Jomsom Muktinath Trek

Best Time to do this trek

Mustang and Jomsom are among the few locations most frequented in Nepal during the monsoon months (June-August). Since they are situated in the Himalayan rain shadow and get little precipitation. The downside is that flights from Pokhara to Jomsom are frequently delayed due to bad weather at this time. So do not skip essential connections with a gap for a few days.

In addition, Jomsom is also good time to go for spring vacation (March-May), and fall (September-November).

Trekking Altitude and Trekking difficulty in this trek

This is a relatively small high altitude hike suitable for almost all with the highest point being Muktinath (3,710 m). Although ideal for everyone and for a great family trek, a few problems arise from climbing tens of thousands of stone steps on Ulleri Hill at an early stage. However, this can only add to the adventure and can be done at a pace suitable for all fitness levels.

Lodging and Food during the trek

The Jomsom Muktinath Trek is quite popular so that the trekking facilities in comparison to other parts of Nepal are quite good. In Jomsom and Muktinath there are hotels and resorts. In the area, tea houses / lodges are the most common form of accommodation. Typically they are very simple but they have clothing and running water. These rooms also provide food with lots of fresh vegetables, rice and noodles.

Wifi Connection and Electricity during the trek

Wi-Fi is now commonly accessible in almost all of the tea houses and lodges in the trekking area, although the speeds are lower, but as you climb to higher altitudes the speed may be much slower than you might be used to. Weather conditions may also interrupt the connection. Normally, the lodges sell Wifi card for NRs. Or 350 NR. 500. 500. As you climb further into altitude, there are indeed cheap standard lodges and one of the factors is that they don't provide electricity for luxuries like charging your electronics. You will have to pay up to 2-4 USD for that hourly, it's recommended that you take a fully charged power bank so you have anything else to rely on when you continue climbing. 

Obtaining Trekking Permits

You will need an Annapurna Conservation Area permit ($30) and TIMS card ($10) for trekking in and around Jomsom. These can be arranged by your trekking agent or company.

HSJ arranges for all the necessary permits for its clients. 

Packing list for this trek

Clothing

·         Trekking boots

·         Short-sleeved Trekking shirts

·         Trekking pants and jackets

·         Thermals underwear

·         Long-sleeved Trekking shirts

·         Insulating down jackets

·         Woolen cap

·         Trekking Gloves

·         Raincoats

First Aid

·         Diamox tablets

·         Sanitary pads / Tampons

·         Anti-nausea Medicines

·         Band-aids

·         Mosquito and insect repellents

Toiletries

·         Soap

·         Toilet Paper

·         Shampoo

·         Sunscreen

·         Moisturizer

·         Hand sanitizer

Accessories

·         Sunglasses

·         Sleeping bag

·         Cameras

·         Batteries

·         Water Bottle

·         Solar Chargers

·         Hot water Thermos

Important Documents

·         Passport

·         Travel Permits

Drinking water during the trek

Planning to have at least two liters of water when trekking every day is a smart way to start. Filling up water is quick. Taps in, out or in guesthouses mean that there are plenty of places to fill your bottles and/or your water bladders.This could be where you stay, a lunch stop, or a shared public tap used by locals. Use an efficient sterilization method to make sure your water is safe and not contaminated in anyway.Bottled water is available to buy throughout the trek, but we would advise against this for a number of reasons.You do not need them if you use sterilization method. Environment concerns are there and also buying water is expensive up in the mountains. 

Insuring your safety

We suggest taking out an insurance plan for your individual accountability, accidents and illnesses during the service.

Regarding the type of activity, you may be asked to show a certificate of insurance for help and support, sanitation and search. This service is private and not free in Nepal, the helicopter will not take off until it is convinced to pay for the insurance.

Carrying Extra money

It’s difficult to give an exact amount of money that you should bring. Costs will vary according to how much you want to spend for shopping and where and what meals (lunch & dinner) you want to eat. Trekkers find that around $15 (for lunch & dinner) a day is reasonable for the trekking days. You would also have to pay for hot showers, Wi-Fi and charging hence allocating USD 20 per day would suffice.

As for the tips, A general rule of thumb for tipping is USD 25 for the guide per traveller and USD 25 for porter between two travellers if you are fully satisfied with their service. So we suggest you allocate a minimum of USD 50 for Tipping. This is just a guideline and you may tip whatever / how much you think is appropriate for the services rendered which made your trek a memorable one

Luggage per one person

For the trek, we'll have one porter for two people as per group size. The porter will carry 12-15 kg per person luggage during the trek. You need to carry your daypack to keep your personal belongings such as wallet, camera, water bottle, dry snack, headlight, gadgets etc.

Guide and leader for the trek

Our local Nepali team is one of the most experienced and respected trekking outfits in Nepal. The team is fully licensed and affiliated with the Trekking agency's Association of Nepal (TAAN), Nepal Mountaineering Association, Nepal Tourism Board, Government of Nepal, Sustainable Tourism Network, Himalayan Rescue Association, and Kathmandu Environmental Educational Project. With experience, well trained, friendly guides, and courteous porters you are assured of a wonderfully memorable experience.

Single Supplementary

There will be two people accommodated in each room for the duration of the tour. If you prefer private accommodation, you'll find the option for "single supplement" of USD 200. Important:  Please note that during the trek there are some lodges which won't have sufficient rooms to provide private accommodation. So, even if you purchase single supplement you will end up sharing a room for some days of the trek.

You can get a visa in Kathmandu airport upon your arrival at USD 30 (or equivalent in other major currencies) for a 15 days visa, USD 50 for a 30 days visa and USD 125 for a 90 days Multiple visas, and you can also extend it later on if you wish. They have newly installed technology (visa machine) which makes it no longer necessary to have a passport photo. Important! Please bring 3 photos for your trekking permit, TIMS and for others.

Besides trekking packages and tour operation, we arrange international air tickets to the major airports of all over the world. Himalayan social journey travel agency is the one-stop travel solution company; we offer all travel related product at the best possible rates with excellent services.

Please keep this thing in your mind that there are some airport touts and scam artists who take advantage of tourists. They might offer to carry your luggage and they want a large amount of money. Sometimes they intimidate our drivers and even take away their signs. Anyway...if you want someone to help you with your luggage you can give them NOT MORE THAN 1 - 2 DOLLARS. This is a small hassle that tourists sometimes face upon arrival at the airport. Do not stress about this but just be aware not to give more than a few dollars for their luggage handling if you choose to take someone's services. Nepalese in general are very kind and hospitable people.

Some major currencies (USD, AUD and EURO) are accepted for both visas and in general. There are plenty of ATM's in both Kathmandu and Namche and credit cards are accepted in limited shops and many restaurants. Please note that only Nepali rupees are accepted on the trek.

Generally, the orientation meeting is scheduled in the Kathmandu hotel at 4 or 5 pm and this will be informed by our representatives after your arrival. The tour starts with an orientation meeting and ends up after the scheduled trip after the breakfast.

If you plan to arrive early or depart late please make sure you make extra hotel arrangements by contacting [email protected] And if you'll be spending extra time in Nepal please let us know. We will book your extra night accommodation at same trip hotels

For each tour date, there will be several separate groups. Each group will have a maximum of 14 people with its own experienced English speaking guide. During the trek, there will be a suitable number of porters to carry your luggage.

The cost of our trip is based on a twin-sharing basis so there will be two people accommodated in each room for the duration of the tour. If you prefer private accommodation or you are a solo traveller, you'll find the option for "single supplement". Additional cost will be applicable as a Single Supplementary Charge for the single room during the trip.

No refund will be made for 20% deposit amount in case of cancellation of trip for any other else reason. Having paid the full amount of any trip, you will get your money back but still, cancellation charge (20%) is invoiced to you. And for the voucher holders, since you have purchased the voucher from the deal companies, we have to follow their cancellation policy. But for both the conditions, we are flexible to postpone your trip in any later days. Written notification of your cancellation should be made to cancel any trip.

Sometimes travellers are unable to finish the scheduled trek due to the various reasons or they ended up not completing the trek/tour for health or personal reasons. In this case please realize that we cannot offer you any refunds for unused days on the tour/tour. You have to understand that our costs are the same as we have an obligation to pay our guides and porters for the time they have committed.

All the breakfast during your trip is included but the lunches and dinners are not except welcome dinner in the first day at the local restaurant. Meals during Kathmandu stay and trekking days cost from $5 to $8 per item depending on what you choose to eat.

There will not be any problem for vegetarian, most of the lodges serve vegetarian meals. We always recommend our clients to eat vegetarian meals to avoid food poisoning, eating heavy meals and non- vegetarian meals at a high altitude is not really safe for the stomach.

You have to manage yourself for the drinking water. There are two good options for having proper drinking water during the trek. You can bring water purification tablets or fill your bottle for a nominal fee from the recognized and regulated "pure water" stations along the trek. As the alternative, you can also easily purchase bottled water at the lodges. The bottled water costs USD 2$ - 4$ per litre. It is very important that you drink at least 3 litres of pure water daily during the trek.

The width of Nepal is only about 200 km on an average, but within this short distance, the altitude of the land rises from 60 m up to 8,848 m. Hence the weather depends upon the altitude of the place in Nepal. However, in general, Nepal has four climatic seasons: Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter.

Spring starts from March to May. The temperature of this season fluctuates between 20C to 30C (68F to 86F). Summer starts from June last to August. These are also the monsoon months with occasional evening-thunderstorms and hot temperature. Autumn starts from late September and ends by November. During this period, the climate is generally dry and mild with temperature fluctuating between 20C to 30C (68F to 86F). Winter starts from December until February. The mornings and evenings are very cold while the afternoon is pretty sunny. The temperature during these months rises from 10C to 20C (59F to 68F). At higher altitudes, it is cold during the winter months.

The trip hotel in Kathmandu does provide free storage services. So you can store your luggage and clothing that are not required for the trekking and you can collect it after your Trek and Tour.

There are telephones in some villages along the trekking routes from which you can make international calls. All our guides carry local sim cards both Nepal Telecom and N-cell in order to update the whereabouts and situation of our every client. You may pass the number of our guide to your family for the callback or you can make a call from the guide’s mobile and pay him directly for the international call too. Also, we have kept a satellite phone at Dingboche, which has a poor connection to the network of phones. Our guides use it during the case of emergency and also clients can use them by paying its rental fee. During the tour there will be easy access for International cal through cyber and communication Center. You will get Wi-Fi connection too in some of the places in the mountains for the extra cost. 

Remember to bring TWO and THREE pin travel adapters! You can also buy the adapters in the supermarkets or electronic shops in the Kathmandu. Our guide can help you with it.

It’s difficult to give an exact amount of money that you should bring. Costs will vary according to how much you want to spend for shopping and where and what meals (lunch & dinner) you want to eat. Trekkers find that around $20 (for lunch & dinner) a day is reasonable for the trekking days. You may have to pay for Wi-Fi, electricity and hot showers too (up in the mountains during the trek). Hence allocating the allowance for each day accordingly would suffice. 

• Daypack (rucksack)
• Backpack (a porter will carry it) Recommended size: about 50-litre capacity (10-12 KGS per person) if you are travelling with a friend you can share one pack between the two of you.
• Well-worn hiking boots or shoes
• A pair of sandals
• Sleeping Bag (HSJ will provide if you do not have your own)
• A one-litre hard water bottle to be filled up along the trekking trail
• Warm jacket Light-weight cotton clothing
• Waterproof jacket (a fold -away windcheater is fine)
• Light sweater
• Bath towel
• Sun hat
• Sunglasses
• Sun cream
• Knee supports (optional for the downhill portions of the trek)
• Trekking pole
• Water purification (Himalayan Social Journey will provide
• water purification tablet)
• Small First-aid-kit (Himalayan Social Journey will also provide one)
• Headlamp (preferable) or Flashlight (torch)
• Camera
• Loose stomach and nausea medicine
• Toiletries for the trek (toilet paper, soap, Towel shampoo etc...)

If you have purchased a voucher from any deal company, please come in contact with us with the voucher code (redemption code) so that the voucher can be redeemed on time. Since we need time to purchase your domestic air ticket and make other arrangements, kindly confirm your spot with your suitable date at-least 2 months prior to the commencement of the tour. Your booking on a particular tour date is subject to availability of spots. You can redeem you voucher through this link too : https://hsj.com.np/voucher-redemption

If you plan to arrive early or depart late please make sure you make extra hotel arrangements by contacting [email protected] And if you'll be spending extra time in Nepal please let us know. We will book your extra night accommodation at same trip hotels, Hotel Holy Himalaya , Himalayan Suite Hotel, Hotel Mulberry, Aloft Hotel, and Gokarna Forest Resort for your convenience. 

If you would like to book extra activities such as Paragliding (100pp), Bungy jump (70pp), Mountain flight (USD 180pp), Heli Tour (USD 800pp –based on 5pax) Bhaktapur Sightseeing many more programs. You can book by contacting us at [email protected] For longer excursions such as Bhutan, Tibet, India, and any other treks also, we can help but please contact us immediately at [email protected]

For the trek, we'll have one porter for two people as per group size. The porter will carry 12-15 kg per person luggage during the trek. You need to carry your day pack to keep your personal belongings such as wallet, camera, water bottle, dry snack, headlight, gadgets, etc. The safety and concerns of our porters is our collective responsibility. We take our responsibilities towards them and their safety concerns strictly. On your part, please carry only things that are of absolute necessities.

A general rule of thumb for tipping is USD 50-60 for guide and porter if you are fully satisfied with their service. So we suggest you allocate a minimum of USD 50 for tipping. This is just a guideline and you may tip whatever /how much you think is appropriate for the services rendered which made your trek a memorable one.

If you are considering to donate, School supplies (pens, notebooks, coloured pencils, etc...). These gifts can be directly turned over to our company when you arrive in Kathmandu. And we will manage them to distribute through our proper channels.
As for your the need of much of your trekking clothes and tour supplies and gears, they can be easily purchased in Kathmandu near our hotel at good prices. Bring hiking boots/shoes from your country. The Nepali ones are not recommended. Your guide will assist you to get anything you may need here.

We are committed to providing the best services which will give you a once in a lifetime journey. We perform our duties honestly & seriously to make your journey very smooth & pleasant. However, the entire programs in Nepal are conducted strictly under the rules and regulation of their policies. So in this case, we will give options to choose a different itinerary for an enjoyable holiday. If you have any questions please don't hesitate to contact us.

The sleeping bags we provide are of good quality. They help you sustain the colder climate in Nepali mountains up to -25 degree Celsius of temperature. However if you need the one of your own, you can buy one here. Your guide shall assist you to get it here. Keep the track of the weather forecast of the area and pack your clothes accordingly. This would help you be prepared for the type of weather Nepali Mountains are accustomed to.

The size of the duffel bag that we provide is 60-70 liter.

Yes, you will have free access to the power in the city areas however with your ascends to the mountain and as you climb to higher altitudes, extra charge would be applicable for the use of power supply or wireless internet connections.