Nine hundred kilometres from Kathmandu to the walled city of Lo Manthang and back, on a Royal Enfield Himalayan. Six of the days are on dirt. The route follows the Kali Gandaki through the deepest gorge on earth and then out onto the Tibetan plateau, into a kingdom that was closed to outsiders until 1992 and still requires a permit at $50 a day.

Why Mustang on a bike

The road to Lo Manthang was finished within the last fifteen years and it changed the place, which is an argument people have. What it also did was open a landscape that walkers take eight days to reach and riders reach in four. If you have a fortnight and you ride, this is the best fortnight of riding in Nepal.

What Lo Manthang is

A walled city of about a thousand people at 3,840 m, built in the fourteenth century, with a royal palace, three great monasteries and murals that predate anything comparable in Tibet. The kingdom of Lo kept its own king until 2008. It is not a ruin and it is not a museum; people live in it and their children go to school in it.

Who it suits

Riders with real off tarmac experience who want a route rather than a tour. It does not suit a rider whose only experience is road, and we will tell you so rather than take the booking and hope. A non riding partner in the support jeep is welcome and sees the whole thing.

Trip highlights

The Kali Gandaki gorge, with Dhaulagiri on one side and Annapurna on the other and the road in between
Four days riding on the far side of the Himalaya, in country that looks nothing like the rest of Nepal
The walled city of Lo Manthang at 3,840 m, and a full day to explore it rather than a photograph and a turn round
The sky caves at Chhoser, cut into the cliff and lived in for three thousand years
Real riding: gravel, sand, river crossings and switchbacks, on a bike that is made for it

Eleven days, six of them on dirt

Kathmandu to the Tibetan plateau and back on a Royal Enfield, up the deepest gorge in the world and through a restricted area that only opened in 1992.

Day	Route	Walking	Altitude
Day 1	Arrive Kathmandu	-	1,400 m (4,590 ft)
Day 2	Bike fitting and a valley shakedown ride	3, 80 km	1,400 m (4,590 ft)
Day 3	Kathmandu to Pokhara	6 to 7, 200 km	820 m (2,690 ft)
Day 4	Pokhara to Tatopani	5 to 6, 115 km	1,190 m (3,900 ft)
Day 5	Tatopani to Jomsom	5, 75 km	2,720 m (8,920 ft)
Day 6	Jomsom to Ghami, via Kagbeni	6, 75 km	3,520 m (11,550 ft)
Day 7	Ghami to Lo Manthang, over the Lo La	4, 45 km	3,840 m (12,600 ft)
Day 8	Lo Manthang and the Chhoser caves	2, 30 km	3,840 m (12,600 ft)
Day 9	Lo Manthang to Jomsom	7 to 8, 120 km	2,720 m (8,920 ft)
Day 10	Jomsom to Pokhara	8 to 9, 185 km	820 m (2,690 ft)
Day 11	Fly to Kathmandu, and out	25 min	1,400 m (4,590 ft)

Day 1
Route
Arrive Kathmandu
Walking
-
Altitude
1,400 m (4,590 ft)
Day 2
Route
Bike fitting and a valley shakedown ride
Walking
3, 80 km
Altitude
1,400 m (4,590 ft)
Day 3
Route
Kathmandu to Pokhara
Walking
6 to 7, 200 km
Altitude
820 m (2,690 ft)
Day 4
Route
Pokhara to Tatopani
Walking
5 to 6, 115 km
Altitude
1,190 m (3,900 ft)
Day 5
Route
Tatopani to Jomsom
Walking
5, 75 km
Altitude
2,720 m (8,920 ft)
Day 6
Route
Jomsom to Ghami, via Kagbeni
Walking
6, 75 km
Altitude
3,520 m (11,550 ft)
Day 7
Route
Ghami to Lo Manthang, over the Lo La
Walking
4, 45 km
Altitude
3,840 m (12,600 ft)
Day 8
Route
Lo Manthang and the Chhoser caves
Walking
2, 30 km
Altitude
3,840 m (12,600 ft)
Day 9
Route
Lo Manthang to Jomsom
Walking
7 to 8, 120 km
Altitude
2,720 m (8,920 ft)
Day 10
Route
Jomsom to Pokhara
Walking
8 to 9, 185 km
Altitude
820 m (2,690 ft)
Day 11
Route
Fly to Kathmandu, and out
Walking
25 min
Altitude
1,400 m (4,590 ft)

How the ride climbs

Three thousand metres of gain over four days, which is gradual enough that most riders never notice it. The highest you sleep is Lo Manthang at 3,840 m.

Tarmac ends at BeniThe Kali Gandaki gorgePermit gate at KagbeniLo La 3,950 mChhoser caves

Where you sleepHighest point of the dayAcclimatisation day

Dates and prices

Dates	Season	Places	Price
5 Oct 2026 to 15 Oct 2026	Autumn 2026	Just opened	$2,190	Reserve
19 Oct 2026 to 29 Oct 2026	Autumn 2026	Just opened	$2,190	Reserve
5 Apr 2027 to 15 Apr 2027	Spring 2027	Just opened	$2,190	Reserve
26 Apr 2027 to 6 May 2027	Spring 2027	Just opened	$2,190	Reserve
10 May 2027 to 20 May 2027	Tiji festival 2027	Just opened	$2,390	Reserve
4 Oct 2027 to 14 Oct 2027	Autumn 2027	Just opened	$2,290	Reserve

5 Oct 2026 to 15 Oct 2026
Season
Autumn 2026
Places
Just opened
Price
$2,190
Reserve
19 Oct 2026 to 29 Oct 2026
Season
Autumn 2026
Places
Just opened
Price
$2,190
Reserve
5 Apr 2027 to 15 Apr 2027
Season
Spring 2027
Places
Just opened
Price
$2,190
Reserve
26 Apr 2027 to 6 May 2027
Season
Spring 2027
Places
Just opened
Price
$2,190
Reserve
10 May 2027 to 20 May 2027
Season
Tiji festival 2027
Places
Just opened
Price
$2,390
Reserve
4 Oct 2027 to 14 Oct 2027
Season
Autumn 2027
Places
Just opened
Price
$2,290
Reserve

Eight riders, and a jeep behind them

We cap this at eight bikes because a larger group on a single track gravel road stops being a ride and becomes a convoy. Every departure carries a lead rider, a mechanic riding sweep and a support jeep with a spare bike, and that is the same whether two of you book or eight. Private departures run on any dates in the season. The Tiji festival at Lo Manthang moves with the Tibetan calendar, so ask us for the year you want rather than assuming May.

Ask for your own dates

What it costs by party size

A guide and a porter cost the same whether they walk with one of you or eight, so the price per person falls as the party grows. Every one of these runs, including the first.

Party size	Notes	Per person
2 riders	the jeep, the mechanic and the lead rider cost the same at two as at eight	$2,690
3 to 4 riders	one support vehicle, and the cost per head comes down	$2,390
5 to 8 riders	the standard price, and the group the trip is built around	$2,190
Non riding passenger in the jeep	the whole route, every night and every meal, without the bike	$1,490

2 riders
Notes
the jeep, the mechanic and the lead rider cost the same at two as at eight
Per person
$2,690
3 to 4 riders
Notes
one support vehicle, and the cost per head comes down
Per person
$2,390
5 to 8 riders
Notes
the standard price, and the group the trip is built around
Per person
$2,190
Non riding passenger in the jeep
Notes
the whole route, every night and every meal, without the bike
Per person
$1,490

Itinerary

Day by day, with where you sleep and how far you walk.

We meet you at the airport and take you to your hotel. The afternoon is yours. In the evening we go through the route, the permits and what the road is actually like, which is a conversation worth having before you get on the bike rather than after.
Altitude
1,400 m (4,590 ft)
On foot
—
Night in
Hotel, Kathmandu
Meals
Dinner
Morning at the workshop: you get your bike, set the levers and the mirrors where you want them, and ride it round the block until it feels like yours. Your passport is with the Department of Immigration for the restricted area permit, which is why today is not optional. In the afternoon we ride up to the valley rim and back, about eighty kilometres, so that the group finds its shape before it matters.
Altitude
1,400 m (4,590 ft)
On foot
80 km riding
Night in
Hotel, Kathmandu
Meals
Breakfast
Two hundred kilometres west on the Prithvi Highway, following the Trishuli most of the way. It is tarmac and it is busy, and the day is about getting used to Nepali traffic with a support vehicle behind you. Six to seven hours with stops, and the lake in the late afternoon.
Altitude
820 m (2,690 ft)−580 m
On foot
200 km riding
Night in
Hotel by the lake, Pokhara
Meals
Breakfast
North west through Beni, where the road surface stops pretending, and up the Kali Gandaki into the gorge. The last sixty kilometres are gravel, broken tarmac and water running across the road. Tatopani means hot water, and there are pools beside the river that are exactly what you want after your first real day on dirt.
Altitude
1,190 m (3,900 ft)+370 m
On foot
115 km riding
Night in
Guesthouse, Tatopani
Meals
Breakfast, dinner
The best riding day of the lower half. The road climbs 1,500 m through the deepest gorge on earth, with Dhaulagiri at 8,167 m on your left and Annapurna I at 8,091 m on your right and seven vertical kilometres between the peaks and the river. Pine gives way to scrub and then to nothing. Marpha for lunch, and Jomsom by mid afternoon.
Altitude
2,720 m (8,920 ft)+1,530 m
On foot
75 km riding
Night in
Lodge, Jomsom
Meals
Breakfast, dinner
Half an hour north to Kagbeni, where the restricted area begins and a policeman looks at your permit properly. Beyond it the country changes completely: ochre and grey cliffs, no trees, and the Kali Gandaki riverbed a kilometre wide. Chele, the climb to the Taklam La, and Ghami by late afternoon. Sand and gravel all day, and a headwind after eleven.
Altitude
3,520 m (11,550 ft)+800 m
On foot
75 km riding
Night in
Guesthouse, Ghami
Meals
Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Past the longest mani wall in Mustang and under the red cliffs at Dhakmar, which are the colour they are because of a story about a demon that your guide will tell you. Over the Lo La at 3,950 m, and then the walled city is below you on the plain, which is a view most people stop the bike for. Short in kilometres, long in effort.
Altitude
3,840 m (12,600 ft)+320 m
On foot
45 km riding
Night in
Guesthouse, Lo Manthang
Meals
Breakfast, lunch, dinner
No long ride today. The morning is inside the walls: the royal palace, and the three great gompas of Jhampa, Thubchen and Chodey, whose fifteenth century murals are the reason Lo Manthang matters. In the afternoon a short ride north to Chhoser, where a cliff face is honeycombed with caves that people lived in for three thousand years and you climb up into them on ladders.
Altitude
3,840 m (12,600 ft)
On foot
30 km riding
Night in
Guesthouse, Lo Manthang
Meals
Breakfast, lunch, dinner
The whole of the restricted area in one day, which is a hundred and twenty kilometres of gravel and takes seven or eight hours. It is a big day and it is also the day most riders enjoy most, because by now you know the bike and the surface and you are going downhill. Jomsom, a hot shower and a bed with a roof.
Altitude
2,720 m (8,920 ft)−1,120 m
On foot
120 km riding
Night in
Lodge, Jomsom
Meals
Breakfast, dinner
Down the gorge and out, retracing days 5 and 4 in one long push. Eight to nine hours with stops, and the last two on tarmac, which feels extraordinary. A lakeside hotel, a proper meal and a bed you do not have to walk to.
Altitude
820 m (2,690 ft)−1,900 m
On foot
185 km riding
Night in
Hotel by the lake, Pokhara
Meals
Breakfast, dinner
Twenty five minutes by air with the Annapurnas out of the left windows, while the bikes go back on a truck. The afternoon in Kathmandu is yours, and if your flight is the same evening we will hold a day room for you.
Altitude
1,400 m (4,590 ft)+580 m
On foot
—
Night in
—
Meals
Breakfast

What's included

Included in the price

A Royal Enfield Himalayan 411, serviced before you take it, with fuel for the whole route
A lead rider who knows the road and a mechanic riding sweep with a tool roll and spares
A support jeep carrying luggage, spare parts, fuel and anybody who has had enough
Upper Mustang restricted area permit and the ACAP permit
Ten nights: two in Kathmandu, two in Pokhara, two at Jomsom, one at Tatopani, one at Ghami, two at Lo Manthang
Breakfast every day, dinner on the riding days, and all meals inside the restricted area
A licensed guide in the restricted area, and entry to the Lo Manthang gompas and the Chhoser caves
The Pokhara to Kathmandu flight on day 11, with the bikes going back by truck
Airport transfers, a helmet, gloves and knee guards if you would rather not bring your own

Not included

International flights and the Nepal visa
Travel insurance, which must cover motorcycling as well as travel to 4,000 m
Lunch in Kathmandu and Pokhara, and drinks everywhere
Damage to the bike, which is charged at cost with the workshop's own invoice shown to you
Your own riding kit if you prefer it, and boots, which we would rather you brought
Tips for the lead rider, the mechanic, the guide and the driver

What to bring

Boots and a jacket are the two things we cannot lend you

We provide a helmet, gloves and knee guards if you want them. What we cannot size for you is a jacket with real armour in it and a pair of boots that cover your ankles, and those are the two items that decide how a low speed drop on gravel ends. Bring both. Everything else goes in the jeep, so pack for comfort rather than weight.

On your head

A helmet, yours if you would rather, and a peak is useful against the low sun in the gorge
Goggles or a visor you can see out of with sand in the air
A buff or neck tube, which you will wear over your face every afternoon
Sunglasses for off the bike

On your body

A riding jacket with shoulder, elbow and back armour, which we cannot size for you
Riding trousers or jeans with knee armour, and we provide knee guards if you would rather
A warm mid layer for the mornings and for Lo Manthang in the evening
A waterproof, for the lower gorge rather than the plateau
Ordinary clothes for the towns, which the jeep carries

On your hands and feet

Riding boots with ankle protection. Trainers are not acceptable on this route and we will say so
Two pairs of gloves: warm ones for the morning and lighter ones for the afternoon
Walking shoes for Lo Manthang and the Chhoser caves, which involve ladders

Health

Sun cream, factor 30 or above. At 3,800 m with reflected light off grey rock this matters
Lip balm, and eye drops for the sand
Rehydration salts and whatever you personally take for a bad stomach
A small personal first aid kit for grazes, because there will be grazes
Your own prescriptions in their original boxes

Bags

One soft bag for the jeep. Hard suitcases do not travel well on a Mustang road
A small tank bag or rucksack for what you want on the bike
A dry bag for electronics, because the dust gets into everything
Two litres of water capacity, and the jeep carries more

Papers

Passport with six months left on it, and four passport photographs for the permit
Your home motorcycle licence and an International Driving Permit with the motorcycle category endorsed
Insurance that states in writing that it covers motorcycling above 125cc, plus the assistance line
A card for the damage deposit, and cash in dollars and rupees

Getting there and back

The flights and the long drives this itinerary is built around, and what happens when one of them does not go.

Getting to Kathmandu

Tribhuvan International, via Delhi, Doha, Dubai, Istanbul, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur or Singapore. There is no direct flight from Europe or North America. Land a day early if you can, because day 2 has a bike fitting in it and you want to be awake for it.

The visa on arrival

Fill the form at the kiosk, pay $30 cash for 15 days at the bank counter, then join immigration. Clean dollar notes. Indian nationals need none.

The Pokhara flight on day 11

Twenty five minutes with the range out of the left hand windows, while the bikes go back to Kathmandu on a truck. If cloud grounds it we drive, which takes seven hours and is why we would rather fly. If you would prefer to ride the last leg, tell us at booking and we add a day at no charge.

Your paperwork, which is not optional

An International Driving Permit with the motorcycle category endorsed, issued before you leave home, and insurance that states in writing that it covers motorcycling above 125cc. We ask for photographs of both before you fly. A great many standard travel policies exclude motorcycling entirely and people find out at the worst moment.

Hotels, lodges and guesthouses

Comfortable at either end and plain in the middle. Lo Manthang has electricity, hot water and no heating, and it is 3,840 m.

10 nights, and what each one is

Where	Nights	Type	Room	Bathroom
Kathmandu	2	Three star hotel, in or near Thamel	Twin or double	Private, hot water
Pokhara	2	Hotel by Phewa Tal	Twin or double	Private, hot water
Tatopani	1	Guesthouse by the river, with the hot pools alongside	Twin	Private, hot water
Jomsom	2	Lodge	Twin	Private, hot water
Ghami	1	Village guesthouse	Twin, plain	Shared, and hot water is a bucket
Lo Manthang	2	Guesthouse inside or beside the walls	Twin	Private in the better ones, and no heating anywhere

Kathmandu
Nights
2
Type
Three star hotel, in or near Thamel
Room
Twin or double
Bathroom
Private, hot water
Pokhara
Nights
2
Type
Hotel by Phewa Tal
Room
Twin or double
Bathroom
Private, hot water
Tatopani
Nights
1
Type
Guesthouse by the river, with the hot pools alongside
Room
Twin
Bathroom
Private, hot water
Jomsom
Nights
2
Type
Lodge
Room
Twin
Bathroom
Private, hot water
Ghami
Nights
1
Type
Village guesthouse
Room
Twin, plain
Bathroom
Shared, and hot water is a bucket
Lo Manthang
Nights
2
Type
Guesthouse inside or beside the walls
Room
Twin
Bathroom
Private in the better ones, and no heating anywhere

Heat, hot water, power and signal

Hot shower: Every night except Ghami, where it is a bucket. Lo Manthang runs on solar, so shower in the late afternoon rather than after dark.
Heating: None north of Jomsom. Lo Manthang at 3,840 m in October is cold indoors and the blankets are thick for a reason. Bring a warm layer for the evening.
Charging: Mains power everywhere including Lo Manthang, which has had it since 2016. Cuts are common north of Kagbeni, so carry a power bank.
Wifi: In the cities and at Jomsom. Patchy at Ghami and Lo Manthang, where mobile data is more reliable than the wifi.
Fuel: Pumps at Beni, Jomsom and Lo Manthang, and the jeep carries jerricans. Petrol north of Jomsom costs about a third more than in Pokhara, and it is inside your price.
Riding kit: Helmet, gloves and knee guards provided if you want them. Bring your own boots and a jacket with armour, which are the two things that matter and the two we cannot size for you.
Luggage: Everything goes in the support jeep. You ride with a small tank bag or a rucksack, and nothing strapped to the bike.
Cash: Machines in Kathmandu, Pokhara and Jomsom. Nothing at Ghami or Lo Manthang. Draw what you need at Jomsom on day 5.

What you eat

Meal	Time	Usually
Breakfast	6:30–7:30	Early, because the wind gets up at eleven. Eggs, Tibetan bread, porridge and a great deal of tea
Lunch	12:00–13:00	Wherever the road has got to. Dal bhat at a roadside place, and inside the restricted area it is included
Dinner	19:00	Dal bhat, thukpa, momo and fried rice. North of Kagbeni it is potato, barley and whatever came up on the jeep
Tea	16:00	Black tea with salt and butter if you want the local version, which you should try once at Lo Manthang

Breakfast
Time
6:30–7:30
Usually
Early, because the wind gets up at eleven. Eggs, Tibetan bread, porridge and a great deal of tea
Lunch
Time
12:00–13:00
Usually
Wherever the road has got to. Dal bhat at a roadside place, and inside the restricted area it is included
Dinner
Time
19:00
Usually
Dal bhat, thukpa, momo and fried rice. North of Kagbeni it is potato, barley and whatever came up on the jeep
Tea
Time
16:00
Usually
Black tea with salt and butter if you want the local version, which you should try once at Lo Manthang

If you eat differently

Diet	On this route
Vegetarian	Easy the whole way. North of Kagbeni almost everything is vegetarian anyway, because meat has to come up by jeep.
Vegan	Manageable with notice. Dal bhat without ghee and vegetable curry. Butter tea is not an option, for obvious reasons.
Gluten free	Narrow but possible. Rice, dal, potato and eggs. Tibetan bread, noodles and momo are all wheat and they are most of the menu up there.
Nut allergy	Tell us at booking. The guide will speak to each guesthouse, and north of Kagbeni there is no clinic, so we take this seriously.
Halal	Available in Kathmandu and Pokhara. On the route we would suggest eating vegetarian, which is the honest answer.

Vegetarian
On this route
Easy the whole way. North of Kagbeni almost everything is vegetarian anyway, because meat has to come up by jeep.
Vegan
On this route
Manageable with notice. Dal bhat without ghee and vegetable curry. Butter tea is not an option, for obvious reasons.
Gluten free
On this route
Narrow but possible. Rice, dal, potato and eggs. Tibetan bread, noodles and momo are all wheat and they are most of the menu up there.
Nut allergy
On this route
Tell us at booking. The guide will speak to each guesthouse, and north of Kagbeni there is no clinic, so we take this seriously.
Halal
On this route
Available in Kathmandu and Pokhara. On the route we would suggest eating vegetarian, which is the honest answer.

What a day is like

A day on the trail

6:00Tea, and the mechanic already going round the bikes
6:30Breakfast, early on purpose
7:30Riders' briefing: today's surface, today's hazards, where we regroup
8:00Ride, before the wind gets up
12:00Lunch, and the bikes checked over while you eat
13:30The second half, usually into a headwind
16:00Arrive, and the mechanic goes round the bikes again before you have taken your boots off
19:00Dinner, and tomorrow's route on the map

It is your arms and your concentration

Not an endurance event, but six to eight hours a day standing on the pegs on loose gravel asks a good deal of your shoulders, forearms and attention.

Demanding riding rather than a demanding holiday. The days are long, the surface is loose, the wind is constant and the exposure in places is real. An experienced gravel rider will enjoy every minute. A rider whose experience is all tarmac will spend the first three days learning, which is why day 2 is a shakedown.

4 of 5

Six days on gravel, sand, washboard and stream crossings, some of it exposed
Two days over 180 km, including 120 km of dirt on day 9
A hard upvalley wind from about eleven every morning, carrying sand
Two nights at 3,840 m, and a pass at 3,950 m
A support jeep, a mechanic and a spare bike on every departure

Twelve weeks, and what to do in each of them

Written for somebody who walks a bit and does not train. If you already run or cycle regularly, start at the eight-week block. Nothing here needs a gym.

1
Three months before
Get onto gravel
If everything you ride is tarmac, book a trail or adventure riding day at home. Standing on the pegs, weighting the outside peg, and letting the front end move about are all things that should be habits rather than experiments when you are on a ledge above the Kali Gandaki.
2
Two months before
Arms and core
What tires riders here is not the legs, it is the shoulders and forearms from six hours of a moving front wheel. Grip work, rows and planks, three times a week, make the difference between day 9 being fun and being survived.
3
One month before
Ride your kit
Wear the boots and the jacket you are bringing on a long day at home. Boots that are fine for two hours are not necessarily fine for eight, and there is nowhere to buy replacements after Pokhara.
4
A week before
Paperwork
International Driving Permit in your hand with the motorcycle category endorsed, and an insurance policy that says in writing that it covers motorcycling above 125cc. Both are checked and both catch people out.

Altitude, and what we do about it

The climb from Pokhara at 820 m to Lo Manthang at 3,840 m happens over four days, which is gradual enough that most riders never notice it. Riding does mask the early signs, though, because you are concentrating, so the lead rider watches the group at each stop rather than waiting to be told. Day 8 is deliberately short for that reason as well as for the caves.

Tell your guide if you have any of these

Headache on the first evening at Lo Manthang that does not lift after water and food
Losing your appetite, or sleeping badly with a racing pulse
Finding the ride harder than it was yesterday on easier ground, which is the one riders miss

What actually prevents it

Four days of gradual gain from Pokhara, with no big jump on any of them
A short day at Lo Manthang rather than a long excursion on the first full day
Three to four litres of fluid a day, which is harder to remember on a bike than on foot
A pulse oximeter carried by the lead rider and used at Ghami and Lo Manthang

What we do about it, in order

1
Say it at a stop
Tell the lead rider at the first headache. On a bike you can hide it for a day and that is exactly what we are trying to prevent.
2
Get in the jeep
Anybody who is not right rides in the jeep rather than on the bike, which is not a judgement, it is what the jeep is for.
3
Go down
From Lo Manthang, descending means Ghami and then Jomsom, which loses 1,100 m in a few hours. On this route going down is fast, which is a considerable safety margin.

Fitness and altitude are unrelated

This is the thing people get wrong most often. Training makes the walking easier and does nothing for how your body handles thin air. Strong young trekkers get altitude sickness and unfit older ones frequently do not. Go up slowly, and say something the first time your head hurts.

Month by month

Upper Mustang is behind the Himalaya and barely gets a monsoon, which is why this is one of the few routes in Nepal that rides all summer.

Month	Day at Lo Manthang	Night at Lo Manthang	Night at the Lo La		What it is like
January	+5°C	-12°C	-16°C	We do not run it	Bitterly cold, and the Lo La is often under snow. Most of the guesthouses north of Kagbeni close for the winter.
February	+7°C	-10°C	-14°C	We do not run it	Still shut. The wind at these temperatures is the reason rather than the snow.
March	+11°C	-5°C	-8°C	Good	From about the 20th the route opens. Cold mornings, clear air, and the Tiji festival at Lo Manthang falls in late March or May.
April	+15°C	-1°C	-3°C	Best	One of the two best months. Warm enough to ride comfortably, dry, and the barley going in around the villages.
May	+18°C	+3°C	+1°C	Best	Warm and dry with a hard afternoon wind. The Tiji festival is usually in May and it is worth planning a trip around.
June	+20°C	+6°C	+4°C	Good	The monsoon arrives in the rest of Nepal and barely touches Mustang. Riding north of Kagbeni is fine; the road up from Beni is the problem.
July	+21°C	+8°C	+6°C	Good	Hot, dry and green by Mustang standards. The Beni to Tatopani section can close for a day after heavy rain, which is why we watch it.
August	+20°C	+8°C	+6°C	Good	The same. Landslide risk on the lower road is the only real reason for caution, and it is a real one.
September	+18°C	+4°C	+2°C	Good	The monsoon clears through the month and the lower road dries out. The last ten days are excellent.
October	+15°C	-1°C	-4°C	Best	The best month of the year. Cold mornings, brilliant air, everything open, and Dhaulagiri and Nilgiri out every day.
November	+11°C	-6°C	-9°C	Good	Clear and cold, to about the 10th. After that the guesthouses north of Kagbeni begin closing for the winter.
December	+7°C	-10°C	-14°C	We do not run it	Shut. Cold, windy, and most of Lo Manthang moves down to Pokhara for the winter.

January
Day at Lo Manthang
+5°C
Night at Lo Manthang
-12°C
Night at the Lo La
-16°C
What it is like
Bitterly cold, and the Lo La is often under snow. Most of the guesthouses north of Kagbeni close for the winter.
We do not run it
February
Day at Lo Manthang
+7°C
Night at Lo Manthang
-10°C
Night at the Lo La
-14°C
What it is like
Still shut. The wind at these temperatures is the reason rather than the snow.
We do not run it
March
Day at Lo Manthang
+11°C
Night at Lo Manthang
-5°C
Night at the Lo La
-8°C
What it is like
From about the 20th the route opens. Cold mornings, clear air, and the Tiji festival at Lo Manthang falls in late March or May.
Good
April
Day at Lo Manthang
+15°C
Night at Lo Manthang
-1°C
Night at the Lo La
-3°C
What it is like
One of the two best months. Warm enough to ride comfortably, dry, and the barley going in around the villages.
Best
May
Day at Lo Manthang
+18°C
Night at Lo Manthang
+3°C
Night at the Lo La
+1°C
What it is like
Warm and dry with a hard afternoon wind. The Tiji festival is usually in May and it is worth planning a trip around.
Best
June
Day at Lo Manthang
+20°C
Night at Lo Manthang
+6°C
Night at the Lo La
+4°C
What it is like
The monsoon arrives in the rest of Nepal and barely touches Mustang. Riding north of Kagbeni is fine; the road up from Beni is the problem.
Good
July
Day at Lo Manthang
+21°C
Night at Lo Manthang
+8°C
Night at the Lo La
+6°C
What it is like
Hot, dry and green by Mustang standards. The Beni to Tatopani section can close for a day after heavy rain, which is why we watch it.
Good
August
Day at Lo Manthang
+20°C
Night at Lo Manthang
+8°C
Night at the Lo La
+6°C
What it is like
The same. Landslide risk on the lower road is the only real reason for caution, and it is a real one.
Good
September
Day at Lo Manthang
+18°C
Night at Lo Manthang
+4°C
Night at the Lo La
+2°C
What it is like
The monsoon clears through the month and the lower road dries out. The last ten days are excellent.
Good
October
Day at Lo Manthang
+15°C
Night at Lo Manthang
-1°C
Night at the Lo La
-4°C
What it is like
The best month of the year. Cold mornings, brilliant air, everything open, and Dhaulagiri and Nilgiri out every day.
Best
November
Day at Lo Manthang
+11°C
Night at Lo Manthang
-6°C
Night at the Lo La
-9°C
What it is like
Clear and cold, to about the 10th. After that the guesthouses north of Kagbeni begin closing for the winter.
Good
December
Day at Lo Manthang
+7°C
Night at Lo Manthang
-10°C
Night at the Lo La
-14°C
What it is like
Shut. Cold, windy, and most of Lo Manthang moves down to Pokhara for the winter.
We do not run it

Figures for 3,840 m, which is where you sleep for two nights. The gorge below Jomsom runs ten to fifteen degrees warmer and the wind is the thing that actually decides how a day feels.

Who walks with you

Who rides with you

A lead rider who has ridden this road many times and sets the pace, and a mechanic riding sweep with a tool roll, so that nobody is ever at the back alone. A support jeep with a driver carries the luggage, the spares, the jerricans, a spare bike and anybody who has had enough for the day.

The guide north of Kagbeni

Inside the restricted area a licensed guide joins the group, which the permit requires and which you would want anyway. Lo Manthang's monasteries and the Chhoser caves are close to meaningless without somebody who can read the iconography and knows which door is open today.

How the bikes are looked after

Serviced before you take them and checked over twice a day, at lunch and on arrival, before anybody has taken their boots off. Chains adjusted, levers checked, tyre pressures set for the surface. It is the least visible part of the trip and the part that decides whether day 9 goes well.

Walking it responsibly

Ride slowly through villages

The road through Mustang is also the street that children play in and that goats are herded along. Walking pace through every settlement, no exceptions and no horn. The road is new here and the villages have not adapted to it, and it is not their job to.

Stay on the road

The temptation to ride off across open ground in Mustang is considerable and the damage lasts decades, because at 3,800 m in a rain shadow nothing grows back. Tyre tracks made ten years ago are still visible. We do not do it and we will ask you not to.

The permit fee is the point

Sixty per cent of the Upper Mustang permit fee is meant to return to the district, and a good deal of it has gone into the Lo Manthang restoration work you will walk through. It is an expensive permit and it is one of the better designed ones in Nepal.

Photography in the gompas

The murals at Jhampa and Thubchen are five hundred years old and flash damages pigment. Photography inside is either forbidden or charged, depending on the monastery and the day, and the guide will tell you which. Ask before photographing people, and expect to be told no sometimes.

Booking and paying

How to start

Write to us or send a message on WhatsApp with your dates, how many riders, and an honest description of what you have ridden and on what surface. That last part matters more than anything else and we will give you a straight answer about whether this route suits you.

The deposit

Twenty five per cent to hold the bikes and the jeep, the balance forty five days before you fly. The restricted area permit needs your passport scan thirty days out and cannot be rushed.

If you cancel

More than forty five days out, the deposit transfers to another departure within a year. Inside forty five days the bikes and the vehicle are committed and we retain fifty per cent. Inside twenty one days, the full amount. Cancellation cover is the answer and we say so plainly.

The damage deposit

Three hundred dollars held on your card when you collect the bike and released at the end. Scratches and scuffed levers are expected and not charged. Anything structural is charged at the workshop's own cost and you are shown the invoice.

Insurance, which we do check

A policy that covers motorcycling above 125cc, travel to 4,000 m and, ideally, helicopter evacuation, with the policy number and the assistance line. We ask for it before you fly. This is the single most common thing riders get wrong.

Things you can add

Priced per person, arranged before you travel, and none of them included in the price above.

Royal Enfield Himalayan 450
$220
same length
The newer bike, with more power, better suspension and a taller seat. Worth it if you are over six feet or have ridden a lot of adventure bikes. The 411 is the better bike for a rider who is not certain, because it is more forgiving.
Muktinath, on the way back
$110
1 extra day
A day out of Jomsom to ride up to Muktinath at 3,760 m, which is one of the great pilgrimage sites of both Hinduism and Buddhism. Good tarmac most of the way and a view of Dhaulagiri and Tukuche from the temple courtyard that people come for on its own.
Two nights at Lo Manthang instead of one day
$190
1 extra day
A full second day up there, with time for the Luri cave monastery to the south east and the Tingkhar valley to the north west. Lo Manthang is the whole point of the trip and one day is not really enough for it.
Ride back to Kathmandu instead of flying
no charge
1 extra day
Two hundred kilometres of tarmac on day 11 rather than twenty five minutes in the air, arriving in Kathmandu in the evening. It costs a day and saves the flight, and about half our riders choose it.
Non riding partner in the support jeep
$1,490
same length
The whole route in the jeep, with the same rooms, the same meals and the same permits. They will see more of the scenery than you do, because you will be watching the surface.
A day off in Pokhara at the end
$120
1 extra day
After day 10 rather than before. A lakeside hotel, a boat, a massage and nothing at all in the diary, which after eight riding days is a better idea than it sounds.

Other ways into Mustang

4 versions of this journey. They use the same guides and the same lodges; what changes is the length, the comfort and how much of it you walk.

Upper Mustang Motorbike TourYou are here
The trip on this page. Kathmandu to Lo Manthang and back on an Enfield.
11 days$2,190
Upper Mustang Trek
The same country at walking pace, on the old trail rather than the new road. Slower, quieter and in many ways better.
20 days$2,387
Annapurna Circuit Trek
Over the Thorong La on foot and down the same gorge, with a pass at 5,416 m.
14 days$1,497
Kali Gandaki Rafting
The river below the gorge rather than the road above it. Three days and very good water.
3 days$247

Photos

A look at the trail, the villages and the mountains.

Reviews

4.8 12 reviews

The trip of a lifetime

Everything was handled for us from the moment we landed. Our guide read the group perfectly, slowed the pace when we needed it, and knew every village along the way. I never once worried about logistics.

Sarah M. AustraliaOctober 2025

Felt looked after the whole way

We travelled as a couple and the small group made all the difference. Comfortable lodges, honest advice about the altitude, and a team who clearly loved the mountains. Booking on our own dates was easy.

James & Kate United KingdomMay 2025

Well organised and genuinely local

You can tell this is run by people from here, not a call centre abroad. The itinerary had proper rest days built in, the food was better than I expected, and the whole thing ran to time.

Daniel R. CanadaMarch 2025

Common questions

12 of them, and they are the ones people actually send us. If yours is not here, ask and we will answer it and add it.

Competent on gravel, comfortable with a 200 kg bike on a loose surface, and able to pick it up when it goes over, which it will. This is not a learner's tour. If your riding is all tarmac, do a gravel or trail day at home first and tell us honestly where you are.

Your own full motorcycle licence and an International Driving Permit with the motorcycle category endorsed. Get the IDP before you leave, because it cannot be issued in Nepal, and the checkpoints north of Kagbeni do ask.

Tarmac to Beni, then gravel, broken surface and stream crossings to Jomsom. North of Kagbeni it is a dirt road cut into a hillside with sand, loose stone and washboard, and it is genuinely narrow in places. It is a road rather than a trail, and jeeps drive it every day, but it will take all your attention.

Between thirty and two hundred kilometres, which sounds like nothing until you see the surface. Day 9 is a hundred and twenty kilometres and takes seven or eight hours. Days 7 and 8 are short on purpose, because Lo Manthang is worth being awake for.

It is the defining fact of the Kali Gandaki. A strong upvalley wind gets going by about eleven every morning and blows hard into the afternoon, and it picks up sand. That is why we start early every day. Ride before lunch and you will have a far better time.

A Royal Enfield Himalayan 411, which is the right tool for this: long travel suspension, low first gear, high clearance and a frame that survives being dropped. Newer 450s are available for a supplement. We do not put people on Classic 500s for this route, whatever anybody else tells you.

The mechanic rides sweep and carries cables, levers, tubes, a chain link and a tool roll, and the jeep carries the heavier spares. Punctures and levers are fixed on the roadside in twenty minutes. Anything worse and you ride the spare bike from the jeep, which is why one goes with us.

You will, probably on sand, probably at walking pace. Cosmetic damage is expected and not charged. Anything structural is charged at the workshop's cost with the invoice shown to you, and a damage deposit of $300 is held on your card and released at the end.

On this route, no, and we are firm about it. The surface north of Kagbeni is no place for a passenger and a fully loaded bike. A non riding partner travels in the support jeep, does the whole route, sees everything, and pays less. A good many couples do exactly that.

Rarely. You sleep at 3,840 m for two nights and the climb up is gradual, over four days. A few people feel it at Lo Manthang on the first evening. Riding masks altitude, which is why we watch the group rather than wait to be told, and day 8 is short partly for that reason.

The Upper Mustang restricted area permit is $50 per person per day north of Kagbeni, which on this route is four days. It is issued only through a registered agency, only with your passport, and only in Kathmandu or Pokhara. With the ACAP permit at NPR 3,000, that is about $220 and it is inside your price.

Late March to early November. Upper Mustang sits in the rain shadow of the Himalaya, so it barely gets a monsoon, and June to August is genuinely rideable when the rest of Nepal is not. The road up from Beni is the weak link in those months and we watch it. Winter is cold, windy and largely shut.

Upper Mustang Motorbike Tour

Overview

What the ride is