Plan my trek
Plan my trek
About 3,800 m
Upper Mustang
US$50 per day
4–5 days on foot
Apr–Oct
None: bring cash
Lo Manthang is the walled capital of the former Kingdom of Lo, the high, dry plateau at the top of Mustang that ends at the Tibetan border. Built in the fifteenth century on the old salt and wool route along the Kali Gandaki, it is a compact town of whitewashed and ochre mud-brick houses, narrow lanes and red monasteries, enclosed by an earthen wall about 6 m high with square corner towers. It sits at roughly 3,800 m (UNESCO gives about 3,800 m; trekking sources quote 3,810 to 3,840 m) and is the end point of almost every Upper Mustang trip.
The town was founded, according to local tradition, by King Ame Pal, and for centuries the rulers of Lo kept a degree of autonomy within Nepal. The royal title lost its official status when Nepal became a republic in 2008, and the last king, Jigme Dorje Palbar Bista, died in 2016, but the palace still stands at the heart of town and the royal family remains respected. Upper Mustang was closed to foreigners until 1992, which helps explain why so much survives: UNESCO placed Lo Manthang on its tentative World Heritage list in 2008.
The Lobas, the people of Lo, are culturally close to western and central Tibet, and their faith is mainly the Sakya school of Tibetan Buddhism. Roughly 1,200 people live in and around the walled town in normal times, farming barley and buckwheat in irrigated fields, herding, trading and, increasingly, running lodges. In winter most families move south to Pokhara or Kathmandu, and from about December to March the town can drop to a hundred or so residents.
For trekkers and jeep travellers alike, Lo Manthang is the reward at the end of four or five days of canyons, passes and cave-pocked cliffs. Most itineraries give it two nights: one full day for the monasteries and lanes, and another for the cave complex at Chhoser and the cliff monasteries of Garphu and Nyphu to the north. It is also where the return route splits: back the same way, or west over the Chogo La via Ghar Gompa and the red cliffs of Dhakmar.
Arriving over the last rise from Tsarang, you see the wall and the palace rising from a bare plain ringed by eroded hills, with fields of green or gold depending on the season. Inside the gate, life is slow and close: prayer wheels turning, dogs asleep in the sun, women weaving, monks crossing to the monasteries. Outside the wall a newer strip of lodges, cafés and shops has grown up since the road arrived, and you will see jeeps, motorbikes and Chinese goods from the Korala border about 30 km north. It is not frozen in time, but the old town inside the wall is still one of the most complete Tibetan-style settlements anywhere.
Plan two nights at least: one day for the town and its monasteries, one for the caves and cliff monasteries to the north. Monasteries open when a caretaker is available, so let your guide arrange visits a day ahead.
Start at the single main gate on the north side (tradition held that only the king and senior lamas could use a second entrance) and simply wander. The old town is small enough to cover in an hour or two, but give it a slow morning: alleys tunnel under houses, prayer wheels line the walls, and courtyards open onto views of the palace. The town square in front of the palace is where Tiji is held.
Time: 2 to 3 hours. Altitude gain: none. Tip: go early, before the late-morning wind and dust, and walk clockwise around chortens and mani walls. Then take the path outside the wall for the chorten rows and views back to the town. Ask before photographing people, and expect some homes and shrines to be private.
Jampa, the tall red temple near the palace, dates from the fifteenth century and is dedicated to Maitreya, the future Buddha, whose huge clay statue rises through several storeys. Its walls hold what is often described as the largest collection of painted mandalas in any single building, more than a hundred of them. The paintings were cleaned and conserved over many years in a project supported by the American Himalayan Foundation, then damaged again by the 2015 earthquake and repaired.
Time: 45 minutes to an hour. Tip: monasteries usually open in the afternoon (one recent report says roughly 3 pm to 5 pm) when a caretaker monk is available, and a combined ticket has been reported at around NPR 1,000 (about £6). Photography inside is normally forbidden. The upper floor may be closed. Bring a torch to see the murals properly.
Thubchen, the second great fifteenth-century assembly hall, is a single vast room supported by tall wooden pillars, its walls covered in large paintings of Buddhas, protector deities and kings. After Jampa’s intricate mandalas, Thubchen feels monumental: dim, high and quiet, with light falling from the roof. It too was restored in recent decades with support from foreign conservation groups and local craftspeople.
Time: 30 to 45 minutes. Tip: it is usually visited on the same afternoon tour as Jampa and Chode, led by the caretaker. Leave shoes and hats at the door, do not touch the walls, and keep voices low if monks are at prayer. A small donation at the altar is appreciated on top of any ticket.
Chode (Choede) is the active monastery of the town, home to the monks who perform the Tiji masked dances each spring. It is younger than Jampa and Thubchen and has a lively feel, with novices in the courtyard. A small museum of artefacts from across Upper Mustang opened here in 2008 but was badly damaged in 2015 and has been reported as closed; ask locally. Some reports said an outer wall at Chode was damaged in the September 2026 earthquake.
Time: 30 to 60 minutes. Tip: if you are not here for Tiji, ask your guide whether any puja (prayer ceremony) is happening during your stay; visitors who sit quietly at the back are usually welcome. Check the current status of the museum and any repair work before you go.
The palace, known as Tashi Gephel (also written Tassi Dhyafel), is the tall, whitewashed four- or five-storey building that dominates the old town. It was the seat of the kings of Lo and was badly damaged in the 2015 earthquake; restoration supported by the Gerda Henkel Foundation was completed around 2016 to 2017, but local reports in 2025 described it as still awaiting fuller conservation.
Time: 15 minutes from outside; longer if you get in. Tip: the interior is not a regular museum, and access has varied over the years. Do not count on entering; if it is possible, your guide will arrange it. The best view is from the square in the late afternoon light, or from rooftops of lodges outside the wall.
On a ridge to the west of town, Namgyal Gompa (the “monastery of victory”) looks back over Lo Manthang and the surrounding fields. The walk out and up gives the best overview of the walled town, the palace and the plain. Many people continue to the small village of Tingkhar beyond, with its farmhouses, chortens and a ruined fort on the hill above, and loop back through the fields.
Time: 3 to 4 hours on foot, or a shorter visit by horse or jeep. Altitude gain: roughly 100 to 200 m. Tip: this makes a good acclimatisation walk on arrival day or the morning before the monastery tour. Start early, carry water and a windproof, and check with your guide whether the gompa is open.
North of Lo Manthang, the Chhoser valley holds the best-known of Mustang’s “sky caves”: the Jhong cave, a man-made warren of more than 40 rooms on five levels cut into the cliff and linked by wooden ladders and narrow passages. Mustang’s caves were used as tombs, homes, meditation cells and storerooms over a very long period; archaeologists date the oldest burials back well over two thousand years.
Time: half a day, or a full day combined with Garphu and Nyphu. Getting there: about 30 minutes by jeep or motorbike, roughly 2 to 3 hours on foot, or by hired horse. Fee: an area ticket of about NPR 1,000 was reported a few years ago; check the current amount. Tip: leave your backpack outside, bring a headtorch and expect cramped ladders. Eat before you go, as food at the ticket counter is limited.
Close to Chhoser, two small monasteries are built into the cliffs themselves. Nyphu (Lo-Nifu) Gompa sits across the river from the Jhong cave trail, with cave rooms behind it; Garphu (Lo Gurphu) Gompa is reached through the village of Nyphu and past a mani wall. Both are active, simple and atmospheric, with butter lamps and old images rather than grand murals.
Time: 1 to 2 hours for both, on top of the Jhong cave. Fee: earlier visitors reported Nyphu as included in the Chhoser ticket and Garphu as free, with a caretaker opening up. Tip: photography is often not allowed inside, and parts of the cave areas are off-limits; follow your guide and the caretaker. A donation is the right way to say thank you.
Lo Manthang has better food than the villages on the way: dal bhat, Tibetan bread, thukpa, momos and tsampa porridge, with buckwheat dishes and local apple products from Lower Mustang. Butter tea is worth trying at least once. Local horses can be hired for the Chhoser trip or a ride around the fields, usually arranged through your lodge with a handler; agree the price first.
Lo is also known for its amchis, practitioners of Tibetan medicine, and your guide may be able to arrange a visit to a clinic or school where they train. Tip: ask before photographing patients or remedies, and do not buy antiques, religious objects or anything said to come from the caves.
Lo Manthang is the northern turnaround point of the Upper Mustang trek and of jeep tours into the restricted area. Most trips start in Jomsom, pass the permit check at Kagbeni, and reach Lo Manthang on day 4 or 5 north of Kagbeni on foot, or day 2 by jeep.
| Stage | Typical time | Altitude | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kagbeni to Chele (via Tangbe and Chhusang) | 5 to 7 hours | 2,800 m to about 3,050 m | Restricted area begins north of Kagbeni |
| Chele to Syangboche | 6 to 7 hours | to about 3,800 m | Several passes over 3,500 m |
| Syangboche to Ghami | 5 to 6 hours | about 3,500 m | Nyi La pass, roughly 3,950 to 4,020 m |
| Ghami to Tsarang (Charang) | 4 to 5 hours | about 3,560 m | Long mani wall, Tsarang monastery and palace |
| Tsarang to Lo Manthang | 4 to 5 hours | about 3,800 m | Lo La viewpoint, first sight of the walled town |
| Lo Manthang rest day | Full day | about 3,800 m | Chhoser, Garphu, Nyphu or Namgyal and Tingkhar |
| Lo Manthang to Dhakmar via Ghar Gompa | 6 to 7 hours | Chogo La about 4,200 to 4,300 m | Alternative return route, red cliffs |
Times are walking times for an average trekker and vary with weather, side trips and how much of the day is spent on jeep road. Altitudes vary between sources, so treat them as approximate.
The classic route links Chele, Syangboche, Ghami and Tsarang, mixing old trails with the jeep road. The last day from Tsarang is one of the easiest: a steady climb to the Lo La, a windy pass with prayer flags, then a gentle descent across the plain to the gate. Arrive by early afternoon if you can, as the wind builds after midday.
Most good itineraries return on a different line: from Lo Manthang over the Chogo La to Lo Gekar (Ghar Gompa), one of the oldest monasteries in Mustang, then down to Dhakmar’s red cliffs, Ghami, Ghiling and Chhusang. Longer variations use the eastern side of the Kali Gandaki via Yara and Tange, which are remote and need more days and good fitness.
Lo Manthang is not extremely high, but you will already have crossed passes close to 4,000 m and slept around 3,500 to 3,800 m for several nights. The rest day here helps before the higher Chogo La on the way out. If you came by jeep from Pokhara in two days, the climb is fast, so drink plenty, sleep low first in Jomsom or Kagbeni, and keep the first afternoon easy.
A jeep covers the roughly 96 km from Jomsom to Lo Manthang in 6 to 10 hours, usually split over two days with a night in Chele, Ghami or Tsarang. It suits people short on time or unable to walk long days, and lets you stay three nights in Lo. Trekking takes 10 to 14 days from Jomsom and back, gives you the side trails, villages and passes that the road misses, and is the better choice if you love walking. Many trips combine both: walk in, drive out. See our Nepal trekking guide for how it compares with other routes.
Accommodation is in family-run lodges, most of them now outside the wall on the southern side of town, with a few inside. A 2018 count found more than twenty lodges, and only a handful stay open in winter. Lo Manthang has the best rooms in Upper Mustang, but expect simple comfort: thick walls, carpets, warm blankets and often a dining room with a stove.
The figures below are rough guide prices at the time of writing, not quotes. On most organised trips your room and three meals a day are included, and lodges expect you to eat where you sleep.
Twin rooms with shared toilets and showers, solar or gas hot water that may only run in the afternoon, and a communal dining room. Roughly NPR 1,500 to 2,500 (about £9 to £14) a room per night, sometimes less if you eat in.
Rooms with attached bathrooms, more reliable hot showers, heated dining rooms and sometimes rooftop terraces with views over the wall. Roughly NPR 3,000 to 5,000 (about £17 to £28) a room, more in October and around Tiji, when the best rooms are booked months ahead.
Food costs more than in Lower Mustang because supplies arrive by jeep. Expect roughly NPR 800 to 1,200 (about £5 to £7) for a dal bhat and NPR 4,000 to 6,000 (about £23 to £34) a day per person for three meals and hot drinks. Wi-fi, charging and hot showers are often extra, typically a few hundred rupees each. Bring a power bank, as solar power and the local grid can be unreliable.
From about December to February, and often into March, most lodges close and owners go south. Outside the main seasons, your agency should confirm which lodges are open before you set off.
Every route to Lo Manthang runs through Pokhara and Jomsom. Foreigners cannot travel north of Kagbeni without a restricted area permit, a registered agency and a licensed guide, so transport inside Upper Mustang is normally arranged as part of your trip.
| Route | How | Time | Approx. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kathmandu to Pokhara | Flight or tourist bus | 25 to 30 minutes, or 6 to 8 hours | Flight around US$100 to 130; bus roughly NPR 1,000 to 2,500 |
| Pokhara to Jomsom | Flight (when running) | About 20 minutes | Roughly US$120 to 140 one way |
| Pokhara to Jomsom | Local bus, shared or private jeep via Beni | 7 to 10 hours | Roughly NPR 1,500 to 3,000 a seat; private jeep roughly US$250 to 400 |
| Jomsom to Lo Manthang | Jeep via Kagbeni, Chele, Ghami and Tsarang | 6 to 10 hours (about 96 km), often over 2 days | Usually included in a tour package |
| Kagbeni to Lo Manthang | On foot | 4 to 5 days | Trek package |
The Pokhara to Jomsom flight is spectacular but unreliable. It only flies in the morning before the valley wind rises, cancellations are common, and Nepali media reported in October 2026 that regular Pokhara to Jomsom services had been suspended again, with no restart date given. Plan on the road and treat a flight as a bonus if it is operating.
The road from Pokhara is paved to Beni and is being upgraded along the Kali Gandaki as part of the Beni to Jomsom to Korala corridor. North of Jomsom the jeep track to Lo Manthang is mostly unsealed, dusty and rough in places, with river crossings near Chhusang. Monsoon landslides south of Jomsom can block it for hours or days, so leave a spare day at the end of your trip.
Korala, about 30 km north of Lo Manthang, is a Nepal to China border checkpoint that reopened for trade in September 2025 and is now a busy route for goods. It is not an international crossing for foreign tourists: you cannot enter or leave Tibet here, and whether you can approach the border area depends on your permit and local rules. You will see the result in town, though, in trucks, Chinese goods and the new shops along the road.
Lo Manthang sits in the rain shadow north of the main Himalaya, so its calendar differs from the rest of Nepal. For the bigger picture see our guide to the best season to travel in Nepal.
| Months | Conditions at about 3,800 m | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| March | Cold, often below freezing at night; some snow | Lodges and residents return during the month |
| April to May | Warming days, clear skies, strong afternoon wind | Excellent; Tiji festival usually in May |
| June to August | Mild, mostly dry, green fields | Very good in Lo; the road and flights from Pokhara are the weak point |
| September to October | Clear, stable, golden harvest | Peak season; book lodges and jeeps early |
| November | Sharp cold nights, dry and clear | Quiet; some lodges start closing late in the month |
| December to February | Very cold, snow and fierce wind | Most lodges shut and most residents away; not recommended |
Tiji is a three-day ritual performed by the monks of Chode monastery in the square below the palace, re-enacting the victory of the deity Dorje Jono over a demon and praying for the protection of Lo and for peace. On the first day the monks process to the square and dance beneath a giant thangka hung on the palace wall; the masked dances build over the following two days and end with the demon’s symbolic destruction.
Dates follow the Tibetan lunar calendar and are confirmed late. In 2026 Tiji fell in mid-May, with sources giving either 13 to 15 May or 14 to 16 May. No official 2027 dates had been published at the time of writing; one operator lists 1 to 3 June 2027, but this is unconfirmed, so expect May or early June and wait for confirmation before booking non-refundable flights. Lodges fill months ahead.
Other festivals, such as Yartung in late summer, follow the lunar calendar too; ask what falls during your dates.
The points below are specific to Lo Manthang and Upper Mustang. Rules and fees change often, so confirm them with your agency shortly before you travel.
North of Kagbeni you need the Upper Mustang restricted area permit plus the Annapurna Conservation Area Permit (ACAP, NPR 3,000, about £17, for non-SAARC foreigners). The old fee of US$500 for the first 10 days, then US$50 a day, was replaced after a Cabinet decision in November 2025 by a flat US$50 per person per day for the days you spend in the restricted area. Many websites still quote the old US$500 package, so check what your agency has applied for.
Permits are issued through the Department of Immigration only via a registered agency, and a licensed guide must accompany you throughout. Agency reports say the two-person minimum was dropped in March 2026, so solo travellers can now get the permit, but independent trekking is still not allowed. Permits are checked at Kagbeni and again in Lo Manthang, so keep them and your passport handy.
At about 3,800 m, headaches and poor sleep are common on the first night, especially after a fast jeep ascent. Walk slowly, drink 3 to 4 litres a day, avoid alcohol early and tell your guide if symptoms worsen; the treatment for serious altitude sickness is to descend. Lo Manthang has only a basic health post, and serious cases need evacuation, so make sure your travel insurance covers trekking and helicopter rescue to at least 4,500 m.
There are no reliable ATMs in Lo Manthang or anywhere north of Jomsom, and cards are rarely accepted. Bring enough Nepali rupees from Kathmandu or Pokhara for extras, tickets, wi-fi, charging, horse hire, drinks, souvenirs and tips, in small notes. Jomsom has ATMs, but they can run dry or go offline.
Mobile signal in Lo Manthang is patchy and generally better on Nepal Telecom than Ncell. Most lodges offer wi-fi for a fee, often slow. Electricity comes from solar and the local grid and can be cut, so carry a power bank, spare batteries for cameras (cold drains them fast) and download offline maps before leaving Pokhara.
Do not drink untreated tap or stream water. Use a filter or purification tablets, or buy boiled water from your lodge, rather than plastic bottles that have to be trucked out. The sun at this height is intense and the air very dry: bring high-factor sunscreen, lip balm, sunglasses and a buff for the dust and wind.
Lo Manthang is a living religious town. Walk clockwise around chortens, mani walls and monasteries, remove shoes and hats in shrines, never point at or touch altars, and do not photograph inside monasteries unless clearly allowed. Ask before photographing people, especially monks and elders, and dress modestly. During Tiji, keep out of the dancers’ space and follow stewards. Our guide to culture in Nepal has more.
On 8 September 2026 a magnitude 5.3 earthquake centred in the Lo Manthang area damaged an estimated 400 to 500 houses and a school hostel, and some residents spent nights in tents. Lodges and the road kept operating, but some buildings and monasteries may have repair work under way; ask your agency for the latest. Nationally, the FCDO notes that protests can still flare at short notice after the September 2025 unrest in Kathmandu, and warns of landslide risk on roads after the 2026 monsoon floods. Check the current FCDO travel advice for Nepal before you go and read our safety tips for trekking in Nepal.
Water, firewood and fodder are scarce. Keep showers short, take rubbish back with you and avoid lodges that burn wood when alternatives exist. Buy local produce and crafts directly from villagers, pay fair prices for horses and services, and never buy antiques, religious objects or cave artefacts, which are protected and cannot legally be exported.
Lo Manthang is the high point of a trip through Mustang, and the best itineraries add time in the villages below it.
The fortress-like village at the confluence of the Kali Gandaki and Jhong rivers is the gateway to Upper Mustang and the last place you can go without the restricted permit. Spend a night here on the way in or out. See our Kagbeni village guide.
The district hub, with the airstrip, ATMs, a hospital and the widest choice of lodges, and the start and end point of most trips. Combine it with Marpha and Muktinath. See our Jomsom guide.
On the way in and out, Tsarang has a large monastery and old palace, Ghami one of the longest mani walls in Nepal, and Lo Gekar (Ghar Gompa) is among Mustang’s oldest temples. Build in time to explore rather than rushing between lodges.
Lo Manthang pairs well with the Lower Mustang side of the Annapurna Circuit: cross the Thorong La from Manang to Muktinath, then head north. For an even more remote Tibetan landscape, look at Dolpo to the west. Start and finish in Kathmandu and Pokhara.
Want to see Lo Manthang on foot, by jeep or for Tiji? We can build an Upper Mustang trip around your dates, handle the restricted area permit and licensed guide, and plan buffer days for the road. Plan your trip with Get Lost Forever or send us a booking inquiry.
For non-SAARC foreigners it is US$50 per person per day inside the restricted area, following a Cabinet decision in November 2025 that replaced the old US$500 for 10 days. You also need the ACAP permit (NPR 3,000). Both are arranged by a registered agency.
No. Upper Mustang is a restricted area, so you must travel with a licensed guide and book through a registered agency. Solo travellers can now get the permit, according to agency reports of a March 2026 change, but independent trekking is not allowed.
Yes. A jeep road runs about 96 km from Jomsom to Lo Manthang, taking 6 to 10 hours, usually split over two days. You still need the permit and a guide, and most visitors travel by jeep as part of a tour.
About 4 to 5 days on foot from Kagbeni, and 10 to 14 days for the full round trip from Jomsom, including a rest day in Lo Manthang and a different route back via Ghar Gompa and Dhakmar.
About 3,800 m. Sources quote 3,800 to 3,840 m. The highest point on most routes is the Chogo La, at roughly 4,200 to 4,300 m, on the return via Ghar Gompa.
Tiji follows the Tibetan lunar calendar and usually falls in May. In 2026 it was held in mid-May (13 to 15 or 14 to 16 May, depending on the source). Official 2027 dates had not been announced at the time of writing; one operator lists 1 to 3 June 2027, so wait for confirmation.
For anyone interested in Tibetan Buddhist culture, art and landscape, yes. The fifteenth-century monasteries and their murals, the walled town and the cave complexes are unlike anything else in Nepal. It is less about close-up mountain views than about culture and desert scenery.
No. The Korala checkpoint, about 30 km north, reopened in 2025 for trade, but it is not an international crossing for foreign tourists.
There are no reliable ATMs north of Jomsom, so bring all the cash you need. Most lodges have paid wi-fi, which can be slow, and mobile signal is patchy.
Barely. From about December to February most residents move south and most lodges close. Visit between April and early November.
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