Jomsom
The district town of Mustang, at about 2,700 metres in the Kali Gandaki gorge, with Dhaulagiri on one side, the Annapurnas on the other and a short runway between them.
- Arrival
- Jomsom · JMO
- From Pokhara
- About 20 minutes by air
- Private jets
- Into KTM, then STOL or helicopter
- Best time
- April to October
The city
Wind, stone villages and the road to Mustang.
Jomsom stands on both banks of the Kali Gandaki, in a gorge cut between Dhaulagiri and the Annapurna range. Foreigners were kept out of Mustang until 1992. The people of the valley are Thakali, and the upper river gives up black ammonite fossils, the shaligram that Hindus hold sacred to Vishnu.
Planes land in the early morning, because by late morning a strong wind blows up the valley and flying stops. The town gets under 300 millimetres of rain a year; summer afternoons reach about 23 °C and winter ones barely pass 10.
- Muktinath A temple at 3,800 metres, holy to Hindus and Buddhists alike, where pilgrims stand under 108 water spouts.
- Marpha Stone-paved lanes and whitewashed houses round courtyards, two hours' walk down the valley, and apple orchards that supply jam, juice and crumble.
- Lubra An 800-year-old village, the last in Nepal still practising Bon.
Arriving
A short runway in the deepest gorge.
Jomsom's runway is 739 metres long at an altitude of 2,736 metres, with high peaks close on every side. Only short-take-off aircraft use it, and flights run from 6 am until about a quarter past noon, before the southerly wind rises. Cloud or poor visibility rules out visual flying about 15 per cent of the time.
- Kathmandu 35 min
- Delhi 1 h 10
- Hong Kong 4 h 20
- Shanghai 5 h 05
- Vienna 8 h 05 long-range jet
When to go
April to October.
Little rain reaches the town: 292 millimetres in a year, and even July, the wettest month, gets under 50. Afternoons climb from about 10 °C in January to 23 °C in midsummer, and November and December see only 5 millimetres each.
- 10° J 14
- 12° F 21
- 15° M 30
- 19° A 21
- 21° M 19
- 23° J 32
- 23° J 47
- 23° A 44
- 21° S 36
- 18° O 18
- 15° N 5
- 12° D 5
Where to stay
A Bensley lodge above the valley.
Shown for information. We have no arrangement with any of these hotels.
Where to dine
Dinner at the lodge.
No MICHELIN Guide covers Nepal. The one high-end table near Jomsom is the dining room of Shinta Mani Mustang, with a different menu each night.
- Nilgiri Signature restaurant, Shinta Mani Mustang Mustang and Himalayan Shinta Mani Mustang, Marpha, near Jomsom
Elsewhere in Nepal
More reasons to come.
- Kathmandu Durbar Square, the stupa of Boudhanath, and the old royal cities of the valley.
- Bhaktapur A royal city of pagodas and potters, twenty minutes from Kathmandu.
- Pokhara A lake beneath the Annapurnas.
- Lukla The sloping airstrip where the Everest trek begins.
- Chitwan Rhinos and tigers in the forests of the Terai.
Flying to Jomsom?
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