the gorge country. It is a full day on the road with a lunch stop, arriving in the late afternoon.

After transferring to your hotel the evening is free. Thamel is a few minutes' walk for last-minute shopping — and if you enjoyed Marpha, bottles of its apple brandy are widely sold in Kathmandu. Overnight in Kathmandu.

Your final day in Nepal. If your flight leaves later there is time for one more site in the Kathmandu Valley — Pashupatinath, the great Shiva temple on the Bagmati, pairs naturally with a trek that visited Muktinath, and Boudhanath and Swayambhunath are both close by.

Our representative collects you from your hotel and transfers you to Tribhuvan International Airport approximately three hours before departure.

The Lower Mustang trek packs a great deal into a short itinerary: a flight through the deepest gorge on earth, the medieval village of Kagbeni, the sacred springs and eternal flame at Muktinath, and the apple orchards of Marpha. If the high desert appealed, Upper Mustang and the walled city of Lo Manthang are the natural next step. Safe travels.