Jomsom Muktinath Trek

You will go on a guided tour to four UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Kathmandu. The first one is Kathmandu Durbar Square, which has ancient palaces of the Kings who once ruled Kathmandu. The second site is Pashupatinath, which has a sacred symbol of Lord Shiva and is also a famous funeral site for Hindus. The third is Boudhanath, which is a significant pilgrimage site for Buddhists and has over 50 monasteries in the area. The last site is Swayambhu, also known as the Monkey Temple because of the many monkeys living there. Bhaktapur Durbar Square and Patan Durbar Squares are also part of the tour and are known for their unique temples and local lifestyle. You will spend the night in Kathmandu.

Today, we will take an early morning flight to Pokhara and enjoy breathtaking views of the Himalayas from the airplane window. After some rest, we will explore the beautiful Pokhara Valley and its famous attractions, including Phewa Lake and the World Peace Pagoda. We will also admire the stunning views of the Himalayan Mountain range, including Dhaulagiri, Manaslu, Machhapuchhare, and the peaks of Annapurna. In the evening, we will explore the lakeside area and spend the night in a hotel in Pokhara.

We will take an early morning flight to Jomsom, which is the district headquarters of Mustang. The flight will give us a breathtaking view of the Annapurna and Dhaulagiri mountains. After a short break and breakfast in Jomsom, we will start trekking towards Kagbeni. Along the way, we will see dry rocky hills, the Kaligandaki River, snow-capped mountains like Dhaulagiri, Nilgiri, Tukuche Peak, and beautiful farmlands with apple gardens. After about three hours of trekking, we will reach Kagbeni where we will visit an old monastery and a Hindu temple on the Kaligandaki Riverside. We will spend the night in a guest house in Kagbeni.

Today, we will trek towards our destination, Muktinath. The trek offers many beautiful and scenic spots on the way. We will climb up steeply from Kagbeni to Khingar, passing through a desert landscape. We will also see amazing snow-capped mountains and desert mountains from Jarkot Village. After a 4-hour trek, we will reach Muktinath, which is an important pilgrimage site for both Hindus and Buddhists. There is a Vishnu temple and a monastery nearby, and we will explore them. We will also visit nearby villages and enjoy beautiful mountain views. Muktinath showcases the religious harmony in Nepal, and we will spend the night there.

Today, we visit Muktinath Temple and do some worshiping in the morning. After having breakfast, we start descending through Ranipauwa village to Kagbeni, and then to Jomsom. During our journey, we get to see the beautiful scenery of Mt. Dhaulagiri and Mt. Nilgiri. We cross several farmlands and arrive at Marpha in the late afternoon. Marpha is well-known for its apples, and we can enjoy different apple products and the famous apple brandy. Overnight stay will be at Marpha.

After having breakfast, we start our trek towards Lete village. We will encounter many traditional villages of the Thakali people and see numerous apple gardens along the way. The stunning 360-degree panoramic view of the Himalayan peaks including Dhaulagari, Tukuche Peak, the three Nilgiris, Fang and Annapurna I are breathtaking. We will cross a river on the way to Kokhethanti and also pass through a newly constructed road before reaching Kalopani. We will see the Sebacton trees, known for their famous fruit juice in the area. We will spend the night at Lete.

Today, we trek downhill to Tatopani, a natural hot spring water spot. We pass through lush subtropical forests and see the beautiful Rupse Chahara waterfall. We also cross the deepest gorge in the trail, located at Dana bridge. This area is famous for its orange farms, and we’ll encounter many traditional villages along the way. At Tatopani, we get to relax and take a refreshing bath in the natural hot springs. We’ll spend the night at Tatopani.

After breakfast, we start trekking to Ghorepani. We will see the lifestyle of people living in midland villages of Nepal, like Ghara and Sikha, where farming is done on terraced and inclined lands. The trail gradually ascends, passing through forests of rhododendron, birch, magnolia, and meadows. As we climb higher, we get to see stunning views of the peaks ahead. We will spend the night at Ghorepani, as we have an early morning climb to Poon Hill the next day.

Early morning, we hike for an hour to reach Poon Hill and enjoy the mesmerizing sunrise view. We witness the breathtaking beauty of mountains like Mt. Dhaulagiri, Mt. Annapurna I, Mt. Nilgiri, and Mt. Annapurna South. After returning to the guest house and having breakfast, we trek downhill towards Nayapul. During this trek, we pass through a beautiful rhododendron forest and encounter various waterfalls, wild animals, and villages like Uleri, Tikhedhunga, Hille, Sule, and Birethati (checkpoint for permit and team verification). Finally, we arrive at Nayapul and drive to Pokhara, a city of lakes.

If we prefer to drive back to Kathmandu, we can enjoy the beautiful scenery from the left side of the vehicle. Once we reach Kathmandu, we will be taken to our hotel to rest. Alternatively, we can take a 25-minute flight back to Kathmandu. If we choose to stay in Pokhara, we can spend half a day sightseeing and shopping before catching our flight in the afternoon. At the end of the trip, we will have a nice dinner at the hotel and share our experiences with each other. Our trip officially ends today, and we will spend the night at the hotel.