The secluded land of Dolpo is in fact a hidden Shangri-La beyond the Himalayan Kingdom with spectacular landscapes, majestic views of the sweeping mountain ranges and the abundance of the wildlife. Upper Dolpo is one of the remotest regions of Nepal and remains unspoiled and unraveled. The beautiful land of Dolpo is a place of paradise on earth and has blessings bestowed with the mystical beauty by the nature itself.
The trekking journey to Upper Dolpo commences from Juphal after as we take on a flight from Kathmandu to Nepalgunj and then to Juphal. This trekking journey takes you all through the rugged unspoiled trails all along the beautiful valley and the spectacular gorges, the breathtaking sceneries and the captivating mountain peaks, to the lush vegetation and the thicketed forests of rhododendrons blooming making the forest even more enchanting, the forest of pine and gives a chance to blend with the Himalayan people and their culture. Exploring around Phoksundo Lake will imprint the best memories in your heart and mind for a lifetime.
TRIP HIGHLIGHTS
- An adventurous trekking into the Himalayan region.
- Explore the largest national park, Shey-Phoksundo National Park.
- Explore the Shey-Phoksundo Lake, the deepest lake of Nepal.
- The significant and ancient monasteries of Dolpo.
- Explore the abundantly large variety of flora and fauna.
- The friendly and welcoming people and their unique culture and tradition.
- The distinct culture and tradition of the Tibetan Buddhist.
- Explore the wilderness of the Himalaya.
- Captivating view of the Kanjirowa Himal.
- Visit UNESCO world cultural heritage sites of Kathmandu Valley.
- Crossing Kang La, Saldang La and the Jeng La Pass
- DETAILED ITINERARY
Day 1: Arrival Day
Upon arrival at the International Airport in Kathmandu, one of our representatives will be there to receive you at the airport and then transfer you to your designated hotel.
Overnight at Kathmandu.
Day 2: Fly from Kathmandu to Nepalgunj
We fly from Kathmandu to Nepalgunj which is located in the western region of Nepal. It takes about an hour to Nepalgunj on air. The diversified land of the Terai has a mixed race of community and is often a place of tourism hub with well-facilitated and easily accessible modern amenities.
Overnight at Nepalgunj.
Day 3: Fly from Nepalgunj to Juphal, Dolpo (2320m) and then trek to Dunai (2850m): 3 hours
We take a short yet scenic flight from Nepalgjung to Juphal. Lying on the foothills of the Himalayan, Juphal is a charming little town feasting the eyes with the stunning views of the Annapurna and the Dhaulagiri towards the north. From Juphal, we trek along the gorgeous Bheri River past the terraced farmlands until we reach Dunai, the administrator headquarter of the Dolpo and also our stop for the night.
Overnight at Dunai.
Day 4: Trek to Ankhe (2660m): 6 hours
We take the trails towards the west after crossing over a suspension bridge. A little walk further brings you to the confluence point of the Thuli Bheri and Suli Gad rivers from where you walk along the fluctuating trails towards the north following the Suli Gad River. Eventually, walking along the river will take you to a cultivated farmland of millets, pumpkins, potatoes and sweet corn as well as a vast abandoned land of marijuana plants and gradually to the village of Hanke which is the entry point to the Shey Phoksundo National Park. Keep on walking further to Ankhe meaning “eyes” in Nepali as you walk past two other villages namely Parela and Rahagaon meaning “eyelash” and “eyebrow” respectively.
Overnight at Ankhe.
Day 5: Trek to Renje (3104m): 7 hours
Our initial path to Renje is quite tiresome as the trails are quite uneven. After crossing over the river twice, we mount the narrow and steep ascending trails. We make more ups and downs down the river and up the ridges with the breathtaking pictures of the landscapes before us.
Overnight at Renje.
Day 6: Trek to Phoksundo Lake (3600m): 6 hours
It is almost six hours of walk from Renje to Shey Phoksundo Lake with the beginning of the journey being comparatively easy. The trials get quite inclined upon reaching Sumdo. A combination of mounting through the ridge with the incredible waterfall before our sight to the first glance of the waterfall and then descending along the beautiful birch forests finally take you the beautiful settlement of Ringmo with the Mani walls and the chortens look quite charming and welcoming. A little walk away from Ringmo will take you to the shores of the Phoksundo Lake. Shey Phoksundo Lake looks like a piece of paradise with its sparkling crystal blue water.
Overnight tented camping.
Day 7: Trek to Phoksundo Khola (3507m): 6 hours
We move ahead towards the Phoksundo Khola today along the western end of the lake. Initially, we mount up to an altitude of about 4000m and then plummet down making our way to the Phoksundo Khola.
Overnight tented camping.
Day 8: Trek to Phoksundo Bhanjyang (4,402m): 7 hours
We pack our tents and set up our journey towards Phoksundo Bhanjyang today. Walking initially along the leveled paths across the glacial valley on the north is followed by narrowing inclined cliffs and ridges along with some huge rock formations. We take the north east of the bridge that sits along the convergence of the Phoksundo Khola and a mountain stream. Hereupon, we walk down the rocky strewn trails and then mount towards a sheep pastureland before climbing another steep gorge that gradually brings us to the Kang La Pass.
Overnight tented camping.
Day 9: Trek to Shey Gompa (4216m) via Kang La Pass (5151m): 7 hours
Today, we make our move further towards Shey Gompa following the slated pavements and the dusty road. The Kang La Pass is about three hours away from our start point today. The views from the top of the Kang La Pass look magnificent. We then gradually descend towards the valley for about 45 minutes and walk along the banks of the river and Shey Gompa is on the next side of the river with a red chorten and a few houses.
Overnight tented camping.
Day 10: Acclimatization Day
Today, we rest and explore around Shey Gompa which will also help us in acclimatization. We hike around the Tsakang Gompa which is a meditation center rather than a monastery. The Shey Gompa dating back to the 11th century lies beneath a crystal peak against a plain grassland with its cliffs laced with quartz at the confluence of Kangjunala and Yeju Nala. The crystal peak to the west of the Shey monastery is known as the Crystal Mountain.
Overnight tented camping.
Day 11: Trek to Namduna Gaau (4400m) via Saldang La Pass (4785m): 7 hours
Today, we follow the ascending trails towards the rocky canyon all along the lovely juniper trees. The twirling trails then begin for a while until we come upon an even ground from where we mount for about half an hour to reach the top of the Saldang La Pass. This offers a pleasant view of the Mustang valley and its landscapes and the magnificent views of the Tibetan snowcapped peaks. We then take a long and exhausting descent towards the north with beautiful pastureland as we approach near our destination, Namduna Gaau, a very small settlement renowned for the Namgung Monastery.
Overnight tented camping.
Day 12: Trek to Saldang (3903m): 4 hours
We begin our journey today starting with a climb along the dry mountains surrounding the fertile valley. We take the ascending trails initially and the take the descending slopes towards the Saldang village. With a total of five villages, Saldang is the biggest village in Dolpo district that sits high above the Nam Khong in the barren land of the Tibetan plateau.
Overnight tented camping.
Day 13: Trek to Sibu 3942m: 6 hours
Our next destination is Sibu which is about 6 hours away from Saldang. We leave Saldang behind and continue our journey further walking along the river bank towards the Namdo village. We walk past the terrace farmlands and many chortens and stupas as well as Mani stones all along the way. Before entering the village of Namdo, we walk the terrace farmlands and many chortens and stupas as well as Mani stones along the way with an ancient monastery called Chaiba. We walk past the prosperous village of Namdo widening to the far left of the Nam Khong Khola and quite known for the Namdo monastery that lies along the riverbed with another monastery high on the cliff until we finally reach Sibu where we stay for the night.
Overnight tented camping.
Day 14: Trek to foot of the Jeng La (4369m): 5 hours
Today, we make our way towards the foot of the Jeng La Pass tracing the easy trails along the river bank. As we keep on walking continuously for about two hours, we come upon the beautiful grassland but not long before we wade through some streams on the way. As soon as we reach our stop, we set up our camp at the meadow covered with boulders and animal feces.
Overnight tented camping.
Day 15: Trek to Tokyu Gaau (4240m) via Jeng La Pass (4845m): 7 hours
It takes just about two hours to reach the top of the Jeng La Pass along the steep but relatively easy trails. The Dhaulagiri range from atop looks spectacular. We then make a gradual descent down towards the Tarap valley past the Tarap Chu and then finally reach Tokyu Gaau, our stop for tonight.
Overnight tented camping.
Day 16: Trek to Dho Tarap (4090m): 4-5 hours
We visit and explore the Tokyo monastery before we begin our journey. Today, we take the easy trails across the harvesting fields along with numerous chortens and Mani walls all along the way until we reach our destination, Dho Tarap with a large settlement of the Magar community as well as very few Tibetans. The “French School” outside the Dho Tarap village is where we will be staying for the night. A visit to the Bon Gompa and around the village will give us an opportunity to blend with the Bon Po and the Nyingmapa religion followed by the local community and get an insight into their traditional lifestyle.
Overnight tented camping.
Day 17: Trek to Serkam (3630m): 6-7 hours
Today, we walk through the narrow gorges following the Tarap Khola downhill towards a meadow where people coming for grazing their animals and the sight of animals including yaks, sheep, mountain goats etc is quite common. We walk continuously along the combined paths of undulated and even paths on our way to Serkam and passes through the suspension bridges with somewhat narrow tracks in between.
Overnight tented camping.
Day 18: Trek to Khani Gaau (2550m): 7 hours
From Serkam, we continue walking down the Tarap River along the somewhat narrow and steep trails. The trail is a tricky combination of flaky with narrow turns to broad and smooth paths along with stone staircases all the way up until we reach our next stop, Khani Gaau where we set up our camp.
Overnight tented camping.
Day 19: Trek to Tarakot (2281m): 4 hours
We move towards Tarakot today after a night in Khani Gaau. We cross over the suspension bridge, some wet stones, and some challenging trails before reaching Barbung Chu, a fertile valley full of barley, millet, buckwheat, sweet corn etc. A few hours of walk will eventually take us to an old fortress town of Tarakot, locally known as Dzong which means “fort”.
Overnight tented camping.
Day 20: Trek to Dunai: 5 hours
Today, we make our journey back to Dunai walking along the Bheri River which takes about a total of five hours. We set up our camps as we reach the village of Dunai and stay for the night. Also, this marks the circuit completion of our Upper Dolpo trekking.
Overnight tented camping.
Day 21: Trek to Juphal (2404m): 3 hours
As our trip is almost coming to an end, we track our trails back to the village of Juphal. We walk along the mixed trails of initial flat lands and then steep mounts until Juphal comes before our sight.
Overnight tented camping.
Day 22: Fly to Nepalgunj from Juphal and then to Kathmandu
Today, we board a flight to Nepalgunj leaving behind the beautiful village of Juphal with the stunning Annapurna and Dhaulagiri ranges before us. After that, we take a scheduled flight back to Kathmandu.
The rest of the day is for you to explore around some of the popular sites in Kathmandu like Pashupatinath, the holy temple of the Hindu pilgrimage and Boudhanath, the Buddhist monastery. Stroll and explore the Durbar Square area of Kathmandu in the evening and get a glimpse of capital city’s nightlife.
Overnight at Kathmandu.
Day 23: Sightseeing Kathmandu
Today, we visit The Monkey Temple or the Swyambhunath from where we can get a spectacular aerial view of the Kathmandu valley early in the morning after breakfast. We also visit and explore other UNESCO World Heritage Sites including Patan Durbar Square and Bhaktapur Durbar Square today. We suggest you to make the most of your remaining time before you get ready for your final departure.
Overnight at Kathmandu.
Day 24: Departure Day
We bid you goodbye and transport you to the airport for your onward destination.