Upper Mustang Is Being Paved: Rs 3.15 Billion to Blacktop the Chhusang–Ghami Road (2026)

For decades, walking into Upper Mustang — the old forbidden kingdom of Lo — meant days on a footpath through ochre canyons to the walled capital of Lo Manthang. That is changing, section by section. Nepal’s 2026 budget puts Rs 3.15 billion into blacktopping the Chhusang–Ghami stretch, and the assessment for pushing the road all the way to the Korala border is done. As a local operator, I have watched this road creep north for years; here is what it means on the ground.

What is being built

The Upper Mustang road runs up the Kali Gandaki — by vertical relief the deepest gorge on Earth — from Jomsom toward the Tibetan plateau. It is being upgraded from a rough jeep track into a graded, blacktopped highway in stages. The current Rs 3.15 billion push targets the 50 km Chhusang–Ghami midsection; beyond it, the corridor is planned to reach Korala, Nepal’s highest border crossing with China.

What it means for the trek

Two things. First, access is getting easier: a jeep can now carry you deep into Mustang in a day, which opens the region to travellers who could never spare two weeks on foot. Second, and more bittersweet, the pure walk-in is disappearing — where the road runs, the trail shares the valley with vehicles and dust. The good news is that Mustang is laced with older high routes — via Ghyakar, Ghar Gompa and the eastern villages — that stay off the road and keep the trek wild.

What this means for trekkers

Ready to see the old kingdom before the highway reaches it? Our 12-day Upper Mustang trek uses the quiet high trails to Lo Manthang, and pairs beautifully with the fly-in Jomsom route. For the full permit picture, see our Upper Mustang permit guide — the restricted-area fee is now US$50 per person, per day.

Source: Government of Nepal 2026 budget allocation (Chhusang–Ghami road, Rs 3.15 billion); Department of Roads / Kali Gandaki corridor plans, reported 2026.

Cover photo: Rajan Pun via Pexels (Pexels License).