Drive through Upper Mustang to Damodar Kunda, the sacred Vishnu lake at 4,890m where tradition places the source of the Kali Gandaki and its shaligram stones. Muktinath darshan, the walled city of Lo Manthang, a night at the Ghuma Thanti pilgrim shelter, and a one-day horse ride over a 5,300m pass to the kunda. All permits, meals, camps, jeep and guide included over 15 days.
Damodar Kunda at 4,890m is the traditional source of the Kali Gandaki and of the shaligram stones that Vaishnava tradition worships as Vishnu himself. The site is a cluster of three small holy ponds, Tamra, Rajat and Neel Kund, below the Damodar Himal near the Tibetan border. Puranic tradition, notably the Gandaki Mahatmya, praises this water as among the most potent in the Himalaya, and a dip here is held to complete the Muktinath pilgrimage. On the full moon of Janai Purnima each August, hundreds of pilgrims reach the kunda for the holy bath. The rest of the season it is one of the loneliest sacred places in Nepal.
Muktinath Temple (3,800m) opens the tour: darshan of Mukti Narayana, the 108 waterspouts, the Jwala Mai eternal flame, and the kunda ponds, on the fourth morning, before the jeep crosses into the restricted zone. Doing Muktinath first is not just convenient sequencing. In the Vaishnava reading of the Mukti Kshetra, Muktinath grants darshan and Damodar Kunda seals it at the river's source, and pilgrims have run the circuit in that order for centuries. The altitude works the same way: a morning at 3,800m is the first acclimatization step toward the 5,300m pass ten days later.
Lo Manthang (3,840m), the walled capital of the old Kingdom of Lo, gets a full day: the royal palace, the Jampa, Thubchen and Chode gompas with their giant mandala murals, and an afternoon run north to the sky caves of Chhoser at about 3,975m, where entire villages were cut into sheer cliff faces. Upper Mustang was closed to foreigners until 1992 and still admits only a few thousand visitors per year under the restricted permit, which is why the city and its caves have kept a character that the open trekking regions lost decades ago.
The horse crossing from Ghuma Thanti is a day very few travellers in Nepal ever experience. You ride out at first light with local horsemen, climb to the pass at roughly 5,300m, and drop into the Damodar bowl by midday. Six to eight hours in the saddle, 15 to 18 km each way, steep downhills taken on foot. Riding to a 4,890m lake on a pilgrim trail with no teahouse, no signal and no other traffic is as close as a vehicle-based tour gets to the old Himalaya.
A night at the Ghuma Thanti pilgrim shelter, approximately 4,750m. Thanti means rest house in the local usage, and this one is a cluster of seasonal tin shelters on a bare shoulder of hill, without doors, built for the August pilgrims. We bring the camp to it: tents pitched inside or beside the shelter walls, sleeping bags and mats, a cook crew and hot food. It is basic on purpose and it is the only way to sleep close enough to the pass for a one-day crossing. People remember this night as vividly as the lake.
The full Kali Gandaki corridor in one journey: Pokhara to Kagbeni through the deepest gorge on earth, Tatopani's hot springs (1,190m) on the return, Marpha's apple orchards and whitewashed lanes, Jomsom, the shaligram beds near Kagbeni, and the desert plateau of Lo. The route stitches together landscapes that normally take two separate trips, the green gorge country of lower Mustang and the Tibetan rain-shadow desert above Kagbeni, and you watch one become the other from the jeep window in a single afternoon.
Everything is included and every figure on this page is checked. All meals, all permits at the 2026 rates, hotels, guesthouses, the equipped camp night, private 4WD throughout, horses and handlers, the Pokhara to Kathmandu return flight, and a licensed guide. We publish the altitude of the lake and the pass separately, the real permit arithmetic, and the honest size of the ponds. Compare that against pages still quoting the abolished USD 500 permit and a 5,600m pass that no trip log supports, and book on figures you can verify.
The Muktinath to Damodar Kunda tour is a 15-day pilgrimage through Upper Mustang that joins the two poles of the Mukti Kshetra: darshan at Muktinath Temple (3,800m), then the drive north through the restricted kingdom of Lo to Damodar Kunda, the holy lake cluster at 4,890m where tradition places the origin of the Kali Gandaki river and of the shaligram stones carried down its bed. A private 4WD jeep covers the road from Pokhara through Kagbeni, Samar, Tsarang and Lo Manthang to the pilgrim shelter at Ghuma Thanti. From there, horses carry you over a pass of roughly 5,300m to the kunda and back in a single long day. This is the standard pilgrim mode since the jeep track opened to Ghuma Thanti, and it retired the load carrying and camping skills the old multi-week damodar kunda trek demanded. The tour price includes every permit, every meal, all accommodation from Kathmandu hotels to the high camp, the jeep, the horses and a licensed guide.
Damodar Kunda is not one lake. It is a cluster of three small holy ponds, Tamra Kund, Rajat Kund and Neel Kund, sitting in a bowl of scree below the Damodar Himal near Nepal's border with Tibet. The water is held to rise here and travel underground before surfacing as the Kali Gandaki, which is why the Puranic tradition treats a dip in the kunda as bathing in the river at its purest point. The name Damodar belongs to Vishnu in his child form: dama means rope, udara means belly, and the name recalls the infant Krishna tied at the waist by Yashoda. Pilgrims who complete darshan at Muktinath and then reach Damodar Kunda are held to have finished the full circuit of the Mukti Kshetra, the field of liberation. Hundreds make the journey each August on the full moon of Janai Purnima. Most of the year, the lakes sit alone under the wind.
Be clear about what the ponds look like, because we would rather you hear it from us than feel misled at 4,890m. They are small. The trip reports that describe them honestly call them not much bigger than swimming pools, and after five days of driving and a full day in the saddle, that surprises people who expected a second Tilicho. The point of Damodar Kunda was never scale. The point is what the water is: the believed source of a river that carries the body of Vishnu downstream as black stone fossils, in a place so hard to reach that arriving is itself the offering. The Himalayan panorama around the bowl, with the Damodar peaks behind, does the rest.
The tour is also, mile for mile, one of the great road journeys in Nepal. From Pokhara the road follows the Kali Gandaki gorge past Tatopani and Marpha into Jomsom, then crosses into the restricted zone north of Kagbeni, where the landscape turns to wind-cut desert in ochre and grey. You pass the cliff villages of Samar (3,620m) and Tsarang (3,560m), the royal walled city of Lo Manthang (3,840m), and the sky caves of Chhoser (about 3,975m), rooms cut into vertical cliff faces by people nobody has conclusively identified. South of Lo Manthang the jeep swings east to Yara (3,650m) and the cave monastery of Luri Gumba at about 4,000m, then climbs the rough seasonal track to Ghuma Thanti at approximately 4,750m. Thanti means rest house. It is a cluster of seasonal pilgrim shelters, tin roofed and doorless, and sleeping there with the camp equipment we carry is part of what makes this route feel like a true yatra rather than a sightseeing loop.
The horse day is the heart of the tour. From Ghuma Thanti the trail climbs to a pass at roughly 5,300m, recorded by GPS at 5,320m on the crossing, before dropping to the kunda at 4,890m. It is 15 to 18 km each way and six to eight hours round trip in the saddle. The horses are local, surefooted and handled by men who make this crossing all season; you ride the climbs and flats, and walk short steep downhill sections on foot for safety, as every pilgrim does. No riding experience is needed. If you have never been on a horse, you will be led at walking pace the entire way. This single day replaces what was, until the road reached Ghuma Thanti, a camping trek of up to 20 days from Jomsom.
Some pages sell this route with a 5,600m pass, and the competitor page for this exact itinerary prints a maximum altitude of 5,400m in one section and 4,890m in another. Neither figure survives checking. The lake is at 4,890m. The pass between Ghuma Thanti and the lake is approximately 5,300m, and that is the highest point you reach on this tour. We publish both numbers separately because they answer different questions: how high you sleep (never above the shelter at about 4,750m) and how high you ride (the pass, once, for under an hour). If an operator quotes you a single altitude for Damodar Kunda without saying which of these they mean, ask.
Permits changed in December 2025, and most of what you will read elsewhere is out of date. The Upper Mustang restricted area permit is now USD 50 per person per day for the days you actually spend inside the zone. The old rule, USD 500 flat for 10 days, was abolished effective 22 December 2025, and the two-person minimum for restricted permits was scrapped in March 2026, so solo pilgrims can now book this tour without a permit partner. Our route spends nine days inside the restricted zone, from the afternoon we pass the Kagbeni checkpoint to the morning we exit, which means about USD 450 in restricted-area fees per person. We arrange this, the Annapurna Conservation Area Permit, and every checkpoint registration, and all of it is included in the tour price. Details on how Nepal's permit system works are in our trekking permits guide.
Damodar Kunda is the traditional source of the shaligram, the black ammonite fossil that Vaishnava Hindus worship as a direct, aniconic form of Vishnu. The stones are 100 million years and more old, seabed creatures from before the Himalaya rose, and they wash down the Kali Gandaki to the riverbeds near Kagbeni and Muktinath where pilgrims find them. The shila given to Nepal for the Ram Mandir idols in Ayodhya came from this river. At the kunda itself the ponds are small and the shilas are found in the drainages below, so do not expect to lift museum pieces from the holy water. A pilgrim may keep a small stone for personal worship; commercial collection and export are prohibited under Nepali law and the Mustang checkpoints do search for it. Your guide will show you what a true shaligram looks like and where looking is allowed.
August is the pilgrimage month. On Janai Purnima, the full moon of Shrawan, hundreds of Nepali and Indian pilgrims ride and walk to the kunda for a holy dip; in 2026 the festival falls on Friday 28 August. An August yatra here works because Upper Mustang sits in the rain shadow of the Annapurna and Dhaulagiri massifs and receives a fraction of the monsoon that soaks the rest of Nepal, though the access roads south of Jomsom can still be slow and muddy in monsoon. For the sharpest mountain light, September and October are the pick. We do not sell this tour from December to February: the pass holds snow, the shelters at Ghuma Thanti stand empty, and no darshan is worth a winter crossing at 5,300m.
If you cannot spare 15 days, there is a shortcut, and unlike most operators we will tell you what it honestly costs. A Muktinath Damodar Kunda helicopter tour flies from Pokhara in about an hour each way, lands briefly at the lake, and typically adds a Muktinath darshan stop on the return. Shared seats, when a charter is filling, run around USD 1,000 to 1,300 per person; a private charter for up to five passengers runs roughly USD 4,500 to 5,000 and moves with fuel prices. Passengers still need the restricted area permit and ACAP. The helicopter buys you the darshan and costs you the yatra: no Lo Manthang, no sky caves, no Ghuma Thanti night, no horse crossing. We arrange the Damodar Kunda helicopter tour on request, and we recommend the road.
This is a listing you should compare carefully, because a damodar kunda tour package is easy to quote low and pad later. Ours includes all three meals every day, every permit at the new 2026 rates, the Kathmandu and Pokhara hotels, the mountain guesthouses, the tented camp night with equipment at Ghuma Thanti, the private 4WD for the full route, the horses and their handlers for the crossing day, the Pokhara to Kathmandu flight on the return, and a licensed English-speaking guide from pickup to drop-off. Mountain Hawk Trek is a Kathmandu operator registered with the Nepal Tourism Board, and Prem Pandit's team runs the Mustang corridor season after season, the same team behind our Upper Mustang Jeep Tour. The price you see in the table below is the price you pay.
15 days from Kathmandu arrival to departure. Hover any day for full details.
Airport pickup and transfer to your hotel. Evening briefing with your guide: route, permits, altitude protocol, and a gear check for the camp night, with rental gear arranged on the spot if anything is missing. If you arrive early, Pashupatinath darshan can be added this evening as the traditional opening of a Nepal yatra. Overnight in Kathmandu. Welcome dinner included.
Morning departure west along the Prithvi Highway, 206 km in 6 to 7 hours, following the Trishuli River through terraced hill country. Lunch stop at a highway thakali kitchen. Arrive Pokhara Lakeside by late afternoon, with Machhapuchhre and the Annapurna wall across Phewa Lake announcing where you are headed. Passport copies go to the agency runner tonight for restricted-permit processing. Overnight in Pokhara. All meals included.
The long gorge day: approximately 165 to 170 km in about 8 hours. The 4WD leaves early, through Beni and Tatopani and up the Kali Gandaki gorge between Dhaulagiri (8,167m) and Annapurna I (8,091m), the deepest gorge on earth measured summit to river. Short stops at Rupse waterfall and Marpha's apple-scented lanes, then through Jomsom (2,720m, the last reliable ATM of the trip) to Kagbeni, the fortified caravan village at the gate of Upper Mustang. Evening walk to the Kag Chode monastery above the rooftops. Overnight in Kagbeni. All meals included.
Early drive up to Muktinath for morning darshan before the day-trip crowds: the golden Mukti Narayana idol, the 108 waterspouts, the Brahma and Vishnu kunda ponds, and the Jwala Mai flame that burns beside flowing water. Pilgrims who take the full 108-spout bath should bring a change of clothes; the water is glacial. Back down to Kagbeni for permit registration at the checkpoint, then north into Upper Mustang, where the landscape turns to wind-carved desert within the first hour. Overnight in Samar, a poplar-shaded cliff village. All meals included.
Through Syangboche, Ghiling and the red cliffs of Dhakmar, with the Ghami mani wall, one of the longest in Nepal, on the way. Arrive Tsarang by mid-afternoon: the fortress-like Tsarang Gompa and the old palace tower above fields that have been irrigated the same way for five centuries. This day is deliberately short on driving and long on stops; it is also quiet acclimatization, your second night above 3,500m. Overnight in Tsarang. All meals included.
A short morning drive over the Lo La pass brings the whitewashed wall of Lo Manthang into view, unchanged in outline since the 15th century. Afternoon inside the walls: the royal palace, Jampa Gompa's three-storey Maitreya, and the mandala murals of Thubchen. Evening at leisure in the alleys, where horses still have right of way. Overnight in Lo Manthang. All meals included.
Full day at the top of the kingdom. Morning drive north to Chhoser (about 3,975m), where multi-storey cave dwellings, the Shija Jhong cave complex among them, honeycomb the cliff faces; you climb ladders through rooms carved by hands nobody has conclusively identified. Afternoon back in Lo Manthang for the Chode Gompa and time to watch the town work. This is also a scheduled acclimatization day: two nights at 3,840m before moving higher. Overnight in Lo Manthang. All meals included.
South and east through Dhi to Yara, a village of a few dozen houses under striped cliffs. Afternoon visit to Luri Gumba (approx. 4,000m), the cave monastery above the Puyon Khola, whose 14th-century kabum stupa murals are among the finest surviving cave paintings in the Himalaya. Tonight is the staging night: the crew checks the camp loads and confirms horses for the crossing with the Yara horsemen. Overnight in Yara. All meals included.
The seasonal 4WD track climbs 25 to 30 km of switchbacks and stream crossings onto the high shoulder, weather permitting; this is the leg our buffer day protects. Ghuma Thanti is a pilgrims' rest shelter, tin-roofed and doorless, on bare ground above 4,700m, and it is the highest sleeping point of the tour. The crew pitches tents in and beside the shelter, dinner is hot and early, and the guide runs oximeter checks after dark. The Milky Way up here is absurd. Overnight tented camp, Ghuma Thanti. All meals included.
The day everything has built toward. Mounted at first light, you climb with the horsemen to the pass at roughly 5,300m, GPS-logged at 5,320m on the crossing and the highest point of the tour, then descend into the Damodar bowl by late morning. Darshan and puja at the three kunda: Tamra, Rajat and Neel. Pilgrims taking the holy dip do it fast; the water is barely above freezing even in August. Packed lunch by the lakes, then the return crossing, walking the steepest downhill stretches on foot as the horsemen direct. Six to eight hours round trip in the saddle, 15 to 18 km each way. Overnight tented camp, Ghuma Thanti. All meals included.
The buffer is used where the mountain spends it: a weather hold, a rescheduled crossing, or on festival departures the Janai Purnima mela itself. When the crossing has gone to plan, the morning is unhurried, with time at the shelter while camp is struck, and the jeep drops back to Yara (3,650m) by afternoon, 1,100m lower, where everyone sleeps noticeably better. Overnight in Yara. All meals included.
Out of the restricted zone the way you came, past Tsarang and the Kagbeni checkpoint, down the gorge to Tatopani. It is the longest driving day of the tour, roughly nine hours with stops, and it ends in the stone-lined hot spring pools beside the Kali Gandaki, which is exactly where a body that slept at 4,750m two nights ago wants to be. Overnight in Tatopani. All meals included.
Optional morning soak, then the drive down through Beni to Pokhara by mid-afternoon. The rest of the day is yours: Phewa Lake, the World Peace Pagoda, or a chair on Lakeside with the first cold drink since Jomsom. Farewell dinner with the crew. Overnight in Pokhara. All meals included.
The 25-minute flight home is included in the price and replaces a seventh long driving day. Afternoon free in Kathmandu: last-minute shopping in Thamel, or the Pashupatinath and Boudhanath circuit for those closing the yatra the traditional way. Overnight in Kathmandu. Breakfast and farewell lunch included.
Airport drop-off three hours before your flight. If your plans allow, our Kathmandu 7 UNESCO Heritage Sites tour extends the trip by a day or two of temples and durbar squares. Breakfast included.
The Damodar Kunda tour cost at Mountain Hawk Trek runs USD 2,095 to 2,795 per person depending on group size, with every permit, meal, camp, horse and flight in the table price. Two things make this route more expensive than a standard Mustang tour, and both are visible: the restricted-area permit, now USD 50 per person per day for the roughly nine days this itinerary spends inside the zone, and the crossing logistics, horses, handlers and a full tented camp carried to 4,750m for two nights. Compare quotes on those two lines. A damodar kunda trek cost for the old-style camping route from Jomsom runs USD 2,300 to 4,250 across the operators who still sell it, takes up to 20 days, and skips Muktinath entirely; our jeep-and-horse frame reaches the same lake in 15 days with the pilgrimage complete at both ends. Beware pages still pricing permits at the abolished USD 500 flat rate, in either direction: some overcharge for it, others quietly built their price before the rule changed and will re-quote you at booking.
Airport pickup and drop-off in Kathmandu by private vehicle
2 nights 3-star hotel in Kathmandu, 2 nights 3-star hotel in Pokhara Lakeside (twin sharing)
8 nights guesthouse on the route (Kagbeni, Samar, Tsarang, Lo Manthang x2, Yara x2, Tatopani)
2 nights tented camp at Ghuma Thanti with tents, sleeping bags, mats and full cook crew
All meals for 15 days: breakfast, lunch and dinner, vegetarian and Jain options throughout
Private 4WD jeep from Pokhara through Upper Mustang and back, fuel and driver included
Horses and local horse handlers for the Ghuma Thanti to Damodar Kunda crossing (both ways)
Upper Mustang Restricted Area Permit at USD 50 per day (9 days, approx. USD 450) included
Annapurna Conservation Area Permit (ACAP) included
Pokhara to Kathmandu domestic flight after the tour (one way)
Licensed English-speaking guide for the full 15 days; Hindi-speaking guide on request
First-aid kit with pulse oximeter and Diamox; oximeter checks every night above 3,500m
Puja coordination at Muktinath and Damodar Kunda with the guide
All government taxes, checkpoint registrations and local fees
International flights to and from Nepal
Nepal visa fee (15-day USD 30, 30-day USD 50; Indian citizens exempt)
Travel insurance covering helicopter evacuation up to 5,500m (mandatory for this tour)
Tips for guide, driver, cook crew and horsemen (customary, at your discretion)
Personal expenses: laundry, bar bills, bottled drinks, hot showers and device charging at guesthouses
Optional helicopter upgrade or add-on (quoted at booking, from approx. USD 1,000 per person shared)
Lunch and dinner in Kathmandu on arrival and departure days beyond the included welcome and farewell meals
Emergency evacuation costs (covered by your travel insurance)
Three reasons this trek stays with you long after the plane home.
Until the jeep track reached Ghuma Thanti, Damodar Kunda demanded a camping trek of up to 20 days from Jomsom, and it filtered out everyone but the fittest. The road changed who can go. This tour carries you by private 4WD to about 4,750m and by horse over the pass, so the crossing asks for basic fitness and a sound heart rather than trekking legs. Pilgrims in their sixties complete it every August. The old route is still there for purists, and our 15-day frame still beats flying: you acclimatize gradually, you see Lo, and you arrive at the kunda the way pilgrims are meant to arrive, slowly.
The figures on this page are checked against first-person trip logs and the 2026 regulations, not copied from other operators. The lake is 4,890m, the pass is roughly 5,300m, the permit is USD 50 per day since 22 December 2025 (the abolished USD 500 rule still appears on most competing pages), and Janai Purnima 2026 falls on 28 August. One page you will compare us against prints two different maximum altitudes on the same page. On a trip where your insurance ceiling, your acclimatization and your budget all hang on the numbers, accuracy is the product.
The price includes the things competitors quietly exclude: every meal for 15 days, the tented camp with equipment at Ghuma Thanti, the horses and handlers for the crossing day, all permits at the new per-day rates, and the Pokhara to Kathmandu flight home. Nepal tour pricing has a habit of growing after you book. Ours is in a table, per person, by group size, and it does not move.
A few things worth knowing before you commit. No sugar-coating, no surprises on day one.
You want darshan at Damodar Kunda without a 20-day camping trek. A private 4WD covers everything to Ghuma Thanti, horses cover the crossing, and the only mandatory walking is short steep downhill sections on the horse day plus temple steps at Muktinath. No trekking experience and no riding experience are required.
You understand this is a pilgrimage tour with one hard day. The horse crossing is six to eight hours at extreme altitude in cold wind. It is the reason the tour exists and the reason it is rated Moderate rather than Easy. If you want Upper Mustang without the crossing, our Upper Mustang Jeep Tour is the right listing.
The Damodar Kunda tour cost runs USD 2,095 to 2,795 per person by group size, everything included: meals, permits at 2026 rates, hotels, camps, jeep, horses, guide, and the return flight from Pokhara. The comparison to make is against quotes that exclude meals, the camp night or the new per-day permit.
Indian pilgrims travel visa-free with a passport or voter ID, Hindi-speaking guides are available on request, and vegetarian meals are standard on the whole route. Note that the Upper Mustang restricted permit costs the same USD 50 per day for all foreign nationals including SAARC citizens; only the ACAP is discounted for SAARC.
Solo pilgrims can now book. The two-person minimum for restricted-area permits was scrapped in March 2026. You will travel with our guide and crew, so solo means solo booking, not solo travel.
Seniors complete this tour every season, and we build it for them: gradual ascent over ten days, a pulse oximeter and Diamox in the guide's kit, horses for the climbs, and descent by vehicle available from every point except the crossing day itself. A doctor's clearance is required over 70. Read the acclimatization answer in the FAQ before booking for parents.
You want the festival. Janai Purnima at Damodar Kunda (28 August 2026) is the one day the lonely bowl fills with hundreds of pilgrims, and our August departure is timed for it. Book 8 to 10 weeks ahead; horses at Ghuma Thanti are finite and festival week sells the corridor out.
Photographers: Lo Manthang's walls at last light, the Chhoser caves, the ochre badlands between Samar and Tsarang, and a 4,890m lake bowl that almost nobody photographs. September and October departures get the clearest skies. The kunda is a sacred bathing site, so your guide will brief you on where cameras are welcome during the mela.
You want the crossing without the road days. We arrange the Damodar Kunda helicopter tour from Pokhara as an alternative or an add-on, from about USD 1,000 per person shared. Most guests who ask about it end up driving, and we think they choose right, but the option is real and we quote it straight.
The full kit that's built from years on the trail. Skip it at your own risk, bring it and you'll never think about it again.
Down jacket rated to minus 10 C (the crossing starts before sunrise)
Thermal base layers, top and bottom, plus a fleece mid-layer
Windproof and waterproof outer shell, jacket and pants
Warm hat, sun hat, buff, and two pairs of gloves (liner + insulated)
Sturdy shoes with ankle support for the walked downhill sections and temple steps
Sunglasses with high UV protection and sunscreen SPF 50+ (the rain-shadow sun is fierce)
Refillable 1L water bottle plus a thermos for the crossing day
Personal medications, including Diamox if your doctor advises it
Power bank 20,000mAh or larger; there is no charging at Ghuma Thanti
Cash in Nepali rupees, NPR 20,000 to 30,000 per person; the last reliable ATM is in Jomsom
Change of clothes in a dry bag if you plan the holy dip at Muktinath or the kunda
Passport plus 4 passport photos for the restricted-area permit file
This is a vehicle and horse tour, not a trek, so leave the 60-litre pack at home; a daypack for the jeep and a soft duffel for the crew is the right setup. The two items people underestimate are cold and sun: you sleep twice at about 4,750m in a doorless shelter camp, and the crossing day runs from pre-dawn frost to full-glare high-altitude noon. Sleeping bags and mats for the camp nights are included, rated for the shelter conditions. Riding gear is not needed; the horsemen provide everything for the horses, and no guest rides without a lead.
Still have questions? Tap through the answers below or reach out directly. We reply within the hour.
Reviews from trekkers who have walked this exact route.
Verified reviews from Everest, Annapurna, Manaslu, and Langtang treks.
If you are finding it difficult to choose between a trekking company, stop thinking and book with Mountain Hawk. You won't be disappointed.
Prem's company is truly professional and most importantly flexible. They specialise in small groups which allow you to go at your own pace.
The service was very good by the team. This was my fifth trip to Nepal and I have always used Prem for my trekking expeditions.
Best trekking company ever. With many years of experience and over 100 climbs to Everest Base Camp, we felt in good hands.
The experience was as close to perfect as real life can get. Prem and Min are extremely kind and pleasant people with whom it is a pleasure to spend time.
The 12-day trek felt like a luxury trek with Prem and his team constantly ensuring all accommodation, food and logistics were taken care of in advance.
We were 100% happy with the service Mountain Hawk provided and would definitely recommend it to anyone who is thinking about trekking.
Prem and his team at Mountain Hawk were the complete package: knowledgeable, enormously helpful, and amazingly friendly.
Extraordinary effort was made in the planning of our itinerary, hand tailored to our needs. Can't speak highly enough of Mountain Hawk expeditions.
Mountain Hawk trekking company was very professional and prompt. At last minute Prem arranged 3 wonderful days in Chitwan for our family.
I know for sure that I will be back in Nepal soon, and mountain hawk trek would be the first company I would contact. I fell in love with trekking and Nepal.
We were looked after well with the guides and they went out of their way to do anything for us, always with a smile on their faces.
It was the adventure of a lifetime and Prem made sure it was perfect. A reliably amazing journey.
Prem's attention to detail is fantastic, as is his knowledge of the area. I can highly recommend Mountain Hawk Trekking for your trip to Nepal.
They care for your health and safety as a number one priority. We always felt safe and comfortable throughout the entire trek.
He is great company, very knowledgeable and really made my trip. He took one look at me and made sure I reached base camp safely. I couldn't recommend him more.
Prem is the master of trekking logistics and management. I have known Prem since 2007 and whenever I come to Nepal he is the only one I want to guide me.
I can wholeheartedly recommend Prem and his team. Mountain Hawk Trek is the best choice when planning any adventure in Nepal.
Mountain Hawk Treks took care of everything from sleeping bags to flights and accommodation. I would definitely recommend them again.
Thank you so much Prem, Min and Sanjay for everything. My heart is so full after this trip. God bless you all!
From the second I arrived in Kathmandu airport and saw Badri with my name on the Mountain Hawk board, I knew I was in safe hands.
An excellent, safe and challenging adventure organized by Prem Pandit and his team at Mountain Hawk Trek. Overall, very much recommended.
Our guide Badri was not only a great guide but also a fun, caring, super nice travel companion who made sure we were safe and comfortable throughout.
On the mountain he was guide, mentor, motivator and best of all a good friend. We will go back to Nepal and will be using Mountain Hawk and Prem again.
Fantastic trek to ABC, made exceptional by Prem the main guide. A friendship was built up over the days of the trip. We had a lot of laughs!
His ever smiling and ever helpful nature made our trip the most memorable. This was my second time with Mountain Hawk.
Extremely professional, polite and an honest company. You shouldn't have any issues with your trek if you book with Mountain Hawk.
Prem and his team organised the trip to the finest detail. MH is an experienced operator ensuring an almost 100% success rate.
Without hesitation we recommend Mountain Hawk as a trekking company. The staff is excellent and they know what they are doing.
Prem and his team were brilliant in taking care of all of us. We all made it to Gokyo Ri and came back safe.
Prem, Badri and the team were instrumental in providing assistance all the way. I would highly recommend Mountain Hawk to any trekker visiting Nepal.
Their local knowledge, advice and assistance made our trek to EBC very enjoyable. The professionalism extended onto the trek.
We were very well looked after by our guide Badri who helped us along the journey. I would definitely recommend Mountain Hawk.
We have memories to last a lifetime and friends in Prem and Badri to last a lifetime. I would recommend Mountain Hawk Trekking again and again.
Our guide went above and beyond to ensure all our needs were met. It was a pleasure doing business with Mountain Hawk and we hope to come back again.
After 2 weeks in Nepal, everyone at Mountain Hawk felt like family. Prem and Badri are wonderful!
Fantastic day hike with Prem Pandit to Nagarjun Hill. Beautiful views, great stories, wonderful snacks and good humour throughout.
Prem and his staff took care of everything. I would highly recommend Mountain Hawk to anyone considering trekking in Nepal.
He designed the trek entirely around our schedule and the overall organisation was superb. Prem and his team were a great laugh along the route.
Mountain Hawk made my first ever trekking experience to EBC an awesome, beautiful and memorable experience. I will not hesitate to use their services again.
His knowledge of the area and having trekked this region for over 20 years made our experience second to none.
Excellent trip with Mountain Hawk team. My wife enjoyed the trek and the care given by the staff. I will come back to Nepal.
Prem is one of the most informative and educated guides I have ever run into. He is a genuine, kind man that truly enjoys sharing his expertise.
Prem and his team are super awesome. So personalized and caring.
Prem was more another member of our group rather than a tour guide. He allowed custom changes to visit more remote, less tourist-oriented places.
With just the three of us travelling together it was really important that he was such a wonderful travelling companion. We can thoroughly recommend the Mountain Hawk experience.
His experience and relationships are evident. There is no way we would have gotten as much out of our trip if it wasn't for Prem.
Unlike other trekkers we passed along the way, we did not get sick at all as Prem took exceptional care of us. Our holiday planning was effortless.
Absolutely fantastic. Prem had everything under control. He is very informative and fun. This is your guy.
We highly recommend Mountain Hawk without reservation for a great Nepal adventure. We hope to see Prem again in the future.
Prem and his staff are first class on all aspects. Trekking with them you feel you are with family members.
I'm very happy to recommend Mountain Hawk for anyone going trekking in Nepal. I loved the experience.
If you are planning to trek in Nepal, do yourself a really huge favour and use Mountain Hawk Trekking. We highly recommend them.
Prem's invaluable experience of the mountains and his thoughtfulness made this trip an incredible, memorable experience. Best in class!
Mountain Hawk looked after us from the time we landed in Kathmandu right to the time we left for London. Service with a personal touch!
As a family of differing ages and fitness levels, Prem went out of his way to help us individually so we all achieved our goal of reaching Everest Base Camp.
His knowledge of the landscape, flora and fauna, health and well-being was outstanding. I will definitely be going back and won't even consider looking elsewhere.
