Nepal / Annapurna & Mustang / JomsomJomsom
Kali Gandaki Valley and the Road to Muktinath
The district town of Mustang at 2,720 m, in the windswept Kali Gandaki valley behind the Annapurnas: a short flight from Pokhara on clear mornings, or 7-9 hours by bus and jeep up the rough Beni–Jomsom road. Most Indian visitors come for Muktinath (3,710 m, 1.5 hours on by jeep), sacred to Hindus as one of the 108 Divya Desams and to Buddhists. Kagbeni, the gateway to restricted Upper Mustang, and Marpha's apple orchards are close. Flights land only in the morning, before the afternoon wind.
Highlights
- Muktinath Temple's 108 water spouts
- Kagbeni, the gate to Upper Mustang
- Marpha's whitewashed lanes and apple brandy
- Flight between Dhaulagiri and Annapurna
- Saligram fossils in the Kali Gandaki
- Thakali dal bhat
Things to do
- Jeep to Muktinath & darshanMorning · 5h
- Kagbeni village & monasteryAfternoon · 3h
- Walk to Marpha & the apple orchardsAfternoon · 3h
Tours & tickets
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When to go
Best time: March – May, September – November
Worth knowing
Monsoon: Landslides on the Jeep Roads
Jomsom and Manang lie in the Annapurnas' rain shadow and stay fairly dry, but the jeep roads up to them (Beni–Jomsom, Besisahar–Manang) are cut by landslides for hours or days in June–September, and Pokhara–Jomsom flights are often cancelled. Keep two spare days.
Heads up
Peak Trekking Season
October–November (clearest skies) and March–May (warmer, rhododendrons in bloom, some haze) are the trekking seasons. Trails and teahouses are at their busiest: book flights and lodges in advance, walk early, and expect higher prices for rooms with attached bathrooms.
- Tiji festival, Lo Manthang — Three days of masked dances in Lo Manthang, the walled capital of Upper Mustang, a restricted area beyond Kagbeni that needs a US$50-a-day permit and a licensed guide. Jomsom is the gateway; jeeps run on to Lo Manthang in a long day.