Chhoser Sky Caves

The Chhoser sky caves are an extraordinary field of ancient cliff dwellings in the far north of Upper Mustang, an easy day trip from Lo Manthang toward the Tibetan border. Across the eroded cliffs here, thousands of human-cut chambers honeycomb the rock; the showpiece is the multi-storey Jhong cave at Garphu village, a warren you can still climb up through level by level.

What to expect

The signature stop is Jhong cave (sometimes written Jhong / Chhoser cave), a soaring cliff face riddled with dozens of interconnected rooms over four or five storeys. Wooden ladders and short tunnels link the chambers, some with soot-blackened ceilings and small windows framing the valley below. Local guides explain how the caves served as refuge, storage and dwelling across different eras. A short distance away, the Nyphu (Niphu) cave gompa is a working monastery built into the rock, while Garphu village and its small temple sit among barley fields nearby.

The caves are part of a much larger phenomenon: Mustang's cliffs hold an estimated several thousand artificial caves, some excavated thousands of years ago and used variously for burial, meditation and habitation. Researchers are still piecing together who cut them and why, which only adds to the strange power of the place. For the wider picture, see our national guide to the caves of Nepal.

Getting there

Chhoser lies roughly two hours by jeep, or a half-day walk, north of the walled city of Lo Manthang. Most visitors combine it with a second northern excursion or pair it over two days with the ancient Ghar Gompa at Lo Gekar south of the city. On the journey up from Kagbeni you will already have passed colourful villages such as Tangbe, an early taste of the region's distinctive architecture. Because everything here is inside the restricted zone, you travel with a guide and your agency handles the logistics — see our Upper Mustang permits and access guide.

Good to know

• Altitude: Chhoser sits above 3,800m; the climb through the cave levels is steep, so take it slowly.
• Fees: A small local entry charge is usually collected at the Jhong cave on top of your permits; carry rupees in cash.
• Light: Bring a head-torch — the upper chambers are dark, and a torch makes the climb safer and the soot-marked walls easier to read.
• Plan around it: Slot it into the Upper Mustang highlights cluster and the broader Mustang hub, and read up on the region's painted shrines in our monasteries and gompas of Nepal overview.

For sheer wonder, the Chhoser caves rival anything in Upper Mustang — proof that people have wrung shelter and sanctity from these bare cliffs for far longer than the walled cities below have stood.