Horse Back Riding Trek to Upper Mustang – 18 Days

• Upper Mustang’s stunning natural beauty includes the towering peaks of the Himalayas and deep gorges carved by the Kali Gandaki River.

• Explore the harsh desert landscape dotted with ancient Buddhist monasteries and traditional villages.

• Immerse yourself in Mustang’s unique culture, visit centuries-old monasteries and temples, and experience the warmth and hospitality of the locals.

• Feel the thrill of driving through this breathtaking landscape, with expert guides ensuring your safety and enjoyment.

• An opportunity to disconnect from the world and immerse yourself in nature, with no other distractions than the breathtaking landscapes that surround you.

• All airport/hotel transfers are by private vehicle.
• Three nights’ accommodation in a deluxe hotel in Kathmandu on a twin- or double-sharing basis on the BB plan.
• Two nights’ accommodation in a deluxe hotel in Pokhara on a twin/double sharing basis on the BB plan.
• Round-trip domestic flights from Kathmandu to Pokhara.
• Round-trip domestic flights from Pokhara to Jomsom.
• All accommodations at tea houses and a full board meal (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) are provided during the trekking trail.
• An experienced, licensed English-speaking guide and porters.
• 1 horse (for each individual) and horse man.
• Salary, food, accommodation, and travel insurance for guide, porter and horseman.
• All necessary permits (TIMS, park fees, restricted area permits, and World Heritage Site entry fees, where applicable)
• A comprehensive medical kit.
• All government and local taxes.

• Nepal Visa Fee
• International airfare to and from Kathmandu
• Meals in Kathmandu
• Any kind of refreshment beverage or alcohol
• Lunch and evening meals in Kathmandu in cases of early arrival, late departure, and early return from the mountains (due to any reason) than the scheduled itinerary.
• Travel and rescue insurance
• Personal expenses (phone calls, laundry, bar bills, battery recharge, extra porters, bottle or boiled water, shower, etc.)
• Any extra costs resulting from cancellation, landslide, weather, political unrest, or illness
• Tips for guides, drivers, and porters

● Duffel/Rucksack bag/Suitcase

● Day bag.( Small handbag)

● Trekking shoes

● Sports shoes or sandals.

● Sun Hat/cap

● Warm woolen cap

● Trekking jacket Gore tex/ fleece jacket

● Pullover or warm sweeter

● Raincoat

● 4/5 pairs of good qualities shock

● Hand gloves

● 2/3 pairs of Trekking trousers

● 3/4 pairs of trekking shirts

● 3/4 pairs of Underwear

● Eye glass

● Water bottle

● 4 seasons Sleeping bag

● Flash or Torch light

● Camera and batteries.

Trekking Group

For lodge and teahouse trekking, we ensure the standard group size, not exceed 16 pax. We believe we can maintain the quality of our services for 16 participants in each group. Please note some restricted trekking areas will require at least two participants to get permits. Individual and solo trekkers are allowed in other trekking regions.

For this trek we provide one licensed professional guide who can communicate or speak in English, one porter for every two participants and one assistant guide for more than 12 pax. A group of 16 participants will have one complimentary group leader. Our trekking guides and porters are well informed about their responsibilities. And the porters can carry up to 20kg of weight. Our field staff will also include one guide who is adept in administering first aid.

Accommodations

The accommodations are chosen based on trekking itinerary, comfort level, budget and interests of trekkers and accessibility in terms of scenery and trail. Most arrangements are made on Bed & Breakfast basis, double/twin sharing in Lodges/Tea houses and Deluxe – Star Hotels in cities. Depending upon your interests, a wide range of hotels are available in city areas such as Kathmandu, Pokhara, etc. and during the trekking trail, there are plenty of lodges, teahouses, guesthouses and sometimes even hotels for accommodation. A Teahouse/Lodge trek is where trekkers stay in lodges and guesthouses along the trail as opposed to tents/camping. Such Teahouses/Lodges are run either by local families or are community-based which offers simple to moderate facilities, with simple beds, solar-powered hot water and a limited set of cuisines/meals.

For this trek we offer two types of accommodation, ‘Deluxe Hotel’ in the city and ‘Teahouse/Lodge’ during the trekking trail. The Hotels and Teahouses have been selected by the Asia Buddhist Tours & Treks after personal inspection. We look at the conditions of the inns, local hygiene, quality of food, type of service and more. All rooms are double occupancy, but you can request a single occupancy room for an additional fee. However, sometimes single rooms are not available in some places, depending upon seasonality with limited choices available in peak season. We do work to provide the best possible options when trekking in the High Himalayas.

Meals

Touristic cities such as Kathmandu, Pokhara, offer some of the finest dining restaurants. Get spoiled with unlimited choices for cuisines, ranging from local Nepali food to international delicacies. In contrast, there might not be as much variety of cuisines available on the trekking trail. Trekking lodges and small eateries along the trail will offer you basic diets such as Nepali Dal Bhat, sandwich, apple pie and pizza and regular beverages. However, you will get to enjoy mostly organic food on trekking trails.

For this trek we offer you full board (Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner) local or best available continental food as per menu on your choice and 3 cups of tea/coffee per day. Please note that full board meals are not included during your transition stay in city areas, guests will have to pay for the meals (dinner and lunch), alcohol, hot & cold beverages and mineral water.

Upon your arrival at Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan International Airport, our representative will meet you and transfer you to your hotel. You can spend the day exploring the city or resting after your flight.

This is a day allocated for you to spend sightseeing in and around Kathmandu. After breakfast, our tour guide will take you on a drive to see some of the most famous tourist attractions in Kathmandu. On this day, you will visit three world heritage sites, namely Swoyambhu, or Monkey Temple and, Boudhanath. Learn about the history of Buddhism in Nepal, meet red-robed monks, and make a parikrama of the two biggest Buddhist stupas in the world. Kathmandu Durbar Square offers you the chance to relish the most illustrious Newari architecture and artwork that are centuries old. In the evening, you can take a stroll through the busy streets of Thamel. Stay overnight in Kathmandu.

After breakfast, you will take a scenic flight from Kathmandu to Pokhara, which takes around 25 minutes. You will have the rest of the day to explore the beautiful city of Pokhara.

In the morning, after breakfast, you will take a 30-minute scenic flight from Pokhara to Jomsom. Once you arrive in Jomsom, check into your hotel and take some rest before the horseback riding trek the next day. Stay overnight at Jomsom.

Today, you will begin your horseback ride from Jomsom to Kagbeni, a picturesque town at the entrance to Upper Mustang. During the journey, you will pass the Ekle Bhatti settlement and the Kagbeni checkpoint as you travel across the Kali Gandaki riverbed.

After lunch at Kagbeni, you will continue your horseback trek towards the Chusang, passing through the villages while enjoying the mind-blowing landscapes. Stay overnight at Chusang.

After breakfast, you will continue your journey through the narrow gorge of the Kali Gandaki River, passing by some beautiful caves and ancient Tibetan villages. You will then ascend to the Yamda La Pass (3,850m) before descending to the village of Samar.

You will have lunch at Samar and then continue your ride to the Chungsi cave, a beautiful cave monastery situated on a cliff. Explore the cave and enjoy the stunning views of the surrounding landscapes. From there, you will continue your ride to Syanboche, a small village with a few lodges and stunning views of the Nilgiri and Tilicho peaks. Stay the night in Syanboche.

Another day on the trail, you’ll begin your day by riding your horse toward the lovely village of Ghami, which is surrounded by buckwheat and barley fields. You can visit the village as well as the Ghami monastery.

After lunch, you will resume your journey to Dhakmar, passing several beautiful chortens and mani walls along the way. Before turning in for the evening, you can tour the Dhakmar monastery and the settlement.

Today, you will ride to Lo Ghagar, a lovely village nestled beneath the cliffs of the Mustang Himal. You can explore the village and continue your ride towards Lomanthan after lunch. You can explore the village and visit the historic Lomanthan Palace before retiring for the night.

Today you will spend a full day exploring Lo Manthang as part of acclimatization. Lo Manthang is home to centuries-old gompas, a royal palace, and a lively monastic community. Among the places of interest are Jampa Lakhang, Thubchen Gompa, Chode Gompa, Tingkhar Gompa, Namgyal Gompa, Choprang Gompa, and the royal palace.

After breakfast, you will begin your ride to Dhi. After lunch, you will continue your ride toward Ghara. This is a relatively easy day, with a gentle ascent along the Kali Gandaki River. You will pass through small villages and enjoy beautiful views of the surrounding hills and mountains. Overnight stay in Ghara

Today, after breakfast, you will ride to Luri Gumba, a Buddhist monastery that dates back to the 13th century. The trail passes through some rugged terrain, but your horse will make the journey comfortable. At Luri Gumba, you can explore the ancient monastery and take in the stunning views of the surrounding landscape. After exploration, you will descend to Ghara. After lunch, you will ride to Dhey Khola, a small village that is home to the Magar people. You will have the opportunity to interact with the locals and learn about their way of life. Overnight stay in Dhey Khola

Today’s ride takes you through beautiful forests and along the Kali Gandaki River. You will pass through several small villages and enjoy stunning views of the Himalayan peaks. En route, you will have your packed lunch and continue your journey towards Tange. Overnight stay in Tange.

Today, you will ride to Tetang, a picturesque village with traditional Tibetan-style houses. You will have the opportunity to explore the village and visit the local monastery. You will also need to pack a lunch today because there are no hotels along the route. Overnight stay in Tetang.

Today’s ride is the most challenging of the trek as you climb up to Muktinath, a sacred site for both Hindus and Buddhists. En route, enjoy your packed lunch. Overnight stay in Muktinath.

Today, you will ride to Lupra, a village that is known for its apple orchards and traditional houses. You will have the opportunity to taste some local apple products and learn about the local culture. After lunch, you will enjoy last day of the ride from Lupra to Jomsom. Overnight stay in Jomsom.

After breakfast, you will say goodbye to your horse and guide before departing from Jomsom. You will take a flight to Pokhara. After lunch, explore the beautiful city of Pokhara.

Enjoy the breakfast and prepare yourself for a 30-minute flight to Kathmandu. In the evening, enjoy the farewell dinner and stay overnight in Kathmandu.

Depending on the timing of your international flight, our staff will drop you at the Tribhuvan International Airport. We hope to see you again in Nepal.

Upper Mustang is a restricted area. On Upper Mustang trek you will enter the dry arid Tibet-like region following a trail along Kali Gandaki and Marshyangdi River. This a high mountainous region where facility of hotels and lodges are limited. Mobile and internet communication might not be available in higher region, especially in Upper Mustang.

The maximum elevation of in Upper Mustang trek is around 3700m. The trekking trail is well established and quite straightforward. So Upper Mustang trek should not be a great challenge for you in terms of difficulty.

Physical and mental preparedness is mandatory to do this trek. Prior experience of trekking in the Himalayas or adequate training in endurance skills is highly recommended. Please consult with your trekking guide to get in depth knowledge about the climate, altitude and geography.

The program cost we offer to you is both comparative and reasonable. Since we practice sustainable tourism, we attempt to give the best experience to our tourists while ensuring equal economic dividends to locals of the host destination and our staff. We do not overprice and we discourage unhealthy practices of undercutting. We believe in providing quality service to our guests at a sustainable competitive price.

Yes, you can always customize the itinerary according to your requirements. We are quite flexible in re-designing the itinerary by taking into consideration your time availability and needs.

We are flexible in designing programs that suit your interests and needs. Feel free to let us know what you prefer and what your choices are. You can combine two or three trek programs in one go or even more. Alternatively you can go for tour and trek programs combinedly. We are open to any set of combinations you want to pursue.

You can cancel the trip if you have personal reasons to do so. Please read our Terms & Conditions for refund details.