Marpha, Nepal: Village Guide & Things to Do

Marpha Altitude

The altitude of Marpha is 2,650 meters (8,695 ft).

Marpha Location

Marpha is located in the Kali Gandaki Valley in the Mustang District of Nepal (Lower Mustang).

Marpha is 148 km from Pokhara and it takes around 8 hours to get there by bus or jeep.

As for Jomsom, Marpha is located 8 km from Jomsom and takes around 10 minutes by car or 1 hour by walk.

Best Time to Visit Marpha

The best time to visit Marpha is in the Autumn, and the second best time to visit is in the Spring.

As the Mustang Region of Nepal receives less rainfall than other parts of Nepal, Mustang is also an ideal place to visit during monsoon. However, getting to Mustang can be hindered by the monsoon rains affecting roads and flights.

Visiting Lower Mustang in early monsoon (June), can be okay, as it does not rain as much yet to affect travel to the region. However, it is also very hot during this time, so have sunscreen and sun hat with you!

Permit

Foreigners need to get the Annapurna Conservation Area Permit (ACAP) to visit Marpha. There is a checkpoint in Ghasa on the way from Pokhara to Marpha, and the buses/jeeps all stop here for foreigners to show their permits.

You can get the permit at the Nepal Tourism Board in Kathmandu, the permit office in Pokhara, or online.

What is Marpha Village Known For?

Marpha in Mustang is known as the “Apple Capital of Nepal”. The climate in Mustang is suitable for growing apple, and there are many apple orchards all throughout Lower Mustang, especially in Marpha.

As you walk through Marpha Village, you can find lots of shops and restaurants selling all things apple: apple brandy, apple wine, apple cider, dried apple, apple jam, apple pie, apple juice – everything!

Apart from the apple orchards and apple products, Marpha is a beautiful village with well-preserved Thakali architecture. Thakali architecture is known for its white stone houses with wooden windows and doors.

Marpha also has a popular alley, the Jerry Galli! The Jerry Galli was made popular by a Nepali movie “Jerry” which has scenes shot in Marpha and in this alley. After the movie became popular, many people started to visit Marpha, and later they also named this alley “Jerry Galli”.

Things to Do in Marpha Village, Nepal

Village Walk

Marpha is so beautiful with its architecture and narrow allies that wandering around the village is really one of the best things to do.

The village is not so big, and it has one main street where you can walk around and even if you go to explore side-streets, it is not possible to get lost.

Eat & Drink All Things Apple

Marpha is the most famous for its apple orchards and apple products, so while in the village it is great to try some of it!

The most popular ones are the apple brandy, apple wine and apple pie. But they also have apple jams, dried apple and apple cider.

There are lots of shops selling apple products, so it is also a good place to stock up on souvenirs and apple drinks to take home.

Rhisum Gompa (Monastery)

The Rhisum Gompa is a triangle shaped monastery that is located on the hill above Marpha about 50 meters high.

Once you arrive in Marpha, you will see the white and red coloured gompa. From far away, it may look like some unique triangle shaped stone, but it is a Tibetan Buddhist Monastery decorated with prayer flags at its bottom.

There are also stairs that lead up close to the Rhisum Gompa from Marpha, and after passing the gompa, you can continue further up to a lookout point. As you walk up here, you get a pretty nice view of Marpha and the surrounding hills.

Tashi Lhakhang Gompa (Marpha Monastery)

The Tashi Lhakhang Gompa (also called as the Marpha Monastery) is a 200-year old Tibetan Buddhist Monastery in Marpha.

There are stairs leading up to the monastery from the “main street” in Marpha near Jerry Galli. The best part is that it is on a small hill, and once you get to the top of the stairs, you get pretty nice views of Marpha village and the mountains.

Inside the monastery, you can see artworks depicting Buddhist deities such as Amitabha (Infinate Light/Life), Chenresig (embodying compassion), Chana Dorje (God of Power and Eenergy), and others.

Walk up to the Viewpoint

There is a viewpoint just on the north edge of Marpha and you can see the stairs leading up there past the triangle shaped Rhisum Gompa.

It is pretty quick to walk up to the lookout point, maybe 10-15 minutes. It is best to go up in the morning when you have better chances of clear view of the mountains.

However, the village of Marpha is beautifully decorated with lights in the evenings, so if you go to the viewpoint at sunset, you can also see the village with the lights on!

Hiking Around Marpha

Most people pass through Marpha or make a quick stop on the way to the Muktinath Temple, or on the way down to Pokhara after finishing the Annapurna Circuit Trek.

Marpha, as well as Lower Mustang, is part of the Annapurna Circuit (AC) Trek, however, as roads have been built in Lower Mustang, most trekkers now finish the AC trek in Muktinath and take a bus down to Pokhara.

Whether you are finishing the Annapurna Circuit, or on your way up to Muktinath, it is worth stopping at Marpha! It is a cute little village and is one of the best places in all of Lower Mustang.

The walk from Marpha to Dhumba Lake is around 1.5 hours, then 30 minutes from Dhumba Lake to Thini village.

I found the area around Dhumba Lake pretty cool as it was a bit like a desert. Nevertheless, it was also extremely hot and sunny, so make sure to have sunscreen and sun hat with you.

There is also a small canteen at Dhumba Lake in case you get hungry. I decided to walk to Thini village and had a short break and food there instead.

After you reach Thini village, it is around 30 minutes’ walk to Jomsom.

Hotels in Marpha

You don’t have to book a place in advance, you can just show up and book a place on the spot. This way, you can also check out the rooms in person and agree on the price with the owners.

There are usually not that many visitors in Marpha, and many visitors who travel in their own vehicle just make a quick stop and don’t stay here for the night.

I found some of the hotel owners were not very friendly (maybe due to not many foreigners visiting in general).

However, I had an apple pie at the Marpha Palace and the owner was super nice. They can give you good advice about hiking around Marpha, the trail to Dhumba Lake, and they also have rooms available. I didn’t see the rooms, but the owner was the nicest in all of Marpha, so next time I’d stay there.

How to Get to Marpha, Nepal

Pokhara to Marpha

You can take a bus, shared jeep or private jeep from Pokhara to Jomsom, and get off at Marpha.

The buses and jeeps go from Zero KM and Prithvi Chowk in the morning around 6-7 am, and arrives in Marpha around 3 pm.

The drive to Marpha is long, and can take almost all day. If you are travelling in your own vehicle or a private jeep, then it may be faster.

Getting to Marpha if you are trekking the Annapurna Circuit

If you are on the Annapurna Circuit Trek, then you have two options on getting to Marpha: either continue the trek or take a bus from Muktinath to Marpha.

As now the road is well-built, most people opt to take the bus from Muktinath, however, there are still some sections where you can find actual trails instead of the road.

I walked the section from Jomsom to Marpha, but I found some of the trails on maps.me weren’t so well marked. Nevertheless, it was okay to navigate. When I visited, it was extremely hot, so that deterred me to try to hike any other parts in Lower Mustang.