Self-Drive Road Trip Upper Mustang, Nepal, is the mix of your Beast Machine on wheels and the Himalayan desert of Nepal to experience the thrilling adventure as a result. The SUV Jeep Self Drive Upper Mustang Tour 9 Days tour starts from Sonauli Border, which is the ending point of NH24. Later, following the Siddhartha Highway to Pokhara, continue to Baglung and reach Lomangthang and Upper Mustang till the Korola Border with the Kaligandaki Corridor. Although it seems like a 9-day self-drive road trip to Upper Mustang, Nepal, from India, it will be longer depending on your garage where you keep your SUV and the need to drive to Sonauli.
Nature, Adventure, Mountain Terrains, and Car
Self-Drive Road Trip Upper Mustang, Nepal, is the complete mix of Himalayan nature. The itinerary of the Upper Mustang SUV Jeep Tour Route includes the most beautiful city of Nepal, Pokhara. No limits to experience in a better way; there is a separate day to explore the beauty of Pokhara. We explore the Phewa Lake with boating and visit Barahi Temple. Davis Falls: the water falls inside the city. The Gupteshower Maha Cave and Bindabashani Temple make our list to see in Pokhara complete.
Driving the hillside highway from Butwal to Pokhara, especially between Pokhara and Baglung, offers the mountains, green valleys, rainforests, river gorges, and more. The high bridge of Baglung is one attraction we can explore before we head our adventure road section of Upper Mustang.
Muktinath Temple with Self-Drive Road Trip to Upper Mustang 2026
One of the biggest Hindu shrines, Muktinath Temple, is just a 15 km detour from our original route of the SUV Jeep Upper Mustang Tour. To get blessings for our Self-Drive Trip, we visit the Muktinath Temple. Here we will be able to experience the majestic Mt.. Dhaulagiri and the region from the height.
The road section after Kagbeni comes as an adventure. Land above 3000 meters, dry and dirt roads, small curves and uphills, and full riverbeds and strong blowing winds add challenges and adventure to our self-drive Upper Mustang Nepal road trip from India. This sort of road section continues till the Korola border.
Self-Drive Upper Mustang Nepal Road Trip from India in short: If you are passionate enough with your car and adventurous with curves for wheels, this 9-day self-drive Upper Mustang Nepal Road Trip from India is for you.
20 Questions for a Self-Drive Upper Mustang Drive Tour from India
1. How do you want us to pay you? Bank Transfer/Cash/Google Pay/Credit Card?
You can pay via bank transfer to our company name, Trekking Tail Nepal. Even we accept credit cards as well as cash. However, Google Pay and Apple Pay are not available in Nepal. If you want to carry INR, you can, which is widely acceptable in the market. Just carry 100 INR notes only.
2. What are the charges for children?
As per government rules, above 8 years is considered a guest; the price is not different on permits. Similarly, on other costs, there is no differences.
For children below 8, it's 50% off on the adult price, but they need to adjust with a single room.
Children aged 8 or above are considered adults, and a 100% price is applied.
3. Can you accommodate any last-minute increase in the number of vehicles/guests?
Sure, we can accommodate a minute increase in the number of guests as well as vehicles. We need 1 full official day to work for permits. We must be informed 2 days of the actual Upper Mustang Self-Drive Tour starts.
4. Will there be the cancellation charges if some guests cancel approximately 7 days before the trip?
We charge about 50% of the total price after the payment and booking are made. However, after the issue of permits, there is no cancellation option available.
5. Is drinking water included in the costs?
Drinking water is included in the cost section because it is one of the most expensive, vital, and mostly misused items on the way. All this is due to its transportation and forms. We will offer 24 liters of bottled drinking water per person, which you can carry within your vehicles after we reach Pokhara. Hurry! We happily include the drinking water even though it is businesslike.
6. What is the typical menu for breakfast, lunch, and dinner? Please specify some dishes, both veg and non-veg.
In cities like Pokhara, we have lots of options for food and drinks. We have a buffet breakfast including veg and non-veg. Even on request they will prepare meals as per our interest, from Mexico to India. Please Note: Most of our lunch in between the highway is vegetarian, but you will get the open menu to enjoy the food of your interest for dinner and breakfast.
However, we recommend staying vegetarian if you are not prepared for natural preserved meat. You will get an update on whether the meat is fresh or not. The final choice is yours. Here are the menu items from the upper Mustang region.
Breakfast items available in the Upper Mustang Region
- Oatmeal, corn flakes with milk, and muesli with milk.
- Muesli with apple, porridge with apple or honey, Porridge with cinnamon.
- Toasted bread, toast with honey or jam, cheese toast, and toast with egg and cheese.
- Egg items: Fried eggs, plain omelets, scrambled eggs, boiled eggs, veg omelets, cheese omelets, bread and pancakes, Tibetan bread
- Pancake with jam or honey, apple pancake, chocolate pancake
Lunch and dinner items available on the Upper Mustang Self Drive Tour in Nepal are:
Pizza: Tomato cheese pizza, chicken pizza, mushroom pizza, mixed pizza, and tuna pizza.
Noodles: veg fried noodles, egg fried noodles, fried noodles with cheese, mixed fried noodles, pasta, veg fried pasta, cheese fried pasta, pasta with cheese and tomato sauce, and sandwiches served with chips.
Sandwich: Grilled cheese, tomato sandwich, and tomato sandwich. Grilled Club Sandwich.
MoMo (dumplings): Veg momo, fried or steamed. Potato momo, cheese momo, chicken momo, Buff MO: MO.
Spaghetti: Tomato Sauce Cheese Spaghetti, tomato sauce Spaghetti, vegetable tomato sauce; Spaghetti, Spaghetti with tuna cheese and tomato sauce.
Vegetable and salad: Fresh Stair Fried vegetable or boiled vegetable, vegetable salad.
Rice meals like vegetable/chicken/egg or mixed fried rice.
Dal Bhat (Nepali meal set veg, aka Thali Set ): Favorite Dinner, the best in class) Thakali Khana Set. Thali Set Veg or Non-Veg Potatoes: Boiled potatoes Fried potatoes with fresh veg Fried potatoes with cheese Fried potato with cheese and egg Roast potatoes, mashed potatoes Hash brown potato Finger chips with egg chips Soup items available on Upper Mustang Trek, Nepal Fresh veg soup Tomato soup, chicken soup Garlic soup, potato soup Mushroom soup and noodle soup
It is advisable to carry extra food and snacks like nuts, chocolates, cookies, and nutritional foodstuffs during the Upper Mustang Self Drive Trip.
7. Are SIM cards available for all participants before we arrive?
A SIM card is very important for our Upper Mustang Self-Drive Tour. As the Nepal Telecommunication Authority is more restricted, we need your PP-size photo and passport copy.
Depending on the time available in Sonauli, we manage there. It will take another 5 minutes to get the SIM card with your presence. Just get some photographs and a passport copy with you.
8. How do we communicate with our team members and guide them on the self-driving Upper Mustang Tour?
The SIM card we get in Sonauli or Pokhara is the means of communication during our drive. We connected with one group and stayed connected all the time and listened to each member, their experiences, problems, and decisions. As NTC has quite good reception along our route till Upper Mustang, we don’t need any alternative radio for communication.
9. Which SIM card, Ncell or NTC, is best for the Upper Mustang Drive Tour?
NTC (Nepal Telecommunication) is the best SIM card, aka the government telecommunication services provider, for Upper Mustang, whether you do the Upper Mustang Trek or the Upper Mustang Self-Diving Tour. Trekking Trail Nepal does provide a Nepalese SIM card; however, the data and voice pack you have to pay personally, for our field staff will help you.
10. How many people can join this trip?
There is no limit to people joining this self-driving tour. From our experience, Trekking Trail Nepal can suggest you 2 people in one vehicle is the best. The person next to the driver's seat can help you in different ways. Like Entry, Communication, Signs, Explaining beautiful nature, Photography, and a friend to talk to and make good memories.
NOTE: A minimum of 2 people is a must for the Upper Mustang Self-Drive Tour for India.
11. How many km will we drive without fuel stations? This will help participants plan for the needed amount of extra fuel at government rates.
As per our calculation, there is no regular fuel station after Beni. (However, in Ghasa we have a new fuel station, but it only sells diesel, even opening during September, October, March, April, May, and June. That means it will be 260 Km to 320 Km without a proper fuel station. However, there is an open selling point in Jomsom, which we don’t trust much.
12. Is Indian vehicle insurance valid to drive in Nepal? If not, what is the procedure and cost?
Indian vehicle insurance is NOT valid in Nepal. As per our previous experience, you can contact your insurance company, and with extra fees, they will add the insurance that covers Nepal too. It is called Geographical Extension.
13. Is there any pollution certificate needed for Indian vehicles in Nepal? If so, what is the procedure and cost?
NO, you don’t need a pollution certificate. There is no pollution certificate provision policy in Nepal for international vehicles. But it must be a 3- or 4-stroke, above Euro 3 Standard, and not more than 15 years old vehicle.
14. Do hotels allow pets to live in the same rooms as their owners? If not, I hope there are accommodation arrangements for them.
Hotels in the Mustang region have no problems; however, they will not allow pets in the bedroom. They provide separate blankets and mats, which you can share in the same room. But need to pay extra as the room price is the half of room price as mentioned in the menu. Hotels in the city like Pokhara and other cities usually say no and have more restrictive policies. Especially during peak seasons like March, April, October, and November, when they are busier. However, Will will try to convince them of a safe and comfy area, better service, and less pay.
15. How many copies of passports and photos do you need per person?
Please make 4 copies of your passport, 4 passport-size photos, 4 copies of your driving license, 4 copies of your RC book, and 2 copies of your insurance and bring them with you. But for the official process, please forward your digital copy of your photo and passport once you have paid the advance. Which we need for Upper Mustang Permits and Annapurna Permits.
16. What vehicle documents, apart from registration, insurance, and the Indian driver's license, are needed?
Vehicle registration, insurance, and a driving license are enough. Please bring a few copies of these, which make it easy for customs.
17. What will be the temperature at its lowest and highest during our trip?
Lowest Temperature
March: -6 to -2 degrees Celsius
April: -5 to -1 degree Celsius
Highest Temperature
March 6 to 14 degrees Celsius
April - 12 to 18 degrees Celsius
Lowest Temperature
October: -9 to -1 degree Celsius
November: -11 to -4 degrees Celsius
Highest Temperature
October 6 to 14 degrees Celsius
November 7 to 12 degrees Celsius
18. How much do we need to pay at customs to take my own Pajero for the Upper Mustang Self-Drive Tour?
If you are taking your own vehicles like Pajero, Endeavour, Mahindra Thar, Toyota Hilux, or Toyota Fortuner, you need to pay NRs 1200 per day, and another driving route permit costs NRs 400 per day and 110 per car.
19. Which is the best vehicle for a self-driving Upper Mustang tour?
Any vehicle over 200 mm ground clearance with 4WD drive mode, strong and easy to drive with good driving skills, is fit for the Self-Driving Upper Mustang Tour. But from our experience, we can say that manual vehicles are the best in any term, over automatic. The best names we can share with you are Mitshubusi Pajero and Pajero Sports. Others are:
- Toyota Prado
- Toyota Land Cruiser
- Toyota Fortuner
- Toyota Hilux
- Ford Endeavors
- Mahindra Scorpio
- Mahindra Thar
- Suzuki Grand Vitara
20. Can we hire the photographer/videographer for our self-driving Upper Mustang tour? How much does it cost? Landscape photographer, with all gimbal accessories, Gopro is available for the trip. It costs INR 80,000 to 150,000 depending on the experience.
- A valid Indian passport.
- A valid Rasan Card.
- A valid voter card.
21. Which documents do we need to apply for Upper Mustang Drive Tour Permits for Indian Nationalities?
If you are an Indian national planning to visit Upper Mustang on a self-drive tour or trek in Nepal, you just need 1 valid document among the following: Indian nationals do not need a visa to enter Nepal, but they will need to obtain a special permit to visit Upper Mustang.
