Photo: Bijay Chaurasia · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · resized; shared under the same licence
Jomsom–Muktinath
A short pilgrimage trail down the Kali Gandaki, walkable most of the year
Jomsom–Muktinath is a 7-day, easy-moderate trek that flies into Jomsom (2,800m) and follows the Kali Gandaki valley down through Kagbeni, the sacred Muktinath temple (3,762m) and the Thakali village of Marpha to the hot springs at Tatopani (1,190m). It requires only the standard Annapurna Conservation Area Permit, and its wide best-months window makes it one of the few Nepal treks walkable across most of the year.
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Route map
Waypoints
- Day 1 — Jomsom 2,800 m
- Day 1 — Kagbeni 2,804 m
- Day 2 — Muktinath 3,762 m
- Day 2 — Ranipauwa 3,700 m
- Day 3 — Marpha 2,670 m
- Day 4 — Tatopani 1,190 m
Map key
- Surveyed trail
- Follows the road — no separate trail mapped
Elevation profile
| Day | Place | Altitude | Gain from previous night |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kagbeni | 2,804 m | first night |
| 2 | Ranipauwa | 3,700 m | +896 m |
| 3 | Marpha | 2,670 m | -1,030 m |
| 4 | Tatopani | 1,190 m | -1,480 m |
Terrain elevation interpolated between waypoints by SRTM30m — not the route's sourced altitudes. May read above or below maxAltitude/maxSleepAltitude (both cited, manual figures); render or label accordingly, do not treat as the same number.
Acclimatisation
1 night on this itinerary gains more than 500 m of sleeping altitude: Ranipauwa (+896 m). It schedules no rest day at altitude. The highest night is 3,700 m.
| Day | Sleeping at | Altitude | Gain from previous night | Rest day |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kagbeni | 2,804 m | first night | |
| 2 | Ranipauwa | 3,700 m | +896 m (above the 500 m guideline) | |
| 3 | Marpha | 2,670 m | -1,030 m | |
| 4 | Tatopani | 1,190 m | -1,480 m |
Cited to the Wilderness Medical Society Clinical Practice Guidelines (2024): above 3,000 m, do not increase sleeping elevation by more than 500 m per day, and take a rest day every 3–4 days. WMS itself notes that terrain often makes strict adherence impossible.
This is itinerary information, not medical advice, and not clearance to trek. Acclimatisation varies between individuals.
Your trip, day by day — all 7 days, travel included
Every day of the 7-day trip in the order it happens, including the flights, drives and rest days that have no walking stage. These are trip day numbers. The next section numbers walking days instead, starting again at 1, so a day number here and a walking day number there are not the same day.
- Day 1 of 7
Kathmandu to Pokhara
The journey to Mustang begins with the overland transfer to Pokhara, the gateway town for the short flight to Jomsom.
- Day 2 of 7
Fly to Jomsom (2,800m) — Trek to Kagbeni (2,804m)
The flight from Pokhara lands at the windswept airstrip of Jomsom (2,800m) in the Kali Gandaki valley. The trail continues the same day to Kagbeni (2,804m), a walled village at the edge of Upper Mustang, the last stop before the restricted area beyond.
- Day 3 of 7
Kagbeni to Muktinath (3,762m) — Overnight at Ranipauwa (3,700m)
The trail climbs out of the Kali Gandaki valley to the Muktinath temple (3,762m), sacred to both Hindus and Buddhists and known for its 108 water spouts. Trekkers overnight not at the temple itself but at Ranipauwa (3,700m), the lodge village immediately below it.
- Day 4 of 7
Ranipauwa to Marpha (2,670m)
The trail descends back into the Kali Gandaki valley to Marpha (2,670m), an apple-growing Thakali village of white-washed stone houses.
- Day 5 of 7
Marpha to Tatopani (1,190m)
The trail continues down the Kali Gandaki valley to Tatopani (1,190m), known for its natural hot springs; the final stretch of this stage is covered partly on foot and partly by road, where the valley trail gives way to the jeep track.
- Day 6 of 7
Tatopani to Pokhara
The drive from Tatopani follows the Kali Gandaki road back out via Beni to Pokhara.
- Day 7 of 7
Pokhara to Kathmandu — Departure
Return from Pokhara to Kathmandu, by road or short flight, ahead of onward departure.
Walking days on the mapped route — 4 days of sourced altitudes
Numbered by walking day: walking day 1 is the first day with a mapped stage. Every altitude below is a waypoint from this route's own sources, listed at the foot of the page.
- Jomsom 2,800 m
day stop
Flight from Pokhara; not overnighted — the trek continues to Kagbeni the same day.
- Kagbeni 2,804 m
overnight
Same node used for the upper-mustang route (identical real place); altitude from Wikipedia.
- Muktinath 3,762 m
day stop
The sacred temple itself — 108 water spouts, revered by both Hindus and Buddhists. Altitude from Wikipedia. Visited during the day; pilgrims and trekkers overnight at Ranipauwa, the lodge village immediately below (see next waypoint), not at the temple.
- Ranipauwa 3,700 m
overnight
The actual overnight lodge village for Muktinath, ~700m from the temple. OSM node carries ele=3700, wikidata-linked, an exact match to Wikipedia’s figure (3,700m) for Ranipauwa. Distinguishing this from Muktinath itself keeps maxSleepAltitude (3,700m) meaningfully below maxAltitude (3,762m) rather than collapsing the two.
- Marpha 2,670 m
overnight
Apple-growing Thakali village. Same node/altitude as the annapurna-circuit route’s Marpha waypoint (identical real place).
- Tatopani 1,190 m
overnight
Hot springs; end of this itinerary before the drive back to Pokhara via Beni. Same node/altitude as the annapurna-circuit route’s Tatopani waypoint. This stage is covered partly on foot (bus to Ghasa) and partly by jeep on the Kali Gandaki road — the ~28.5km straight-line distance from Marpha exceeds a single trekking day but is normal for a mixed trek/vehicle stage.
The remaining 3 days of this 7-day trip cover travel to and from the trailhead, and buffer time for delays en route — the specifics vary by route.
Permits
| Permit | Fee | Verified |
|---|---|---|
| Annapurna Conservation Area Permit | NPR 3,000 | Verified 2026-09-07 |
Cost breakdown
- Permits (NPR)
- NPR 3,000
Permit fees above are the only figures on this page we have re-verified against the issuing authority; the route's itinerary and altitudes are built from the sources listed further down this page, not independently re-verified with one. Other trip costs — teahouse accommodation, a guide, a porter, and flights where the route requires one — vary by season, operator and party size and are not itemised here.
When to go
Month-by-month fit for Jomsom–Muktinath, based on this route's own best-months window.
- Jan avoid
- Feb shoulder
- Mar best
- Apr best
- May best
- Jun best
- Jul best
- Aug best
- Sep best
- Oct best
- Nov best
- Dec shoulder
Sources
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7 days in the Mustang & the far west region, highest night at 3,700 m, from USD 550.