Kingdom of Mustang and secret caves

Departure by car to Pokhara. The route begins with magnificent views of the Trisuli River valley, then through beautiful tropical landscapes, before heading back to Pokhara and overlooking the Annapurna Mountains and Machhapuchhare. Free time in Pokhara.

Transportation: by private car (6 to 8 hours) or group transport if less than 4 participants
Meals: breakfast – lunch – dinner
Accommodation: Night at the hotel

Flight to Jomosom, the administrative capital of the region, then we drive along the Kali Gandaki River to reach Kagbeni, the Mustang gate, a small oasis of greenery, at the junction of the Jhong rivers Khola and Kali Gandaki. Free time and acclimatization in Kagbeni. NB: flight not guaranteed and subject to the vagaries of weather conditions and available places. Since 2017 only the Tara Airline operates these flights and this poses problems of availability of places. The flight can be replaced by a long day of driving (8 to 10 hours) on an uncomfortable track.

Transfer: private vehicle (30 mn) and regular flight (30 mn)
Altitude end of the day: 2 810 m
Meals: breakfast – lunch – dinner
Accommodation: in lodge

We take a vehicle to go to Samar. For this stage, there is no other alternative than to walk on a track. So we opted for a transfer by jeep. Leaving the village we pass the check post and show our permits for the top Mustang. We leave the lower Mustang, go through the village of Tangbe. We then continue our route along the stream to Chuksang. In front of the village a magnificent cliff and many caves. We follow the Kali Gandaki called here Mustang Khola. We cross a bridge on foot and change vehicles. The track leads us to Chele where we discover vertical manis, which is unusual. We arrive at a pass at 3 500 m from where the view of the snow-capped mountains is magnificent. We descend to the village of Samar which is an important caravan stop. Samar in Tibetan means ”red earth”. Walk in the wooded village of willows and poplars. We see the fields of barley and wheat. In the distance Nilgiri (7,134 m) and Tilicho (7,161 m) dominates us.

Transfer: private vehicle (3 hours)
Number of hours of walking: 1 hour.
Altitude difference: + 200m / – 200m – Altitude end of the day: 3,640m
Meals: breakfast – lunch – dinner
Accommodation: in lodge

We go around 2 rocky spurs leaving the village before descending into the bed of Syangboche river, at the bend of the road we see the cave of the same name in which Guru Rinpoche (the founder of Tibetan Buddhism) meditated ) in the 8th century. We visit this cave temple where a hermit lives and then we go up by a gorge before the valley finally widens. We climb a pass at 3850 m before descending to the village of Geling. After finding the monk who holds the keys, we discover the beautiful red monastery overlooking the village.

Number of hours of walking: 6 hours.
Visits included: Chungsi Cave in Syangboche and Geling Monastery.
Elevation gain: + 750 m / – 820 m – Altitude end of the day: 3,570 m
Meals: breakfast – lunch – dinner
Accommodation: in lodge

From Geling, to avoid the track, we follow a path of ridges that starts from the gompa. We are getting used to moving between heaven and earth. We then go down on Ghemi. In the afternoon, we make a round trip to the foot of the shining cliffs of Dhakmar (2 hours).

Number of hours of walking: 3 hours (round trip to the cliffs add 2 hours)
Elevation gain: + 500 m / – 500 m (return trip to the cliffs + 300 m / – 300 m) Altitude at the end of the day : 3 650 m
Accommodation: night in lodge
Meals: breakfast – lunch – dinner

Still on our ”route bis to avoid the track”, we reach the abandoned village of Akiama before climbing into an atmosphere of colorful detritic rocks on a tapered ridge and we begin our second day between heaven and earth. It’s a jagged course for another vision of the famous cliffs! Gentle slope down to Dhakmar.

Number of hours of walking: 6 hours
Altitude difference: + 830 m / – 900 m – Altitude at the end of the day: 3 580 m
Accommodation: night in the lodge
Meals: breakfast – lunch – dinner

We start the day with a climb between beautiful conglomerate towers. After a pass, we arrive at the beautiful monastery of Lo Gekar (the pure virtue of Lo), which dates from the 11th century and houses beautiful paintings and sculptures. The peace that emanates from these places invites to meditation …. or nap! Then, after crossing a wide moraine confluence, we pass a pass that gives access to a path in balcony drawn at the base of the mountains that separate the Mustang from Dolpo. Beautiful panoramas on the East part of Mustang. Possibility of meetings with nomads (if the season is not too advanced …). The crossing of the last ridge reveals the plateau in the middle of which is built the capital of Mustang, Lo Manthang, towards which we descend through lush green pastures.

Number of hours of walking: around 7 hours.
Elevation gain: + 900 m / – 830 m – Altitude end of the day: 3 780 m
Meals: breakfast – lunch – dinner
Accommodation: in lodge

Day are dedicated to the discovery of the capital of the ”Kingdom of Lo” (Mustang) and its surroundings. We discover the closed city and its neat alleys. We visit three gompas of the city. We discover the palace of Champa Lhakang, where it was sometimes possible to ask audience to the king of Mustang, Jigme Dorje Wangchuk. The monasteries of Tupchen and Choede as well as the museum. On the occasion, it will be possible to hunt in the souvenir vendors … Then in the afternoon, it is a small quiet loop that allows us to discover the north-west region of Lo Manthang forgotten tourism well that very close to the capital. We embark on a new ridge course to visit Fort Ame Pal, the first king of Mustang and the gompa ”black monkey”. Back to Lo Manthang.

Meals: breakfast – lunch – dinner
Accommodation: in the lodge
Visits included: Champa Lhakang, the monasteries of Tupchen and Choede as well as the museum.
Altitude end of the day: 3 780 m

We visit the Choeser Valley with the monasteries of Ni-Phu and Gar-Phu and the troglodyte caves. We then head to the village of Bharcha to go to the Konchok Ling cave. This famous Kongchok Ling cave was discovered by a shepherd in 2007 and holds an exceptional treasure, namely Buddhist murals dating from the twelfth century. From Bharcha we ascend the broad river valley, a valley contained between two walls hemmed with multicolored penitents. We spend a big chorten then we take a good zigzag path in the middle of a delirious geological delirium. We arrive on a hillock for a panorama overlooking the whole region and among others the forts of Kimbu. We go down to the door hidden behind a rocky ”canine”. We continue downhill on a slightly smaller path on the cliff side. We pass some buildings in ruins before walking on the wire of a narrow ridge. We leave our backpack, we return to the ground and we engage on this slope in which have been carved some steps that help us to progress downwards, on a vertiginous passage. We arrive at the end of the hand on a track with a narrow flank for a journey of some 200 m to arrive a dozen meters below the famous cave. The paintings are faded certainly, but the atmosphere that emerges places is second to none, collected, silent. All around us, this landscape decorated with sandstone pitons. We must tear ourselves from this place to return to the valley: We are going away with regrets to do the opposite in the opposite direction. Surely the most beautiful stage of the Mustang.

Number of hours of walking: 8 to 9 hours.
Elevation: + 600 m / – 600 m
Visits included: Monasteries of Niphu and Garphu. Choeser and Konchok ling caves
Meals: breakfast – lunch – dinner
Accommodation: in lodge Altitude end of the day: 3 780 m

In the morning we finish our visit of Lo Manthang, before leaving for Yara. We drive on the eastern flank of Kali Gandaki on trails as little known as traveled. The reason is simple: the path is quite difficult, crosses flank, a very arid massif, scattered villages. This path avoids a return trip and allows to be in the remote valleys of the kingdom of Lo. We start with a steep descent to Dhi, before reaching the village of Yara, after crossing many colorful canyons and spectacular landscapes.

Number of hours of walking: about 6 hours.Elevation gain: + 680 m / – 800 m – Altitude end of the day: 3,640 m
Meals: breakfast – lunch – dinner
Accommodation: in lodge

Today, we reach the troglodyte monastery of Lori Gompa. Dug into the cliff, melted into the rock, curved inside that we discover the frescoes and sculptures. On the way we visit the troglodyte stupa and Tashi Kabum, wonders of Buddhist art. Down on Yara.

Number of hours of walking: about 5 hours.
Elevation: + 400 m / – 400 m – Altitude end of the day: 3,640 m
Visits included: the caves of Tashi Kabum and Lori Gompa.
Meals: breakfast – lunch – dinner
Accommodation: in lodge

In the morning, we resume our walk which will be accompanied today by the river of Kali Gandaki, to the village of Tangge, located along the Tangye Khola river. We progress on a plateau, the colorful landscape is beautiful, the views of the Dhaulagiri too. Descent to the river Disvhang Khola we cross ford. Climb to a pass at 4000 m before descending to the village of Tangge.

Number of hours of walking: around 7 hours.
Elevation gain: + 900 m / – 1100 m – Altitude end of the day: 3,440 m
Meals: breakfast – lunch – dinner
Accommodation: in lodge

Today we leave for a long day of walking. We start with a long climb to the Mustang Pass at an altitude of 4,200 m, then a series of ascent and descent before a long descent into the screes and canyons. Beautiful path of ridges with many colorful cliffs.

Number of hours of walking: 9 hours.
Elevation gain: + 1,300 m / – 1,600 m – Altitude end of the day: 2,970 m
Meals: breakfast – lunch – dinner
Accommodation: in lodge

We stay all day north of the Annapurna Mountains and join the Hindu sanctuary of Muktinath through the Gyu la (4 100 m). Beautiful pass overlooking Annapurnas and Dhaulagiri. The descent is steep then a path in balcony leads us to the ”classic” path of the Thorong pass of the Annapurna tour.

Number of hours of walking: about 6 hours.
Elevation gain: + 1,200 m / – 600 m – Altitude end of the day: 3,700 m
Meals: breakfast – lunch – dinner
Accommodation: in lodge

Today, we reach Jomosom avoiding the track and passing by a pass (seen beautiful on the Dhaulagiri) and the village of Lupra, the only village of the pre-Buddhist religion in the surroundings.

Number of hours of walking: 5 hours.
Altitude end of the day: 2,700 m
Meals: breakfast – lunch – dinner
Accommodation: in a lodge

We reach Pokhara then Kathmandu by plane and free time to the capital. NB: flight not guaranteed and subject to the vagaries of weather conditions and available places. Since 2017 only the Tara Airline operates these flights and this poses problems of availability of places. The flight can be replaced by a long day of driving (8 to 10 hours) on an uncomfortable track.

Transfer: by private vehicle
Meals: breakfast – free lunch – free dinner
Accommodation: Overnight at hotel in Kathmandu

Free day in Kathmandu. Buffer day, in case of air delay.

Meals: breakfast – free lunch (not included) – free dinner (not included)
Accommodation: Overnight at the hotel in Kathmandu

NB: During the monsoon season, which lasts from the end of June to the end of the month August, domestic flights may be delayed or canceled due to poor weather conditions. Car transport from Jomosom to Kathmandu can be arranged.

Free time. According to the schedule of the plane, transfer to the airport and flight to Europe. Sometimes the departure can take place in the evening of day 20. Arrival on day 21 in Europe.

Transfer: by private vehicle
Meals: breakfast of day 20
Accommodation: Overnight at the hotel in Kathmandu or on the plane

—– END OF THE PROGRAM —–
For unpredictable reasons such as the poor health of the participants, adverse weather conditions or any unforeseen incident, your guide may need to adapt the program for the smooth running of your trip. He remains the sole judge and guarantor of your safety. Walking times are given as an indication and may vary from one participant to another.