Upper Dolpo Trek

After breakfast today, you will have a guided tour of the valley. We visit several historical and cultural attractions. The sightseeing tour showcase the world heritage sites of Kathmandu including Pashupatinath temple, Kathmandu Durbar Square, Boudhanath, and the Monkey Temple- Swayambhunath. After the amazing tour around the city, we discuss the trek. You may grab the materials and items you will need for the trek in Kathmandu.

We fly to the Mahendra Airport of Nepalgunj from Kathmandu. The 45-minute flight takes us to the hot city of Nepalgunj in the western Terai. We check in to the hotel in Nepalgunj and visit the market and famous attractions of the city. The city is one of the trading centers between Nepal and India. 

After breakfast, we fly to Juphal, a small mountainous village in Lower Dolpo. The 35-minute long flight takes us over a diverse array of geography. We then begin our trek through the narrow gorge of Bheri River and pass the terraced fields. We spend the night in the beautiful village of Suligad Ghat, which welcomes us with the views of Dhaulagiri and Putha Hiunchuli ranges.

Today, we start our trekking with a wonderful walk through the luscious forests of cedar and the tranquil sound of the Thuli Bheri River. We mainly walk through the forests and some small habitats of Dolpo. After crossing numerous suspension bridges, forests, and waterfalls, we reach Renje. The trek reaches Suligad Ghat and heads north along the Phoksundo River towards Renje.

After breakfast, we continue our journey and ascend to a ridge with a distant view of Phoksundo Lake. We will observe the spectacular waterfall, which is one of the highest in the country. After descending through the birch forests, we reach the elegant Ringmo village. We then walk for about half an hour before reaching the shores of Phoksundo Lake. The lake offers mesmerizing views of the surrounding landscapes and the Shey Phoksundo National Park.

Today, we reserve the day for acclimatization in Phoksundo Lake. We enjoy the magnificent beauty of the lake and explore the small ornate village of Ringmo. The people in Ringmo practice the Bon Po religion. We get to know about the tradition, history, and the lifestyle of the people in this hidden habitat of western Nepal. We spend the night in Phoksundo Lake Area.

We continue the trail through the western bank of the Phoksundo Lake. The path is unsteady with large rocks and meadows. Our journey moves to the remote parts of Dolpo. We pass the small forests and take a long walk along the Phoksundo Valley. We reach the banks of Phoksundo River passing the flood plain areas and loose end soil.

After breakfast, we first walk through the leveled trail of the glacier valley. Then, we head northeast taking a steep and long ascend to a ridge. We enter another valley from where we see the summit of Kang-La pass. The spectacular glance of Chamlang Peak 6 and Peak 7 welcomes us to the valley. We rest at the base of the Kang-La pass, the Phoksundo Bhanjyang.

Today, we start early morning and ascend through the dusty steep trail for about 2 hours. The path to the top of Kang La Pass (5350m) is a difficult one with the mesmerizing view of the surrounding. From the summit, we can enjoy the views of the Kanjirowa Himal (6612m), Crystal Mountain, Karo Himal range, She-Shikhar (6139m), and the Tibetan Himalayas. We then descend through the snowy and steep trail to the valley base. The trail before Shey Gompa is illuminated with prayer flags and Mani walls.

We spend the day as acclimatization and rest day. We explore around the charismatic villages of Shey Gompa and visit the majestic Shey Gompa monastery. The 11th-century monastery holds the ancient culture and Buddhist tradition. The crystal monastery of Shey Gompa is named after the strange Crystal Mountain guarding the Gompa. The mountain cliffs are laced with quartz and marine fossils. It is the spiritual heart of the Dolpo region. We get to learn various things about the place and people in our exploration of Shey Gompa village.

Today, we first ascend to the top of Saldang La Pass (5096m), which offers us with the stupendous view of northern Tibetan plateau. We observe the barren mountains of Mustang to the east.  We then descend through the Yak pastures and luscious landscapes of the valley. We reach Namgung village and visit the red stone monastery of Namgung.

After leaving the Namgung village, we ascend through the barren mountains to a height of 4800 m. We can see the picturesque Saldang village from a distance. Saldang is the largest village of lower Dolpo area located high on a plateau above Namga Khola. We reach the agricultural and trade Centre village of Saldang for the night stay.

We leave the Saldang village and walk north following the Namga Khola. We cross the barren lands with some gradual ups and downs. We cross the small habitats of Marang and Ki villages on our way. We reach Yangze Gompa crossing the Panzang River. We visit the old Bon-Po monastery and explore the Yangze Gompa.

From Yangze Gompa, there are two paths leading to Sibu. The shorter path passes through Saldang village and Namdo village. The adventurous trail passes through terraced fields, monasteries, Mani walls and prayer flags enhancing the spiritual vibration. We cross through the Chaiba monastery and amazing terrains before reaching the settlement of Sibu.

After breakfast, we begin with an easy trail along the Namga Khola. At the confluence of the two rivers, we turn east and ascend a steep slope through the grazing areas and dusty roads. We observe the top of Jeng La Pass from a distance and walk further to rest for the night at the base of the pass, Jeng La Phedi.

We start early morning and walk a steep path to the top of the Jeng La Pass (5220m). We observe the dazzling view of Dhaulagiri mountain ranges from the summit. We then continue the trail downwards to the amazing village of Tarap Chu. We take the roads leading to the graceful villages of Dho Tarap lined with several Mani walls and prayer flags.

We spend the day resting and wandering around Dho Tarap. The villages of Do Tarap are surrounded by irregular stone walls and people are surrounded by the practices of Buddhism and Bon Po religion. We explore around the village and visit the monasteries of Buddha and Bon Po Gompas. The local culture of the village will amaze us and we get to learn about their tradition and way of life.  

Today, we leave the village of Dho Tarap and through the wide valley which converges into a narrow gorge. We will trek along with the juniper and rose bushes. We pass through the pasture and grazing lands along the Tarap Chu River. We descend the ridge and down to the Tarap Khola. We spend the night in a beautiful meadow called Kamakharka.

We walk through the narrow gorges following the Tarap Khola. The walk through the narrow gorges is filled with adventure and thrill. We walk through various types of the trail today, most of which are without any traces of a human settlement. We pass stone slabs, suspension bridges, icy torrents, lushly forests and dusty rocks. After walking through the gorges and valleys, we reach Khanigaon.

From Khanigaon, we walk towards the Lalberi village and pass cold forests and adventurous gorges. We can visit the Sandul Gompa at Tarakot. After that, we walk following the Bheri River and pass the Lawan village and Lochakkhola Gaun. We then ascend through the steep trails to cross Byasgad and trek along the Thuli Bheri River to reach Dunai.

After breakfast today, we continue the trekking alongside the Bheri River. We pass the villages of Dhupi Chaur, Rupgad, Kalagauda, and Motipur before reaching Juphal. The villages display an authentic lifestyle and culture. We enjoy the beautiful landscapes in our short and last day of the trekking. We can celebrate the success of the trip as we draw a close on our adventure.

Today, we take an early morning flight to the Mahendra Airport of Nepalgunj with glamorous views of Dhaulagiri ranges. We then fly to the Tribhuvan International Airport of Kathmandu and check in to the hotel. You may take the day as rest or spend the time in the pleasing streets of Thamel.

This is the last day of our trip and a company representative will take you to the airport before the scheduled flight. You are taken in a private jeep through the waving goodbyes to the streets of Kathmandu. We wish to see you again in Nepal and be part of your next adventure. We wish you good lucks for the coming days.