Arrival in Kathmandu

Sightseeing around Kathmandu Valley

You take the short but scenic 30 minute flight to Pokhara, enjoying the views of Ganesh, Manaslu and the Annapurnas along the way. You will stay in a nice hotel in Pokhara.

You take the spectacular early morning flight to Jomsom (famous for its apples) where you meet at the tiny airstrip by our trek crew. After some initial preparation of loads, you begin our trek to the pretty village of Kagbeni. Just out of Jomsom we cross a small suspension bridge and then walk along the riverbank of the Kali Gandaki. The trail is flat and quite barren, with craggy rocks and sand littering the trail. This makes it very easy going. You will get magnificent views of huge peaks such as Dhaulagiri, Tukuche and Nilgiri, whilst to the south the entire Annapurna massif can be seen. Kagbeni with its narrow alleyways and tunnels, irrigation canals, fields of wheat and barley and a large red Gompa, give you a preview of scenes that you would come across in Upper Mustang. At the north end of the village there is the police check-post. Here you will complete your paperwork before entering this long forbidden region of Nepal.

You climb above Samar to a ridge and then descend into a large gorge past a Chorten before entering another valley filled with juniper trees. You then cross a stream and after climbing to a pass, descend along a ridge to Shyangmochen, a tiny settlement with a few tea shops. Nearby is Rangbyung, a cave containing stalagmites which have formed in the shape of Chorten and one of the holiest places in Mustang. The trail climbs gently from Shyangmochen and you enter another huge valley before descending to Geling with its extensive fields of barley. Like in all settlements of Mustang, the white and ochre-painted houses in Geling are constructed using mud and stones. The roofs are made of twigs, straw and a mixture of mud and pebbles.

From Geling, the trail climbs gently through fields, up the center of the valley, passing above the settlement of Tama Gun and an imposing Chorten. You then begin a taxing climb across the head of the valley to the Nyi La [3840m]. The descent from the pass is quite gentle and about half an hour further on we come to a trail junction; the right trail is the direct route to Charang, the left trail leads to Ghami. Ghami is a large white-washed village sheltered by overhanging cliffs.
Today’s walk is through perhaps the driest part of Mustang, and much of your energy will be spent negotiating the loose, dry soil. However, the magnificent views of the countryside, from the gentle contours of the north to the rugged mountains in the east and west, more than compensates for the hard climb. Finally, we come to Charang, a large spread-out village at the top of the Charang Chu canyon. At the eastern end of the village are a huge dzong [fortress] and a red gompa which houses an excellent collection of statues and thangkas.

You begin your return journey from Lo Manthang, taking the upper highland route. This highland route offers dramatic views of Lo Manthang and the Charang Valley, with snow clad peaks in the background. Just past the settlement of Lo Gekar, you reach the oldest monastery in Mustang, the Ghare Gompa.  

You continue the journey on the highland route, crossing alpine meadows before dropping down a steep eroded gully to Dhakmar for lunch. After lunch, you walk through the pretty valley, climb to a ridge and descend from there back to Ghami.

Now you must retrace the route back over the Nyi La to Chhuksang.

It's a long and final day, passing back through Kagbeni to Jomsom where you end the trek. It's now time for you to take a nice hot shower. In the evening, you celebrate with the Sherpas and porters, whom you have come to know so well over the last 2 weeks.

You will take a spectacular early morning flight along the Kali Gandaki gorge to Pokhara and catch a connecting flight back to Kathmandu

Rest Day in Kathmandu

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