Mustang Tour on Jeep

Full day visit of Kathmandu. : After breakfast take an excursion visit to Bhaktapur. Also known as BHADGAON meaning the city of devotes, this place is the home of medieval art and architecture. Lying 14 kilometers east of Kathmandu City, this place was founded in the 9th century and is shaped like a conch shell. Visit the Durbar Square with its array of temples overlooked by the palace of 55 Windows built by King Bupatindra Malla, the Nytapola Temple, the best example of the Pagoda style and stands on five terraces, on each of which stands a pair of figures, famous strong men, elephants, lions, griffins and goddesses. Visit to the museum of Thanka painting can also be considered. A 30 minute walk brings you to the Dattatraya temple and Pujari Math which can also be done provided there is plenty of time at the clients’ disposal. Return to Kathmandu for lunch. After lunch visit Patan located 5 kilometers from the Kathmandu city. Patan, also known as Lalitpur, is a city of fine arts, enclosed within 4 stupas, which are said to have been built in the 3rd century A.D. by Emperor Ashoka. You will see Durbar square, the Patan durbar (palace), which houses a bronze collection, the Krishna temple built by King Siddi Narsinh Malla, Hiranya Varna Mahavihar, Mahaboudha Temple and the Museum. After the visit to Patan, we will visit the landmark of Kathmandu, Boudanth Stupa. Boudanath: Boudanath stupa is one of the biggest in the world of its kind. It stands with four pairs of eyes in the four cardinal directions, keeping a lookout for righteous behavior and human prosperity. This Buddhist stupa was built by King Man Deva at the advice of the Goddess Mani Jogini. It is built on an octagonal base and is contains inset prayer wheels. After the visit, return to the hotel. Rest of the time at leisure. Overnight at the hotel.

After breakfast transfer to the airport for the flight to Pokhara. Pokhara is Nepal’s second most popular tourist destination and its adventure capital. It is overshadowed by a massive wall of the Himalayas, and dominated by the towering peak of the Annapurna range. Even more impressive is the fishtailed pinnacle of Mt. Machhapuchhare (6977 mt.) Upon arrival in Pokhara, transfer to your hotel. Visit of Pokhara includes Devi’s Fall, also known as “Pataley Chhango”, walk at leisure around Phewa Lake [as our hotel is located near the lake] and local market. Overnight at the hotel.

Your wild, overland journey begins and it’s straight forward to start with. Boarding your 4WD vehicle, it’s smooth tarmac as you head out of Pokhara and into the lower reaches of the Kali Gandaki Valley. If the weather is clear, we will have good view of the Annapurna Mountain Range and the Phewa Lake as you drive out of Pokhara. Crossing the village of Kusma, visit the Kusma Balewa [Bridge which is the highest and longest suspension bridge in Nepal [117 m in height and 344 m in length]. Continue the drive further through Malunga which houses the malunga Temple and  the Malunga Bridge. The countryside of Nepal can be best view on the drive in this region with traditional houses, rice terrace fields and vegetable garden. We will continue our drive to reach Beni (900m). [Beni means a place where 02 rivers meet, Kali Gandaki River and Myagdi River]. Arrive in Beni for lunch at Yak Restaurant. After lunch visit the Galeshwar Temple in Beni dedicated to Lord Shiva. After the visit we will say goodbye to tarmac road as the road becomes a rough with rock, pebbles and dust including river crossing at few stretches as we slowly ascend. The drive is along the Kali Gandaki River. On a clear day, the Nilgiri Mountain Ranges will be visible from here. A 22 kilometers drive brings us to Tatopani, a site of natural hot water spring, as the road now ascends. Near Dana we will witness the mesmerizing waterfall, Rupse Jharna. After the visit we will continue our drive via Ghasa, where there is a Police Check point. The peak of Dhaulagiri and the Annapurnas come into view. Half and hour further drive reaches us to our hotel in Lete. Dinner and overnight at the hotel. Altitude 1750m approx, Driving time approx. 5-6hrs

On a clear day, the peak of Dhaulagiri and the Annapurnas can be witnessed from your hotel. After leisure breakfast we will resume our Jeep Safari towards Kagbeni. As we drive for 30 minutes, we will reach the village of Kobang from where we will witness the breath taking view of the Dhaulagiri mountain ranges. Police Check point in Kobang. Continue further to reach the village of Thukche which houses the Thakali Museum and some Gonpas like the Rani Gonpa, Sambha Gonpa and Qpar Gonpa. Continue the drive to reach the impressive Marpha Village. Marpha is a pretty stone lined village built by hand without benefit of mud or mortar, famous for the Apple grown in this lush valley situated between the Nilgiri and Dahlugiri Himalayan ranges. Dominating the village is the Nyingma monastery from which there are good views of the village and the Gandaki River valley. Above the monastery is a chorten painted onto the cliff face and a number of small stone chortens on the ledges below. Legend says that the villagers became afflicted with leprosy and all attempts to control it had failed. A local monk, originally from Tukuche, advised the villagers to build the chorten and hold religious rituals at the site. Since that time the leprosy stopped and Marpha flourished positively. We will visit the Monastery, Kawaguchi Ekai Museum and walk the narrow lanes of the village, admiring the stone architecture. After the visit we will continue our drive towards Jomsom. Jomsom, also known as Dzongsam or New Fort, [2700m] is a town located over both the banks of the Kali Gandaki River. Along the banks of Kali Gandaki river, we can find the black rocks or stone which is called Shaligram in the Hindu culture and take it as the form of God Vishnu. [Maybe you will consider looking for it on our way]. The soaring peaks of Dhaulagiri and Nilgiri form a breathtaking backdrop. Lunch at Om’s Home. After lunch visit the Mustang Eco Museum, which houses Tibetan Herbal Medicine (Amchi) and the recreated Buddhist chapel. There are beads, bones and pendants as well as ceramic vessels found at the burial caves of Mustang along with relics that date back to 800 BC . After the visit we will continue our drive towards Kagbeni. The drive will be on stony and dusty jeep track and will involve several river crossing of Kali Gandaki River. The landscape changes drastically to arid landscape of the Mustang region marking the furthest extent of the Himalayan rain shadow. Along with the landscapes, the culture has changed too and the villages from now on have a distinctly Tibetan flavour to them. Upon arrival in Kagbeni, check in at the hotel. After freshening up we will visit the Kagbeni Gompa (also called Kagchode Thubten Sampheling Gompa), a Sakyapa monastery founded in 1429. The main hall holds some fine festival masks and Kangling (trumpets), as well as a 500-year-old text written in gold. Also visit the Fort believed to be built around 1500 AD. There is also a 15th Century Water Mills worth visiting. As you wander through town, look for the clay effigies of the village protectors. ‘Evi’ (Grandmother) is a small figure attached to a wall, while ‘Meme’ (Grandfather) is a huge, knife-wielding figure in a permanent state of arousal. Dinner and overnight at the hotel. Altitude 2810m, Driving time approx. 3 hrs.

Your journey into Upper Mustang begins properly today. After the permits are checked at the police post in Kagbeni, the jeep track today pretty much skirts the side of the Kali Gandaki River Valley. We have lots of photo opportunity all along the way as the landscapes changes drastically. We will do multiple stoppage whenever possible. Half an hour drive from Kagbeni, we will reach the scenic village of Thangbe. This village has carefully tended terraced fields irrigated in a landscape that is otherwise dry and barren wilderness. After Thangbe we will cross the Panda Khola River to reach Chusang. At Chusang there is a river tributary to cross and shortly thereafter the Kali Gandaki River bed itself. Mostly flat driving on the dusty trail for about an hour till we reach Chairay from where the real drive to Upper Mustang begins as we ascend slowly. As we climb up, we get ample opportunity for photography and stop and admire the ever changing landscapes. From Chairay, we ascend for an hour to reach the pass at 3500m. As we descend from the pass, we will have a beautiful view of Samar Village. Lunch at Annapurna Restaurant in Samar. After lunch continue the drive on a steep and narrow road for 30 minutes to reach Bhena [3780m] after the pass and continue to ascend for 02 hours to reach the 02nd Pass at 4000m. The landscapes changes drastically after the pass as approach the village of Sangmochen. The drive continues for 30 minutes to reach a big chorten at Chunga and then another 20 minutes drive to reach the second last pass of the day at 4000m. After the pass, we will descend all the way with the colorful Mountain of red, blue and white in the background to reach the spectacular village of Ghame. Descend from the village on the stony road to cross Ghame Khola River to reach the Big Chorten with the lines of Mane Walls. After the visit of the Mane Wall, we will ascend for about 30 minutes to cross the last pass of the day at 3800m and finally descend to Charang. As we approach Charang, we will come across a big Chorten of Mustang style with Charang in the back ground. Dinner and overnight at the guest house. Altitude 3560m, Driving time approx. 5-6 hrs.

Today is a necessary acclimatisation day. Charang itself is the second largest village (Lo Manthang the largest village) of the Upper Mustang area. The village has numerous stupa structures, a monastery (gompa) and a fortress (dzong). We will visit the Charang Choeda Gonpa which is more than 700 years old Monastery. The monastery is made up of several buildings and structures. The inner walls of the main temple are painted with murals depicting the deities of the Medicine Buddha Mandala, the depictions and rituals of Medicine Buddha as a special object of devotion in the Kingdom of Mustang and can be found in the temples of almost every Mustang village. Another interesting place of visit is the Ani Gonpa (nunnery), looking like nothing but a ruin, almost falling over a cliff. The inner walls are completely decorated with brightly coloured mural. To the immediate right and left of the entrance are protector deities of the Sakya Tradition on one side and protectors of the Drugpa Kagyu Tradition of the other side. Also visit the Charang Fort located nearby. After lunch take an excursion drive to visit Ghar Gonpa of 08th century old. This monastery is the first Nyingma Monastery to be built in the world ahead of the famous Samya Monastery in Tibet. Rest of the time at leisure. Dinner and overnight at the guest house.

After breakfast depart for our last destination, the Capital of Mustang at Lo Manthang. Up and over another mountain pass of around 4000m and then a slight descent and in around 2 hours you’ve arrived at the fabled village of Lo Manthang. The view of Lo Manthang from the pass is amazing, we will have enough time to soak in the view located below. Upon arrival check in at the hotel. After lunch, we will visits the walled city of Lo Manthang visiting Jampa Lhakhang, Thubchen Gompa, Chhoede Gompa, Choprang Gompa and Palace Fort. There are four major temples within the medieval walls of Lo, the 14th century, brick-red Jampa Lhakhang (the oldest gompa, built in 1387, with the striking 50 foot ‘Jampa’ (Future) Buddha, the largest clay statue in Nepal until a few years ago), 15th century Thubchen Gompa (Great Assembly hall, pillars 30 feet high, the second oldest gompa with fantastic murals in the Dukhang), Chhoede Gompa (where the Kempo lives, with a monastic school) and Choprang Gompa. There is also the Raja’s Palace, home to the present King Raja and Queen ‘Rani Sahib’ (who is from an aristocratic Lhasa family) and an interesting maze of a village to explore. There are approximately 1100 Lobas within the walls of the city although many lower caste Lobas live outside the walls. Many of the Lobas still practice polyandry. After exploration, we will return to our hotel for dinner and overnight stay. Altitude 3840m, Driving time approx. 2-3 hrs.

After breakfast we will drive for 30 minutes to reach Chhoser where we will visit the Cave Monastery and the Caves around the village of Garphu. We could see caves everywhere on the other side of the valley. At the village of Garphu we will cross the river and drive towards Lo Nyiphuk Monastery built in the cave. The monastery belongs to the Sakya sect of Buddhism. After visiting the monastery we will visit the Caves which are about 2,500 years old. Archeologists believe that the caves in Mustang were used in three general periods. They were first used some 3,000 years ago as burial chambers. Then around 1,000 years ago, they became primarily living quarters, perhaps to escape battles and intruders into the valley. Finally, by the 1400s, most people had moved into traditional villages and the caves became places of meditation. Some of these caves were turned into monasteries such as the Luri Gompa and the Nyiphuk Cave Monastery [which we will visit] Inside the caves are ladders to assist the guest to move within the caves. Through the windows of the caves are great views of the mountains all around. Return to Lo Manthang for lunch. After lunch we will participate in the prayer ceremony conducted for the group in the Monastery. The prayer ceremony is private and exclusive and is meant for the well being of all in the World. Our members can sit in meditation to the clamps of the bells and drums of the Monastery. The ceremony will last for about an hour. Rest of the time free for souvenir shopping. Dinner and overnight at the guest house.

Today we will retrace towards Chusang with stoppage at ease for photography. Upon arrival check in at the hotel. Explore the Chusang village and visit the Monastery. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

After leisurely breakfast we will retrace towards Jomsom with stoppage at ease for photography. Nilgiri South Peak becomes even more impressive and the bulk of Dhaualgiri comes into view as we approach Jomsom (2700m). Upon arrival check in at the hotel. Free time to discover Jomsom on your own. Dinner and overnight at the hotel. Driving time approx. 3-4hrs.

After early breakfast take the morning flight to Pokhara and then the connecting flight to Kathmandu. Assistance upon arrival in Kathmandu and transfer to the hotel. After your adventures in Upper Mustang, Kathmandu will no doubt feel bigger, noisier and livelier than ever before. All time at leisure. Overnight at the hotel.

AM at leisure. Transfer to the airport for the flight for departure.