Upper Mustang Trek

<p>You will arrive to Kathmandu today. Himalaya Heart representative will welcome you at the airport and take you to the hotel where we will meet to talk about the trip in details. We will discuss any questions you may have in the meeting. The arrival day is your free and relaxing day. There is no activity planned to do except the meeting at the hotel.</p>

<p>A cultural exploration around Kathmandu today.Explore the amazing historic and cultural sites during the full day around Kathmandu. We visit different World Heritage Sites of Kathmandu to learn something about the life in the capital city. The tour mixes culture, history and spirituality together to give you an exceptional city touring experience.</p>

<p>Our whole team leaves for Pokhara today. You will check out the hotel after breakfast and board the vehicle to drive to Pokhara, 200 kilometers west of Kathmandu. The drive will be an excellent experience of Nepali highway drive. The drive will be of about six hours and will go past several towns along the highway. You will enjoy the view of natural surroundings and river valleys. </p><p></p><p>When we reach Pokhara, it will give you a welcoming gesture with stunning views of the mountains on a clear day. You will have a nice time at leisure to explore the peaceful lakeside and the town.</p>

<p>We are taking an incredible flight to Jomsom alongside the massive mountain range of the Annapurna and Dhaulagiri. About 20 minutes of flight will take us past breathtaking Annapurna range of the Himalayas and through the Kali Gandaki River valley towards Jomsom. We will meet our trekking crew at Jomsom and get ready for the trekking of the day. </p><p></p><p>We set off on the first day of trekking to Upper Mustang. Our trek for the day will take us to Kagbeni village on the bank of Kali Gandaki River where we stay overnight.</p>

<p>After the formalities of presenting our restricted area trekking permits we set off on our journey, It is a windy region along the valley later in the day so we need to get moving early in the morning ,some good views of Mount Nilgiri glowing orange in the first rays of the sun as we set off. Taking the western route, we follow the east bank of the river until we reach the end of a broad crossing over the river at Chuksang, where we cross the Kali Gandaki. The trail ascends providing a good view of the village, the valley and Nilgiri.We continue eastwards to flat, arid, desert-like land. The scenery is surreal,very characteristic of Mustang with red sandstone pillars and rock formations and colors, formed by thousands of years of erosion and the crust of the land continuing to force its way ever upwards. The first main village we reach is Tangbe with its distinguished red and whitewashed houses, on the other side of the river from here are caves perched high in a vertical wall, which were inhabited in previous times. Chaile from here can be seen as a small white dot at the end of the canyon. The trail descends gradually to the river-bed an area well known for its fossils.Our trek up the valley ends abruptly at a vertical cliff where there is a bridge that crosses the Kali Gandaki river which flows through a natural tunnel in the cliff. The valley narrows further north and a steep trail leads us up to Chaile,Chaile is a small town with some good views towards the Himalayas. Overnight Lodge.</p>

<p>We start with a steep climb following the trail westwards when we reach the viewpoint of Ghyakar on the opposite side of a deep canyon we need to turn right, following the gorge. The landscape is eirie yet stunning, running high up above the path as if gouged out the rock falls in an almost sheer drop for more than 100 meters.An hour or so later we reach a pass that offers a good view of Samar along with the Kali Gandaki Valley with snow-capped peaks in the distance. After trekking through Samar we cross a side-valley, descending to its base before crossing over a creek, then a steep descent up again on the other side. Two hours or so from Samar there is a very interesting red painted cave monastery, which looks as if it is hanging on to the vertical wall. It is very sacred known as Rangchyung Chorten it is one of the most sacred places in Mustang. Its name means ‘the chorten that formed itself’, because inside thereare two large stalagmites in a chorten-like formation. Two famous Buddhist teachers, Padmasambh ava and Atisha stayed in this cave centuries ago. Many prayer flags adorn the ceiling and pilgrims have left small clay figures and other offerings inside.</p><p>We then enter a forest type area of small trees and green bushes able to survive in the narrow gorge because of the high vertical walls that keep them cool and sufficiently moist. Soon the valley broadens out as we pass in front of caves which are temporary homes for the herders whose animals graze here. Sometimes it is possible to see the rare blue mountain sheep in this area. The walk to Shyangboche is a long one, it is not that difficult, but a constant climb provoking a feeling that the destination is an illusion, until finally a cluster of houses appear. It is a lot colder here. Overnight Lodge.</p>

<p>Today’s trek begins with the first of today’s three high passes, Yanda La, we trek past a distinctive red Chorten painted with Buddhism’s eight auspicious symbols. From the pass a terraced valley with groups of yellowish trees appears and above the village of Ghelung there are two red Gompas.Ghelung differs from other villages in Mustang, where houses are built close together and look fortress-like. The village is spread out on a wide carpet of green giveing the impression of being a fairly affluent little community. Above the village are barren, brown hills and we can see another pass we need to negotiate Nyi La pass straight ahead. After the pass the path descends gradually towards the Ghami La pass trekking past a rundown, deserted village downstream. By now the landscape is even more rugged – a deep riverbed snakes its way down the red cliffs, ahead are hills resembling enormous red and colourful sand-dunes. Another broad valley approaches from the left side and in its centre is Ghami, Mustang’s third largest town. Ghami sits high above the river and surrounded by fields. Overnight Lodge.</p>

<p>On leaving Ghami we pass an incredible Mani (parayer) wall – approximately 1000m long and Mustangs longest. It is decorated with simple carvings and very much typical and in tune with the surrounding scenery. A group of Chortens stand erect in front of the red wall which forms the end of the valley.The architecture is hard to distinguish going hand in handmore like an organic extension of the nature here. The legend here of which there are many is on the death of the famous Guru Rinpoche (Padmasambhava) who came to the area to fight and destroy a demon, its intestines landed at the site where the Mani wall stands, its lungs near the red cliffs behind and its heart at the spot where Mustang’s oldest monastery, Lo Gekar, was built. We make a steady climb up to a pass 3820m where a lunar-looking stretches as far as the eye can see. This is barren country with no sign of vegetation or human life, hill after barren hill with a distinctively haunting beauty. The first indication of human life is found at the Tsarang Chorten – the large red-painted Stupa standing alone, further down the trail the monastery palace of Tsarang can be distinguished in the fields. A wide road leads us to Tsarang, Mustang’s second town, with around 1000 inhabitants. Overnight Lodge</p>

<p>We start today along flat terrain apart from a chorten and a few caves it is barrenness all the way. We cross over a pass through two rocks that form a natural gate to finally reach our destination the ancient Kingdom Lo Manthang where we spend two nights with a full day to soak up Lo Manthang.</p>

<p>The day is set aside to explore the cultural wonders of Lo Manthang and its surroundings today. We visit three major gompas of the town namely Jhampa, Thupchen and Chhoeda. All of these gompas have undergone expert restoration over the last two decades. We also have the optional trek to Tingkhar which is a beautiful village located north-west of Lo-Mangthang. Overnight in Lo Manthang.</p>

<p>As we have already reached the final destination of the trek, we trek back to Dhakmar today. With a trek over Marang La, a high Himalayan pass, which stands at the elevation of 4,300 meters, wonderful views.We take a different route back on our return from Lo-Manthang. Our trail passes through Gyakar village which houses a century old Ghar Gompa with some interesting rock paintings. According to a local legend, anyone who makes a wish at the Gompa will have it fulfilled. We explore the Gompa and continue our trek to Drakmar for our overnight stay.</p>

<p>We start our trek early to avoid strong winds prevalent to this particular area, most of the day is spent descending. Our trail passes through a dry plateau and fields before reaching Ghiling. The walk can be quite difficult at times as we are most likely to experience strong winds against us. Ghiling has some good views of Dhaulagiri and Nilgiri mountains. We have enough time to look around the village in the evening. Overnight in Ghiling.</p>

<p>We begin our trek after breakfast we are now walking on the same trail as we did on the way up to Lo Manthang. There are some great views of the Himalayas and small villages we pass en route. Overnight in Chhuksang</p>

<p>We start today with with an uphill to reach a pass of 3970m. From here we have a beautiful view of the white capped mountains and barren landscape of Mustang. Then it is downhill to Muktinath. a world famous pilgrimage for all the Hindus and many Buddhists. It is a moderate walk down to Muktinath, with stunning views of Dhaulagiri and Annapurna. There are 108 springs which have their source in or around Muktinath and bathing here is believed to bring good luck. Many people also collect the spring water in bottles to take home to relatives. Also at Muktinath there is the legendary flame coming out of a rock, around which a Buddhist temple has been created.We overnight here.</p>

<p>The last day of the trek We trek back to Jomsom an easy day as we are descending we stop at Kagbeni for lunch before continuing on to Jomsom for our final night in the mountains.Time to reflect have a hot shower and some good food.</p>

<p>Time to say goodbye to what has been a truly amazing experience. After breakfast we go to the airport to catch the flight to Pokhara. The flight is a fitting end to a wonderful trek as we cut through the Annapurnas with inspiring views of both the Annapurna and Dhaulagiri Himalayan Ranges. Upon arrival at Pokhara and after the transfer to the hotel the rest of the day is free to explore this beautiful lake town, chill out in a restaurant by the lake or go boating .The mountains however have not left us as Pokhara has perhaps the best mountain backdrop anywhere in the world. Overnight Hotel.</p>

<p>Drive back to Kathmandu and transfer to our hotel the rest of the day is free. You also have an option to fly back to Kathmandu at an additional cost.We usually organise a farewell dinner.</p>

<p>Today its time to move on we hope you have had a great time with us and we would like to meet again in the future. If you are flying today.we will drop you at the airport as per your flight schedule or assist you with any other move.</p>