A guided Upper Mustang trek costs from USD 1,890 per person in 2026, and the number that moved most this year is the permit. The restricted-area permit is now USD 50 per person per day, replacing the old flat fee of USD 500 for ten days, and the two-trekker minimum has gone. On a standard 14-day itinerary the permit works out to roughly USD 400 to 500 for the days spent inside the restricted zone, on top of the ACAP entry fee. Here is the full breakdown, and why the 2026 rule change matters if you are comparing quotes.
What does the Upper Mustang trek cost in 2026?
Upper Mustang is a restricted trans-Himalayan region behind the main Annapurna range, and its cost is driven more by permits and remoteness than by distance. The total splits three ways: the restricted-area permit, the guided package that covers everything on the ground, and the flights or drives that bookend the walk. The permit is the part competitors most often quote wrong, so start there.
The restricted-area permit, and the 2026 change
The Upper Mustang Restricted Area Permit now costs USD 50 per person per day, a change made in late 2025 from the previous flat USD 500 for the first ten days plus USD 50 for each extra day. A typical Lo Manthang itinerary spends about 8 to 10 days inside the restricted zone, so budget roughly USD 400 to 500 for the permit itself. On top of that sits the Annapurna Conservation Area Permit at NPR 3,000 (about USD 23), because the trail passes through ACAP territory. The other 2026 shift is that solo trekkers can now hold the permit without a group of two, though a licensed guide is still required, as we cover in our guide to whether you need a guide to trek in Nepal. The permit rules and current rates are set out in full in our Nepal trekking permits guide.
The guided package price
Our Upper Mustang trek starts at USD 1,890 per person for the 14-day itinerary, and the per-head price falls as the group grows. That package covers the restricted-area and ACAP permits, a licensed guide and a porter, all teahouse accommodation and meals on the trek, the Pokhara to Jomsom flights that bookend the walking, and airport transfers. It is a higher base price than the Annapurna Circuit because the permit alone adds several hundred dollars per person and the region's remoteness raises supply costs.
What drives the rest of the cost
Two logistics items move the total after permits: the Jomsom connection and daily spending on the trail. The Pokhara to Jomsom flight runs about USD 120 to 165 each way, and many itineraries fly in and out to save the long Kali Gandaki road days. A licensed guide costs roughly USD 25 to 35 a day and a porter USD 18 to 25, both mandatory here. Teahouses in Mustang are simpler and pricier than in Annapurna because everything is carried in, so food and lodging run about USD 30 to 45 a day, climbing toward Lo Manthang.
How to trek Upper Mustang for less
Group size is the biggest lever, since the guide, porter, and vehicle costs split across more people while the per-person permit stays fixed. Driving the Pokhara to Jomsom leg rather than flying trims a little more, at the cost of two long days on a rough road. Mustang also sits in the Annapurna rain shadow, so it stays walkable through the June to August monsoon when prices and crowds elsewhere drop. For a sense of how it compares with the region's other restricted trek, our breakdown of the Nar Phu Valley trek cost uses the same permit structure at a lower daily rate.
A sample cost picture
A worked example shows how the permit shapes the total. On a 14-day itinerary that spends about 9 days inside the restricted zone, the special permit at USD 50 a day comes to roughly USD 450, and the ACAP adds about USD 23. The Pokhara to Jomsom flights at each end run around USD 250 return, a guide across the trek about USD 400, and a porter about USD 280. Teahouse food and lodging at USD 35 to 45 a day add close to USD 500. That builds to somewhere near USD 1,900 arranged independently, which is why the guided package from USD 1,890 is close to break-even once you account for the operator handling every permit, flight, and booking.
When the extra cost is worth it
Upper Mustang costs more than any comparable-length Annapurna trek, and the value is scarcity. The region admits far fewer trekkers than the open routes, the walled city of Lo Manthang preserves a Tibetan-Buddhist culture that has faded across the border, and the rain-shadow desert stays walkable through the monsoon when the rest of Nepal is under cloud. For trekkers who have already walked the popular routes and want somewhere genuinely different, the permit is the price of a landscape and a culture that money elsewhere cannot buy.
How much is the Upper Mustang permit in 2026?
The Upper Mustang Restricted Area Permit is USD 50 per person per day, changed in late 2025 from a flat USD 500 for ten days. On a standard itinerary of 8 to 10 days inside the zone, that is roughly USD 400 to 500, plus the ACAP fee of NPR 3,000 (about USD 23).
Can you trek Upper Mustang solo?
You can now hold the permit on your own after the 2025 rule change, but a licensed guide from a registered agency is still mandatory in the restricted district. So a solo permit is allowed; walking without a guide is not.
Why is the Upper Mustang trek expensive?
The permit adds several hundred dollars per person that no other Annapurna-region trek carries, and the region's remoteness raises the cost of food, lodging, and transport. Together those push the guided price above routes of a similar length.
Do you need a guide for Upper Mustang?
Yes. Upper Mustang is a restricted area, so a licensed guide from a registered agency is required regardless of the 2025 solo-permit change. Our package includes the guide, the porter, and both permits.
Karma Gyalzen
Trekking Guide, Annapurna Trekking
Karma Gyalzen guides treks across Nepal for Annapurna Trekking. More about our team →
