Upper Mustang trek cost breakdown

Upper Mustang is expensive for two reasons that have nothing to do with teahouses: a restricted-area permit charged by the day, and flights to and from Jomsom. Using our dated cost data (as of October 2026, at NPR 134 to the dollar), the 12-day plan costs about USD 1,350 to 1,800 for one budget trekker, USD 1,200 to 1,600 each for two sharing and USD 1,100 to 1,500 each for four. With a porter for every two trekkers and better lodges, the range is about USD 1,600 to 2,250 for one person and USD 1,300 to 1,750 each in a group of four. The TIMS card (NPR 2,000 for foreigners, SAARC nationals NPR 1,000) is not included.

The shape of this bill is unusual. Two lines, permit and flights, come to roughly NPR 100,000 to 124,000, or about USD 750 to 925, and neither shrinks when you add partners, because both are per person. That is why a group of four on Upper Mustang saves about USD 250 each against a solo trekker, where on a cheap trek like Langtang the saving is proportionally far larger. The figures come from the "What it costs" section of the Upper Mustang route page and the cost file behind it.

What the 12-day plan assumes

The plan flies Pokhara to Jomsom (about 20 minutes, mornings only) and walks to Kagbeni (2,810 m), where the restricted area and the permit days start. It continues to Chele (3,050 m), Syangboche (3,800 m), Ghami (3,520 m), Tsarang (3,560 m) and Lo Manthang (3,840 m), with a rest day there. The return runs through Dhakmar (3,820 m), Ghiling (3,570 m), Chhusang (2,980 m) and Jomsom (2,720 m), with the morning flight back to Pokhara. For costing the plan counts:

• 11 nights: 8 between 2,500 and 3,800 m and 3 above 3,800 m.
• 11 guide days and 11 porter days.
• 10 permit days for the restricted-area permit.
• Two Pokhara to Jomsom flights.

The Upper Mustang itinerary shows each day in detail, and our best time for Upper Mustang guide explains why the region stays comparatively dry in the monsoon.

The restricted-area permit

This is the big line. As of October 2026 the Nepal Tourism Board lists the Upper Mustang permit at USD 50 per person per day, covering Lomanthang, Lo-Ghekar Damodarkunda and Baragung Muktichetra. The trade body TAAN instead lists USD 500 for the first 10 days and USD 50 for each additional day, which gives the same total for a 10-day stay. Days count from entry at Kagbeni, so the clock does not run in Jomsom or Pokhara.

Upper Mustang is inside the Annapurna Conservation Area, so ACAP applies too; paying online adds a 2.9% gateway charge and a permit issued at a check post costs double. The restricted-area permit is issued by the Department of Immigration through a registered agency, which you cannot bypass; see the Upper Mustang permit guide for the application steps. Because the fee is per day, every spare day inside the restricted area costs about USD 50 more, so decide your buffer before you apply.

The guide rule

Upper Mustang is a restricted area, so a licensed guide through a registered agency is part of the permit, and the Department of Immigration reminded stakeholders of this in June 2026. Press reports say individual foreigners have been able to apply since 22 March 2026, where before a two-trekker minimum applied, but the guide is still required. Our guide rule explainer sets this against the rules in Annapurna, Langtang and Khumbu (checked 19 October 2026).

Guide and porter

Our Upper Mustang rates are NPR 4,000 to 5,400 a day for a guide and NPR 2,100 to 3,400 for a porter, from market ranges in 2026 operator guides; no official minimum was found. On the plan:

A solo trekker's guide is about USD 330 to 440; in a group of four it is about USD 80 to 110. The guide line is where partners help most, as the permit and flights stay fixed. For what a guide actually does here, and how a porter differs, see guide versus porter roles.

Flights

Our data prices the Pokhara to Jomsom flight at NPR 16,100 to 26,800 each way (about USD 120 to 200), so the return is NPR 32,200 to 53,600. Jomsom flights run in the morning and are weather dependent, so keep a spare day. A road also exists, but our cost files do not price it; the flight versus jeep guide compares the options. Flights are per person, so they do not fall as the group grows.

Lodging and food by altitude

Our data uses Nepal-wide ranges for Upper Mustang, because our sources do not name the region. Per night, including room and meals:

Over 8 and 3 nights the budget style comes to NPR 37,300 to 58,200 (about USD 280 to 430), mid-range NPR 50,500 to 77,200 and comfort NPR 66,200 to 98,400. Lodging is the smallest of the big lines on this trek. See teahouse prices by altitude for how nightly prices are built.

The totals

Per person, rounded outward to the nearest USD 50:

Going from solo to four people saves about USD 250 to 300 in the budget style and USD 300 to 500 at mid-range, nearly all of it the guide and porter. For comparison, the same move on the Langtang Valley saves about USD 120 to 180 on a bill a quarter of the size.

What is not counted

International flights, insurance, Pokhara hotels before and after, gear, tips, snacks, hot showers, charging and the TIMS card are outside the totals. The highest point on the route is about 4,280 m (the pass near Marang La), so insurance should cover helicopter evacuation above 4,000 m. Afternoon winds are strong and dust and glare are intense, so budget for sun and wind protection, and keep a spare day in your plan for Jomsom flights.

What one extra day costs

On Upper Mustang a spare day is expensive because the permit runs by the day. A day inside the restricted area adds USD 50 for the permit, about NPR 6,700, plus a night in Lo Manthang in the highest band (NPR 4,700 to 6,600 for budget lodging and food) and the guide at NPR 4,000 to 5,400. For one trekker that is about NPR 15,400 to 18,700 (USD 115 to 140), and for four sharing it is about NPR 12,400 to 14,650 each (USD 93 to 109), because the guide is split four ways but the permit and lodging are not. That is why the plan holds one rest day at Lo Manthang rather than several.

It also means a weather delay inside the area costs more than the same delay in Pokhara. Delays at Jomsom after you have left the restricted area do not add permit days, because the days count from entry at Kagbeni, but they still add a hotel night, so keep a spare day at each end of the trek and tell your agency how you want to handle it. If your quote assumes more than 10 permit days, ask why before you agree, since each extra day is USD 50 on the Nepal Tourism Board figure.

Using the numbers

Ask your agency for a written quote that itemises the permit days, ACAP, guide, porter, flights and transfers, and compare it with the tables above. The permit days are the first thing to check, because an agency that assumes more than 10 days has added USD 50 a day. For finding people to share the guide and permit logistics, use the Upper Mustang partner page and read about the Upper Mustang region. The wider Nepal trekking cost guide and the costs and budget hub cover the other routes.