Shinta Mani Mustang stands on a hillside above Jomsom in Nepal's Mustang district, in the Kali Gandaki valley near the Tibetan border, facing the snow peaks of Nilgiri at about 7,000 metres. Bill Bensley designed it in local stone, slate and timber, with interiors that draw on Tibetan tradition. There are 29 rooms, full of light, with original art, furniture made by local craftspeople and tall windows towards the mountains. A stay here runs as an all-inclusive programme, usually five nights, mixing culture, spiritual life and time outdoors, and the team handles every transfer. Days might bring a trek, a ride on horseback, a visit to a monastery or a village, mountain biking, archery or a helicopter flight. The kitchen works with foraged and farmed produce, and lunches are often taken outside, as picnics in the hills or with local cooks in a village. The SoRig wellness centre offers treatments shaped by a consultation with an 11th-generation Tibetan medicine doctor. The lodge closes in July and August, during the monsoon.
- Rooms
- 29 rooms and suites
Insider tip Build the stay around the lodge's five-night programme rather than a short stop: the days are planned around your interests, and the lodge is closed in July and August.
Why I choose it It opens up a remote corner of the Himalaya with real comfort, and the guided programme gives Mustang's culture as much room as the mountains.