Jomsom Muktinath trek

Upon your arrival at the Tribhuwan International airport a representative from Naata Trek and Tours will be waiting for you at the airport displaying a playcard imprinted with your name. He/she will then transfer you to the designated hotel. In the evening we can enjoy a welcome dinner hosted by Naata Trek and Tours. During the dinner we can enjoy Nepalese cuisine which will introduce us to the country’s food culture.

We will have a pre trip meeting after breakfast where you will be introduced to your Guide. During the meeting you can assure yourself with any queries regarding the trip.
We visit Boudhanath Stupa, one of the biggest Buddhist shrines in the world, where we observe Buddhist monks praying in the monasteries surrounding the stupa. After Boudhanath Stupa we visit Pashupatinath Temple, the most famous Hindu temple in the country, located on the banks of the holy Bagmati River. Here we see Hindu holy men (sadhus) meditating, pilgrims bathing and occasionally funeral pyres burning on the ghats. We will also visit Bhaktapur Durbar Square, which is a collection of pagoda and shikhara–style temples grouped around a fifty-five window palace of brick and wood. The attraction of the Bhaktapur Durbar Square is the Lion gate, the Golden gate, the Palace of Fifty-Five Windows, art galleries, the Statue of King Bhupatindra Malla.

We start our drive early in the morning which is a rewarding sight in itself as we will be accompanied by rivers and views of green rolling hills. We enjoy the sunset at Pokhara Lakeside which is a tourist hub. You can also visit pubs, bars and restaurants.

Today after a short drive to Nayapul early in the morning we start our trek. We walk along the banks of Modi river and reach Birethani which is a large village with many teahouses and shops. The trail then continues through the village and reaches another river called the Bhirungdi Khola. We steadily climb up the valley and finally reach Tikhedunga where we stay the night.

We continue our climb to Ulleri, a large Magar village. The trail gently ascends from this point and takes us through rhododendron forests and towards Banthanti. We then pass from Nangethanti which is also a small village and after an hour long walk from there we reach Ghorepani: an amazing place to spend the night.

We start the hike ‘before the crack of the dawn’ to reach Poon Hill, which stands at an elevation of 3210m. The sunrise is a treat for your eyes. We spend some time soaking in the mind-blowing view of the first rays of the sun turning the White Mountain to gold. We return to Ghorepani, where we will have breakfast and continue our journey toward Tatopani.
The trail steeply descends to Chitre at 2,390m, but as the trail drops down to Sikha, the hills are widely terraced, which makes up a beautiful village. Sikha is a large village with shops, hotels, and a beautiful one.

We descend further to Ghar Khola, where we cross a suspension bridge. Heading north from Ghar Khola will take us to Tatopani at 1,180 meters. Tatopani is famous for its natural hot springs, which earned the name Tatopani, which translates to “Hot water.” We can take a dip and relax our body and soul there. We stayed the night in Tatopani.

Today, the trail climbs up to the Kali gandaki gorge which is considered to be the deepest gorge in the world sandwiched between two 8,000m peaks of Annapurna and Dhaulagiri. The trail gently ascends from there on to Dana at 1,400m and to Rupse Chhahara at 1,550m. On our way we can see a gorgeous waterfall. Continuing forward, the trail crosses the eastern bank of the river and we reach Kopchepani after crossing a suspension bridge at 1,935m. Next, we make a short climb to Ghasa where we stay the night.

We start the trek today by crossing to the eastern sde of the river, and again cross back before entering Larjung at 2,560m. A short walk from Larjung we reach an interesting village of Khobang with its narrow alleyways making it a unique one in its own right. We spend the night in the ancient and popular Thakali village of Tukuche at 2,590m.

We leave Tukuche behind us and climb aling the side of Jomsom valley which lies at 2,713 m. Jomsom is the largest town of the Mustang region and the administrative center of the region that contains airport, army camps, hotel, shops, banks and government offices.
We cross a river to the eastern bank and then walk towards Eklai Bhatti at 2,730m and then take a direct route to Muktinath that ascends a hill behind the village. Then, we follow the trail along the river to Kagbeni at 2,810m which is situated at the junction of the Jhong Khola and the Kali Gandaki river. Kagbeni is the northernmost village of this region which can be visited without permit. The village has huge Tibetan influence and it all reflects on the culture, lifestyle, ethnicity to the landscapes as well.

We have a long day before us so we start before the crack of dawn. We need to reach the pass before 10am because the strong wind of the day time can affect our journey. We continue our steep climb and the trail is easy to follow albeit bad weather conditions where the trail can get too snowy to trek. We climb the pass for four hours on trials marked by chortens and prayer flags and the beautiful scenery of the mountains never leave us throughout the trail. We walk for a further four hours and reach the holy town of Muktinath.
Muktinath is a sacred place for Hindus and Buddhists alike. Muktinath means the place of nirvana and the valley is home to Muktinath temple as well. It is said that all the sorrows and pain are relieved when visiting the temple. The temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu and has 108 waterspouts around it. Nearby the temple there a stunning natural spring and a eternal flame fueled by natural gas.

We have breakfast and backpeddle towards Jomsom and the trail takes us down to Eklebhatti and again follow the same trail taking us to Jomsom.

A 30 minute morning flight takes us to Pokhara from Jomsom. From the flight we can see the Kaligandaki gorge and the flight is an experience in itself due to the amazing scenery of the mountains that it provides. After we reach Pokhara we have plenty of time to stroll around the city and chill on the lakeside watching sunset.

We take scenic 5-6 hours drive characterized by rivers and hills back to Kathmandu. We have the rest of the day to stroll around the city and do some souvenir shopping. Later in the evening Naata Trek and Tours will organize a THANK YOU farewell dinner program.

Our trip concludes today. A Naata Trek and Tours representative will escort you to the international airport for your scheduled departure.