It was a trip planned for 5 days but unfortunately we had to cut it short.

Thasang, Mustang (near Holiday Camp) Thasang, Mustang (near Holiday Camp)

Here's a very not-so-detailed itenerary.

Day Time Location Details
Feb 5 09:20am Left Pokhara Fuel: ₹2,250
10:20am Dimuwa Traffic violation
10:50am - 01:00pm Kushma Food: ₹850 chicken rice
01:25pm - 02:20pm On the way to Beni Puncture
02:45pm Beni Fuel: ₹510
03:25pm - 03:50pm Tatopani
04:10pm - 04:20pm Rupse Jharna
04:30pm Ghasa Police checking. Takes 2 minutes
06:00pm Marpha Room: ₹1,200; Food: ₹650 chicken rice
Feb 6 10:10am Reached Jomsom Food: ₹650 chicken rice
12:10pm Dhumba Lake Coffee: ₹100; Entry fee: ₹30
03:00pm Muktinath Room: ₹2,000 (Dolma Inn)
Feb 7 11:00am Reached Jomsom Breakfast at MoonLight Hotel. It was good.
12:40pm - 01:30pm Chhusang They register your vehicle if you cross this point.
04:00pm Lete Took a lot of pictures. Incredibly beautiful place.
06:00pm Tatopani
08:10pm Kushma (The Cliff, Nepal) Room with breakfast: ₹8,000, Bungee ₹9000

Notes to Motorcycle Renters

  • Where to Rent: Most bike rental shops are located in Hallanchowk, Lakeside. Nearly every store in the area, including barber shops and clothing stores, seem to have a few motorcycles available for rent.
  • Bike Condition: The motorcycles are generally in good condition, with some having less than 1,000 km on the odometer.
  • Price Variation: Rental prices vary significantly from shop to shop, so take the time to compare. For instance, we found an XPulse being offered for anywhere between Rs 2,400 and Rs 3,500 per day.
  • Pricing Based on Route: The rental cost depends on your destination. If you're heading to Lower Mustang, expect different rates than for Upper Mustang. We paid Rs 18,000 for a 5-day rental to Lower Mustang.
  • Security Deposit: Renters require an advance payment, including a security deposit. We paid Rs 40,000 in total, with Rs 22,000 as a deposit.
  • Helmets: Helmets are provided, but we opted to bring our own.
  • Required Documents: You must present your original driving license and citizenship ID.

Legality Issues

Technically, renting motorcycles is illegal since all rental bikes have private number plates. Renters will inform you of this beforehand, but it can still be a hassle. We rented a Royal Enfield Scram, and traffic police could immediately tell it was a rental. We had to pay Rs 2,000 as a fine for this, and turns out our bike had already been fined multiple times for the same offense.

Tips to Avoid Getting Stopped

  • Try to rent a newer bike to stay under the radar.
  • A bike with a Bagmati number plate is less suspicious.
  • A Gandaki number plate will attract attention and likely get you stopped.

Frequent tyre punctures

  • Ensure your rental bike has new tyres. We experienced three punctures in three days.
  • Workshops in the region do not repair tubes - they only sell new ones.
  • Each replacement tube cost us around Rs 1,000.