Mustang Sky Caves
Thousands of human-made caves carved high into the cliff faces of Upper Mustang, containing Buddhist murals, manuscripts, and burials up to 3,000 years old.
- Altitude
- 3,900 m
- Coordinates
- 29.225°, 83.975°
Current Weather
The Mustang Sky Caves are one of the world's great archaeological mysteries — roughly 10,000 human-made caves carved into the vertical sandstone and conglomerate cliffs of Upper Mustang, some as high as 50m above the valley floor. They were used over at least three distinct periods: as burial chambers from around 1000 BC, as residential cliff-dwellings during the early historic era, and as Buddhist meditation cells and storage spaces from roughly the 10th century onwards.
The most accessible cave systems sit around Chhoser, a short drive or day-trip north from Lo Manthang. Jhong Cave (also called Shija Jhong) is a five-storey complex of more than 40 interconnected rooms reachable by wooden ladders, used historically as a defensive village. Nyiphug Niphuk Gompa, a still-active cave monastery carved into a cliff face, contains ancient Buddhist murals.
Excavations led by Nepali and international teams since the 1990s have recovered painted Buddhist manuscripts, intact burials with copper masks and beadwork, and murals depicting the life of the Buddha — finds that have rewritten the early history of the Tibetan plateau. Most caves remain unreachable on the cliff faces and unexcavated.
Access requires the USD 500 Upper Mustang restricted area permit and is typically combined with a Lo Manthang itinerary.
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