Upper Mustang Motorbike Tour: 13 Days Ride to Lo Manthang

Your big adventure starts the moment you land at Kathmandu Airport. A member of our team will meet you at the airport and take you to your hotel in a private vehicle.

During the drive, you will see Kathmandu's busy streets, local markets, and colorful city life. After you check in, you can relax at the hotel or walk around the nearby area. Later in the day, your riding guide will meet you for a short briefing about safety, gear, and the route ahead.

Before the ride begins, you spend the morning visiting Kathmandu's famous heritage sites with a local guide. This gives you a close look at Nepal's history, culture, temples, and old city life.

After the sightseeing tour, you can buy any final items you need for the trip, such as gloves, riding gear, warm clothes, snacks, or personal supplies. This is a good time to prepare anything missing before heading toward the mountain roads.

In the afternoon, the focus shifts to bikes. You get the rides, and the mechanics check each motorcycle, allowing you to test your bike, adjust your gear, and get ready for the rough roads ahead.

Your motorbike journey begins as you leave Kathmandu and follow the highway toward Pokhara. The road takes you along rivers, green hills, roadside towns, and farm terraces. As you move farther from the city, the traffic slowly gets lighter, and the ride starts to feel more open and scenic.

On the way, you take a side trip to Bandipur, a quiet hilltop town known for its stone streets, old houses, and peaceful mountain setting. You can park your bike, walk through the old town, enjoy the local atmosphere, and take in the views before getting back on the road.

After visiting Bandipur, you ride down to the highway again and head toward Pokhara. As you get closer to the city of lakes, the air feels cooler, and the valley opens wider. After arrival, you check in at your hotel and rest after your first full day on the road.

You start early from Pokhara and head toward Beni, leaving the lakeside city behind as the road passes through small towns, green hills, and a wide river valley. As you move closer to Beni, the scenery slowly begins to change. 

After Beni, the route gets rougher. You cross suspension bridges and ride on dirt tracks as green hills give way to pine forests and tall rock cliffs. The road follows the Kali Gandaki River and becomes more bumpy as you climb higher. On a clear day, snowy mountain views appear before you reach Kalopani.

You leave Kalopani and head north through the Kali Gandaki Valley, where the landscape slowly changes from green hills to dry mountain land. The road passes Jomsom and climbs higher as you move toward Muktinath, a significant sacred pilgrimage site in the region.

At Muktinath, you take time to visit the temple area and feel its peaceful setting. The mix of Hindu and Buddhist traditions makes this stop an important cultural part of the journey.

After the visit, you descend back down to the valley floor to overnight in Kagbeni, an old village at the gateway to Upper Mustang. Its stone lanes, traditional houses, prayer walls, and quiet surroundings give you your first close feel of Mustang culture.

You leave Kagbeni after the permit check and enter Upper Mustang. The road changes quickly after this point. Dry trails, deep valleys, tall cliffs, and small villages begin to shape the route.

As you head farther north, the land opens into wide desert plains. The road feels quiet and remote. You pass prayer flags, chortens, old cave cliffs, and houses built in the traditional Mustang style.

As the day moves on, you reach Lo Manthang, the ancient capital of Mustang. You enter the town through its ancient walls and settle in for the night. Narrow lanes, mud houses, and Tibetan-influenced culture make this one of the best parts of the journey.

After several long riding days, this day gives you time to slow down in Lo Manthang. You leave your heavy bags at the guesthouse, then take a short local ride to Chhoser Valley.

In Chhoser, you visit old cave rooms carved high into the cliffs. These caves show how people once lived, prayed, and stayed safe in this remote land. You also visit nearby monasteries and see more of Mustang's Buddhist culture.

Later, you return to Lo Manthang and spend more time inside the walled city. You walk through narrow lanes, meet local people, visit the old royal palace, and enjoy a calm end to the day before the next stage of your Upper Mustang Motorbike Tour.

You leave Lo Manthang and begin the return journey toward Jomsom. The same route feels different as you head south, with fresh views of tall rock walls, open valleys, and snowy peaks behind the dry Mustang land.

The road passes through quiet villages, wide plains, and rocky sections as you move back through Upper Mustang. You get more time to enjoy the changing views and notice details you may have missed on the way up.

Before nightfall, strong valley winds can make the flat rocky tracks harder to handle. Your guide guides the pace, and you travel with care before reaching Jomsom for a warm meal and a good night's rest.

You leave Jomsom and stop at Marpha, a whitewashed village known for stone streets and apple farms. From there, ride out of Mustang's dry land and return to the warmer green valley.

As you descend, you will navigate the dramatic, rugged dirt tracks of the deep Kali Gandaki Gorge. Once you reach Tatopani, you can wash off the trail dust and relax in the natural hot springs beside the river.

Make your way down from the mountain valley and head toward Beni, where the challenging dirt roads come to an end. From here, you get back onto smooth tar roads, which makes your ride much easier as you continue toward the city.

When you roll into Pokhara, the lively streets and lakeside cafes will feel like a whole new world. After checking into your hotel, you have free time to enjoy dinner by Fewa Lake and relax for the night.

After several days on the dirt roads, enjoy a relaxed day exploring Pokhara. Your guide will take you to see the thundering waters of Davis Falls, the sacred underground shrine of Gupteshwor Cave directly across the street, and the hilltop Peace Pagoda for panoramic views over Fewa Lake and the Annapurna range. 

After the guided tour, you have free time to enjoy Pokhara your way. You may go paragliding, paddle across Fewa Lake, walk around Lakeside, or relax at a cafe before the final road journey back to Kathmandu.

Your last riding day brings you back toward Kathmandu as the route joins the main highway. The road passes green farms, river bends, and busy roadside towns, giving you a final look at Nepal's countryside.

After reaching Kathmandu, return your motorcycle and settle into your hotel. Later, meet the group for a farewell dinner and celebrate the end of your Upper Mustang Motorbike Tour.

Spend the final morning in Kathmandu at your own pace. Depending on your flight time, shop for gifts in Thamel, pack your bags, or relax with coffee at your hotel.

When it is time to leave, your driver will pick you up for a private transfer to Kathmandu Airport. Your Upper Mustang Motorbike Tour ends here, closing your 13-day ride through Nepal's mountain roads and Mustang valleys