How can you combine 4WD and trekking to reach Lo Manthang in Upper Mustang in a short trip?

My wife and I are interested in trekking in Mustang, with about 5 days (27–31 July 2026). We'd love to reach Lo Manthang, but realise time is short and we also need to acclimatise to the altitude, so we wondered about combining part trekking with part 4WD. Is this too short a time to include acclimatisation? We'll be in Pokhara and would want to fly into Jomsom to save time.

Thanks to road development throughout much of the Mustang region, we have been operating a combination 4WD-and-trekking itinerary for several years. Our standard itinerary is considerably longer than five days, but it can certainly be adapted into a shorter trip.

For a 5-night / 6-day journey within Mustang, it helps to allow time around it as follows: 1 night in Kathmandu on the arrival day; travel to Pokhara (about 7 hours by road or 25 minutes by flight) and 1 night there; an early-morning flight from Pokhara to Jomsom to begin the drive-and-trek; on return, either 1 night in Pokhara or a late-morning/afternoon flight on to Kathmandu the same day; and 1 night in Kathmandu before your international departure.

A preliminary outline of the Mustang portion would be:

• Day 1: Morning flight from Pokhara to Jomsom (~25 mins). Drive Jomsom to Samar (~3 hours), trek via the sacred Chungsi Cave to Syangboche (~4–5 hours), then drive to Ghiling (~30 mins).
• Day 2 – Monasteries and ancient villages: Drive to Dhakmar (~1.5 hours), then trek via Ghar Gompa and Lo Gekar Monastery to Charang (~4 hours).
• Day 3 – Crossing Chogo La: Trek over the Chogo La pass to Lo Manthang (~4.5 hours).
• Day 4 – Exploring Lo Manthang: Visit the ancient caves, monasteries, and medieval villages around Lo Manthang (on foot or by vehicle).
• Day 5 – Return to Jomsom (~7 hours): Scenic drive back through Upper Mustang to Jomsom.
• Day 6 – Return to Pokhara: Morning flight from Jomsom to Pokhara. Either overnight in Pokhara and return to Kathmandu the next day, or connect on to Kathmandu on a late-morning/afternoon flight the same day.

As you'll spend the first two nights at altitudes of around 3,500–3,600 metres, you should have a reasonable opportunity to acclimatise gradually. That said, altitude affects everyone differently and individual reactions can't be predicted with certainty. If you experience significant symptoms of altitude sickness, a vehicle will be on standby to take you promptly to a lower, safer altitude where recovery is usually much quicker.