Upper Dolpo Trekking

You will arrive at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu. Our company staff will be waiting at the airport's arrival terminal.

You will be escorted by a private vehicle to your designated hotel in Kathmandu, preferably Thamel. You don't have anything on your schedule for the rest of the day. Wander around in the streets of Thamel or take a walk to Kathmandu Durbar Square.

Your overnight stay will be at a Hotel in Kathmandu.

After a sumptuous breakfast at the Hotel, you will be transported to the domestic terminal of Tribhuvan International Airport.

Embark on a 60-minute flight westward to the border city of Nepalgunj. Upon landing, you will be escorted to the waiting area at Nepalgunj Airport, where you will wait until your next flight to Juphal is scheduled.

It’s a 30-minute flight that heads through narrow gorges behind the Dhaulagiri massif. Land at Juphal airport and begin your trekking adventure.

The trek from Juphal to Shyanta begins at the bridge over the Thuli Bheri River and continues to Sulighat. Then, for the next four hours, the trek ascends to your overnight camping spot at Shyanta.

Your third trek day begins with Shyanta, who initially leads you on a steep ascent. The trail then follows the Phoksundo River, traversing numerous subtropical forests.

This stretch is relatively easy, with occasional ascent and descent through the river basin until you reach Chhopka(2838m). From Chhopka, you head straight through Rechi to catch Sanduwa, the Phoksundo and Ringmo Rivers confluence.

There is Amchi Hospital in Sanduwa. We follow the Phoksundo River toward the Jharana Hotel for our night's camp stopover.

From Jharana Hotel, we head north toward the trek’s main attraction, Phoksundo Lake. This stretch of the walk is delightful, sticking closer to the Phoksundo River.

It is a total ascent of over 900 meters and then a tiny descent from the top to reach Phoksundo Lake. A huge cascading waterfall at Suli Gad unfolds before you reach Ringmo village. You will encounter typical Dolpali chorten before you get Ringmo.

You then run the pristine Lake of Phoksundo, and we set our camp at the terrace on the south end of the Lake.

Shey Phoksundo Lake (3611m) is an enigmatic deep blue freshwater lake in the Dolpa district. Stationed beside the Ringmo village, it is the deepest lake in Nepal, with a far-reaching depth of 136 meters.

Phoksundo, in Tibetan, means “Lake with three ends and surrounded by stones.” We explore the nearby Ringmo village, on the northern ridge of the lake, home to Tshowa (Bon monastery).

From Phoksundo Lake, we climb the vertical wall right by the Lake to reach its northern face.

Hereon, we follow through the Phoksundo River, ascending through the remote highlands of the region. This stretch from Phoksundo to Salla Ghar takes at least 6 hours to traverse.

The trail rests beside the river, with an occasional glimpse of Mt.Kanjirowa(6883 meters). Upon reaching Sallaghari, we set up camp and stayed overnight there.

The stretch from Salla Ghari to Lar Tsa is easy, with occasional mild and easygoing ascents. Lar Tsa is also called Kalgla Base Camp by many and provides a campsite for Kagla climbers. It’s a six-hour journey from Salla Ghari to Lar Tsa, following the Phoksundo River.

We follow through the Tuk Kyaksa River today on our trek from Lar Tsa to Shey Gompa.

It’s a treacherous journey that reaches its highest point at Nangdalo -La Pass, 5110 meters above sea level. We depart early in the morning and head on to make the pass. The view from the top of the key is to die for.

It is simply astounding, with the horizon limiting itself in the distance. In the evening, we descend sharply from the pass to reach Shey Gompa, where we set up our campsite.

Stay at Shey Gompa will be your most cherished memory of the whole Upper Dolpo trek. You will acclimate to an altitude beyond 4000 meters and explore the gems of Shey Gompa, also known as Crystal Monastery.

Shey Gompa still portrays pre-Buddhist culture in its practice and is dated to the 11th century. Besides Shey Gompa, Crystal Mountain, which resides beside the Gompa, will allure you.

You will stay at an overnight camp at Shey Gompa.

We start early from Shey Gompa and move towards Bhijer. The trek from Shey Gompa first takes place on the Tartan River basin. It then ascends higher to the plateau above Shey Gompa.

The trail heads eastwards for about three hours before descending to the village of Tora, which resides right by the Yangu River. We descend further to reach Tato village at 3920 meters.

After crossing Tato, you will reach Shyamling Gompa (4020m), another iconic monastery of the Dolpo region. It’s an hour’s walk from this monastery to the Bhijer Valley, where we set up our camp for the night.

Bhijer is a village mainly Inhabited by Bon. In the morning, we wander around the village before beginning our trek.

Bhijer is home to Nesar monastery, a famous Buddhist sacred prayer space for its long bearing history. We take a path dotted with Buddhist monuments all along today.

Lang Monastery is one of the honorable mentions on your trail to Saldang. Before your descent, you will traverse one of the highest passes on the trek, Nengla Pass (5368m).

Your trail navigates through Palding, a small settlement of Dolpali people. Saldang welcomes you to Samye Choeling Monastery.

At its gateway. We cross the Panjyan River near Tora Samjin before reaching your camping spot. Saldang remains a densely populated village in the Dolpo region.

The twelfth day of your trek takes you to the elevated village of Nisal Gaon. As you leave the dense settlement of Saldang, we follow through the Nagaon River until its originating point.

Our trail traverses Moran, Tiling, and Kigaon before reaching Tora Sumna and heading eastward. From Saldang to Nisal Gaon, it’s a short 5-6 hours. We set up our overnight camp at Nisal Gaon.

The stretch from Nisal Goan towards Shimengaon is relatively easy. Along the trail, we descend through small, dotted villages.

The pathway is widened, and river valleys unfold before us. We follow the Panjyan River along the path and pass via Khuma Gaon at 4060 meters to reach Shimengoan in the evening. We set our camp at Shimengaon.

Today’s trail continues to follow through the Panjyan River alongside an amusing mountain vista.

We traverse through the small settlements of Pu Gompa, Namyal, Targaon, and Phalwa before reaching Tinje Village.

The trekking trail follows along the base of Rakaum Hill, which we half-circumnavigate. In the evening, we finally crossed the Nukdem Khola Bridge to reach Tinje village.

You will have an off-the-beaten experience of taking a traveled trail today. Our route until Taraka Sundo takes on the classical Upper Dolpo trail.

Then, it takes a steep switchback ascent to reach Yak Kharka. We follow the Sulun River from Taraka Sundo and make the ascent. Villagers do not habit the space, so it must be within reach of locals.

We have to carry water from the river before our climb begins. Then, it’s a seven-hour walk to Yak Kharka, where we set up the camp.

After a mesmerizing night at Yak Kharka, we descend towards Dho Tarap. We make a high pass at Chhoila Pass at 5051 meters and follow the Chhoila River to reach Dho Tarap in the evening. This overall stretch takes 4-5 hours.

Before reaching Dho and Tarap, we pass through Tyungyalphu, Tokyu, Kahakar, and Ghakar villages. Along the way, you will observe various schools and NGO-run facilities. We set up our camping tent for an overnight stay at Dho Tarap.

A river flows by from the village of Dho Tarap, which leads our way for the day. After the village, the Tarap River flows to mix with the Phoksundo River at Sulighat.

We descend following the Tarap River and traverse Langa, Sisaul, Ghyamga, Toltol, and Nawarpani until we reach Serkam for our overnight camping spotty.

It’s a relatively easy trek from Serkam to Tarakot. Our journey continues to follow Tarap Khola’s descending via various Dolpali villages.

We pass through the famous Loina Odar and Khanigaon to reach the conflux of Tarap Khola and Bharbung rivers, which then flows as Thuli their river.

We trek another 2 hours from this conflux to reach Tarakot, where our overnight camp will set.

The trek from Tarakot towards Juphal is easy. It is a flatland trek across various Dolpali villages following the Thuli Bheri River. We reach Juphal in the evening, ending our trekking adventure.

We will take an early morning flight from Juphal to Nepalgunj. Upon arriving at Nepalgunj, we will take a connecting flight to the capital city of Kathmandu. We will overnight at a hotel in Kathmandu.

Have breakfast at the Kathmandu Hotel, and you can go shopping.

Boundless Adventure staff will escort you to Tribhuwan International Airport for your flight back home. We bid you farewell until your next return to this wonderland.

I wish you a safe journey ahead.

Note: Hotel Check-out time is Noon.