‘Authentic Tibetan culture survives only in exile in a few places like Mustang, which has had long historical and cultural ties with Tibet.’ -HH Dalai Lama
Your Guide
Overview
- You will find the trek reasonably demanding, but the our trekking way make trip pretty easy. The highest passes we traverse are around 4500 meters (14,500 ft), but because we don’t sleep at high altitude and the altitudes we do sleep at increase progressively, altitude sickness is unlikely to be a problem
- All you have to do carry is a day pack and walk on beautiful desert mountain. The trekking crew does the rest.
- Best possible tea house is arrange for you. Three excellent meals per day are cooked for you (rigid sanitary rules are observed in food preparation).
- You don’t have to think about anything – except about getting the most enjoyment possible from your adventure!
- You will need to organize your own Nepal visa, but the US$500 Mustang permit is included in your package.
Mustang is a unique corner of Nepal, a genuine Shangri-La. Culturally and geographically a part of Tibet, Mustang has until relatively recently been closed to the world. Tourism is still strictly limited and controlled.
Mustang is an unspoilt medieval, Buddhist world set amongst some of the world’s most dramatic mountains, the world’s deepest valley (the Kali Gandaki Gorge, five km deep, lying between the 8000 metre Annapurna and Dhaulagiri ranges), and a breathtakingly beautiful high altitude desert.
Around The Sun is the only company to offer pony treks in Mustang. Unique Tibetan ponies are provided to everyone as part of the ATS package, and they make life much easier on the ankle-twisting stones of the Kali Gandaki gorge, and on long climbs. The ponies are calm, sure-footed and beautifully trained. They’re genuine Tibetan ponies, which take a central role in Tibetan culture and particularly the trading culture of Mustang. As motorised transport becomes more important, trips like ours will help sustain an ancient tradition.
The Kali Gandaki gorge has provided a link between Tibet (and China) and Nepal (and India) that has been used as a trading route for thousands of years. The fortified townships and villages that are strung along its length have benefitted from the wealth this trade generated, and there are numerous monasteries and temples.
In a number of places, the valley walls are honeycombed with cave complexes.
Because of their inaccessibility many of the caves have lain untouched for millennia and are only now being explored by archaeologists using modern climbing gear. They are uncovering evidence of successive civilisations that have lived in the caves for 3000 years.
Mustang is home to Tibetan Buddhist ghompas (temples) dating back to the 12th century and some of the most spectacular Tibetan religious murals in the world. They are considered to be masterpieces, with global significance. The traditional capital of Mustang, Lo Manthang, is home to the King of Mustang. If he’s in residence the king traditionally offers Around The Sun travellers a private audience.
Changes are coming fast to Mustang and the next couple of years provide the last window of opportunity to explore a relatively untouched corner of old Tibet
Price Includes
- ACAP Permit
- Access Flights (Both-Ways)
- Accommodation
- Airport Shuttle
- Guide's Salary
- Guide's Transport
- Meals
- One Porter
- Public Bus
- TIMS Card
Price Excludes
- Access Flights (One-Way)
- Equipment
- Four Porters
- Guide’s Accommodation
- Guide’s Insurance
- Guide’s Meals
- International Flights
- MCAP Permit
- MRAP Permit
- Permit Fees
- Porter Insurance
- Porter's Insurance
- Private Jeep
- Private Taxi
- Public Jeep
- Three Porters
- Tips
- Travel Insurance
- Two Porters
- Visa Fee
Group Rates
| Group size | Per-person |
|---|---|
| 1 person | $2460 USD |
| 2 people | $2060 USD |
| 3 people | $2060 USD |
| 4 people | $1960 USD |
| 5 people | $1960 USD |
| 6 people | $1760 USD |
| 7 people | $1760 USD |
| 8 people | $1560 USD |
| 9 people | $1560 USD |
| 10 people | $1560 USD |
| 11 people | $1560 USD |
Itinerary
| Day | Destination | Duration | Altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Pokhara | 6 hours | 827m |
| Day 2 | Kagbeni | 4 hours | 2800m |
| Day 3 | Tsaile | 6 hours | 3050m |
| Day 4 | Gheling | 6 hours | 3500m |
| Day 5 | Tsarang | 6 hours | 3550m |
| Day 6 | Lo-Manthang | 4 hours | 3720m |
| Day 7 | Morning trip to Chhoser and back to Lo-manthang | 4 hours | 3720m |
| Day 8 | Lo-manthang | 3720m | |
| Day 9 | Ghami | 5 hours | 3490m |
| Day 10 | Samar | 5 hours | 3100m |
| Day 11 | Chuksang | 4 hours | 2920m |
| Day 12 | Muktinath | 5 hours | |
| Day 13 | Jomsom | 5 hours | |
| Day 14 | Pokhara | 1 hour | |
| Day 15 | Kathmandu | 6 hours |