Teri La pass trek: Nar to Upper Mustang

Arrive in Kathmandu. Transfer to your hotel.

Nepali Ghar or similar. (Dinner).

Full day exploration of the sights, sounds and pleasant chaos that is Kathmandu. Visit Bodhnath which is a sacred destination for Buddhists from all over the world. Circum-ambulate the sacred monument with devotees, spin the prayer wheels along the stupa walls, and immerse yourself in the experience of Bodhnath.

Visit Pashupatinath, Nepal’s most sacred Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva, the God of Destruction. The main temple has a two-tiered golden roof and an ornate silver door. However, visitors cannot enter the main temple sanctum and must view it from across the sacred Bagmati River.

Then drive to Patan. After lunch, visit the well-maintained Patan Museum which houses ancient Nepali artifacts, followed by a tour of Patan Durbar (Palace) Square. The medieval architecture of Patan is the finest with stunning architectural designs of palaces and temples including the Krishna Mandir. Return to hotel. Free evening to prepare for your Ultimate Everest trek.

Nepali Ghar or similar. (Breakfast and Lunch)

Today is a long day of driving (up to 9 hours) so start early around 6:30 am. The road till Besi Sahar is paved but beyond Besi Sahar part of the road is bumpy jeep track.

Overnight Lodge. (All meals)

The jeep will drop you at Koto village which is another 30 minutes of driving. At Koto, after getting your permits checked, cross the Marsyangdi river to enter the Nar Phu region. We first continue on a jeep track criss-crossing the river a couple times. Soon enter a small clearing in the forest where there are a couple of lodges. Continue along the banks of the river to arrive another clearing in the forest to Chyap Chyap.

If you prefer, you can continue further all the way to Meta. First arrive at Dharamshala which is reached after walking through a trail etched out from the rocks above which there is a water fall. From Dharamshala it is a steep (1 hour or so) climb to the village of Meta.

Overnight Tents. (All meals)

Distance – 20.90 Kilometers/12.99 miles
Ascent – 1,121 meters/3,677 feet
Descent – 268 meters/880 feet

Today is an acclimatization day in Meta. The best option is to hike to Kang Guru base camp which is a steep climb from Meta village at an altitude of about 4,200 meters.

Overnight Tents. (All meals)

META TO KANG GURU BASE CAMP

Distance – 2.59 Kilometers/1.61 miles
Ascent – 663 meters/2,175 feet
Descent – 14 meters/45 feet

About 30 minutes after leaving Nar, make a short descent to a bridge high above the Phu river. This is Nar Phedi.  The trail from Nar Phedi to Nar is a steep ascent of around 4 hours.

The next day is a rest and acclimatization day. You may opt to hike towards the Kangla pass from where there are great views of the mountain range to the east (Manaslu, Himalchuli, Kang Guru). Explore Nar village.

Overnight Lodge. (All meals)

Nar Phedi to Nar village

Distance – 4.90 Kilometers/3.0 miles
Ascent – 581 meters/1,907 feet
Descent – 0

We leave Nar and head north. First, descend steeply on a switch back. After reaching the plateau, ascend to a suspension bridge. From the bridge make a slow and steep ascent to a big Kharka – yak pasture. This is our camp for the night. There are several smaller pastures a little further where smaller groups can camp.

Overnight Tents. (All meals)

Distance – 5.93 Kilometers/3.68 miles
Ascent – 504 meters/1,653 feet
Descent – 402 meters/1,318 feet

From the pasture camp, continue along the trail high above the river with a few short ascents and descents. Finally cross a landslide and climb a steep section to again descend to the river. The trail is now on the river bed for around 45 minutes which then leads to a wide ground on the river bank.

Overnight Tents. (All meals)

Distance – 8.91 Kilometers/5.54 miles
Ascent – 348 meters/1,141 feet
Descent – 324 meters/1,062 feet

Past the river camp, ascend steeply to skirt a large landslide. Descend to the river, cross a bridge and make a short ascent. In June and July, the villagers of Nar camp here to harvest Yartsa Gompa (Cordyceps), a herb used in oriental medicine. The trail is mostly level with some short ascents and descents. At the river junction, we head West and then prepare for the river crossing (the first of several on this trip). After crossing the icy cold river, climb steeply on scree to a pasture. Soon we reach our base camp which is on the banks of another river.

Overnight Tents. (All meals)

Distance – 11.42 Kilometers/7.10 miles
Ascent – 532 meters/1,745 feet
Descent – 213 meters/700 feet

From base camp begin the slow ascent walking on the river bed – at times hopping on rocks. We soon reach a wide and barren plateau. Past the plateau, begin the ascent to the pass. While the trail is not very steep the thin makes the hike strenuous. Looking back several peaks including Manaslu, Himlung, Gyaji Kang and others are visible. Finally, make a short, steep climb to the pass.

The first section of the descent from the pass is quite tricky. There is NO trail per se; you just make your own trail as you descend. Shoot for marker pole #138. You will then follow these marker poles until the village of Tanggye. There are 4 marker poles in every kilometer of the trail. Descend to high camp on the Mustang side.

Overnight Tents. (All meals)

Base Camp to Teri La Pass

Distance – 5.85 Kilometers/3.64 miles
Ascent – 401 meters/1,315 feet
Descent – 0

Teri La Pass to River Camp (Beyond High Camp)

Distance – 7.14 Kilometers/4.44 miles
Ascent – 142 meters/465 feet
Descent – 810 meters/2,660 feet

Today requires a lot of concentration while hiking. Leaving high camp, ascend slowly on the side of a cliff on a scree trail. While the scree isn’t slippery, it is a very narrow and exposed trail. After crossing three such sections (each section is around 2 to 4 minutes), start descending on a switch back. At the bottom of the descent is another river crossing. After crossing the river, continue descending through several pastures. The final descent for the day is on a switchback with scree and rocks (thankfully on a wide trail with NO exposure). Cross another river and then ascend to a shepherd’s camp.

Overnight Tents. (All meals)

Distance – 7.46 Kilometers/4.64 miles
Ascent – 166 meters/545 feet
Descent – 594 meters/1,950 feet

From shepherd’s camp, ascend gradually for about an hour and then descend to another river.  There is a large sheep pen here which is close to the ruins of a village which was abandoned due to lack of water. From here begin a steep ascent on not very clearly marked trail. It’s best to walk with your guide who can identify the trail. Looking back, Dhaulagiri, Tilicho and Nilgiri are visible further down the Kali Gandaki valley. After slogging for 1 or 2 hours, reach the top of the hill which is another pasture. From here, begin the long descent to Tanggye village. After about an hour into the descent, you will join a jeep track until the village.

A rest day is planned for at Tanggye. This can also be used as a contingency day.

Overnight Lodge. (All meals)

Distance – 18.73 Kilometers/11.64 miles
Ascent – 604 meters/1,981 feet
Descent – 1,533 meters/5,029

From Tanggye village, climb towards the cliffs. Ascend through the gully to reach a large, wide plateau. Climb a little further and then descend to the Dhi river which has several apple orchards. Cross a long suspension bridge and ascend again to another large, wide plateau. Yara village is just after the plateau. Ghara village is about 45 minutes ascent from Yara village.

Overnight Tents. (All meals)

Distance – 17 Kilometers/10.56 miles
Ascent – 1,070 meters/3,510 feet
Descent – 830 meters/2,723 feet

From Ghara village, you have the whole day to explore Luri Gompa and Tashi Kabum.

Overnight Tents. (All meals)

From Ghara village, ascend steeply to reach a plateau. Descend to Amka which has several shepherd huts – each belonging to a separate village in the vicinity. Here thousands of sheep wander to the pastures nearby during the day and are again herded back at night. We continue on another plateau until we make a steep descent to the river. You will be crossing this river at least a couple times as you head down stream. Note: It is best to walk in flip-flops as we will not only be crossing the river but will also be wading on the river. At the river junction, we then head upstream on the smaller river. After walking on this river for about half an hour, a trail on the banks becomes visible which we ascend steeply. After continuing for a bit, Chusong Gompa, which is hidden among the cliffs, can be seen. Our camp is on the banks of the river just below the Gompa (Monastery).

Overnight Tents. (All meals)

Distance – 19.5 Kilometers/12.1 miles
Ascent – 859 meters/2,818 feet
Descent – 879 meters/2,883 feet

We continue upstream for around 15 minutes and then begin the arduous, steep 700 meter climb. The trail is not clearly marked. This slog brings us to another large plateau – the largest on the trek. After crossing the plateau, we arrive at a jeep track which does descend to Samjung village. However, we will take another more direct hiking trail. The descent is on scree which is best navigated slowly. Cross the river to reach the abandoned Samjung village with its impressive cave network just above the village. The village has been abandoned because of the lack of water.

Overnight Tents. (All meals)

Distance – 12.6 Kilometers/7.83 miles
Ascent – 790,meters/2,591 feet
Descent – 619 meters/2,030 feet

You have the option to either walk to Choser or drive. Explore Choser and Jhong caves. Continue to Lo Manthang where we will stay at a lodge for two nights.

Overnight Lodge. (All meals)

Distance – 17 Kilometers/10.56 miles
Ascent – 1,070 meters/3,510 feet
Descent – 830 meters/2,723 feet

Today is a full day to explore Lo Manthang. There are several monasteries and other interesting homes/schools to visit inside the walled city.

Overnight Lodge. (All meals)

Start trekking over the Marang La pass to Ghar Gompa. Enroute we will walk through a large pasture which is now home to the last nomads of Mustang. These nomads, also called Dokpas, lived near Chusong Gompa but moved to the outskirts of Lo Manthang because of the facilities available. Ghar Gompa is the oldest monastery in Nepal dating back to the 8th century. Continue to Tsarang where we will stay at Maya’s Inn.

Overnight Lodge. (All meals)

Today we drive around 55 kilometers from Tsarang to Jomsom. We will cross Dhakmar, Ghemi, Giling and Chele enroute. The drive itself should take around 4 hours. However, we will stop enroute to explore the various villages and their monasteries.

While we have the option to fly from Jomsom, the Teri La pass trek is usually scheduled during the monsoon months of May, June, July and September. So we may decide to forego the flight plan and instead decide to drive to Pokhara. If this is the case, we will continue driving to Marpha which is a more interesting village – the center of Thakali culture.

Overnight Lodge. (All meals)

Fly from Jomsom to Pokhara. The day is free in Pokhara. You are free to wander around the lake side for souvenir shopping or to check out the many bars and restaurants. Overnight Temple Tree or similar. (Breakfast and Dinner)

After breakfast, fly to Kathmandu. Full day sightseeing in Kathmandu. Visit Bhaktapur Durbar Square which is around 13 kilometers/8 miles east of Kathmandu. The Bhaktapur Durbar Square was the palace of the kingdom of Bhaktapur and the complex consists of at least four distinct squares (Durbar Square, Taumadhi Square, Dattatreya Square and Pottery Square).

Farewell dinner in Kathmandu. Overnight Hotel Tibet. (Breakfast and Dinner)

Arrive breakfast, transfer to the airport for your flight home. (Breakfast)