A guided Upper Mustang trek costs from USD 1,890 per person in 2026, and the permit is what changed most this year. The restricted-area permit now costs USD 50 per person per day, replacing the old flat USD 500 for ten days, and the two-trekker minimum has gone. Our 14-day itinerary spends about ten days inside the restricted zone, so the permit alone comes to roughly USD 500 to 550, plus the ACAP fee. Below is the whole breakdown, and what the rule change means when you compare quotes.
What does the Upper Mustang trek cost in 2026?
Upper Mustang is a restricted, rain-shadow region north of the main Annapurna range, and permits and remoteness drive its price far more than the distance you walk. Three things make up the total. The permit, the guided package covering everything on the ground, and the flights or drives at either end. Operators get the permit wrong most often, so start there.
The restricted-area permit, and the 2026 change
Since 22 December 2025 the Upper Mustang Restricted Area Permit has cost USD 50 per person per day. It used to be a flat USD 500 for the first ten days plus USD 50 for each extra day. The zone begins north of Kagbeni. A Lo Manthang trip spends 10 or 11 days inside, so budget USD 500 to 550. You also need the Annapurna Conservation Area Permit at NPR 3,000 (about USD 23), because the trail starts in ACAP territory. Since 22 March 2026 a solo trekker can hold the permit without a second person, though a licensed guide is still compulsory, as our guide to whether you need a guide to trek in Nepal explains. All the rates are in our Nepal trekking permits guide.
The guided package price
Our Upper Mustang trek starts at USD 1,890 per person for 14 days, and the per-head price drops as the group grows. A pair pays USD 2,190 each. Four to seven people pay USD 1,950, eight to ten USD 1,890. Fixed departures run from USD 1,890 in the monsoon months to USD 2,090 for spring and autumn 2027. The package covers both permits, a licensed guide and a porter, all teahouse rooms and meals, the Pokhara to Jomsom flights and airport transfers. It costs more than the Annapurna Circuit because the permit alone adds about USD 500 a head, and everything in Mustang is expensive to get there.
What drives the rest of the cost
After permits, two things move the total. The Jomsom connection, and daily spending on the trail. The Pokhara to Jomsom flight costs about USD 120 to 165 each way, and most itineraries fly both ways to skip long days on the Kali Gandaki road. A licensed guide costs USD 25 to 35 a day and a porter USD 18 to 25, and in a restricted area the guide is the one cost you can't trim. Teahouses in Mustang are plainer and dearer than in the Annapurnas because everything comes in by truck or mule, so food and a bed run USD 30 to 45 a day, more toward Lo Manthang.
How to trek Upper Mustang for less
Bring friends. The guide, porter and jeep get split more ways while the per-person permit stays the same. Driving instead of flying between Pokhara and Jomsom saves a little more, at the cost of two long, bumpy days. Mustang also sits in the Annapurna rain shadow and stays walkable from June to August, when crowds thin out. Our Nar Phu Valley trek cost breakdown covers the region's other restricted trek, which still uses the older weekly permit and works out cheaper per day.
A sample cost picture
Here's the 14-day trip arranged yourself. Permit first. Ten days in the zone at USD 50 a day is USD 500, and ACAP adds USD 23. Return flights between Pokhara and Jomsom cost about USD 250. A guide for the trek is about USD 400 and a porter about USD 280. Teahouse food and beds at USD 35 to 45 a day add close to USD 500. That's around USD 1,950 before tips, already more than our large-group price. The package also handles every permit application, flight booking and lodge reservation, and the permit office wants 14 days' notice.
When the extra cost is worth it
Upper Mustang costs more than any Annapurna trek of the same length. You're paying for scarcity. Few trekkers go. Lo Manthang, the walled capital of the old kingdom of Lo, keeps a Tibetan Buddhist way of life that has faded on the other side of the border. And the desert stays walkable through the monsoon. If you've walked the popular routes already, the permit buys you somewhere that feels like another country.
How much is the Upper Mustang permit in 2026?
USD 50 per person per day, since 22 December 2025, replacing the flat USD 500 for ten days. Our 14-day trip spends about 10 days inside the zone, so roughly USD 500 to 550, plus ACAP at NPR 3,000 (about USD 23).
Can you trek Upper Mustang solo?
You can hold the permit alone since the 22 March 2026 change, which removed the two-person minimum. A licensed guide from a registered agency is still required in the restricted zone, so you can travel solo but not walk unguided.
Why is the Upper Mustang trek expensive?
The permit adds about USD 500 per person that no other Annapurna trek carries. On top of that, remoteness pushes up the price of food, beds and transport. Together they put the guided price above routes of a similar length.
Do you need a guide for Upper Mustang?
Yes. It's a restricted area, so a licensed guide from a registered agency is compulsory, solo permit or not. Our package includes the guide, a porter and both permits.
Karma Gyalzen
Trekking Guide, Annapurna Trekking
Karma Gyalzen guides treks across Nepal for Annapurna Trekking. More about our team →
