Upper Mustang: Fly to Jomsom or Drive from Kathmandu? How to Choose Your Way In

Last updated 9 October 2026.

Short answer: fly Kathmandu to Pokhara and Pokhara to Jomsom if you want to skip the 10 to 14 hour drive and can keep a spare day for weather. Drive from Kathmandu if you want the shortest trip and a fixed schedule, and you can sit through a long road day at each end.

Both ways take you to the same trail and the same walled city of Lo Manthang. The difference is what happens before and after the walking. We run both, and you can read the flight route on our Upper Mustang Trek via Pokhara and Jomsom, 15 Days page and the road route on our Upper Mustang Trek, 10 Days page. A licensed guide walks with you on both.

Which way in should you choose?

I tell people to decide on two things: how much time they have, and how they feel about a long mountain road. If you have ten days and do not mind the road, the drive is simpler. If you have fifteen days and would rather spend the travel time in Pokhara by the lake, fly.

What does the drive from Kathmandu involve?

On our 10-day trek you drive from Kathmandu to Kagbeni on day 1, at 2,804 m, and drive back on day 10. Each road day takes 10 to 14 hours. You walk from Kagbeni to Chele, Syangboche, Dhakmar and Lo Manthang, take one exploration day in the walled city, and walk back through Ghami and Samar to Kagbeni.

The good side is simplicity. There are no flight tickets to rebook and nothing to wait for at an airport. The hard side is that your first day is spent in a vehicle, and so is your last. If you get carsick or dislike long drives on a mountain road, that matters.

What does the flight route involve?

You fly Kathmandu to Pokhara on day 2 and sleep in Pokhara on purpose, because the Jomsom flight leaves early in the morning. On day 3 you fly to Jomsom at 2,720 m, then walk north to Kagbeni, about two hours on the river trail. I like this because the short walk shows you and us how you feel in the heat, the wind and the altitude before the real trek begins.

The trek is then the same as the road route, with one change. I added a full day for the Chhoser caves. On the 10-day trek the caves are only an optional extra on the free day, and that is not enough time to see them properly.

Coming out, you walk back to Kagbeni, then ride a private 4WD jeep through the Kali Gandaki gorge, past Marpha and Tukuche, to Pokhara. You sleep there, eat a farewell dinner, and fly to Kathmandu the next day. If you would rather skip the three walking days back, you can ride from Lo Manthang to Pokhara instead and keep the time for weather.

What can go wrong with each way?

The flight to Jomsom runs in the morning only. It is often delayed or cancelled in strong wind and in the monsoon. That is why I suggest a spare day before your international flight, and why the Chhoser day is the first to give way if a flight costs us a day on the way in.

The road has its own risk. The Beni to Jomsom road is under repair after the floods, and landslides are possible in wet months. We check the road 48 hours before departure, and if it is not open we move your dates free. The trails inside Mustang are separate from that road. For the full position, read my update on the Jomsom road and how to reach Mustang. If the road is out on the way back, we can arrange the Jomsom to Pokhara flight instead, on request.

Which months suit which route?

March to May and September to November are the best months for either route. July and August are workable because Upper Mustang sits in the rain shadow behind the Annapurna and Dhaulagiri ranges, so the trail stays fairly dry. But in those months the Jomsom flight is often delayed or cancelled and the road can have landslides, so plan for both. My monsoon guide to Upper Mustang goes into this in detail.

What is the same on both routes?

• The trek days are long, 5 to 8 hours, and three of them are 7 to 8 hours.
• You sleep above 3,000 m, and your highest night is Lo Manthang at 3,840 m. The highest point is the Choku La, about 4,290 m.
• The restricted-area permit is USD 50 per person per day, charged only for the days you are inside Upper Mustang. We arrange it for you. Read the Upper Mustang permit and cost guide for the detail.
• Licensed guide, as the rules require, with at most 7 trekkers per guide in restricted areas.
• Mobile data is not reliable north of Kagbeni.

For the places on the route, see our guides to Jomsom and Kagbeni.

Terms in plain words

Hotel nights in Kathmandu and Pokhara are not in the trek price, so we can fit them to your dates, and we can book them for you. Buy travel insurance at home, and make sure it covers trekking to 5,000 m, including helicopter rescue. Group size is 2 to 20, and you can also go solo.

The deposit is 10 per cent and it is non-refundable, with no refund if you cancel. You can reschedule free of charge with at least 7 days notice for a restricted-area trek, to any date within one year. The balance is paid on arrival in Kathmandu, in USD or EUR, cash or by card. Card carries 3.5 per cent and cash in Kathmandu carries none. We do not take Nepali rupees from foreign clients. We tell you your guide's name after you book.

Questions people ask

Which is better for a first visit to Mustang? The flight route if you can spare the days. The first day on the trail is shorter, and you are not tired from a day in a vehicle.

Can I ride instead of walking back? On the flight route, yes. You can ride from Lo Manthang to Pokhara by jeep and keep the three walking days for weather.

What if my flight to Jomsom is cancelled? We use the spare day. If that is gone, we talk to you about the options at the time, and nothing is decided without you.

Do I need a permit? Yes, and we arrange it. Upper Mustang is a restricted area.

Written by Shreejan Simkhada, CEO of The Everest Holiday, from a family of three generations of family guides. TAAN Member #1586. WhatsApp +977 9810351300.