Ride to Upper Mustang, Nepal: What 6 Days on the Road Actually Looks Like

Kathmandu to Lo Manthang on Two Wheels: Our 6-Day Ride to Mustang, Nepal

There is a particular kind of quiet that happens in a group of riders the night before a big trip. Everyone is calm on the outside, gear is packed, bikes are fuelled, but there is this electric undertone of anticipation that nobody quite says out loud. That was us, the night before we left for Mustang. Six of us. Four motorcycles. November 2024. And a route that cuts through one of the most dramatic landscapes in the world.

Why We Chose November for the Mustang Ride

Most people hear "November in Nepal" and assume that is the wrong time to ride. For most of Nepal, they would be right. But Upper Mustang sits in a rain shadow beyond the Annapurna and Dhaulagiri massifs. The monsoon barely reaches it. In November, the skies are bone-clear, the road is dry, and the tourist crowds from the October season have already thinned out. The cold is real. Mornings at altitude will test whatever you thought was adequate layering. But the visibility more than makes up for it. We could see ranges we had no names for, just wave after wave of peaks catching the low winter light. That alone justified the timing.

Day 1 - Kathmandu to Beni Bazaar, Myagdi (via Pokhara)

We rolled out of Kathmandu early, hitting the Prithvi Highway before the trucks had a chance to clog it. The Kathmandu to Pokhara stretch is familiar territory for most Nepali riders and we pushed through it quickly, stopping in Pokhara only long enough for lunch at a spot near Lakeside and a fuel top-up. The real ride begins after Pokhara. Once you turn off toward Beni, the road starts to feel like it belongs to a different Nepal. The valley narrows. The Kali Gandaki is suddenly there beside you, grey and fast. Beni Bazaar itself is a small, unassuming town that clearly serves as the last proper resupply point before you enter the gorge. We found a clean guesthouse, ate a heavy dal bhat, and slept early. The bikes were parked in the courtyard and we were in bed before nine.

Day 2 - Beni to Kagbeni: Through the Kali Gandaki Gorge

This was the day the ride became something else entirely. The Kali Gandaki gorge is the deepest river gorge in the world by some measures, and riding through it is one of those experiences that is genuinely hard to describe without sounding like you are overselling it. The road from Beni climbs through Tatopani, with its hot springs and banana trees, then through Ghasa where the vegetation starts to thin, and into Marpha, which is famous for its apple orchards and apple brandy. We stopped in Marpha for a while. The village is beautiful in a way that feels curated without being fake: whitewashed walls, narrow cobblestone lanes, prayer flags draped across everything. By the time we reached Jomsom, the afternoon winds that the Kali Gandaki is notorious for had started up. Riding into a headwind at altitude with a fully loaded bike is genuinely hard work. You lean into it and just keep moving. Kagbeni appeared like a reward at the end of it: an ancient mud-brick village at the confluence of the Kali Gandaki and Jhong rivers, and the official entry point to Upper Mustang. If you do not have your restricted area permit in order before Kagbeni, this is where your trip ends. We had ours sorted before leaving. The checkpoint formalities took about twenty minutes and then we were through.

Day 3 - Kagbeni to Lo Manthang: The Forbidden Kingdom

Beyond Kagbeni, the landscape transforms completely. The green stops. The terrain becomes lunar: deep reds and ochres, eroded cliffs carved by centuries of wind, the occasional monastery perched on a ridge like it grew there. This is Upper Mustang and it looks unlike anywhere else in Nepal. Lo Manthang is the walled capital of what was once the independent Kingdom of Lo, and walking into it for the first time genuinely feels like stepping into a different century. The perimeter wall is intact. Inside, there are four main monasteries, a royal palace that the Lo King's family still owns, and narrow streets where children run past mani stones that have been worn smooth by decades of hands. We spent the afternoon visiting Thubchen Gompa and Jampa Lhakhang, both of which have been undergoing careful restoration with support from art conservation organizations. The murals inside are extraordinary. We stayed the night in Lo Manthang at a local lodge, ate whatever the cook had on that evening, and sat outside in the cold for a while watching a sky full of stars that you simply do not get at lower altitudes.

Day 4 - Lo Manthang to Korala Border and Back to Muktinath

We woke early with one aim: ride to Korala, the Nepal-Tibet border point on the northern edge of Upper Mustang. The road deteriorates significantly north of Lo Manthang and becomes a genuine dirt track across a high-altitude plateau. The border itself is a quiet, remote crossing point with nothing much on the Nepali side beyond a handful of border posts. On a clear morning, with the Tibetan plateau stretching away to the north and the Annapurnas behind you to the south, it is one of the more surreal places any of us had ever stood. We turned back at the border and made for Muktinath, one of the most sacred sites in both Hindu and Buddhist traditions. The temple complex at 3,760 metres includes 108 water spouts carved in the shape of bull heads and an eternal flame that burns above a stream. People come from across Nepal and India on pilgrimage to bathe in the 108 spouts. We arrived late in the afternoon, so we decided to visit the temple in the early morning the next day.

Day 5 - Muktinath to Pokhara

We visited the Muktinath Temple in the morning and then had our breakfast and headed out for Pokhara. The descent was faster and the wind, which had hammered us on the way up, was now behind us. Riding with a tailwind through the Kali Gandaki gorge is a genuinely different experience. We passed through Marpha again and stopped for apple cider this time instead of brandy. The mood in the group was loose and good. Pokhara by evening, Lakeside for dinner, a proper bed.

Day 6 - Pokhara to Kathmandu

The Prithvi Highway back to Kathmandu is always a little anticlimactic after something like Mustang. The traffic builds up, the air gets heavier, the road flattens out. But there is something satisfying about pulling back into the valley after six days away. Six people, four bikes, all back intact. That counts for something.

Things to Know Before You Ride to Mustang

• You need a Restricted Area Permit for Upper Mustang, if you are a foreign national. This is not optional and cannot be obtained on the road. Arrange it in Kathmandu before you leave, through a registered trekking agency.
• A TIMS card is also required. Get both at the same time to avoid two separate trips.
• November is ideal for the ride: dry road, clear sky, minimal tourists. October is busier and warmer. December and January are colder and some guesthouses close.
• The afternoon wind in the Kali Gandaki gorge is serious. Plan your day so you are riding north in the morning and south in the afternoon, or at least be prepared for it.
• Fuel is available locally in Jomsom and other areas but is significantly more expensive than at lower altitudes. Top up whenever you can.
• Your bike needs to be in solid shape before this ride. The road north of Lo Manthang toward Korala is rough. A reliable, well-maintained bike matters more than a powerful one.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it possible to ride a motorcycle to Lo Manthang, Upper Mustang?

Yes. The road from Kagbeni to Lo Manthang is a dirt and gravel track, rough in sections but passable on a capable motorcycle. Most riders complete it on 250cc bikes or above or some even on scooters. The road between Lo Manthang and Korala is harder and requires more off-road experience.

Do you need a special permit to ride to Upper Mustang?

Yes. Upper Mustang is a restricted area and requires a Restricted Area Permit (RAP) issued by the Nepal government through a registered trekking agency. You also need a TIMS card. Both must be obtained in Kathmandu before you reach the Kagbeni checkpoint.

What is the best time of year for the Mustang motorcycle ride?

October and November are the most popular months. October has better weather at lower altitudes. November offers quieter roads and clearer skies in Upper Mustang due to the rain shadow effect. March to May is also good for those who prefer spring conditions.