Duration
19 days
Max. Elevation
5310m
Group size
Min 2
Day
1
Dolpo Trek begins upon your arrival in Kathmandu. You will stay in the most excellent hotel in Kathmandu. Upon your arrival at the hotel, you’ll meet your trek guide and visit our office to discuss the trip. We’ll exchange the necessary documents. Your trek guide will visit the appropriate government office to get a restricted area permit for the trek. In the evening, we’ll take you for a delicious welcome dinner. Overnight in Kathmandu.
Day
2
Begin the day with a delicious breakfast. You can indulge in a brief sightseeing tour of the city today while your guide is preparing your permits. You will head out to sightsee some of the important UNESCO World Heritage Sites like Boudhanath, Swayambhunath, Pashupatinath, and Kathmandu Durbar Square.
Embark on a car to the largest spherical stupa in Nepal, Boudhanath. Observe the pilgrims circumambulating the beautiful stupa. Next, we head towards the holy site for Hindus, Pashupatinath temple. The temple sees thousands of Hindu pilgrims during festivals like Shivaratri and Teej. Leaving Pashupatinath, we head towards Swayambhunath. Observe the panoramic view of the entire city from the temple situated atop a hill. Finally, we head to Kathmandu Durbar Square and enjoy a delicious dinner observing the historic site
Day
3
After your guide obtains the permit for you, you will embark on a scenic hour-long flight towards Nepalgunj. Enjoy a scenic aerial tour of Western Nepal along with the flight. The Terai town of Nepalgunj lies almost 367km southwest of Kathmandu along the Indian Border in the south. Spend the evening enjoying the vibrant lifestyle at Nepalgunj. Explore the local bazaar, parks, and zoo before retiring for the night. Overnight at hotel.
Day
4
After breakfast, you’ll drive to the airport and embark on a short trans-Himalayan flight towards Juphal Town in Dolpo District. Juphal connects Dolpo with the rest of Nepal. One of the only other ways to get into Dolpo is on foot. Enjoy the 40 min scenic flight enjoying the majestic views of the Himalayas.
Once in Juphal landing, the trekking staffs will pick you up and the first day of your trek begins. The trail advances along the major town area and heads north towards Dunai. The 3hr pleasant trek goes along the terraced fields beside the massive Bheri River. Observe the beautiful views of Annapurna and Dhaulagiri. Trek through the narrow gorge to arrive at Dunai. The town of Dunai serves as the administrative headquarter of Dolpa District. Overnight in Dunai.
Day
5
After breakfast, you’ll embark on the trek. Begin trekking along the Bheri River and make your way towards massive gorges. You may witness few small settlements along the bank of Bheri River. Cross few suspension bridges to reach Tarakot village. The settlement of Tarakot contains the colorful terraced fields along the Bheri River
Day
6
Leaving Tarakot, you’ll begin trekking towards Shey Phoksundo National Park. Begin climbing upstream along the Tarap Chu River and make your way towards the quaint Buddhist site of Sandul Gompa. Sandul gompa (Monastery) lies at a juncture between Barbung Khola and Tarap Chu River. Witness the majestic sight of the confluence before heading uphill towards Laini village (3160m). The trail continues along the southern banks of Barbung Khola to reach Laisicap. After a brief walk, you’ll begin climbing towards Khanigaon and make your way to Laina Odar. Catch the beautiful sceneries of Putha Hiunchuli (7246) and Churen Himal range en route.
Day
7
The landscape remains gifted with forests. Leave Laina Odar and begin climbing uphill along the Tarap River. The trail goes past deep gorges into Chhyugar. Enjoy a warm lunch before crossing a stream and continuing for a few more hours towards Toltol village. Toltol is a quaint village that serves as the winter settlement for Dolpalis hailing from Upper Dolpo. Every winter, they move down from higher plains towards Toltol.
Day
8
Leaving Toltol, the trail begins to rise through Shey Phoksundo National Park. Climb upstream along the Tarap Chu River to reach Kamattarka village that lies at the juncture between Tarap Chu and Lang Khola. The trail remains surrounded by wild roses and juniper bushes. A few hours of trek will bring you to the village of Dho Tarap (3950m). The small settlement is famous for its ancient practices gifted from ancient Bon Po religion.
Day
9
Spend the day acclimatizing at Dho Tarap and exploring the Dolpa valley. The surroundings of Dho Tarap amass few monasteries, Stupas, and Bon relics. The village remains unique for its houses made out of mud, stone, and thatched roof. The more exceptional lifestyle, culture, and occupation of the villagers resemble that of Tibet. You will also find few adherents of the Bon-Po and Nyingma religions. Bon-Po is an ancient religion that predates Buddhism. Today, there are only a few traces of Bon-Po found in western Nepal.
Day
10
From Dho Tarap, you’ll make your way upstream along the Tarap Chu River. The initial trail goes through lush grassland towards Upper Tarap. From this vantage point, you can catch the beautiful sight of the massive Tarap Chu River. The trail continues further along the meadow of Tarap valley. The trail begins to rise through Tokyu and head uphill along the rock and gravels towards Numa La Base Camp (4350m). Overnight inside a tented camp.
Day
11
Leaving Numa La Base Camp, the trail begins to rise along with the sparse snows towards Numa La Pass. The trail climbs uphill along with the snow and rocky patches. A short climb will bring you to the top of the pass from where you can enjoy the magnificent sights of Dhaulagiri Peak (8167m), Churen Himal, and Norbung Kang (6085m). The top of the pass contains Buddhist prayer flags. From here, you’ll continue heading down to another side of the pass. A few hours of the pleasant downhill trek along the Gyambo Khola will bring you to Danighar village.
Day
12
From Danighar, you’ll approach another high pass of Baga La (5170m). The trail rises along with the snow and rocky patches. The solitary path contains with Buddhist prayer flags in many places. Once at the top of Baga La Pass, you will witness many Buddhist Chortens throughout the valley. The majestic sight of Norbung Kang (6085m) and Phoksundo Lake will also be visible. The trail begins to drop along a deep ravine and crosses a frozen stream to reach Temche.
Day
13
From Danighar, you’ll begin to walk along the rocky surface and descend towards Yak Kharka. Yak Kharka stands for Yak pasture. The locals bring their Yak caravan to the field for grazing. Enjoy an exciting sight of yaks grazing in the fieldsand continue along with them towards Phoksundo Lake. The locals still indulge in the traditional occupation of salt-trading with Tibet in the north. They use Yak caravan to carry salt to the border. Leaving Yak Kharka, you’ll begin trekking towards Ringmo Village. Walk past the village and make your way towards oak and juniper forests. Continue through the forests to arrive at the pristine site of Phoksundo Lake. Spend the evening admiring the beautiful sight of the lake.
Day
14
Spend the day exploring the pristine Phoksundo Lake and make a short hike around the Ramsar site. Phoksundo is an oligotrophic lake located at the altitude of 3600 meters. The turquoise-colored lake remains one of the major highlights of this trek. You’ll begin circling the lake as you explore the surrounding Buddhist stupas. The trail continues to move away from Phoksundo Lake and head towards the Tshowa monastery (the lake-shore Bon Monastery) located atop the ridge. Explore the ancient Monastery and its 900 years old history. From here, you’ll begin descending towards Phoksundo Lake
Day
15
The trek continues through the scenic Shey Phoksundo National Park. Begin climbing the perpendicular ridge. From the top of the hill, you can catch the magnificent view of the beautiful Phoksundo Lake for the last time. The trail continues to drop through the forested paths towards Chunuwar village. Enjoy a warm broth, and then keep heading downhill through lush pine and birch forests towards Chhepka.
Day
16
On the last day of the trek, you’ll make your way past Chhepka and begin climbing down along the terraced farmlands towards Juphal. A short hike will bring you to Shyanta village. The trail continues through sparse forests towards Kageni. You will exit Shey Phoksundo National Park and make your way towards Juphal village. The trek concedes upon your arrival in Juphal. Spend the evening exploring the Dolpali town of Juphal.
Day
17
The day begins early. You’ll embark on a short flight back to Nepalgunj. Once at Nepalgunj, you can enjoy your breakfast and catch the connecting flight back to Kathmandu. The short flight from Juphal will take you back to warm Terai town. Another hour-long flight will take you over beautiful western Nepal and massive Trishuli River towards Kathmandu. The trip concedes upon your return. In the evening, we’ll take you for a farewell dinner. Do share your trek experiences with us.
Day
18
You can use this extra day to explore the historical Kathmandu City. We’ll offer an experienced tour guide who will take you to some of the most popular tourist destinations around the city. You can also indulge in shopping along the way. Overnight in Kathmandu.
Day
19
You will leave for the airport 2 hours before your flight time. We’ll drive you to the airport. In the meantime, you can choose to do whatever you like.
