UPPER DOLPO TREK

The team at Eight K Expeditions will be tracking your flight to receive you at the airport. As soon as you land and complete the immigration procedures, one of our representatives will escort you to the hotel room booked for you. You may take your time to rest and relax to get rid of the jetlag. Meanwhile, we will prepare the documents and pack the stuff for our trek.

After a wonderful breakfast at the hotel, we will meet up for a briefing and then depart to the airport to catch a flight to Nepalgunj. Nepalgunj is a beautiful city at the border of Nepal and India and is the gateway to beautiful treks like Rara, Dolpa, and Expedition to Putha Hiunchuli as well. We will stay overnight in a hotel.

After breakfast at the hotel in Nepalgunj, we take a short scenic flight to the airport in the Dolpo region. Then, following the terraced farmlands, we commence our trek alongside the Bheri river. Walking through the narrow gorge for a few hours we will reach Dunai, the stop for the night.

As soon as we exit Dunai, we will cross a suspension bridge and follow the trail towards the west, ascending to the Thulo Bheri valley followed by the Phoksundo river valley. Walking past a few villages and dense forests, we reach Ankhe and set up our campsite. 

The trail from Ankhe to Sulighat goes through several ascents and descents with numerous streams along the way. Then, after walking past dense forests, it continues on a grassy highland above the river. Finally, after 6 hours of trek, we will reach Sulighat and rest in a tented camp.

Our trek on this day continues towards the confluence of the Phoksundo and Pungmo rivers. After crossing the bridge, our trail goes along the western bank of the Pungmo river taking us to the Palam village through the cedar forest. Then, ascending on a ridge to view the marvelous landscapes around, we then descend towards the upper parts of the Phoksundo river into the Ringmo village. 

We spend our next day here and hike up to the pure and serene Phoksundo lake with magical turquoise water. The rest of the day will be spent exploring the culture, traditions, and lifestyle of people in the Ringmo village. 

We walk along the Phoksundo lake towards the western end leading to the rocky ledge. The path is rugged and off-the-beaten. We then walk on a lush meadow towards the valley, crossing the river to set up a camp on the bank of the Phoksundo river.

Our trek on this day takes us through the glacial valley heading North. The path that follows is barely organized so we walk over rocks and boulders towards a stream that rushes down the valley. Our Sherpas have been trained for map reading and have experience traveling in remote areas. So you do not need to worry about it. After a long climb, we reach a pastureland

Our journey on this day starts with a steep climb towards the Kang La pass at 5160 m. The climb is demanding and strenuous. The top of the pass offers majestic views of a large valley separated by a huge river. After a steep descent, we will then walk along the river banks Crossing it several times. We pass through numerous pasturelands until we reach a red Chhorten at Shey Gompa. 

We will have a well-deserved rest day at the Shey Gompa also called the crystal monastery. Belonging to the Chaiba community, Shey Gompa is famous for its ancient pre- Buddhist culture, Bon Po. Towards the east of Shey Gompa lies the strangely formed Crystal mountain, whose cliffs are formed of quartz and embedded with a rich variety of marine fossils. Staying at Shey Gompa for a day gives us an immense opportunity to explore the local culture, traditions and observe the surrounding landscape.

We begin our trek from Shey Gompa on a pleasant trail through forests of juniper and pine that descend to a Stony canyon. Then following a series of turns on an uphill climb, we reach Saldang La, one of the high passes at 5010 m. Then a long descent takes us into the pasture land filled with Yaks, sheep, and tents made from yak hair. Finally, we reach Namgung village. Namgung village houses an old monastery of the KarmaPa sect.

Exiting the Namgung village, we climb up a scree slope leading to a long traverse along the rocky barren path. After 4-5 hours of strenuous walk, we reach the Saldang village that is located in the trans-Himalayan Tibetan plateau with better agricultural prosperity that the other villages in Dolpo. It is also the largest village in Inner Dolpo with a significant population.

We head on the least trodden path towards the north of Saldang village. The trail takes us along the Nang Chu river on wild barren terrain. The initial stages of the trail go along ups and downs and past the Tiling and Lurigaon villages till we reach our campsite, Yangze Gompa. Yangze Gompa is an old Bon Po monastery preserving centuries-old traditions of Buddhism.

From Yangze Gompa, we retrace our path back to Saldang village as this one is a shorter route to reach Sibu. From Saldang, we follow the river bed and pass through terraced farmlands, stupas, Mani walls, and the Namdo village. Further, we descend for two more hours until we reach our campsite at Sibu.

Following the Nam Khong river, we reach the confluence of two small tributaries. From there we climb steep uphill to reach Jeng La Phedi to rest overnight in a tented camp. 

From Jeng La Phedi, we trek 2 hours on a steep uphill to reach the top of Jeng La pass at 5090 m. The north face of Dhaulagiri shines golden due to the morning sun. Then, we descend on a rugged path towards the Tarap valley. Later, we will be walking on a green meadow towards Tarap Chu. Tarap Chu is a beautiful valley with ten villages, farmlands, gompas, and monasteries of both sects of Buddhism. The route further continues eastward down the hill towards Do Tarap. The overall route is pleasant and beautiful. Rest in a tented camp.

Do Tarap is a beautiful village in the Dolpo region with closely packed houses. Barley is the main production of the village. It houses the Ribo Bhuma Gompa built in 1955 which is a unique Chhorten containing the remains of a demon killed by Guru Rinpoche. For the half-day exploration, we will head east up the valley to Dero Gompa and Shipchok Gompa. Rest overnight in a tented camp. 

We start our trek from Tarap towards the wide valley that narrows into a gorge. Walking along with the juniper bush and wild roses above the treeline, we reach the confluence of Tarap Chu and Lang Khola. Our camp will be set up in a beautiful meadow.

On our return, we will trek to Khanigaon which is led by the trail alongside the Barbung river. The trail mostly goes downhill and leads to the bridge which marks the entrance to the valley. From the Barbung river, we take a short hike to reach Khanigaon our stop for the night. 

On this day, we trek to Tarakot via beautiful forests that house various kinds of wildlife. We pass through several villages which are rich in culture and traditions and their lifestyle is admirable. Finally, after trekking for about 4 hours we will reach Tarakot. 

Trek to Juphal will be a bit longer as we will need to walk for about 8-9 hours on sloping hills and ridges. On the way, we will visit the Sandul Gompa, the monastery with ancient chhortens which are marvelous. Later, we will walk on a plain trail through terraced farmlands until we reach Juphal.

After a night's stay at Juphal, we woke up early for a wonderful breakfast. Then we take a short scenic flight back to Nepalgunj. As we land at Nepalgunj, we can explore the city and try some delicious cuisine that the city is famous for. 

We will have a scrumptious breakfast at the hotel in Nepalgunj and head to the airport for the flight to Kathmandu. As we land in Kathmandu, you can go sightseeing with our experienced city tour guide and enjoy your time. In the evening we will all get together for a farewell dinner.

With gratitude and respect in our hearts, we will bid you farewell thanking you for the opportunity. One of our representatives will drop you off at the airport 3 hours prior to your scheduled departure.