Upper Mustang and Saribung Trek

01 / THE EXPERIENCE

Discover the journey

One of Nepal's most difficult and challenging treks, the Saribung Pass Trek crosses the snowy Saribung Pass to connect Upper Mustang's restricted areas with the picturesque Nar Phu Valley. (6042m). Being one of the highest mountain passes in Nepal, Saribung provides a breathtaking perspective of the Annapurna and Dhaulagiri massifs as well as an up-close look at various Himalayan ranges in the Mustang region. In addition to the breathtaking view from the summit of the challenging peak, the Saribung Peak Trek is filled with the captivating landscape and distinctive culture of the far westernmost regions of Nepal. This long trek starts from a scenic flight from Kathmandu to Pokhara and to Jomsom. The real trek begins after you reach Jomsom and walk along Kali Gandaki Valley. On the way, you pass many astonishing places like Kagbeni, Chele, Ghiling, Lo Manthang, etc. Following its exploration of Upper Mustang, the trail continues on to Nar Phu Valley over the 6042-meter-high Saribung Pass, which is nearly always frozen due to its location at the foot of Saribung Peak(6328m). This walk is made even more exciting by the numerous spectacular passes with ice and cracks that the trail crosses through on the way to Saribung Peak (6328m).

03 / YOUR ROUTE

Journey at a glance

Day Day 1: Arrival in Kathmandu — Upon your arrival, you will be picked from the airport and will be taken to the hotel. You will meet your guide, discuss the trek program, and make final preparations for the trek by acquiring all restricted area permits. If time permits, we will take you for a sightseeing trip in the UNESCO world heritage site in Kathmandu and later, in the evening, you’ll have dinner in the hotel. Overnight at hotel in Kathmandu. Day Day 2: Flight to Pokhara and then to Jomsom(2,700m/ 8,856ft) and trek to Kagbeni (2,847m/ 9,340ft) — Pokhara - Jomsom - Eklebhatti - Kagbeni In the early morning, you’ll take a 25 minutes flight over the Himalayas to the lovely city of Pokhara and 45 minutes flight to Jomsom. After having lunch, you’ll start your trek to Kagbeni by walking on the riverbed of Kaligandaki River until we arrive in Lubra where we visit the Bon-Po monastery. You then ascend up to Eklebatti and continue walking on the riverbed until we reach Kagbeni and stay overnight in the hotel. Trekking distance: 17 km / 10.56 miles Trekking Time: 3-4 hours Total ascent: 147 m / 479 ft Total descent: 0 m Day Day 3: Trek from Kagbeni to Chele (3,050m/ 10,006ft) — Kagbeni - Chele You start walking on the river bank of Kali Gandaki towards Tangbe village. You can see lovely sceneries along with colorful Chortens and Mani walls. Then, we continue to move towards Chhusang village crossing over a rocky trail. We then cross over an iron bridge where Kaligandaki River runs through a tunnel. Later, ascend on a sandy trail until you reach Chele. Overnight in Chele. Trekking distance: 22 km / 13.67 miles Trekking time: 5-6 hours Total ascent: 253 m / 830 ft Total descent: 0 m Day Day 4: Trek from Chele to Syangbochen (3,475m/ 11,398ft) via Rachung Cave — Chele - Syangbochen You make a steep climb as you leave Chele to arrive at the small passes of Taklam La (3624m) and Dajori La (3735m) to reach Samar. You reach Rachung Cave, which is located on the bank of Syangboche Khola, after navigating a number of streams and other tiny passes. You can explore Rachung Cave and its ancient Buddhist art on the cave wall. You descend alongside Syangboche Khola to arrive in Syangboche for the overnight stay. Trekking distance: 15 km / 9.32 miles Trekking Time: 6-7 hours Total ascent: 500 m / 1640 ft Total descent: 200 m / 656 ft Day Day 5: Trek from Syangbochen to Dhakmar (3820m/12,532.81), 5-6 hours — Syangbochen - Dhakmar Leaving Syangboche, you move uphill to follow our track to Tamagaon and downhill to a large chorten with Tibetans style houses in Chhunggar. Later, ascend across the head of the valley to Nyi La (4020m) and to the whitewashed houses of Ghami. We continue walking further towards Dhakmar and Overnight in Dhakmar. Trekking distance: 14 km / 8.69 miles Trekking Time: 5-6 hours Total ascent: 350 m / 1148 ft Total descent: 250 m / 820 ft Day Day 6: Trek from Dhakmar to Lo-Manthang (3810m/12,500ft) via Ghar Gompa, 6-7 hours — Dhakmar - Lo-Manthang Leaving Dhakmar, you head on to cross two passes over 4000 meters and cross Dhakmar Khola on a suspension bridge moving on to Ghar Gompa in Upper Mustang. After visiting the monastery, we cross a small river and ascend to reach Chogo-La (4280m). Then, we walk downhill until we reach the walled city of Lo-Manthang. Overnight in Lo-Manthang. Trekking distance: 12 km / 7.46 miles Trekking Time: 6-7 hours Total ascent: 450 m / 1476 ft Total descent: 450 m / 1476 ft Day Day 7: Exploration Day to Chhosar village and caves 6-7 hours — Today, you explore the palaces, fortress, and monasteries of Lo-Manthang. You also hike to the cultural haven of Chhosar village. In Chhosar, you will visit sacred Buddhist monastery called Niphu Monastery as well as Jhong Cave which is five stories high with 40 rooms decorated with Tibetan scripts and Buddhist murals. After the exploration of Chhosar, we hike back to Lo-Manthang for the overnight stay. Hiking Time: 6-7 hours Day Day 8: Trek from Lo-Manthang to Yara (3900m/12795.2ft), 6-7 hours — Lo Manthang - Yara Gradually going uphill from Lo-Manthang, we reach Lo-La Pass (3950m). This is the last place where you can see Lo-Manthang. Then, you arrive in Dhi village, and make a short vertical ascent alongside Puyung Khola to reach Yara. Overnight in Yara. Trekking distance: 14 km / 8.69 miles Trekking Time: 6-7 hours Total ascent: 90 m / 295 ft Total descent: 0 m Day Day 9: Trek from Yara to Luri Cave Monastery (4005m/13,139.76ft) 4-5 hours — Yara - Luri Cave After having breakfast, you trek from Yara to Luri Gompa. Continuing on the river bank, a gradual uphill walk brings us to Luri Cave Monastery. This is an ancient cave monastery in the Mustang region which was built in the 14th century. Overnight in Luri. Trekking distance: 10 km / 6.21 miles Trekking Time: 4-5 hours Total ascent: 105 m / 344 ft Total descent: 105 m / 344 ft Day Day 10: Trek from Luri Gompa from Ghuma Thanti (4600m/15,091.86ft) — Luri Gompa - Ghuma Thanti You walk for around five hours and move down to the camp at Ghuma Thanti. It lies near a stream and is a popular place for pilgrims who come to visit the holy lake of Damodar Kunda. Overnight in Ghuma Thanti. Trekking distance: 10 km / 6.21 miles Trekking Time: 5-6 hours Total ascent: 595 m / 1949 ft Total descent: 0 m Day Day 11: Trek from Ghuma Thanti to Namta Khola (4890m/16,043.31ft) — Ghuma Thanti - Namta Khola Following the trail you’ll cross Kyuma La (5300m) and Batsyak La (5450m), reaching high the elevation lake Damodar Kunda (4890m). Damodar Kunda is a holy lake visited by Hindu pilgrims and is situated in a rain- shadow zone of the Himalayas, north of the magnificent Annapurna range. In the later part of the day you continue downhill to Namta Khola and stay overnight. Trekking distance: 14 km / 8.69 miles Trekking Time: 7-8 hours Total ascent: 1050 m / 3445 ft Total descent: 160 m / 525 ft Day Day 12: Trek from Namta Khola to Saribung Base Camp (4950m/16,240.16ft) — Namta Khola - Saribung Base Camp Today, your trek starts from the left bank moraine of Khumjungar Glacier which is quite tough due to the snowy trail. Climbing through the glacier, we reach Saribung Base Camp. At Saribung Base Camp, you are surrounded by many 6000 meters peaks from all around. Overnight in Saribung Base Camp. Trekking distance: 12 km / 7.46 miles Trekking Time: 6-7 hours Total ascent: 390 m / 1279 ft Total descent: 0 m Day Day 13: Acclimatization day — Now, it is an exhilarating day for you where you scale Saribung Peak (6328m) by climbing up to top of Saribung on the glacial moraine. Once you reach the top, you can get a fine view of the Annapurna and Dhaulagiri ranges along with Damodar Himal and Chhib Himal ranges. After spending some time at the top, you come back to the base camp and stay overnight. Day Day 14: Trek from Base Camp to Nagoru 4400m via Saribung Pass 5600m, — Saribung Base Camp - Nagoru The trail continues as you trek and cross the frozen Saribung Pass (5600m). It is a steep and slippery trail through the snow as you make a strenuous climb on the snowbound Saribung Pass (5600m). Saribung is located in an isolated part of Mustang region and is frozen throughout the year as it lies on the foot of Saribung Peak (6042m). After watching the Himalayan view from the top, you descend to Nagoru on a moraine path. Overnight in Nagoru. Trekking distance: 15 km / 9.32 miles Trekking Time: 8-9 hours Total ascent: 750 m / 2460 ft Total descent: 1200 m / 3937 ft Day Day 15: Trek from Nagoru to Phu Gaon 4080m/5-6 hours, — Nagoru - Phu Gaon You start to hike from Nagoru to the historic Phu Gaon in the Nar Phu Valley while enjoying the view of Himlung (7126m), Nemjung (7140m), Cheo (6812m), and Pokarkang (6372m). You can see the conventional Buddhist way of life in Phu Gaon because it is home to people of mixed ethnicities like Lama, Gurung, and Ghale. Trekking distance: 9 km / 5.59 miles Trekking Time: 5-6 hours Total ascent: 120 m / 393 ft Total descent: 400 m / 1312 ft Day Day 16: Trek from Phu Gaon to Meta 3560m/5-6 hours, — Phu Gaon - Meta The trek continues by walk on the highland, cross the gate at the end of the village and descend in the constricted valley to reach Kyang. You can see the remains of the Khampa settlement's abandoned castles, a group of people of Tibetan heritage who illegally resided in regions like Jhunam, Chyakhu, and Kyang. After that, you carry on down the hill to Meta where Kangaru Himal(6981m), and the Annapurna range are seen. Overnight in Meta. Trekking distance: 10 km / 6.21 miles Trekking Time: 5-6 hours Total ascent: 350 m / 1148 ft Total descent: 500 m / 1640 ft Day Day 17: Trek from Meta to Koto 2600m — Meta - Koto You descend following Naar Khola downstream walking through the alpine forest and cross many small streams and attractive waterfalls near Dharmasala. You also cross over many suspension bridges and riverside settlements to finally reach Koto where you will be staying overnight. Trekking distance: 12 km / 7.46 miles Trekking Time: 6-7 hours Total ascent: 0 m Total descent: 960 m / 3149 ft Day Day 18: Trek from Koto to Dharapani (1860m/ — Koto - Dharapani You begin your trip on a level path through small villages and pine forests, passing Timang. Along the way, you may catch glimpses of the Annapurna range and other snow-capped summits. After there, you walk on an uneven trail to reach Danakyu before continuing on a pleasant, flat path till we reach Dharapani. Dharapani, spend the night. Trekking distance: 9 km / 5.59 miles Trekking Time: 5-6 hours Total ascent: 0 m Total descent: 740 m / 2428 ft Day Day 19: Drive from Dharapani to Kathmandu — Dharapani - Kathmandu The trek ends here and you drive or fly to Kathmandu. Day Day 20: Final Departure from Kathmandu — Our office representative will drop you at the airport a few hours before the flight time. We hope to see you again.

YOUR DAY-BY-DAY ROUTE

Day-by-day itinerary

Day 1Arrival in Kathmandu — Upon your arrival, you will be picked from the airport and will be taken to the hotel. You will meet your guide, discuss the trek program, and make final preparations for the trek by acquiring all restricted area permits. If time permits, we will take you for a sightseeing trip in the UNESCO world heritage site in Kathmandu and later, in the evening, you’ll have dinner in the hotel. Overnight at hotel in Kathmandu.+