Upper Dolpo Trek traverse 5 Mountain Passes, 30 Days

After breakfast, the day will begin as we move to the cultural world heritage sites in Kathmandu valley. The day comprises of the visits to the pilgrimage site of Hindus–Pashupatinath temple, one of the world’s largest stupa–Boudhanath, the Monkey Temple—Swayambhunath, and the ancient palace of Kathmandu Durbar Square with its many temples and distinctive buildings. In the evening, pre-trip discussion with our fellow trekking staff will be done. Overnight at a 3-star hotel in Kathmand

Start early by morning to the domestic airport and catching the first flight to Nepalgunj. Upon arrival in Nepalgunj, the change in topography is felt. You will meet other team members who will guide you through the basic procedure of the trekking. Safety measures and precautions will be given. Overnight at 3-star hotel in Nepalgunj.

We take a 35 minutes flight to Juphal, the only airstrip in Dolpo. The flight provides us with amazing landscapes, from the flatlands to the towering hills to the barren landscape of Dolpo. We will have plenty of time in Juphal, so feel free to explore the small town and interact with the locals. Starting the trek, we go downhill to reach Thuli Bheri River and follow the trails of the river past several small villages to reach the confluence of Thuli Bheri River and Suli Gad. We then make a quick ascend through the forest of big cedar to reach Dunai. Overnight at tented camp in Dunai.

Leaving Dunai and in a while reach at Sulighat, a big suspension bridge will take us to the entrance of Shey Phoksundo National Park (SPNP). We then follow the trails of Suli Gad enjoying the distant views of Dhaulagiri Range. Then we will hike through the trail enclosed by pine, cypress, and bamboo forests until we reach Chhepka. Overnight at tented camp in Chhepka.

Today the trail takes us further to cross Sulligad Bridge from where we follow Phoksundo Khola upstream on a narrow path high up in the valley. We move through forests with several bamboos stands further up the gorge. The gorge extends out as we pass a river union and continue on the trail alongside Phoksundo Khola to cross a bridge that takes us to Amchi Hospital. Overnight at tented camp in Amchi Hospital.

The trail descends through birch forests leading to the upper part of the Phoksundo Khola. Then we ascend to Ringmo village, an attractive settlement with flat-roofed stone houses and lots of mud-plastered chortens and Mani walls. Just below Ringmo, we pass a bridge and move to the ranger station ahead of Phoksundo Lake (3730). We walk to the shores of the lake near the point where the Phoksundo Khola flows out. We move along the trail to finally reach Ringmo Gaon. Overnight at tented camp in Ringmo.

The village of Ringmo sits on the bank of Shey Phoksundo Lake, so today we spend our time exploring the tranquil lake. Also known as the deepest lake in Nepal, Phoksundo Lake is surrounded by sparsely vegetated hills that add to the allure of the already enchanting lake. The beautiful peak of Kanjirowa Himal (6612m) peeks behind the hills surrounding the lake. Later, we can explore Ringmo village made up of about 20 Tibetan styled houses built in a close knit fashion to form the village bounded by dispersed cairns and Chortens. Overnight at tented camp in Ringmo.

We hike back up to the lake and walk along its bank all the way to its bottom. We then follow the trail through the riverbed of Phoksundo Khola relishing the view of Kanjirowa Himal (6612m). Then we move to reach the campsite in Chabluk Phu, a grazing area, just where the trail hits leveled ground. Overnight at tented camp in Chabluk Phu.

From Chabluk Phu, we continue up the gorge with irregular juniper and azalea tree line before crossing a bridge over the river. We then make a steep climb on a cliff above Tuk Kyaksa Khola to reach Nagdolo La Base Camp, also known as Snowfields Camp, which is situated next to the river. This Camp was entitled by Peter Mathiesson in his book “Snow Leopard”. Snowfields Camp is at the base of Kang La also known as Nagdalo La (5350m) that leads to Upper Dolpo. This is also a useful acclimatization walk that will surely help with tomorrow’s hike. Overnight at tented camp in the base camp.

Nagdalo La Paas 5350m/17554ft
We make a long and energetic ascent for about 2 and half hours over a dusty path to reach Ngadalo La (5350m). An amazing view of Phoksundo Lake and the Upper Dolpo region can be seen from the top of the pass including the view of the Kanjirowa Himal range. Then we descend on a path covered with snow to reach Shey Gompa, a very small village with a couple of houses and the Gompa. It is an 11th century gompa, located below the Crystal Mountain on a small grassy plain at the union of Sephu Khola and Hubaiun Khola. Overnight at tented camp in Shey Gompa.

We rest today and explore the area around Shey Gompa. Shey Gompa was built in 1655 and the monastery is renowned for its giant copper with the gold-plated gold statue of a seated Sakyamuni Buddha. To the east of the Gompa is Crystal Mountain which is a unique mountain as its twisted cliffs are mixed with quartz and embedded with a rich variety of aquatic fossils. We spend the day climbing around Shey village where you can get the glimpse of its pre-Buddhist culture, the Bon Po. Also, you will visit Tsakang Gompa, a gompa said to be 800 years old perched dramatically on the side of a cliff as a side trip. Overnight at tented camp in Shey Gompa.

Sela La Pass 5095m/16716ft

To get to Namgung, we leave Shey Gompa and make a steep climb to Sela La (5095m). While we are descending through Sela La Pass (5095m), we can enjoy the beautiful sight of the northern part of the Tibetan plateau, which is the highest highland in the world. We go downhill to the meadows of Namgung and visit Namgung Monastery before moving into the village. Overnight at tented camp in Namgung.

Our trek to Saldang starts with ascending slope lines with a few trees. We have to climb for a while before going downhill to the attractive village of Saldang, situated on a highland above Namha Khola. Contrary to the popular belief, the village is wealthy, not only agriculturally but also for its planned locality on a trade route to Tibet. The village also used to be a separate kingdom of Dolpo in the ancient times. Overnight at tented camp in Saldang.

From Saldang, we move further along the quite paths leading to Khomasgaon. The track goes along the vast landscape composed of sand dunes and bare hills, moving through several white-washed villages, long Mani walls, and painted chortens. We cross small streams and climb uphill and downhill until we reach Khomagaon. Overnight at tented camp in Khomagaon.

Shimen La Pass 4375m/14353ft

After breakfast, we leave our campsite at Khomasgaon and start moving further following the trail that goes through traditional villages and Mani walls. We cross Shimen La Pass (4375m) and climb down along the arid terrain to reach Panjyan Khola on whose bank Shimen is situated. We walk alongside the river for a while to reach Shimen Gompa. Overnight at tented camp in Shimen.

Today our trek continues as we move downhill along the off-road trails above the gorge of Panjyan Khola. We visit the ancient Pu Gompa before continuing on our trail to Tinkyu (Tinje). The sights of spectacular sceneries and the exclusive culture of Upper Dolpo surely put forward enchanted experiences to the trekkers. After a long and good trek day, we reach Tinkyu. Overnight at tented camp in Tinkyu (Tinje).

This is the main village in an extensive valley with wide fields, two Gompas, and an old fortress. The famous Dolpo-pa artist Tenzing Norbu Lama was born in this village and had trained in the art of traditional Tibetan thanka painting. He helped to train villagers from Tinkyu to paint and yield handcraft leather goods. We explore the village thoroughly and also visit the many ancient monasteries situated around Tinjye before calling it a day. Overnight at tented camp in Tinje.

We move alongside Panjyan Khola to an old settlement and arrive at a river union where we take the left tributary Kehein Khola to move across the left bank of the river. We cross several bridges above Kehein Khola to reach Rapka where we camp for the night. Overnight at tented camp in Rapka.

Mola La Pass 5030m/16502ft
After breakfast, we move from Rapka and hike over the track that goes uphill mildly towards Mola La Pass (5030m). After arriving at the top of the pass, we go downhill on the side of the gorge and descend to Chharka Village located at the bank of Chharka Tulsi Khola. In the evening, we will visit Sarchhen Gompa situated in the center of the scattered village. Overnight at tented camp in Chharka Bhot.

Today we can either explore the village or just relax before confronting the exciting days ahead. We will explore the two gompas, Buddhist and Bönpo, signifying the two religions of Dolpo. This day could also be used as a buffer in case of any postponements. Overnight at tented camp in Chharka Bhot.

Today we move downhill to the stream, and then we continue to trek next to the right bank while ascending on an uneven trail. We move into a big meadow as the valley contracts. Our trek continues as we ascend to reach our campsite in Norbulung. Various peaks of the Dhaulagiri massif start to come in sight as we near the Annapurna region. Overnight at tented camp in Norbulung.

We start to follow the trail alongside a small stream that ascends to Molum Sumdo, a yak pasture. Our trek ascends slowly before making a long traverse across fields to reach the base of Niwas La (5120m). From Molum Sumdo, we can get a good view of Dhaulagiri II (7751m), Tongu Himal (6197m), and several other snow-capped peaks. Overnight at tented camp in Molum Sumdo.

Niwas La Pass 5120m/16800ft
Jungben La Pass 5550m/18208ft

After breakfast, we ascend to the pass of Niwas La Pass (5120m) and Jungben La Pass (5550m) before moving down to the village of Ghalden Ghuldun. The top of the pass allows us to get an ood view of the Dhaulagiri massif along with the surrounding landscape. From there, we move downhill to reach the compressed settlement of Santa. Overnight at tented camp in Ghalden Ghuldun.

Leaving Dolpo behind, we make our way through Annapurna Conservation Area. We move downhill through a steep gorge to pass the first tributary river, and then we navigate to the second river passing on rocks. Soon after, we will see the entry chorten to Santa village followed by a big wall around the farmlands. Overnight at tented camp in Santa.

From Santa, we start ascending until reach Bhima Lojun La (4460m), from where we have a superb vista of the Kali Gandaki River valley. Observing snow-capped peaks, we descend through Mustang’s patchy. Diverging from the main trail, we make a steep descend through the forest to reach Phalyak. Phalyak is an exciting Mustangi village which holds a yearly archery fiesta as most of the Mustangi and Managi villages do. Overnight at tented camp in Phalyak.

Today we follow a small tributary to reach Kali Gandaki River in Ekle Bhatti. We then walk on a flat trail through the riverbed to reach the windy town of Jomsom. After exploring the town, we will celebrate the accomplishment of the trip together. Later on, you can hand out tips to the staff for all their hard work throughout the trek. Overnight at hotel in Jomsom.

Today we take flight from Jomsom to Pokhara and Pokhara. This flight will provide us with different landscapes that are typical to Nepal. The rows of hills and the vast network of rivers dominate the Nepalese terrain. Upon arrival in Pokhara, you will be transferred to hotel so that you can get a good rest. Overnight at 3-star hotel in Pokhara.

This day is kept as a contingency day. In case, we were unable to board either of the flights the day before, we can do it on this day. But if we had arrived in Pokhara as planned, you can use this day to explore the city. Late afternoon flight back to Kathmandu and transfer to hotel. Overnight at 3-star hotel in Kathmandu.

Today you will head back to your home country. After breakfast, our representative will leave you at the airport 3 hours before the scheduled time of your flight.