Weather and Best Time
The gigantic icy walls of Dhaulagiri and Annapurna allow only a small amount of monsoon cloud inside Upper Mustang. The terrain here is therefore much like that of a desert, which experiences cold nights, windy afternoons, and sunny days.
This makes autumn (September-November) and spring (March-May) the most appropriate and beautiful times for the Upper Mustang trek. With the consistent climatic pattern, blue skies, and cool days, these two seasons also allow you to see the Tiji festival delights in May and Yarunga colors in September.
The summer/monsoon of June to August will be extremely dry and hot, while December, January, and February are extremely frigid, forcing locals to see warmer places shutting down their lodges.
Difficulty
The Upper Mustang trek 15 days trip, offers a level II moderate hiking experience with average elevations occurring between 3600 and 4200 m, while the peak altitude will reach atop Marang La pass at 4230 m.
Once regarded as a tough journey, the Upper Mustang trek has now become easier thanks to developed roads and improved tea houses, thus increasing comfort and flexibility.
The high arid passes en route are easy to overcome, though they do involve sudden elevation changes. The everyday treks are also limited to 20 km per day, taking around 5 to 6 hours.
Our Upper Mustang trek itinerary has also planned a well-placed acclimatization day and a low-paced travel program, thus making it suitable also to those who are quite sensitive to high elevations.
Overall, the Upper Mustang trek doesn’t contain physically straining sections, making it perfect for all hiking enthusiasts without the concern of experience and fitness.
Altitude Sickness/Acute Mountain Sickness/AMS
The high altitude of Upper Mustang, although remaining below 5000 m, still poses a slight risk of AMS. The dry mineral landscape and the dry air of Upper Mustang, lacking oxygen amount are also contributing factors for the rise of AMS during the journey.
Thus, throughout our Upper Mustang trek itinerary, we have implemented a low, relaxed pace with the acclimatization day at Lo Manthang.
However, the newcomers, and even those who have already ventured to high elevation treks, may sometimes go through the minor signs of AMS such as headaches, exhaustion, vomiting, sleep loss, and dizziness.
If this occurs, Diamox can surely help, but be aware of its diuretic effects. Also, always emphasize drinking more water (recommended amount 3 to 4 liters) when trekking in the arid zone of Upper Mustang.
Preparation and Fitness
The Upper Mustang trek no doubt involves a lot of walking for 12 straight days with alternating journeys and crossings of various high, dry passes.
Although the route and the passes are not technically demanding, they still demand the strength of your leg muscles and heart. Thus, start strengthening them at least one to two months before your Upper Mustang trek 15 days trip begins.
Create a routine containing walking, jogging, swimming, running, and cycling. For crossing the passes, stair climbing will be the most beneficial exercise.
Additionally, the Upper Mustang trek will challenge your mental toughness and resilience. Upper Mustang is often linked to Tibet only for its landscape and culture, but not for its level of development.
So be ready for the simple living environment, sudden shifting of climate, howling winds in the afternoon, and cold nights.
Food and Accommodation
On our Upper Mustang trek 15 days trip, 3A Adventure will fully manage your accommodation and meals at every overnight stop. In Pokhara, you will stay at a well-regarded three-star hotel by Lake Phewa, which will offer you a twin-sharing room with an attached bath, hot water, and WiFi.
You can also elevate your stay in Pokhara by upgrading to a single private room or choosing four or five-star resort hotels for a tiny surcharge amount.
When trekking through the picturesque villages of Lower and Upper Mustang, such as Kagbeni, Jomsom, Syangboche, Ghami, Tsarang, Lo Manthang, Chhusang, and Muktinath, you will stay in better guesthouses that also include attached baths.
However, in Samar and Chele, the lodges will be simpler and offer only minimal comforts.
As for meals, breakfast in Pokhara, as well as meals throughout the trek, will be hosted by 3A Adventure. Please note that any drinks and beverages will be your responsibility.
In lower Mustang villages, the dining menu will be wide and varied, but with travel through Upper Mustang, the menu will be mainly traditional Tibetan and Nepali food such as dal vat, momos, and noodles.
Transportation
3A Adventure private pick-up and drop-off 4 by 4 vehicles will be ready to transfer you from the airports to your hotel and vice versa. We will also see to your trekking pick-ups and drop-offs in a car, bus, jeep, or van.
A tourist bus will be arranged for your to and fro journeys between Kathmandu-Pokhara. We will also handle the round-trip flights between Pokhara-Jomsom.
If you decide to travel to Chhoser Valley in a jeep or a horse, the incurred in situ price will, however, be your responsibility.
Please note that you can also upgrade you travel mode to Pokhara by a flight from Kathmandu for a small surcharge.
Communication
In Upper Mustang, you will see that almost all locals hold mobile phones in their hands, which indicates that the mobile network in their region has been fully developed.
So, you will have a flawless mobile signal all through the journey in the Upper Mustang trek via Namaste Telecom or Ncell. You can stick to using the traditional physical SIM cards or choose eSIM cards for your communication needs.
Additionally, the guesthouses in Upper and Lower Mustang are also capable of offering you their WiFi, which will be pretty excellent except at Syangboche, Ghami, and Chele villages. In such a case, a 4G network of Ncell or Namaste will do the work for you.
Permit
Kindly understand that Upper Mustang trek access is limited to only a few tourists every year because of its restricted designation. The region needs a special entry cost that will be a whopping US Dollars 500 per tourist for a ten-day permit and an additional US Dollars 50 for each added day.
Also note that this permit will be issued through only registered tour and travel operators like 3A Adventure. Apart from this special Upper Mustang permit, the trek also mandates the necessity of the ACAP (Annapurna Conservation Area Permit) and the TIMS (Trekkers Information Management System) Card.
The NPR 3000 fare for the ACAP and the NPR 2000 payment for the TIMS will be paid by 3A Adventure.
Nepal Tourist Visa
As for any country, Nepal also needs you to acquire its tourist visa before you enter its beautiful land. However, unlike others, purchasing a tourist visa has been made easier and more convenient.
Instead of visiting and applying to the Nepal Embassy or consulate office in your country, you can directly get the Nepal visa once you arrive at TIA. You will see several computers in the airport where you can enter your information and print the ticket.
Then, pay for the Nepal visa, which costs based on the duration you want to spend here. The standard duration and rate include 15 days for US$30, 30 days for US$50, or 90 days for US$125.
Show the payment voucher at the Nepal Immigration counter and get your visa added to your passport.
Travel Insurance
Travel insurance should be the essential preparation that you must make for the Upper Mustang trek 15 days trip. After all, Upper Mustang is a very special region of Nepal that also obligates a special permit, for which your insurance policy paper must be shown to the authorities.
However, understand that your standard travel insurance will not be acceptable for the Upper Mustang trek. It should have included coverage for the helicopter search and rescue up to 5000 m altitude in the Himalayas.
For the comprehensive guarding of your health and trip cost, we also suggest you to include the accidental coverage, luggage protection coverage, and trip postponement along with the extra stay anywhere along the route of the Upper Mustang trek.
Extra Expenses
In our Upper Mustang trek, you will have to occasionally take out your purse for the payment of your lunch and dinners in Pokhara, additional nights in the city, expenses for WiFi, device charging, beverages, hot showers, and tipping for your guide and porter.
Since our Upper Mustang trek itinerary directly begins with a Pokhara drive, thus we also have not included your Kathmandu meals and accommodation cost.
Likewise, the upgrade cost for the Pokhara flight, along with the horse or jeep ride towards Chhoser Valley, will also have to be seen by yourself. Other services that we have not looked after include your international air tickets, personal insurance, and Nepal Visa fees.
Private or Group Trip
We acknowledge the fact that while trekking and traveling, some of you may wish to have your own space, while some may prefer to have some control and flexibility to rest or trek whenever they like.
You may also be someone who enjoys a very close encounter with the natural wonders of Nepal. In such a case, 3A Adventure also offers a private Upper Mustang trek, where you will travel exclusively with our guide and porter, along with the partner you choose to accompany you.
The costs for our private trips are also similar to those of group trips, with not much significant difference in price. However, if you don’t mind joining others and want to expand your social network, our group Upper Mustang trek is also available, where we keep the group size as small as we can.
