Best Time for the Mustang Circuit Trek
Spring (March-May) and autumn (September-November) are your best bets with stable weather, clear skies, and the most comfortable trail conditions.
If you had to pick the sweet spots, September-October and April-May consistently deliver the best combination of visibility, trail conditions, and local festivals such as Tiji Festival in Lo-Manthang (usually falls in May) being the big one worth planning a trip around if the timing works.
Travel Insurance for the Mustang Circuit Trek
Travel insurance is non-negotiable. Your policy must explicitly cover:
- Trip cancellations, delays, and lost baggage.
- Medical insurance, high-altitude trekking coverage up to 6,000m. Standard travel insurance often excludes trekking above certain elevations.
- Emergency Evacuation. In case of altitude sickness or injury, evacuation from remote areas can be extremely costly without good insurance.
- Accident & injury, protect against trekking - related accidents, includes hospitalization and treatment costs in Nepal or abroad.
- Repatriation. Ensure safe return home in case of serious medical emergencies.
Key tips:
- Check the Policy altitude limit for what it covers
- Verify that the helicopter evacuation is included
- Keep the insurance with you, and carry a printed copy of your insurance policy as well
- Buy insurance before flying to Nepal
Logistics - Getting to Mustang Circuit Trek and Permits 2026/27
Getting into Mustang is a mix of a short flight, road travel, and trekking. Most people start from Jomsom, then head north through Kagbeni toward Lo-Manthang.
You can reach Jomsom by domestic flight from Kathmandu via Pokhara, or go overland by bus, private car, or jeep. Once you're in Mustang, jeeps can actually run the whole way to Lo-Manthang and further on toward Korala, near the Nepal-China (Tibet) border.
If you want the full trekking experience rather than the road version, the stretch from Kagbeni through Chele, Tsarang, and Lo-Manthang is best done on foot, with jeeps used only where it makes sense such as for road sections, gear transport, or emergencies.
Two permits are required for this trek:
- Upper Mustang Restricted Area Permit (RAP): Issued through the Department of Immigration in Kathmandu. Costs USD 50 per person, per day
- Annapurna Conservation Area Permit (ACAP): Required because Upper Mustang falls within the Annapurna Conservation Area and costs NPR 3,000 (approx. 20) for foreign nationals and NPR 1,000 for SAARC nationals
We handle all these for you. All we need is a scanned copy of your passport, and we take care of the paperwork from there. Since this is a restricted area, the guide carries the original permits and shows them at the checkpoint.
Altitude Sickness - What to Know for Mustang Circuit Trek
Altitude sickness isn't something to shrug off on this trek, and it doesn't discriminate between fit and unfit trekkers. The route climbs well past 3,500m, and parts of it sit above 4,100m, which is firmly in the zone where acute mountain sickness (AMS) becomes a real possibility.
What increases your risk:
- Rapid ascent, especially flying straight into Jomsom without easing in
- Sleeping more than 500m higher than the previous night
- A previous history of altitude sickness
- Alcohol or sedative use at altitude
- Pushing above 3,500m without proper acclimatization
If symptoms appear:
- Stop ascending immediately if you notice a headache, nausea, or unusual fatigue
- Rest at the same altitude until symptoms improve
- Descend 300-1000m if symptoms worsen or don't improve within 24 hours
- Seek medical help urgently for severe signs such as confusion, breathlessness at rest, coughing blood, or blue lips
Normal trekking tiredness after a long uphill day is one thing, but a headache paired with nausea or unusual fatigue after gaining altitude is a different signal entirely, and it's worth taking seriously rather than pushing through. We tell every trekker on Day 1 that if the guide says descend, we descend - no negotiating that on the trail.
A number of trekkers carry Diamox as a preventive measure, but it is always best to consult with your doctor regarding your health situation and prescriptions you can take before you leave home; it’s not something to figure out mid-trek. Given how remote parts of this route are, proper travel insurance covering high-altitude trekking and evacuation isn't optional, it's always better to be safe than sorry.
If you've had altitude sickness before or have any health concerns, tell us when you book so we can plan the itinerary with that in mind.
Accommodation on the Mustang Circuit Trek
Accommodation here is mostly teahouses, mountain lodges, guesthouses, and homestays. It's generally basic but comfortable, and it gets noticeably better in the bigger stops such as Kagbeni, Tsarang, and Lo-Manthang. Once you push further north into the more remote parts of Mustang, things get simpler and more traditional; expect a warm room, a shared bathroom, and a dining hall that becomes the evening gathering spot.
Hot showers are usually available for a small fee (roughly USD $3-5, more the further you go, since gas has to be carried in). Wi-Fi is available in most teahouses for a charge too, though it gets patchy the deeper you go into the valley, so bring a power bank, since paying per phone charge adds up fast over 20 days.
Food and Meals on the Mustang Circuit Trek
Food follows what you'd expect from a Himalayan teahouse trek; a mix of Nepali staples, Tibetan-influenced dishes (Mustang has a strong Tibetan cultural thread), and Western trekker food. Dal bhat, noodle soups, fried rice, and momos show up often, and in the smaller villages the choices narrow but the food stays fresh and filling enough to keep you going for a full day of walking.
If you're vegetarian or have any dietary restrictions, let us know when booking so we can flag it to the teahouses ahead of time and avoid any mix-ups.
NOTE: You can also add a dedicated cook guide to the trek if you want your meals prepared to your exact requirements throughout the trek. They'll cook for you personally at every stop.
It's also worth grabbing snacks in Kathmandu before you head out; chocolate, nuts, energy bars since they're cheaper there and genuinely useful on longer days or in stretches like Lo-Manthang and Chungsi Cave where food options thin out.
Why Trek Mustang Circuit Trek with Advent Himalaya Treks?
Anyone can get you to Manaslu Circuit. What we think actually matters is who you're doing it with, and what happens around, before and after the trek.
- We're a family-run business, not a franchise. Advent Himalaya Treks was started by Babu with his family by his side and is still run day-to-day by the same family. When you email us or message on WhatsApp before you book, you're talking to Babu who actually knows about the trek you are asking about, not a chatbot or AI.
- Your guide has more than a decade of experience. The guide from our team who you will trek with will be an experienced guide who has completed this specific trek at least 9-10 times, and has been the main guide for at least 3 times. Also, an assistant guide with 2-3 years of experience will be on the trek with you if you have a large group.
- Come learn to make momo with our family. Before or after your trek, you're invited into our family's kitchen for a hands-on momo-making session either for lunch or dinner; anything that works with you. You will get to learn the recipe that has been in our family for decades, taste the actual local and authentic momo; the one we actually cook at our home. It's a small thing, but it's the experience our guests bring up for a long time. Also, if you want to learn to make any other dishes, our family is ready to share the recipe and cook it together with you.
- Our guides and porters are basically part of the family. Many of our guides and porters have been with us since the beginning, climbing each step alongside. Dawa has been with us for 19 years, and is there on almost every trek.
- Private airport pickup/dropoff. Either Babu, Meera or both of them will be there with a private vehicle to welcome you at the airport as well as to drop you off for your flight back home.
- Tailor made itineraries. This package you see is a standard structure of how the journey looks like. Each and everything seen in this package can be changed and accommodated as per your or your groups’ preference.
- We handle the behind the scene stuff so you don't have to worry about it. Permits, flight rerouting, weather delays, gear rental if you need it; we sort it in the background so your energy goes toward the trek, not logistics.
- A real, in-person briefing before you hop into your trail. You'll sit down with Babu or your assigned guide at our office or in the hotel you are staying at, walk through the route, the altitude plan, a gear check, and ask anything that's on your mind. Most of our guests tell us that the trip starts feeling real to them after this briefing.
- No gear? We've got you covered. Advent Himalaya Treks can provide you with a sleeping bag and down jacket if you don’t have one. And if you require any other gears such as poles, gloves, a headlamp, crampons our team will help you purchase it at Thamel or take you to a rental place if you just want to rent it.
- Personalized support. You will be provided with personalized support throughout your time in Nepal. If you or your group are sensitive to new food or have specific allergies, a cook guide will be assigned to you and your team during the trek to ensure that your meal is properly taken care of.
