Depart London on your overnight flight to Kathmandu.

You will be met on arrival at the airport and transferred to your hotel. You may choose to eat here tonight or venture out into nearby Thamel with its many bars and restaurants.

This morning you will take the short morning flight to Pokhara, Nepal’s second city. This exciting flight passes over the terraced Himalayan foothills with views of the main range to the north. Overlooked by the stunning spire of Machapuchare, ‘Fishtail Peak’, the town of Pohara is the start point for treks to the Annapurna region, Dhaulagiri, Manaslu and, of coure, Mustang. On arrival you will transfer to your hotel. The rest of the day is at leisure. Pokhara’s bustling lakeside with cafes, shops etc is just a short walk or taxi ride from the hotel.

You take the 20-minute early morning flight, usually around 7.00am. You will get close-up views from your small aircraft of the Annapurna range, Dhaulagiri and nearby satellites. It is a sensational flight! On arrival you will be met at the tiny airstrip by your Sherpa crew. After some initial preparation of loads and a cup of tea, you drive the sort distance to Kagbeni through dry river beds and streams on the jeep road.

To avoid the unpleasant experience of walking on the road you drive to Tangbe, 2,926m/9,600ft, a stunning village with the remains of an old castle, narrow alley ways, ochre coloured chortens and an archery ground and here are also the first black, white and red chortens that typify Upper Mustang.

Climbing from Chele after breakfast you come to a place where you can see the village of Gyakar across a huge canyon. Here there is a very impressive suspension bridge which you cross and a short climb brings you to fields of barley topped by a wood of large trees. There is no shortage of water here. Then you arrive at the entrance gateway and tunnels under houses that lead to the small square of Gyakar which boasts a single tap and a washing place. Leaving the village you go gently up through odd looking bushy plants and dog roses. It becomes drier and more arid. Continuing up you come to a big gulch and drop down to a stream and then up into a narrow defile. From the exit of the defile it is a long contour round to the village of Samar. As you walk from Gyakar look across to your right and you will see the old cliff path that used to be the main path from Chele to Samar. Some people do still use it apparently.

Samar sits in a grove of poplar trees and is a major stopping place for the mule caravans coming from Tibet.

From Ghami the jeep track leads down to the river and on past the longest mani wall in Mustang, and then climbs to the Choga La Pass, 3870m/12,697ft. You continue to Tsarang, built near the Charang Khola, a tributary of the Kali Gandaki Nadi. This is the second largest settlement in Mustang and has a feeling of importance. The huge entrance chorten is very impressive. The town is dominated by the fortress/palace and the nearby Thupten Shedrup Monastery. The old palace is where at least a couple of explorers were treated as guests – Michel Peissel was one in 1964 and also Ekai Kawaguchi, the famous wandering Japanese monk who stayed here on his way to Tibet in 1899. The ancient palace is in part a small museum.

You will have a full day at leisure and for exploration around Lo Manthang. The city is an absolutely fascinating place, with narrow streets and houses built adjoining the city wall and contains about 150 houses, plus many cells for lamas. There are three major temples within the city and there is a caretaker with a key available at certain times. These temples really are very impressive, with huge clay statues of various Buddhas. There is a large amount of renovation and restoration taking place in all the temples in Lo Manthang and this is going to take years to complete. The 2015 earthquake also did a lot of damage and part of the palace, an imposing 4-storey building in the centre of the city had to be demolished. The last king was an active horseman and kept a stable of the best horses in Mustang. He also bred Lhasa Apso dogs and had several monstrous Tibetan mastiffs. His son, Jigme Bista, is rightfully the new king of Mustang although the present government of Nepal has passed a law forbidding royal titles. He is therefore the ‘unofficial’ king.

Leaving Lo Manthang you drop down to cross the Chohorak Dokpa Khola river and take the path for an hour to the small village of Namgyal. The monastic school sits austerely on a hill above. A huge gloomy structure  it was founded in 1465 but extended in 1953. It has a small but interesting museum. Now you carry on northwards, gaining only a little height to reach Thinggar where you can see the summer palace of the late king. This too was built only in 1950.

Moving on from Chumjung you cross a rise and drop down to the Chhungma Khola and to the small hamlet of Nyamdo where there is an ancient gompa. The scenery is dramatic – riverside cliffs and bluffs, peppered with accessible caves and topped here and there with old walled fortresses. This was, and still is, the only way to Tibet, hence the fortifications, as Tibetans were a warlike race long before the Dalai Lamas came to power. In fact you cross the road leading to Tibet on your way to Garphu mand Ghom. Take your time as there is much to see here and it is not far to Bharcha. We recommend you visit the monastery of Garphu which has a small school attached. Visiting Thong is another option.

Another fabulous day in the Kingdom of Lo! It’s a short day but with much excitement. From Bharcha you make a steep little sandy climb and then it is slowly up to the pass, the Samdzong La, 4052m/13,294ft. There follows an exciting path that weaves its way down through spectacular cliffs. At one point the path is a ramp of dry stone walling against a cliff. You come to a mani wall at the bottom of the descent. You are now on the floor of a huge new valley. High above is a wonderful cluster of cave dwellings. Theories differ for such caves being from between 2,000 to 8,000 years old. You turn left and north east and follow the path. The scenery gets more amazing the further you go. A thin stream, only 2 feet wide snakes along the floor. Occasionally there are barely recognizable huge chortens, decayed by time. There are massive cliffs with wonderful paths. At one point there is a highly decorated chorten with many prayer flags strung across the gorge. Here you will be asked to take off your hats because the residing spirit does not like them. There are a few fields before you reach the perfect Tibetan-style village of Samdzong.

Samdzong is struggling to survive as global warming dries up their water supply. It is heart wrenching to think that in years to come such a beautiful place could be abandoned. Also incredible to think there are other villages in Mustang even more remote than this.

Tiji Festival (spring 2022) The spring departure in 2022 is timed to coincide with the incredible annual festival of Tiji, said to be one of the most atmospheric events still held in the Himalaya. Held annually to chase away demons, it is a time of prayer and dance as monks don colourful costumes and masks and perform ritual dances watched by spectators (dressed in their best clothes and jewelry) who will have gathered from throughout the region. There are usually horse races out on the ‘Plain of Prayers’ and a Tibetan style Tug-of-War. It is not always obvious where and when these elements of the festival will take place so your leader will have to make enquiries. The festival is truly an experience not to be missed.

Leaving Lo Manthang it is an hour uphill to the Lo La Pass, 3,940m/11,220ft. Follow the road down for 5 minutes to a small chorten. The main road goes to Tsarang but you turn off to the left. It is desolate country with a few ups and downs and contouring in and out. There is a huge escarpment to the left with layered cliffs and great views to the right, southwards, of Nilgiri Peak. There is a good chance of seeing Blue Sheep along here. The first pass, 4,100m/13,452ft, arrives after 3½ hours but the real descent is half an hour further on, 4,042m/13,261ft. Enjoy the excellent views from the pass before descending steeply down to the attractive village of Dhi, nestled at the foot of a colourful striated cliff. Relatively few tourists visit Dhi and the villagers here are most welcoming. It is worth taking a short walk out of the village to visit the old ruined monastery.

From Dhigaon you cross the Mustang Khola (river) and follow the smaller Puyon Khola, strewn with ammonite fossils, and past striking sculpted cliffs before starting the climb to the village of Yara.

In 2017 Mountain Kingdoms donated $477 to the village elders at Yara who had been trying to pump water to a new orchard. You might like to see what progress has been made.

Start the long 1¾ hour hike to the ‘Slow Go’ Pass, 3,911m/11,056ft. In the guidebook by Sian Pritchard-Jones and Bob Gibbons they make this sound steep and scary – it is not. An easy continuous haul brings you to the pass, a gain of 456m/1,496ft. Beyond and below the pass is a huge undulating plateau which dips down ahead. Cross this with many ups and downs, flat sections and occasional gullies. The ground is dotted with low, thorny bushes. Finally you find yourselves contouring around gigantic, mud cliffs and then down to a vast flat plateau. On the far side you come to the edge of a vertical cliff and you look down into a huge river basin. A small cairn marks the way down through a narrow passage in-between conglomerate cliffs. This descent is perhaps the best bit of the day as the village, like a green lozenge, comes into view. Tange has some of the largest decorated chortens in the whole of Mustang.

The day starts with a gentle climb for an hour or so, before crossing the Tage Khola (sandals may be required for the crossing here). From the far side of the river bank you climb steeply to the Le Lo La (pass) at 4,200m/13,779ft where there are sensational mountain views of the high peaks including Dhaulagiri, Nilgiri and Tilicho. If you are lucky you may also be able to spot the rare blue sheep sometimes found grazing here. The path is generally wide and good, but there are occasional airy stretches.

Just below the pass on the other side are a series of springs which allow for a traditional high camping ground known as Pha where you will camp overnight.

Now the sense that the huge adventure is nearing its end will begin to sink in. From Pha, with its small ponds for watering the nomads’ sheep and goats, the path traverses a hillside and it becomes a very pleasant walk indeed, with views of Nilgiri and Dhaulagiri. Again parts of this this path sound very scary in Bob and Sian’s guidebook. Don’t worry, the main path is fine. There is one small section of moderately exposed cliff path and even this is wide enough for laden horses.

You finish your trek with the walk to Chussang to meet your transport for the exhilarating drive through Kagbeni and on to Jomsom.

Now is time to celebrate your achievement with a party for your trusty Sherpas as tomorrow you fly back to ‘civilisation’.

Today you fly from Jomsom, through the Himalayan Mountains, down the Kali Gandaki Gorge, feeling like an insect in such grand surroundings, to land in Pokhara. From Pokhara you will fly to Kathmandu where you will be met and transferred to your hotel.

Kathmandu, Asia’s former hippie capital, has a wonderful mixture of crowded bazaars, Hindu and Buddhist temples, shrines and stupas, colonial and ancient architecture as well as more modern buildings. You could explore the bazaars and temple complexes of Durbar Square to best absorb the myriad impressions assailing your culture-shocked senses. You could also hire a mountain bike to explore, or take a ride out to the fascinating city of Bhaktapur, an hour or so east of Kathmandu. There are plenty of excellent places to eat in Kathmandu, cheap, noisy and cheerful in Thamel, or more luxurious in the surrounding areas of the city.

You will have a little more time at leisure today in Kathmandu before an afternoon group transfer to the airport for your overnight flight back to London.