Upper Mustang is the one trek that works in the monsoon
A restricted Tibetan kingdom behind the Himalaya, in a rain shadow so complete you can walk it in July, past red cliffs and cave monasteries to Lo Manthang.
By the Lakeshore team · 9 min read · Updated 5 October 2026
Upper Mustang doesn't feel like the Nepal you'll know from the rest of the country. It sits north of the main Himalayan chain, on the Tibetan plateau, and the culture, architecture, language and landscape are all Tibetan. Until 1992 no foreigner was allowed in at all.
This was the Kingdom of Lo. Its capital, Lo Manthang, is a four-square walled town of whitewashed houses that still has its old palace and monasteries, and it's one of the few intact medieval towns left in the Himalaya.
It's also the one serious trek in Nepal that works in the monsoon, because the mountains take the rain out of the air before it gets this far.
Why it works when everything else is soaked
Annapurna and Dhaulagiri stand between Mustang and the monsoon. Cloud coming up from India rises, drops its water on the southern slopes and reaches the Kali Gandaki with nothing left. What you get is dry high desert, with a fraction of the rain that falls on Pokhara.
So while July and August are a write-off for the Annapurna Sanctuary, they're a good time to walk to Lo Manthang. The days are warm, the passes are open, and the region is at its busiest, with Nepali and Indian pilgrims on their way to Muktinath.
That matters if your holiday is tied to a European or North American summer. Most operators will tell you not to trek in Nepal in July, and for this one region they're wrong. We run our Lo Manthang trek all through the summer.
The landscape does the work
You start at Jomsom, in the deepest gorge on earth measured shoulder to shoulder, and walk north into country that gets stranger by the day. Ochre and grey cliffs are eroded into fins and towers, and at Dhakmar the cliffs turn red. Whole hillsides are cut with caves in vertical rock, thousands of them, and many still haven't been properly surveyed.
There's almost no vegetation, so the geology is laid bare and you can read the folds and layers as you walk. The villages are compact, walled and whitewashed, with poplar windbreaks and barley fields that are the only green for miles. Lo Manthang itself is small enough to walk across in ten minutes, with enough packed inside its walls to fill three days. For most people the highlight is the Jhong and Chhoser cave complexes north of the town, dwellings several storeys high dug into a cliff face and reached by ladders.
The permit, and why it costs what it costs
Upper Mustang is a restricted area. The special permit is expensive, historically several hundred US dollars for a ten-day window plus a daily rate after that, and it has to be arranged through a registered agency. You can't trek here solo, and you can't buy the permit yourself.
This is national policy, not an operator upsell, and a share of the fee is meant to go back to the region. In practice it means Upper Mustang sees a fraction of the traffic on the Annapurna Circuit, and that quiet is a large part of why it's worth going.
Fees have changed more than once, so we don't print a figure here. Our Upper Mustang trek includes the permit, and when you send your dates we quote its current cost as a separate line, so you can see what is government fee and what is us.
What the walking is like
Less demanding than it sounds. For most of the trek you're between roughly 2,800 m and 3,800 m, crossing several passes of around 4,000 m, and nothing comes near the height of Thorong La. The days are moderate and the trail is good.
The two things that wear people down are the wind and the sun. The afternoon wind up the Kali Gandaki never lets up and it's full of grit, so everyone walks in the mornings and everyone carries a buff for their face. With no cloud and no shade at this altitude, the UV is severe.
A road now runs much of the way to Lo Manthang, and jeeps use it. Good itineraries put you on the older trails and side valleys away from it. Ask any operator, us included, how many days you'll spend on the jeep track, because the answer separates a good Mustang trek from a dusty one.
Walk it with us
Private departures on your dates, guided by the people who wrote this page.
Questions we get asked
Can I really trek Upper Mustang in the monsoon?
Yes. It's one of the few places in Nepal where July and August work well. Getting there can be disrupted, though, because the flights to Jomsom and the road up the Kali Gandaki are both affected by weather further south. Build in buffer days.
Do I have to go with a guide?
Yes. Restricted-area permits are only issued through a registered agency, and they need a minimum group size and a licensed guide. Solo trekking isn't allowed here, however experienced you are.
Is it suitable for solo female travellers?
Very much so, and we guide solo women here regularly. Because it's a restricted area, you'll have a guide with you the whole way, and the lodges in Mustang are family-run and used to hosting foreign women. Ask in advance if you'd like a female guide and we'll do our best to arrange it.
How hard is it compared to the Annapurna Circuit?
It's easier on the lungs, because you're lower, and harder on morale, because of the wind, the sun and the lack of shade. Most people who have done both find Mustang less physically demanding overall.
Is Lo Manthang worth the permit cost?
If you're interested in Tibetan Buddhist culture and in landscape, yes, without hesitation. If you're coming mainly for big snow-peak views, spend the money on the Circuit instead, because in Mustang the big mountains are mostly behind you.
Still deciding?
Tell us your dates and how much walking you've done, and we'll tell you whether Upper Mustang, Lo Manthang is right for you. If it isn't, we'll say so.
Nothing to pay online. We confirm your dates first.
Or call the office +977 61-457830