Upper Dolpo Trek 24 Days

Today its trip preparation time until afternoon. You can check  your packing list and buy the things that you don't have. After completing all the paperwork of the trek, we take flight to Nepalgunj, one of the biggest city in western Nepal.  Its an hour pleasant flight with superb aeril view of mountain. Spend the night at hotel in Nepalgunj.  

After breakfast, we will head to the airport early in the morning and fly to Juphal. It’s a 45-minute flight to reach Juphal and here we already have cooler weather as compared to Nepalgunj. At 2475 meters, you can have wonderful views of mountains in the north on a clear day. Meeting our trekking staffs at Jhupal, we start our trek from Juphal descending to Sulighat. Taking you through vegetation and farms along the Suligadh River, we arrive in Chhepka for the overnight stay.

Star early from Chhepka as we will be walk for around six to seven hours today. First trek along the descending trail to arrive at a river. Cross it, and enter the forest that comes out into a pasture. Trek along to the village of Rechi (or Ryajik), take a break along the way and arrive at our overnight stop Samduwa. Samduwa is a village at with some small houses and a traditional Tibetan medical center. Stay overnight at Samduwa.

We begin from the village of Chunuwar by first ascending a steep hill for a couple of hours. The vegetation gets thinner along the route but the views of the surrounding valleys are great. As we climb higher, we will take a rest, take some photographs, and trek on to view Lake Phoksundo. From there, descend to the shores of the lake where we will spend the night at 3,641 meters.

Spend a leisurely morning on the shores of Lake Phoksundo. The lake is iconic with its deep blue waters and the panoramic views are simply stunning! We will camp at the shores of the the lake and enjoy the environment. If you’ve watched Eric Valley’s Caravan, you will immediately identify the landscape and the lake itself!

Pack your bags and leave after breakfast. Although you might want to take some more photographs and stay further, you will be excited to know that today you’ll be camping on the bank of Phoksundo River at 3,630 meters. First, trek to a meadow past a rocky ledge. Next, walk through a grassland where yaks come to live in the summer. Further along the route, you will arrive at open spaces at the bank of Phoksundo River.

After breakfast, start from the bank of the river and walk along the gradually ascending trail. At the top, take a break to enjoy the view of the surrounding landscapes. The wide valleys and open green spaces are a sight behold! The nine-hour trek today is both tought and spectacular  before you arrive at Kang-La high Camp where you will set up camp for the overnight stay.

After breakfast, we begin the trek from Kang-La camp. First we climb along a rocky trail and then come to Kang-La Pass at 5,360 meters. From the pass you can have magnificent views of several peaks as well as the valley below. After a brief stop here, descend along the trail, cross the river, trek past some chortens and arrive at Shey Gompa. It’s an old pilgrimage site with signs ageing.

Today you will spend the day in the quiet. In this scenic locale, you will hear nothing but the sound of the winds passing across the large mountain range sweeping across the valley. Monks will chant at this Gompa, and the combined ambient feeling is something that you will remember for days to come. Take a short hike around before returning to the Gompa for the night.

After a quick breakfast, begin your trek from the Shey Gompa. The trek today is around eight hours taking you to the village of Namgung at an altitude of 4,600 meters. Its easy walk in the begining but become tough again as we go up to reach Sela (Gela) La pass at an altidude of 5090m. After the pass, we descends to the grassland. It will be another couple of hours or so of trek which will bring us to the hamlet of Namgung where we spend the night.

Leaving Namgung after a leisurely morning. Trek through a trail lined by canyon and later emerge out into the open. The views of Dhaulagiri and other peaks will mesmerize you and make you forget the tiredness of trekking. In total you will be walking around five hours today before arriving at the big and busy village of Saldang.

After breakfast in Saldang, pack your bags and leave for Yangze Gompa located at an altitude of 3890 meters. The trekking duration today is under five hours. Begin a gentle ascent and descent to Nagon (or Nang Chu) river that flows through a barren landscape. Past a couple of villages in the area, cross a tributary of the Panzang river before arriving at Yangze Gompa, an ancient-looking time-worn gompa that appears to be in the middle of nowhere. Stop at this isolated place and let the peace permeate you through and through.

Tinjegaun, at 4,110 meters, is on the banks of a river where we are headed today. Its easy but long walking today. Start by walking along the river and terraced landscapes. As we pass along settlements, we see mini stupas, mani walls and chortens today. Crossing the big village of Shimengaun, we trek for around 9-10 hours to  reach Tinjegaun where we camp for the night.

It’s a seven-hour walk today. Initially, the road is nearly flat, however, after a couple of hours it goes along a sharp ascent. As you pass through hamlets, you will experience the quietness of the area. Take a brief stop and later trek on to Jeng-La Phedi. Set up camp for the night in Jeng-La Phedi, the bottom of the Jeng-La Pass.

Start early with a sharp climb to Jeng-La Pass. The pass is located at 5,220 meters with magnificent views of the surrounding landscape. After a brief stop at the pass, we begin the descent towards the Valley of Tarap. It is a densely inhabited region with vibrant isolated communities. The valley is beautiful and unspoiled, with the village of Tokyu housing a monastery of the Chiba-sect tradition.

It’s an easy trek today with under three hours of trekking. We will have plenty of stops along the way giving us many chances of photography along the way. Leaving behind Tokyu after breakfast, we head towards Do Tarap. The views are exemplary today. We recommend you to interact with the locals too. At Do Tarap, a chiefly Dolpo village, you will find many signs of Tibetan heritage. Overnight stay at a camp.

Starting from Do Tarap, the trail descends through a forest of juniper. Among the bushes you might encounter herds of blue sheep, a native of the region. Continue on the trek to arrive at the junction of Tarap Chu and Toltol Khola, where we camp for the night.

The trek is on average, four to five hours today at a normal pace. Leaving behind Tarap Khola, we head for the village of Khanigaun. In the beginning we trek alongside a gorge for an hour or so. Later, the gorge gets narrower and finally opens up to a wide meadow. Trek further to reach Khanigaun where we stay for the night in a tented camp.

It takes around four to five hours to reach our destination of Tarkot, a frequented location in several trekking routes of the Dolpo region. Historically, Tarakot used to be a fortress and an important junction on the old trading route with Tibet. To reach there, first we walk to the village of Lalberi, then cross a forest and descend the trail to arrive at a narrow gorge. From there, follow the river to reach the village of Tarakot where we camp for the night.

Today the trekking duration is about six hours. After breakfast in Tarakot, we follow the river of Bheri across gorges, hamlets and villages. We crisscross the river many times before we arrive in Dunai for lunch. After Lunch it will be 3 hours comfortable walk to Juphal for Overnight stay. Enjoy your rest of the time observing local market of Juphal. Spend night at guest house. 

Start early for the airport, and catch a flight to Nepalgunj, at Nepalgunj, we will take a connecting flight to Kathmandu. What seems like an instant, you will have traveled from the remote western part of Nepal into the busy capital of Kathmandu in a matter of hours. Spend the rest of the day in your hotel or spend it as you see fit around town.

After long adventure in remote Himalaya, enjoy your final day in Kathmandu doing shopping or just relax at the hotel. There are some nice spa in Kathmandu where you can warm up on Sauna, steam and jacuzzi and also have massage on your tired body. Overnight at Hotel. 

As the program comes to a close, we will take you to the airport according to your scheduled time of flight.