Upper Mustang
Curated schematic — not walking distance. Pin-to-pin OSM named-waypoint line Jomsom → Lo Manthang. Cited itinerary ~120 km round from Jomsom (provisional, secondary). Restricted-area RAP + ACAP (official NTB/Immigration 2026-09-21). High ~3,950 m is the cited pass landmark.
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Distance 120 km Reported · Ascent provisional (DEM sample) · High point Reported · T2 · schematic
Itinerary not published
Cite this record
The Hiking World, Upper Mustang, read 2026-10-12, https://www.thehikingworld.com/trails/upper-mustang
How we verify · last checked 2026-10-12
Byline
- The Hiking World editorial team · author
Figures marked provisional are seed data and still need verification. Source and last-checked date sit under each cited value.
Forecast at page generation, 2026-11-04T22:08:44.233Z
Representative point on Upper Mustang: 29.063°, 83.873°, about 3950 m. A forecast, not a trail-surface reading.
At generation: 0°C, Clear.
- 2026-11-05 Clear, 0–12°C
- 2026-11-06 Clear, -1–11°C
- 2026-11-07 Mainly clear, -1–9°C
Source Open-Meteo. Mountain weather changes with elevation and aspect.
Life-safety notices on this page come from the issuer.
Sourced record
Verified and reported stay in separate blocks. A section with no source is left out. How we verify.
Permits and fees are shown once, from the permit record.
Altitude weather delta
High 3,950 m minus low 2,739 m is 1,211 m of relief on this record. A standard tropospheric lapse of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m implies about 7.9 °C cooler at the high point than the valley, all else equal.
That is a model (International Standard Atmosphere environmental lapse), not a forecast and not a trail-closure. Wind, snow, and storms stay in Hazards.
derived:lapse-rate · read 2026-09-10 · provisionalISA 6.5 °C / 1,000 m · wikipedia.org · 2026-09-10
Map loads when this section is on screen.
GeoJSONThis line is a schematic. The files are not a GPS track. GPX · GeoJSON
Cumulative ascent not published — stored line geometry is too coarse for a reliable DEM figure.
Catalog entry
- SAC T2 (mapped — no official SAC grade)
- Mountain hiking. Continuous trail, some steep ground, sure-footedness helpful.
- YDS Class 1
- Class 1. Walking on an established path; low fall risk.
Stored distance is 120 km. The chart axis follows the DEM sample (51.44 km), not the published line length.
Curated schematic from named OpenStreetMap nodes (ODbL). The line is pin-to-pin, not a surveyed walking path. Pin-to-pin 2-D length 51.44 km is schematic — not walking distance and is not this figure. The published distance is the cited ~120 km round from Jomsom (operator itinerary, secondary, provisional). Return retraces; the stored line is not doubled. Ascent and descent are Copernicus GLO-30 samples at those six pins only, not a walking profile, and remain provisional. The elevation-profile km axis follows the schematic pins, not the cited itinerary.
No connected Upper Mustang hiking relation resolved on 2026-09-21. Pins: Jomsom → Kagbeni → Chele → Ghami → Tsarang → Lo Manthang. osmRelationId is unset. Never graduate to verified without a connected OSM hiking relation. Restricted-area corridor to the walled capital of the former Kingdom of Lo. Jomsom and Kagbeni also sit on annapurna-circuit (relation 1187310) — relate-not-merge; this record is the restricted north corridor, not the circuit.
typicalDays 10 is Math.round(120/12), a placeholder, not a published itinerary window.
High ~3,950 m is the cited pass landmark (Wave N evidence, lastVerified 2026-09-21) — not Lo Manthang 3,840 m and not the GLO-30 sample at the Lo Manthang pin (3,820 m). Low 2,739 m is Copernicus GLO-30 at the Jomsom pin (lastVerified 2026-09-21), still provisional. Ascent 1,081 m / descent 0 m are pin-sample DEM on the one-way schematic, not a walking profile.
Upper Mustang is a Restricted Area. NTB trekking-permit table (https://ntb.gov.np/en/plan-your-trip/before-you-come/trekking-permit, checked 2026-09-21) and Dept of Immigration Nepal: USD 50 per person / day plus ACAP NPR 3,000 foreign (NTNC e-permit, https://epermit.ntnc.org.np/, checked 2026-09-21). Restricted-area RAP is issued through a registered agency, not self-issued; minimum two trekkers, solo prohibited. Confirm live tariffs before travel.
Water
No water sources recorded.
Permits & fees
Conditions, fees and rules change. Confirm with the issuer and local authorities before you go. This is a reference, not a substitute for local advice. Terms
- Permit
- RAP (Upper Mustang) + ACAP entry
Permits and fees for this year · Permit cost
Permits and fees
We are not the issuer. Fees and rules change — confirm with the issuer before you pay. Issuer page.
Quota / restriction: Upper Mustang row is USD 50 per person per day, not the Upper Dolpa first-10-days figure. immigration.gov.np table, read 2026-10-12.
| Permit | Cost | Quota / restriction | Issuer | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Restricted Area Permit (Upper Mustang)Verified | USD 50 / person / day | Upper Mustang row is USD 50 per person per day, not the Upper Dolpa first-10-days figure. immigration.gov.np table, read 2026-10-12. | Department of Immigration | Issuer page | Verified 2026-10-12 vs Department of Immigration |
| ACAP entryVerified | NPR 3,000 foreign (tax included)≈ US$21.28 on the first figure, rate as of 2026-09-24 | — | NTNC | Issuer page | Verified 2026-09-24 vs NTNC |
Hazards
- Restricted area: individual/solo trekking is legally prohibited. Requires a Government-registered trekking agency and a minimum of two trekkers (Dept of Immigration Nepal / NTB trekking-permit table, checked 2026-09-21).
- Altitude: cited passes ~3,950 m; Lo Manthang 3,840 m (GLO-30 at the Lo Manthang pin 3,820 m). This is a high rain-shadow corridor, not a casual hike.
- Related record annapurna-circuit shares Jomsom / Kagbeni geography — relate-not-merge.
Getting there
No sourced gateway chain yet.
Getting there car-free
- Jomsom (schematic start): car-free flag unknown.
- Lo Manthang (schematic end): car-free flag unknown.
Trailheads
- Jomsom (schematic start) car-free: unknown
- Lo Manthang (schematic end) car-free: unknown
Questions
Do I need a permit for Upper Mustang?
A permit is listed as required for Upper Mustang: RAP (Upper Mustang) + ACAP entry. Status: Reported. Confirm with the issuer before travel.
How much is the Upper Mustang permit?
Restricted Area Permit (Upper Mustang): USD 50 / person / day (Department of Immigration, verified 2026-10-12). Status: Verified. ACAP entry: NPR 3,000 foreign (tax included) (NTNC, verified 2026-09-24). Status: Verified.
Upper Mustang permit quota and booking
Upper Mustang row is USD 50 per person per day, not the Upper Dolpa first-10-days figure. immigration.gov.np table, read 2026-10-12.
When is the best time to hike Upper Mustang?
On this record the best season is: May–Oct (rain-shadow, monsoon-accessible; NTB / NTNC, checked 2026-09-21).
How difficult is Upper Mustang?
Upper Mustang is graded SAC T2 (mapped — no official SAC grade) · YDS 1. A sourced hazard on this record: Altitude: cited passes ~3,950 m; Lo Manthang 3,840 m (GLO-30 at the Lo Manthang pin 3,820 m). This is a high rain-shadow corridor, not a casual hike.
How long is Upper Mustang?
This figure is 120 km (reported): a schematic straight-line estimate between waypoints — not a measured walking distance; published figures are the better guide. See /guides/how-long-is-the-trail
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