Upper Dolpo Trekking is a challenging trip in the secluded and unscathed part of western Nepal. The trail was opened for the trekkers only in 1989. It is an inspirational trek to explore the isolated ethnic valleys. The picturesque landscape and cultural heritages have made this trekking incredible.
Trekking to Upper Dolpo includes the surprising and wonderful Himalayan views, high passes, alpine meadows, and rare finding flora and fauna. The Dolpo has got sources of herbal plants and other forests.
This restricted land is a dream place for adventure trekking in Nepal. Walking through the jungle of colorful flowers like rhododendron and others as juniper, hemlock, and blue pine makes your trail more romantic.
Likewise, it is a wonderful region of wild animals such as the Snow Leopard, Ghoral, Himalayan Black Bear and many more. The long trip to Upper Dolpo is fascinated by the memorable Tibetan Buddhism and the mesmerizing ethnic traditions. Nangang and the Bon Po Monasteries are beautiful.
Upper Dolpo Trekking in Nepal starts from Jhupal after having a short flight from Nepalgunj. You need to have a flight from Kathmandu to reach Nepalgunj too. The trail sets out through the wilderness of the Shey Phoksundo National Park. This paradise on earth was surrounded by the wonderful Himalayas of the Dhaulagiri region. It lies beyond this mountain chain.
The Upper Dolpo Trekking is also known as Shey Gompa Trekking. In the beginning, the trek goes ahead by following the Bheri River. Then it moves on along the treeless area and enters into the Phoksundo River Valley.
The continuation of ascending and descending takes you to Phoksundo Lake. It is the deepest lake in Nepal. It is situated at an elevation of 3611.5 m high above sea level. The acclimatization day at this Lake is a wonderful charm of the Upper Dolpo Trek along with the crystal waterfalls and meadows which offer the views of surrounding lakes and the village.
It is very hard to cross the Kang La Pass. This pass offers the beautiful sceneries of the large valley and the surrounding mountains. Saldang village is considered the largest village of this area which is developed in the form of agriculture as well as in the economy.
The rest day at Dho Tarap is interesting where you can explore the surrounding cultures as well as have a short walk to observe the Bon Po Monastery. Jeng La Pass is the vantage point for watching the wonderful views of Dhaulagiri Mountain. Moreover, the views of the Desert Mountain of Tibet and the Ladak Mountain of India are breathtaking.
En route, you can see the herds of blue sheep. The trail continues thoroughly and ends at Jhupal. From there, you have the back to Nepalgunj and Kathmandu.
Spring and autumn are the best seasons to trek to Upper Dolpo as the weather is likely to be the finest and the temperatures good. We do not recommend having this Upper Dolpo Trekking Nepal in the winter season. It is strictly prohibited to go to Upper Dolpo Trekking solo as it lies in a remote area.
Rising Adventure has an expert team to guide the Upper Dolpo Trek in Nepal. For more details, please contact us.
Upon your arrival at Tribhuwan International Airport in Kathmandu, you will be greeted by the representative from Rising Adventure at the arrival gate and transferred to the hotel.
This is your day for sightseeing. So, you are picked up by your tour guide from your hotel. Basically, Kathmandu Sightseeing involves the four UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Kathmandu. They are Kathmandu Darbar Square, Swayabhunath Stupa, Boudhnath Stupa, and the Pashupatinath Temple. However, we also organize other sightseeing tours nearby Kathmandu in accordance with your desires like Patan and Bhaktapur Darbar Squares those too are enlisted in UNESCO.
In the evening, Rising Adventure will discuss your trip and introduce our trekking guide as well as other members.
Today you are going to Nepalgunj. So, you will have almost an hour domestic flight to Nepalgunj, a place situated nearby the Nepal-India border. After reaching there, you will be transferred to the hotel at first and then you can look at the surroundings such as mini-zoo, the local market and so on.
After having breakfast, you will have almost 45 minutes of flight to Jhupal. It is such a beautiful place located over the foothills of the Himalayas which offers the majestic views of Mt. Annapurna as well as Mt. Dhaulagiri. After reaching there, you will meet your trekking staff who lead you to Dunai through the terraced fields following the Bheri River.
Today you are going to Ankhe. Your trail will embark on ascending through the treeless area crossing the suspension bridge and will reach Thulo Bheri and enter into the Phoksundo River Valley. Then you will descend towards Ankhe. En route, you will pass the villages such as Dhara and Rahagaun.
Your trail will take you along the wooded riverbed through the ascending and descending way. Then the continuation of your trail will take you to Sulighat through the grassy slope high above the river and lush forest and rocky way.
Your trail will go ahead along the Phoksundo and Pungmo rivers. At first, you will reach Palam Village through the forest area. In this village, you can enjoy the stunning views of Phoksundo Lake as well as a waterfall. Then you will go down along the Phoksundo Khola through the birch forest and Ringmo Village, where you can observe the mud-plastered Chhortens and mani walls and finally reach Phoksundo Lake.
This is the acclimatization day. So, today you will have an opportunity to look around the lake and the nearby village. It’s a Ringmo Village where you can observe the lifestyle of local people who belong to Tibetan culture. You can see the Tibetan Buddhist Monastery too.
Your trail will go around the top western end of the Phoksundo Lake. Your trail will continue on a gangway of wood supported on pegs driven into crevasse in the rocks. Then you will reach the bank of Phoksundo River through the grassy land and valley crossing the river where you are going to set a camp and spend your night.
Today you are going to Phoksundo Bhanjyang where you will see the Kang-La Pass. At first, your trail will go along the level way and will encounter the wooden bridge at the confluence of the Phoksundo Khola and another mountain stream. Then you will reach another valley where you are going to spend your night by crossing the steep.
Today you are going to cross the Kang-La Pass. So, it is quite hard to pass it. After reaching on top of this Pass, you can enjoy the wonderful sceneries of the large valley and the continuation of your descending will take you to the floor of the valley. Then your trail will go towards the Shey Gompa along the bank of river crossing the quaint log bridge. On the way, you may see the numerous grazing yaks, sheep and so on. After reaching there, you will observe the surrounding areas such as Monastery, Crystal Mountain and also observe the lifestyle of Shey people and their traditional culture which belongs to animism.
Today you are going to Namduna Gaun where you will visit the red stone monstery, known as Namgung Monastery. First of all, you will go down through the juniper trees. Then you will pass the Saldang – La Pass and the continuation of your descending will take you to Namduna Gaun. On the way, you may see the yaks and sheep.
Today you will ascend steeply along the barren hills and reach Saldang village. This is the largest village of the Dolpo Region which is developed agriculturally as well as economically.
Your trail will go on following the Nagaon River through the ups and downs. Then you will reach Yangze Gompa passing Marang and Ki villages by crossing the Panzang River too.
In order to go to Sibu, there are two different ways. So, you will go through the shorter path by retracing the previous way to Saldang village. From there, you will be headed to Namdo village bypassing the terraced fields, mani stones, Chortens and so on. Then the continuation of your trail will take you to Sibu along the Khong River.
Your trail will be continued along the Nam Khong River and passed the caravans. Then you will reach the confluence of two streams and climb up to the Jeng-La Phedi(a bottom of Jeng-La Pass) where you will spend your night.
Your trail will climb up to the top of Jeng-La Pass which offers the stunning views of Dhaulagiri Mountain. After spending some time there, you will descend to Tokyu Gaun passing the Tarap Valley.
Your trail will go down on a plain valley along the river. In this valley, you may observe the Bon Po as well as Buddhist practitioners. You can also observe the lush grass on both sides of the river which is completely different from other parts of inner Dolpo. Besides, you can see the marsh too which is a common feature of Desert Mountains of Tibet and the Ladak mountain of India too.
This is another day of acclimatization. So, you will spend your whole day by observing the surroundings of Dho Tarap. You can visit the Buddhist Gompa as well as the local cultures. Besides, you can have almost 40 minutes' walk and reach the Bon Po Gompa.
Today you are going to set up your camp at Tarap Khola(River). It is also known as Kamakharka. Your trail will descend to the valley area through the juniper as well as wild rose bushes and then reach the confluence of Tarap Chu and the Lang River. En route, you may see the herds of blue sheep.
Your trail will go ahead along the Tarap River. During your trekking, you may need to jump from one side of the gorge to another due to the lack of path. Besides, sometimes there may be a damaged bridge or no bridge so you need to walk in the water in order to cross the river. As a result, this day may become a memorable as well as the exciting day of your trekking. Then you reach Khanigaun.
Today you are going to Tarakot where you can visit the Sandul Gompa. Actually, you will stay there at the Tarap Chu River nearby Tarakot. So, you will go to the Lalberi Village at first. Then the continuation of your trail will take you to Tarakot through the way of gorge and river.
Your trail will go to the Lawan Village by crossing the bridge. Then you will ascend to Byas Gadi along the Bheri River. From there, you will reach Lochakhola Gaun and then Dunai.
Today you are returning to Jhupal. Your trail will go along the Bheri River bypassing many villages such as Dhupichaur, Rupgad, Kalagaonda and so on.
Today you are going back to Kathmandu by retracing the previous flight way. First of all, you will have a flight to Nepalgunj and then to Kathmandu.
Today your trip in Nepal comes to an end and the representative from Rising Adventure will take you to the airport approximately 3 hours before your scheduled flight.
The prime duty of Rising Adventure P. Ltd. is to provide the safety and security. During the trip, some factors may affect and cause to change our itinerary such as weather condition, transportation, health condition of our clients and other natural disasters. At this moment, our company gives full authority to our guides for deciding what to do or not to do concerning on the interest of our clients.
While talking about the flight, sometimes it may delay due to the weather condition or the technical problem.
First of all, I would like to give a big thank you to Rising Adventure for organizing such a great ...
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