The journey to the Upper Dolpo trek is one of a kind. Located at the Tibet and Nepal we get to witness the amalgamation of the culture and the near extinct pre-Buddhist Bon-Po religion.
This trek is famous for its beautiful valleys, peculiar villages and the view of the some of the most beautiful view of Mt. Annapurna, Mt. Kanjoroba and Mt. Dhaulagiri.
Rated as moderate difficulty this journey will take you to the limit as it requires a good physical condition. Although there are amateurs who have completed this trek we advise an experience in trekking at high altitude. Acclimatization plays an important as we will be trekking above 4,000m and high altitude sickness can get to you.
Your journey starts with your arrival in the cultural hub of Nepal- Kathmandu. Our representative will pick you up from Tribhuwan International Airport and you will be transferred to your hotel via a private tourist vehicle. Breakfast included
This day is reserved for your sightseeing around Kathmandu and further briefing about the trip. After breakfast you will be introduced to your trek leader and all the briefing about the trip will be done. Then after 9:45 am, you will have the rest of the day to enjoy the sight with private vehicle and a tour guide at your disposal. Use this time to shop around for the trek or to take some souvenir back home. Breakfast included.
After your breakfast, we will take a flight to Nepalgunj. The view from flight gives one of the best views of majestic Northern Himalayas. After reaching the hotel, we will have time to stroll around the city. Approximately 1 hour of flight. Breakfast included.
From Nepalgunj, we take another flight to Juphal through Twin Otter. Though sometimes the flight may be canceled due to weather conditions or even technical problem, the majority of the time the service is dependable. There we prepare all the equipment for the trek. We walk along the Bheri River and narrow canyon to reach the village of Dunai. Approximately 35 minutes of flight. Approximately 3 hours of walk. BLD included.
Setting from Dunai, we cross a long suspension bridge and reach the new hospital. Trekking along the river you pass marijuana plantation field. They also have millet, pumpkin, chuck, chilies and sweet corns. Going further, we reach the entrance to Phoksundo National Park. Inside we pass three villages- Parela (meaning "eyelash"), Rahagaon (eyebrow) and Ankhe (eye). We stay overnight in tented camps. Approximately 5-6 hours of walk. BLD included
You start your ascend after crossing two bridges. The narrow path can prove to be troublesome. You will descend down the river and after another steep ascend you reach the camp side of Suligad River where you will stay for the night. Approximately 7 hours of walk. BLD included
After breakfast, we continue our journey. The trail is easy at first but starts to get hectic as you start to ascend steep cliffs. The roads are rockier and the trail becomes harder. Climbing up the ridge, you get to see the amazing view of the highest waterfall in Nepal - Phoksundo waterfall which is over 300m. Here, you get to see the first glimpse of Phoksundo Lake. Descending down we reach Ringmo village where pre- Buddhist Bonpo religion is practiced. We can observe the mud plastered chortens, the ritual flags, mani walls and after a short walk, we will reach the shores of Phoksundo Lake. We will stay the night here. Approximately 6-7 hours of walk. BLD included
Following the edge of the lake, we continue through the trail and pass remote regions we admire the serene beauty of Phoksundo. The path needs you to go uphill up to 4,040m and downward to the valley entering the floodplain of PhoksundoKhola. We will camp by the river bank. Approximately 6-7 hours of walk. BLD included.
Instead of a regular trek, we will walk through the streams so we recommend using sandals. And we again continue our trek as we move through the narrow path and vertical cliffs that will test your stamina and fitness. Passing through PhoksundoKhola and mountain streams we cross an old wooden bridge. We again take a long climb reaching to steep the meadow. Few more ascend and we reach a valley that lets us see the glimpse of SheyGompa and him beautiful pass- The Kang La. We camp here and take a well-deserved rest for the long and arduous day. Approximately 7- 8 hours of walk. BLD included.
Crossing the dusty path which will push you to the limit, we get on the way to Kang La/ Ngadra La, we descend through snow covered pass and after a steep downhill descent we reach a small village -SheyGompa ( Shey translates to 'crystal' and hence the monastery is also known as Crystal mountain). The village has few houses and 11th century Gompa. We stay overnight at tented camp. Approximately 7 hours of walk. BLD included.
This is your day to relax and enjoy the majestic monastery. Since we are above 4,000m this is a great time for acclimatization. Roam around the Gompa, visit the meditation center and refill your health to 100%.
Following the juniper field, we cross the stony canyon. Through the rock path we, reach flat land. Going through the long Saldang La we enjoy the view of Mustang and glance at snow peaks in Tibet. Descending down we come across the beautiful sight of yak and sheep grazing. We reach NamdunaGaon. The village has only a few houses and is famous for its beautiful fields and animals. We camp on the open field. Approximately 7 hours of walk. BLD included.
We climb through the dusty mountains and after some ascend reach the biggest village of Inner Dolpo region- Salding. The village is located on a plateau above the Nam Khongnala. We stay in tented camps and even enjoy with the friendly villagers. Approximately 4 hours of walk. BLD included.
We descend down to the river bed and through some of the artistic and religious Stupas, Mani stones and a Chaiba monastery. After walking further, we reach the next village- Namdo. This is a big village and stretches for more than 5 km. We reach the small settlement of Sibu- on the river bank and stay overnight at camp. Approximately 6 hours of walk. BLD included
After a fairly easy trail and pass another stream before passing a pleasant meadow and rocky lands. We stay overnight at tented camps. We reach one of the highest pass- The Jeng La. Approximately 5 hours of walk. BLD included.
We ascend to the top of Jeng- La from where we can see the beautiful view of Mt. Dhaulagiri (8,167m). We descend towards the dream valley- Tarap Chu. The valley has around 10 villages with many Gompas and takes a stop for the day at Tokyu Monastery. Approximately 7 hours of walk. BLD included.
We visit ChaibaGompa where we observe the unique tradition full of Mani walls, Chortens. There is also a "french school" just outside the village. We reach DhoTarap which is a Magarsettlement with some Tibetans who follow the pre-Buddhist Bon-Po religion. An afternoon walks to the Buddhist Gompa and stays for the night in the tented camp. Approximately 4-5 hours of walk. BLD included.
Going downhill, we follow the course of TarapKhola. We follow the gorges of the river and witness the beauty of nature. The trail has been improved and we pass the long suspension bridge. Following that we pass the narrow path where we reach Serkam and we stay overnight. Approximately 6-7 hours of walk. BLD included.
Following down the TarapKhola we cross the man-made stone staircases. The path is long and tests the limits of your stamina. The rocky path will create hindrance at your smooth path. The trail is steep and narrow. Since the path is near the cliffs, we must tread carefully. Going through the beautiful gorges we reach KhaniGaon. Approximately 7 hours of walk. BLD included.
After breakfast, we go on our way. We cross the suspension bridge and go high and low the river. Climbing high above the river, we again have to descend towards the BarbungKhola and reach the fortress village of Tarakot. Approximately 4-5 hours of walk. BLD included.
The path leads downward and walking along the BheriRiver, we walk at a greater pace. We follow the same path we used before through the narrow canyon. Approximately 5 hours of walk. BLD included
This day marks the end of our trek as we continue to Juphal. As you approach Juphal you may encounter steep ascend but it is not much a problem as you have faced much more in the past two weeks. approximately 3-4 hours of walk. BLD included
After breakfast, the flight leaves from Juphal to Nepalgunj. This 35 minutes flight will feast you with the beautiful Himalayas and stunning views of Mt. Annapurna and Mt. Dhaulagiri. Reaching the near border of Nepalgunj we will take a flight back to the capital. Approximately 35 minutes from Juphal to Nepalganj. Approximately 35 minutes flight from Juphal to Nepalgunj and 1 hour’s flight from Nepalgunj to Kathmandu. Breakfast included.
This day is reserved for contingency. If the unfavorable weather condition had delayed the flight, this day would make up for it. If we get back to Kathmandu in time this will be your leisure day. We roam around the Kathmandu valley, shop around and enjoy the exquisite nightlife. We will have a farewell dinner. This marks the end of your journey to the beautiful Upper Dolpo Region. Breakfast and dinner included
Our representatives will escort you to Tribhuwan International Airport before your scheduled flight. Breakfast included