Naar to Upper Mustang GHT trek
Nepal

• We are Himalayan trekking specialists having operated trips in Nepal for many years. Roland Hunter has designed the itinerary from his first-hand experience of this trek.
• We have organised two successful Naar to Upper Mustang GHT treks. For more information on how these treks went please take a look at our Trip Reports (see our Reports and Reviews tab).
• Our AITO Traveller Reviews for Naar to Upper Mustang GHT   have a holiday rating of 100%. Based on client feedback we won the 2018 Gold Award as AITO Tour Operator of the Year. Read more about our Testimonials and Awards.
• We have included a gradual ascent profile in our itinerary for this trekking holiday. This will help you acclimatise to the high altitude.
• We use Mountain Hardwear Trango 3 tents for our camping treks in Nepal. These are high-quality three-person tents with space for two people plus gear.
• We review weather forecasts for the Annapurna and Upper Mustang regions throughout the duration of this trek.
• We send a Thuraya satellite phone on our group treks in Nepal. Your leader will have reliable communications for logistics, planning, and group safety. We use GPS to upload your location daily onto Google Maps to track your progress during the trek.
• We provide the porters with windproof jackets & trousers, crampons, and shelter. We follow International Porter Protection Group (“IPPG”) guidelines.
• We provide a range of tasty meals for breakfast, lunch, and supper. We give everyone in the group a chocolate or muesli bar per day. For breakfast, we provide fresh coffee from our Bialetti Moka coffee machine.
• We bring a comprehensive medical aid kit. There will also be a portable altitude chamber (PAC or Gamow bag).
• Our team with first-hand knowledge of this trek provides pre-trip support. During high season we have someone from our UK Operations team based in Kathmandu.

Flying into Kathmandu on a clear day is in itself an unforgettable experience. The Himalayan peaks are only a short distance north of the capital of Nepal as seen from the plane. After customs, you will pass into the passenger pick-up area outside the building. You will see a Mountain Company signboard. Our representative will be waiting to welcome you to Nepal. After transferring to your hotel you have the rest of the day free. You can rest after your long journey or get out to explore Kathmandu. You can also make final preparations for the trek. You will hear the Nepalese word for hello ‘Namaste’, you will never forget that word after this holiday.

This morning your leader will give the trek briefing and check your gear. We will collect your passports from you so that we can apply for the trekking permits. The rest of the day is free to explore Kathmandu and to pack your bags. You can leave a bag at the hotel with items not needed on trek.

We leave Kathmandu in the morning by private vehicle. It is a scenic drive with occasional glimpses of mountain peaks. At Dumre, we turn off the Pokhara highway. We drive north following the Marsyangdi River to Besisahar. We break the drive by staying the night at Besisahar as it is too far to drive to Dharapani in one day from Kathmandu. The Gateway Himalaya Resort is the best place to stay near Besisahar.

There is a permit checkpoint leaving Dharapani. We leave the Annapurna Circuit to enter the Naar Khola valley. This trail is much quieter and less frequented by trekkers. We pass through the picturesque villages of Bagarchapp and Timang. We start to get views of the Annapurnas and Lamjung Himal.  If it is clear, Mount Manaslu appears on the left skyline looking back down the valley  and Peak 29 is on the right. On this day, we hike for 5 to 6 hours to Koto located at 2,600m.

The trail is excellent and wanders through pine forests. The valley narrows to a spectacular gorge with the river a torrent running through it. The path follows around pine-clad spurs, crossing the Naar Khola after a short descent to a bridge. There is a hot spring some 50 metres downstream of this bridge. The path can be slippery, the spring is natural is worth the 5-minute detour. 

After about four hours of walking we stop in a small clearing in the pine forests where there are a few tea houses. We stay here for the night for acclimatisation to high altitude. Otherwise if one pushes on there is a rapid ascent profile to Naar village located at 4,100m.

After breakfast we continue to ascend the valley. We cross behind a waterfall near a clearing in the forest at 3,250m called Dharmasala. There is a short but steep section for a further hour into the terraced village of Meta (also known as Methang). This place used by some people from Naar as a winter retreat. Meta is above the tree line and here the valley begins to open out. There are superb views of the surrounding area, including a view of Mount Kang Garu.

This is a shorter day to allow for some rest and acclimatisation. Leaving camp, we contour along the valley until we reach Naar Phedi. This is the junction of the Naar and Phu Khola rivers. There are two very impressive bridges above the Lapse Khola gorge, about 80m below. One bridge is stone and wood, built for yaks. It is then a short hike up to the monastery, where we will stop and visit the Gompa. The views up the Phu Khola valley are impressive. We are likely to see Himalayan Griffons circling on the cliff above. 

It is only a 3-hour walk from here to the village of Naar.  This place has Tibetan houses and also field systems built by the villagers.  They grow barley and potatoes in these high-altitude, fertile soils. After a steep climb from the monastery, we pass through the wall that encloses the community of Naar. There are some impressive chortens in yak pastures with wonderful views of Kang Garu. Shortly after the chorten, Naar comes into view beyond a flat area of open fields. We camp at a guesthouse. There is ample opportunity to explore the village during the afternoon.

This is an essential day for acclimatisation. We will do a short walk in the morning up the Kang La valley towards the Kang La pass. This will help with adaption to high altitude by "climbing high, sleep low". Blue sheep are often seen along the valley sides, as well as many domestic yaks.

After a short climb out of Naar, we descend down a zig-zag path for some 300m to the Lapse Khola river. This takes around an hour. We follow the Lapse Khola river along an impressive path. We cross on a Himalayan bridge and then make the steep climb to Chaungseng Kharka. This is a yak kharka (meadow) on the opposite side of the valley. This can be a windy place and the villagers from Naar have built yak dung drying walls. This takes advantage of the wind to dry the dung before carrying it back to Naar or Meta. 

We have lunch at the kharka after 3 to 4 hours hiking. After we continue traversing high above the Lapse Khola. There are expansive views of the surrounding area as we are now well above the treeline. The trail undulates along the side of the valley and ascends and descends spurs. The trail drops down to a small yak kharka camp near the valley bottom. Before there is a short section where the trail is narrow and above a series of steep scree slopes. You should take care here. 

It is possible to camp at the yak kharka. We continue alongside the river for a further 30 minutes to an open grassy area set above the river. This is much better for camping about 4 hours walking in total during the afternoon.

After a short walk along the valley we climb and descend a rocky spur on a good path. Shortly after we cross the Lapse Khola river. We then walk along and up the valley close to the river for around 2 hours. After we climb the west bank opposite Jomsom khola which enters the Lapse Khola from the north. The trail then contours along the valley side with occasional rocky steps. We pass small yak kharka where we will have lunch before descending again to the Lapse Khola river. We camp at another unnamed place at 4,600m.  Previous Mountain Company treks saw snow leopard tracks here. 

This is a shorter day, taking about 4 hours. As we are now walking at high altitude, it can be a tough section of the trail as we ascend to Teri La Base Camp at 4,900m. We ascend the left valley side for a short distance until the trail levels out.  We then traverse the valley through sparse vegetation. There are excellent views both back down the Lapse Khola and ahead towards the Teri La. Eagles may circle above and along the valley sides. 

After a couple of hours, we pass a small camp area as the Lapse Khola valley turns northwards. In another hour, we head west, leaving the Lapse Khola valley; there is a camp here, called ‘Base Camp’ on some maps.

This is another shorter day but this will set us up well for crossing the pass for the following day. We ascend 300m from Teri La Base Camp to to Teri La High Camp so this is excellent for our acclimatisation. Today the trail follows a side valley on easy terrain for about 3 hours until the valley opens up. There are spectacular views from Teri La High Camp. You can spend the afternoon relaxing and preparing for tomorrow’s crossing of the Teri La.

From camp we ascend for about 3 hours to the summit of Teri La at an elevation of 5,595m. There are superb views over to Annapurnas and Chulus. From the pass we descend to our camp next to the Pasphu Khola. We drop below 5,000m to cross the Rijung Chwa Khola before climbing back up. We cross several ridges and descend to our camp on the banks of the Rijung Prama Khola. 

There seep sections on the descent from Teri La pass on rocky terrain and in places without a defined trail. There are also several fresh landslide areas with larger rocks and boulders to cross. This is a long but very satisfying day.

Today we follow the trail on a high traverse.  We start from camp with a steep start to gain the high shoulder, then a series of ridge traverses. There are spectacular views of the Annapurnas, Chulus and Himlung and Kang Guru behind us. 

We descend to the river and the fields of Yakpa Kharka. We ascend again to a rocky ridge before a few more high contour traverses. We  descend into the Samena Khola Valley where we cross the river via an impressive gorge. We camp in the ruins of the old Kampa (Tibetan Army) village of Yakpa.

Today follows another wonderful trail in Upper Mustang. From Yakpa we ascend for about 2 hours and 500m to reach a high path with spectacular views of Dhaulagiri. This view of Dhaulagiri is rarely seen on other treks. After about another 2 hours walking along a series of ridges we have lunch on a rocky col.  This place has a large rock chorten and pray flags. 

The splendour of Upper Mustang opens up and with views of the Tibetan Plateau. After lunch we have two large river valleys to cross. We follow the traditional trade route through Makar Valley into Tangga. We camp in the village of Tangga.

This morning we walk through the historic village of Tangga.  We ascend up through the moraine of the valley to gain a high plateau. There are more stunning mountains views as we cross the plateau.  We enter the red earth hills with the twisting and winding path in the rock flutings. After a few hours we drop down in to the Dhechyang Khola river valley to Dhye Thangchung. Here we camp in the grounds of a very basic tea house.

This is a new village and an apple farm formed by 26 families and supported by international NGOs. The original village of Dhey about 10km away is struggling to grow crops due to lack of water.

After crossing the river we climb a steep trail on to the valley shoulder. We traverse with more weird and wonderful rock formations.  As we approach the village of Yara Gaon we cross the river. It is worth looking out for fossils in the river bed.

We have a pleasant walk down the river valley as we leave Yara and arrive at the village of Dhi. After a look around the village, we climb up through more rock formations to cross the Dhi La. There are several false summits to this pass, which takes about 3 hours to reach the top of.  There is a high and airy trail along the Udi Danda. Then there is a descent taking an hour to arrive to the ancient walled city of Lo Manthang.

Today we travel by jeep as the new road has taken over from the trekking route. We drive through Ghemi, Chele, and then change jeeps at Chusang. We continue driving through Tangbe to Jomsom. We stay in a lodge near the airport and then in the evening, we will have a party with our amazing crew. We will also hand out tips to our crew as a thank-you for all their hard work throughout the trek.

We take an early morning flight to Pokhara then onto Kathmandu. Our minibus and driver will meet us at the airport. Then after transferring to our hotel in Kathmandu you can then spend the rest of the day doing what you please.

Important note: there is a significant safety risk when flying on airlines in Nepal. If you would like to avoid the STOL flight from Jomsom to Pokhara there is an option to extend your trek by walking out. The hike to Beni takes three days followed by a 4 hour's drive to Pokhara. A public bus from Jomsom to Pokhara takes one day if there are no delays along the way. If you would like to avoid the flight from Pokhara to Kathmandu there is an option to drive and this takes about 6 to 7 hours (depending on the traffic). There are also safety considerations with driving in Nepal and road traffic accidents happened from time to time. For information about the flight risk in Nepal read our Trip Dossier. The relevant sections are “Threat and Risk Assessment” and “Internal flights in Nepal”. Please get in touch with us if you would like to discuss this further.

This is a one day guided sightseeing tour of the Kathmandu Valley. We visit three out of the seven World Heritage Sites. You will start off by visiting Patan Durbar Square. Then drive to the Buddhist stupa at Boudhanath. Our last stop of the day is at the Hindu shrine of Pashupatinath. The tour is likely to finish around 4pm and the rest of the day is free to further explore Kathmandu.

Three major towns in the valley, Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur. Each place has a great artistic and architectural traditions. Kathmandu is the capital and the largest city in the country. Patan, the second largest separated from Kathmandu by Bagmati river. Bhaktapur, the third largest, is towards the eastern end of the valley. Its relative isolation reflected in its slower pace and more medieval atmosphere. In Kathmandu there is a bustle of activity especially in the bazaars and markets. While the city has expanded over the last 10 years it is still possible to see traditional buildings.

Transfer to Kathmandu airport for the flight back home. End of trip.