Upper Mustang Driving Tour

As you arrive to the capital city of Nepal, Kathmandu via the Tribhuvan International Airport you will be greeted by the team members of the Mountain Ram Adventures who will be transferring you to your hotel in a private car after helping you with your carry on. The team members will drop you at your designated hotel within the Tourist Hub, Thamel and assist you with the hotel formalities. Afterwards you can freshen up and explore the Thamel area.

On the second day of our trip we will be applying for the necessary permits required for the trip. Afterwards we will be heading for a sightseeing tour of four of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites within the Valley of Kathmandu. During the Sightseeing tour you will be guided by a culture guide who will share with you the information related with the monuments and sites. The trip will usually conclude around at around 5 PM  after which you will be dropped at your hotel freshen up as you will be meeting with the Mountain Ram Adventures at the head office to have a short discussion regarding the trip and departure time.

Highlights of the Sightseeing tour
Swayambhunath Temple: The ancient temple of Swayambhunath also called the Monkey Temple is a religious and culturally significant sight for the Buddhist and Hindu community for at least 1600 years. The temple is constructed at the top of the Goshringa Hill at the western outskirts of the city. There is a dome shaped Stupa which is surrounded by ancient temples and shrines at the top of the hill. The visitors need to climb a few flights of stairs as it is the only way to reach the site. The view from the top is beautiful as the Valley of Kathmandu can be seen in a panoramic view alongside some peaks of the Himalayan Range if the weather is clear.

Boudhanath Stupa: The Boudhanath Stupa is the biggest stupa of Nepal located at the northern outskirts of the Kathmandu valley which falls in the ancient trade route of Tibet and the Kathmandu valley. The Boudhanath Stupa is one of the biggest pilgrimage sites for the devotees who follow the teachings of Buddhism. The Boudhanath Stupa located within the hustling city of Kathmandu provides a tranquil and serene place for the travelers and locals.

Pashupatinath Temple: The Pashupatinath Temple dedicated to lord Shiva is one of the most revered sites for the people of the Hindu community and is visited by hundreds of devotees everyday. The Pashupatinath temple is located at the little town of Deopatan on the bank of the holy river Bagmati. The original temple is said to be built by Pashuprekshya during the 3rd century BC according to the local chronicles. The bank of the Bagmati river along the Pashupatinath Temple  is also used for cremation as it is believed that devotees who are cremated in the Pashupatinath temple will go to heaven. The travelers can also witness the Arati puja which is done everyday at around 6-7 PM providing the onlookers a religious experience.

Patan Durbar Square: Patan Durbar Square used to be the residence of the royal families of the Malla Kings who ruled the Kathmandu Valley. The monuments within the Patan Durbar Square reflect the ancient architectural and cultural prowess of the ancient Nepalese community. There are different monuments including Temples, Palaces, Hitis, Courtyards and many more intricately built monuments. There is also a museum within the Durbar Square which showcases the ancient sculptures, carvings, paintings and many more.

On the third day of your trip you will be heading towards the vibrant city of Pokhara regarded as the Tourism capital of Nepal. The journey from Kathmandu to Pokhara is around 210 KM long and takes around 6-7 hours to complete. The journey is a captivating one as the scenes of the lush green forests with glimpses of the Mighty Himalayas welcome us. The trip is filled with the pleasant sound of the white rivers of Nepal including Trisuli and Marsyangdi which curves and bends alongside the roads which are carved along the hills of the Midlands. After the scenic journey of 6-7 hours we will be reaching Pokhara and staying at a designated hotel in Lakeside afterwards you can explore the Lakeside area. Lakeside is a tourist hotspot in Pokhara situated at the Lake shore of the tranquil Phewa Lake. The city of Pokhara is also called the city of Lakes as there are a total of 7 different Lakes within the valley.

After enjoying the beautiful sunrise in the Annapurna Himalayan Range at Pokhara we will be heading towards the settlement of Tatopani in Myagdi district which is around 110 KM west from Pokhara. The drive in total will take around 4 hours and we will be greeted by the Mountains of the Annapurna Himalayan Range, Dhaulagiri Himalayan Range and Manaslu Himalayan Range during our trip if the weather is clear. The road to Tatopani is a beautiful and smooth one as we will be traveling on a pitched road most of the time with occasional off road trails at times.

Tatopani: Myagdi District of Nepal is famous for its abundance of natural hot springs. Tatopani which literally means Hot Water in English is a small village situated at the bank of the Myagdi River. The Tatopani village is famous for its Natural hot spring and travelers and trekkers tend to rejuvenate themself after facing the harsh weather of the Upper Mustang Region. It is believed that taking a bath in Natural Hot springs at temperatures above 45 degrees celsius can heal the body of joint pain, skin, gastritis, back aches, swollen limbs, goiter and many more. During the months of September and October is considered to be the most crowded time during which the Hot springs welcome around 700 people on an average per day.

After having our breakfast we will be heading towards the settlement of Kagbeni located at the bay of the Kali Gandaki River. The roads will take us to Kagbeni via the Kali Gandaki River Gorge  which is the deepest Gorge in the world which sits at a difference of  5571 M from the riverbed to the peak of Annapurna 1 at an elevation of 8091 M. we will be staying in the beautiful village of Kagbeni on our 5th day.

Jomsom: Jomson village also called Dzongsam (New fort) is situated at an altitude of 2700 M and serves as the headquarter of the Mustang District. The village of Jomsom is inhabited mostly by the people of the Thakali community. The village of Jomson used to fall in the ancient trade route of Tibet and Nepal. There is also an Airport in Jomsom from which flights from/to Pokhara airport are only available. From the settlement of Jomsom we will be greeted with the sights of mighty peaks including Nilgiri (7060 M), Tilitso (7134 M), Mesokanto La (5121 M) 

Marpha:  Marpha also known as the Apple capital of Nepal is a beautiful settlement lined with stone wall houses with flat mud roofs covered in firewood. The harvest time of the apples is usually around September and there are a total of 3 distilleries producing apple, apricot and peach brandy. The name Marpha comes from two words “Mar” which means hard working and “Pha” which means people.  There is a beautiful monastery called the Karma-Pa in the center of the village. During the months of October and November the tourist might be lucky to see the Dhekep dance which is performed by the local monks wearing masks. There is also a beautiful chorten painted in the cliff face of the Marpha. According to legends during ancient times the villagers of Marpha suffered from Leprosy and mitigating measures were deemed useless during that time a monk from Tukuche which is a settlement located at the south of Marpha came there and advised to built a chorten and hold religious rituals after which the problem of Leprosy died down and Marpha was prosperous once again.

Kagbeni: Kagbeni is considered to be one of the oldest settlements of the Himalayan Region situated at an altitude of 2800 M between two rivers which are the Kali Gandaki river and the Muktinath River. In the Kagbeni village there is a beautiful buddhist temple called Kag Chode Thupten Samphel Ling Gompa which means “monastery of the area to stop and learn the teachings of buddhism”. The temple is called Kag Chode in short. 

After enjoying the golden sunrise in the Nilgiri Peak we will be continuing our journey towards Ghami. The trail on the 6th day of our trip will be complete offroad with stunning views of the Trans Himalayan terrain. We will be passing through the settlement of Chusang and Ghiling before reaching Ghami. We will be covering a distance of around 35 KM for about 4-5 hours.

Ghami: Ghami Village is an ancient Tibetan village located at an altitude of 3510 M. The village of Ghami is one of the biggest settlements of the Mustang District housing around 650 local people of the ancient Tibetan Tribe. The houses are made with stone, mud, straws and wood. The wooden doors and windows are intricately carved with the patterns of holy religious figures and symbols. The Monastery of the Ghami Village is visited by many hindu and Buddhist devotees all around the world due to its significance. There is also a human hand hanging within the monastery which belonged to a painter. The painter's hand is said to be decapitated by the king's order as he was pleased with the Thangka painting and didn't want the masterpiece to be replicated. There are also ancient water spinning prayer wheels at the entry of the village and is said to bring good and pure energy to the settlement.

After enjoying the panoramic view of the High Himalayan vista we will head towards the Tsarang Monastery which is around 30 minutes drive from the Ghami village. The Tsarang Monastery is one of the largest and oldest monasteries of the region built in the late 14th century. The Tsarang Monastery is located on the outskirts of the Tsarang village. After exploring the Monastery we will be heading towards the Lo Manthang Village which takes around 2-3 hours drive from Tsarang for a total of 21 KM. 

Lo Manthang: The village of Lo Manthang is an ancient Tibetan city which used to be the capital city of the kingdom of Lo. It is considered to be one of the few settlements which have successfully preserved the ancient Tibetan culture till this day. The Lo Manthang Village is a walled city occupied by the people of Lo ba Community. In Tibetan Language Lho means “South” and was given to the Tibetan tribe who migrated to the southern side of the Tibetan plateau. The Lo Manthang village has a beautiful ancient palace which served as the royal residence of the king of Lo Manthang. The title of the king was stripped on October 7 2008 AD after the order of the Government of Nepal yet the unofficial heir to the throne still resides within the palace. According to the locals the royal residence of the Lo Kingdom was on top of a hill and it was considerably narrow, so one day the king decided to send a Chyangra (Mountain Goat) carrying a huge load to the plain land below the hill after chanting some mantra to it and decided that wherever the Chyangra will rest for the night he will build his palace there. It is also said that the palace of Lo Manthang is shaped like a resting Chyangra from above. There are a total of three major monasteries in Lo Manthang which are Jampa Lhakhang, Thubchen Monastery and Chode Monastery. Lo Manthang has successfully preserved the ancient Tibetan culture and during the Tiji Festival (Major festival of Lo Community) which usually falls in the month of May cultural enthusiasts from all around the world visit to get a glimpse of the authentic celebration of the ancient Tibetan community . The Tiji festival is a 3 days long festival and is only celebrated in Lo Manthang and has been going on since the time of Guru Rinpoche marking the victory of good over evil.    

On the 8th day of our trip we will be exploring the Chosar Cave which is around 2 hours drive from the Lo Manthang village. We will be enjoying our meals at Lo Manthang beforehand our exploration to fuel us up for the trip. After reaching the cave we will be exploring the area and returning back to the Lo Manthang village for the night.

Chosar Cave: Chosar Cave better known as Jhong Cave is one of the ancient and mysterious caves in the Chosar region which dates back to around 700-800 BC. The cave is 5 stories tall with around 40 rooms in total interconnected with each other via ladders. The visitors can enjoy the views of the Trans Himalayan Region through the windows carved on the caves. The caves in the Upper Mustang region are considered to be built for two main reasons.

1. Shelter for war: During the war of Tibet which saw a lot of violence and bloodshed in order to escape the bloodshed it is believed that the locals of the surrounding village seeked refuge in the Jhong Cave to escape from the danger.
2. Burial: Some of the Sky Caves of the Upper Mustang region were used for burial. The Burial ritual is believed to be practiced by the Bon-Buddhist community. The body parts of 27 individual human remains were found by a team of scientists. The bones found were covered with marks and cuts and date back to the 3rd Century to late 8th century AD.

After having our breakfast we will be heading towards the Namgyal Monastery which is around 3 KM north of the village of Lo Manthang. After exploring the Namgyal Monastery we will be returning back to the Lo Manthang village. As it will be our last day at the beautiful Lo Manthang village we suggest you explore the village and interact with the locals.

Namgyal Monastery: Pal Ewam Namgyal Choedhe Thupten Dhargyeling Monastery in short known as the Namgyal Monastery is constructed at an altitude of 3850 M around 3 KM north from the village of Lo Manthang. The King Amapal who was the first king of Mustang invited the supreme master Ngorchen Kunga Sangpo to Mustang who built the monastery. The monastery is considered to be one of the most revered places in the Upper Mustang region as it used to serve as a shelter for thousands of monks where they learned Sutrayana for a long time. The Namgyal Monastery became an important pilgrimage site for the Ngor tradition which is a sub-sect of the Sakya tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. After the earthquake of 2015 AD the Namgyal Monastery was severely damaged as the roof completely collapsed and crashed down into the revered shrine hall. The Namgyal Monastery is restored back to its former glory and is open to the explorers again offering travelers inside to the ancient Ngor tradition.

On the 10th day of our trip we will be heading towards the settlement of Muktinath. We will be going through the same off-road trail passing through Ghami village towards the settlement of Kagbeni where we had previously spent our night on our 5th day. After stretching for a bit at Kagbeni we will head towards Muktinath which lies around 15 KM east of Kagbeni. The total drive will take us 6 hours leading all the way to Muktinath where we will be staying for the night.

Muktinath: Muktinath Temple is dedicated to the lord of preservation, Lord Vishnu and is visited by thousands of tourists and devotees for pilgrimage purposes every year. There are 108 water sprouts at the back of the temple which represent 108 divya Desams/ Holy abodes and many visitors tend to bathe themself by walking through the water sprouts as it is believed that sins of the devotees are washed away by bathing in the water. According to a myth It is believed that Lord Vishnu was cursed by Brinda after which lord Vishnu turned into a Saligram Shila (fossilized ammonite stone considered to be a form of lord Vishnu and worshiped by the Hindu community) and seeked refuge at Muktinath and got salvation from the curse whilst there. The name Muktinath is a combination of two words “Mukti” which means liberation or freedom and “nath” which means lord or protector. The site is also visited by the devotees who follow the teaching of Buddhism as it is believed that Guru Rinpoche (a revered monk who is believed to have introduced buddhism in Tibet) meditated at Muktinath. There is also a big 35 feet tall Buddha statue at Muktinath which is the largest Buddha’s statue installed in Nepal.

We will be visiting the Temple of Muktinath early in the morning on our 11th day of the trip. After exploring the temple area we will be packing up and head towards Pokhara which takes around 8 -9 hours covering a total distance of 177 KM. The journey will take us through familiar terrain and settlements including Kagbeni, Jomsom, Marpha, Tatopani and many more. After a long drive back we will reach the vibrant city of Pokhara where we will be staying in the designated hotel in the Lakeside area. After freshening up you can explore the city of Pokhara or relax beside the tranquil lakeside area. We suggest you to take a bicycle and pedal down to Pame which is towards the west of Lakeside and is situated at the shore of Phewa lake, there are various cafes and restaurants from where you can enjoy the views of the lake and unwind.

On the 12 th day we will be heading back to the capital leaving behind the vibrant city of Pokhara. After enjoying our breakfast we will head towards Kathmandu via the Prithivi highway. The journey is around 210 KM long and will take us around 6-7 hours. The winding paths from Pokhara to Kathmandu is a scenic drive filled with the intimidating sound of the mighty Marsyangdi river and Trisuli river. We will be greeted occasionally by the sights of Himlayas during the journey if the weather is clear. After reaching Kathmandu we will be dropping you to your designated hotel. Freshen up and explore the city as this will be your final night in Nepal. At night the Mountain Ram Adventures team will be hosting a farewell dinner party where the team will be providing you with a certificate of participating in the Upper Mustang Driving tour with the team.

As your Upper Mustang Driving tour with the Mountain Ram Adventures team is successfully completed the team members will be transferring you to the Tribhuvan International Airport for your departure. The representatives will be assisting you with your baggage and the checkout formalities of the hotel. Make sure to provide us with your genuine feedback about the trip which will help us better our service. We will bid our farewell at the terminal and will be waiting for your call to join you on your next adventure to Nepal.