Lower Dolpo Trek, 18 Days

• All the required airport and hotel transfers by private vehicles.
• 4 nights  3-star standard hotel accommodations in Kathmandu city inclusive breakfast.
•  Tented accommodations while on the trek.
• 1 night of  standard hotel accommodation in Nepalgunj inclusive breakfast.
• 1 day Kathmandu sightseeing tour guided by a city tour guide with private transport.
• Full board meals prepared by our expert trekking cook while on the trek. (breakfast, lunch & dinner)
• All the essentials camping gears such as tents, mattresses, kitchen utensils etc.
• Highly experienced and government certified local trekking guide for the trek.
• Required supporting local porters and donkeys to carry foods, camping equipments and luggages.
• All the essential trekking permits and official paperwork for the trek.
• All the required domestic airfares and airport taxes.
• Food /Salary/accommodation and medical and accidental insurance of all the local trekking staffs.
• Waterproof duffel bag and sleeping bags to use while on the trek. (provide on request)
• First aid medical kits with an oximeter to check your pulse and oxygen level while on the trek.
• Trip achievement certificate after the successful trip completion.
• Nepalese cuisine farewell dinner at a typical local restaurant with a cultural dance show.
• All government and local taxes.

• International airfares and Nepal entry visa fees.
• Lunch and dinner in Kathmandu hotel.
• Entrance fees for the Kathmandu sightseeing tour.
• Your travel insurance.
• Alcoholic beverages, bottled mineral water, soft drinks and snack foods while on the trek.
• Gratitude for the guide and porters.
• Extra hotel accommodations if other than the scheduled itinerary.

In the northwest of Nepal lies a region ringed like a horseshoe shape of soaring peaks called Dolpo. These peaks rise higher than 21,000 feet and have a cold high desert feel to it. Home to people of Tibetan decent since the early centuries of the Christianity, Tibetan refugees continue to trickle into Dolpo. Most of the Tibetans follow the Tibetan Buddhist religion though some practice the Bon religion too. This religion pre-dates Buddhism and was widespread in Tibet until the introduction of Buddhism. However, Bon is considered one of the five schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The region opened to trekking in 1989 and has an untouched and unexplored feel to it. Here a trekker can meet nomadic people living a lifestyle that has stretched back for centuries. The Dolpo region is hard to match for its pristine beauty and rugged charm. The Upper Dolpo and Lower Dolpo Trekking offer an endless variety of landscapes not to mention a chance to interact with the local people. Truly Dolpo houses incredible diversity and can be visited many times over with never having the same experience twice. Though not as extreme as its neighbor to the east, Mustang, Dolpo also lies in a rain shadow area and is much drier than the rest of Nepal and receive less rain. In Dolpo, the elevation of the trails ranges from 1650 meters (5,412ft) to 5136 meters (16,846ft) above sea level.

Nepal has the two best seasons to do trekking which are Autumn and spring. The Spring season( March, April, and May) is relatively warmer compared to other months in Nepal besides, during this month sky remains clear so, it provides a good sight of the mountains as well.

Autumn (September, October, and November) is more temperate and skies are also clearer so it is also the preferred season to trek.

But unlike other trekking regions, Lower Dolpa is also considered good to be done During June, July, and August as this is a trans-Himalayan region and has fewer chances of rain.

Duffel bag
You need a duffel bag that is supposed to be waterproof with a strap along with a TSA lock. In your duffel bag, you keep all the clothes and essential gear while trekking. And this will be carried by our porter. Regarding the size, you can choose from 100 liters to 140 liters duffel as this size all you to fit most of the things you need for trekking.

Sleeping bag

It is the most important piece of equipment for trekking and climbing. Normally the smaller and lighter the size, the more expensive it is. Regarding the warmth of sleeping bags, sleeping bags are warmer than synthetic ones. You need to bring a sleeping bag that rates up to -20c and a liner just in case it feels colder.

Daypack bag
It’s a daypack bag that you carry while waking where you put your wallet, camera, water bottle, rain cover, fleece jacket, and windproof jacket. Regarding the size of the daypack bag, the size of a small-medium 30 to 40-liter day bag with some side pockets where you can fit your water bottle or gloves is good. Moreover, if you can fit your Camelbak in your daily carry it is more efficient in the coldest weather as your water doesn’t get freeze.

Water bottle
You can bring two water bottles in which you can drink in one and treat water in another to refill again. (Nalgene water bottle is good as you can put hot water as well if you want) you also can bring Camelbak which can be very handy for climbing

Body
Short sleeve synthetic t-shirts*3(while trekking you sweat a lot so, synthetic t-shirts are best to bring as they are light and dry fast)
Wind shirts*1
Long sleeve Merino wool t-shirts*2
Synthetic insulated jacket (you can use it for climbing as well)
Fleece glove
Insulated gloves
Buff (trail gets very dusty with animals passing by you so, you can use it as a mask)
Sunglass
Sun hat
Fleece hat
Rain gear or poncho.
Lower body
Trekking shoes (prober boots with grip is recommended as trail are rough so you might twist your ankle)
Slipper or lightweight shoes (it is handy when you have done day trekking)
Cotton hiking shocks
Hiking pants*2
Fleece trouser
Underwear trousers*2
Underwear
Waterproof paint
Miscellaneous items

Fast drying-camp towel
Body wipes (it comes in handy if you don’t take a shower, especially in higher altitudes where there are no showers)
Toilet papers
Lip balm
Sunscreens (minimum of SPF 40 plus as in higher altitude sunlight are direct and more penetrating.
Diary
Chargers with an adapter (you can charge your gadgets along the trail with hydro-powered electricity in the lower region)
portable solar panel
Camera, Mobile Phone.
Medical kit (Diamox, Imodium, ibuprofen, throat lozenges, tape, scissor,
Zip-lock plastic bag (Although you put your all stuff in a duffel bag, a Zip-lock bag can come in handy when you want to separate your items like toiletries, socks, underwear, and smelly clothes)
Headlamp or torchlight
Hand sanitizer
Trekking sticks (most people use them and it is very helpful while walking rocky trails and especially for knees going downhill.
Pocket knife
Trip Reviews

Normally the lower Dolpa trek begins from Juphal airport and goes to Tarakot (2543M), Laini (3160M), and Nawarpani (3545M) for the first, second, and third nights of the trek.

Then trek goes to one of the highlights of the trek to Do-Tarap (4019M) where we spend two nights for acclimatization. Do-Tarap is a lovely village with amazing local farmland. This village is considered one of the highest human settlements in Nepal and has a monastery as well.

After this trek goes to a more remote region of this journey and becomes more adventurous. So, next, the trek goes to the Numa-la base camp (4440M) before going over the Numa-la pass (5310M) on the next day.

After the first pass, the trek goes to Pelung Tang (4465M) to get ready for another pass which is Baga-La (5175M). The next day’s trek goes over the Baga-la pass and descends to Dajok Tang (4080M) for the night camp.

After walking in a more desolate region of the trek, the trek descends to greener areas full of vegetation and to one of the main highlights of the trek, Phoksundo Lake (3612m) where we spend our 2 nights for exploration.

After this trek descends to Shyanta (2520M) for another night camp before we head to Juphal (2475M) on our last night of the trek. The trek ends the next morning flying to Nepalgunj and flying back to Kathmandu on the same day.

To get to the trailhead of the lower Dolpo trek you can either take a flight to Nepalgunj which takes about 55 minutes or take a drive that takes a minimum of 16 hours. Then after this, you have to take a flight to Juphal airport which takes 35 minutes.

Or if you have time, you can even take a flight to Jumla which takes about 6-7 days to reach Juphal. As part of the by-road option, you can take a jeep ride for a few days to get to Dunai however it is not recommended during the monsoon season.