Upper Mustang Jeep Tour or Trek: Which Is Right for You?

Last updated 27 October 2026.

Short answer: Take the jeep tour if you have about a week, do not want to walk for days at altitude, or travel with someone who cannot. It takes 9 days from Pokhara and costs from USD 2,100 per person for 2 to 4 people. Take the trek if you want to walk the old trade route: it takes 10 days from Kathmandu from USD 1,290, or 16 days via Pokhara from USD 2,475.

Both reach the same walled city of Lo Manthang, and both need a restricted-area permit and a licensed guide. The difference is how you get between the villages: in a private 4WD jeep, or on your own feet. I run both, and I do not push one over the other. Here is how I help people choose. You can see the jeep route on our Upper Mustang Jeep Tour, 9 Days from Pokhara page.

Upper Mustang jeep tour or trek at a glance

These are the live prices on our trip pages today. The permit is USD 50 per person per day and we pay it, so it is already in each price.

Why does the jeep tour cost more than the 10-day trek?

For one to four people, it does cost more, and I would rather say so. The jeep tour includes the road from Pokhara to Jomsom with a night in Tatopani (shared vehicle seats on Budget and Standard, a private jeep on Luxury) and a 4WD jeep with a driver from Jomsom to Lo Manthang and back to Pokhara. The 10-day trek drives you from Kathmandu instead, and your own legs do the rest. The jeep price falls as the group grows, to USD 1,745 on Budget for 5 to 8 people.

A solo traveller on the jeep tour pays the solo price, which is higher. The jeep, the driver and the guide are still needed for one person.

What do you actually do each day on the jeep tour?

You sleep as high as Lo Manthang even though you do not walk, so altitude still matters. Your guide carries a pulse oximeter and checks it daily. If you have any heart, lung or blood-pressure condition, tell me before you book.

What do you give up by not walking?

You give up the slow arrival. On the trek you walk to Chele, Syangboche, Dhakmar and Lo Manthang, pass the high point at the Choku La, about 4,290 m, and the days have a rhythm. The jeep tour tops out at Lo Manthang, 3,840 m. You see the same landscape, the red cliffs and the mani walls and the long dry wind, but you see it through a window and at a stop, not step by step.

What you gain is time and energy. You have three nights in Lo Manthang with a day for the palace and monasteries and a whole day for the Chhoser caves, and you arrive with a rested body. If you want the longer experience, read my Upper Mustang cost and permit guide, and see the Upper Mustang Trek, 10 Days page.

Who should take which?

• Jeep tour: families with older parents or grandparents, people with a knee or hip that dislikes long days, couples where only one wants to walk, and anyone with about a week.
• 10-day trek: fit walkers who want the full route, have ten days, and do not mind two long road days from Kathmandu.
• 16-day trek via Pokhara: people who would rather start from Pokhara than drive from Kathmandu and want a Chhoser caves day and a spare day for weather. It is described in my guide to flying or driving to Upper Mustang.

When is the best time to go?

My guide to Upper Mustang in the monsoon goes through July and August in detail.

How do you get there, and what can go wrong?

The jeep tour starts in Pokhara and goes by road, with a night in Tatopani. Be in Pokhara the evening before. When scheduled Pokhara–Jomsom flights restart (expected around spring 2027), we go back to flying in and the trip is one day shorter. Flights are often delayed or cancelled in the monsoon and in strong wind, so keep one spare day before your international flight. If you lose a day on the way in, the Chhoser day is the first to give way.

Scheduled Pokhara–Jomsom flights stopped on 19–21 October 2026 for about five months (charter flights still run), so for now we go by road. The Beni–Jomsom road is open again after the September floods but slow in places (checked 26 October 2026).

The drive back to Pokhara uses the Beni to Jomsom road, which is repaired and open to vehicles again as of 14 October 2026. We check the road 48 hours before departure, and if it is not open we move your dates free. My update on the Jomsom road has the current position. Mobile data is not reliable north of Kagbeni.

What is included and what is not?

The jeep tour price includes the road from Pokhara to Jomsom, the 4WD jeep and driver beyond, a licensed guide experienced in Upper Mustang, the restricted-area permit (USD 250 per person for the 5 days inside), the Annapurna Conservation Area permit, the TIMS card, guesthouses and the farewell dinner in Pokhara. On Standard and Luxury, breakfast, lunch and dinner are also included. On Budget, meals other than the farewell dinner are not. Pokhara hotel nights, international flights, the Nepal visa, insurance and tips are not included. A Pokhara hotel is USD 100 per room-night for a 3-star hotel, if you want us to book it.

A licensed guide goes with you, and no more than 7 guests go with one guide in a restricted area. You never walk apart from your guide there. Solo guests are allowed since 22 March 2026, with a registered agency and a licensed guide.

What are the terms?

Plans change? You can reschedule free of charge with at least 7 days notice for a restricted-area trip, to any date within one year. The 10 per cent deposit itself is not refunded if you cancel. The balance is paid on arrival in Kathmandu, in USD or EUR, cash or by card. Card carries 3.5 per cent and cash carries none. We do not take Nepali rupees from foreign clients. Buy travel insurance at home that covers medical costs and helicopter rescue to 4,500 m. We tell you your guide's name after you book, and permits need 48 hours counted in government working days, so we ask for your passport details early.

Questions people ask

How long is the Upper Mustang jeep tour? It is 9 days, from Pokhara to Pokhara, with three nights in Lo Manthang.

How much does the Upper Mustang jeep tour cost? For 2 to 4 people it is USD 2,100 on Budget, USD 2,370 on Standard and USD 3,225 on Luxury per person. A solo traveller pays USD 3,425, USD 3,790 or USD 5,370.

Is there any walking? Only short walks at Kagbeni, in Lo Manthang and at the Chhoser caves. The journeys between villages are by jeep.

Do I need a permit for Upper Mustang? Yes, a restricted-area permit at USD 50 per person per day. The jeep tour has 5 days inside the area, so USD 250 per person, and we pay it.

Is the road safe? It is a rough mountain track, and the Beni to Jomsom road is repaired and open to vehicles again as of 14 October 2026. Our drivers know it, your guide checks the road before each long drive, and we do not drive when the road is not open.

Can I go in July or August? Yes, with open eyes. The area is dry because of the rain shadow, but landslides are possible on the road.

Can a solo traveller join? Yes. Solo guests can be permitted with a registered agency and a licensed guide, and the solo price applies.

What if the road is blocked? We check the road 48 hours before departure and move your dates free if it is not open. Extra hotel nights and meals caused by a landslide are yours to pay.

How do you book?

Message me on WhatsApp on +977 9810351300 with your dates, how many of you are travelling and who in the group wants to walk. I will tell you which of the three trips I would pick and send you the exact quote.

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