Description
Trip overview
The Lower Dolpo trek is considered to be one of the challenging hikes in the far west of Nepal. Walking along with the traditional villages, the enchanting lakes, and the beautiful hills of Dolpo, one can witness the dignity and ever-welcoming gesture of the locals. You’ll also cross two high pass on this trek, Numa La and Baga La, with picturesque views of the mountains.
Dolpo offers unspoiled natural treasure, and one of the rarely visited trekking trails in the Himalayas of Nepal. The notable features seen here are snowy peaks, ancient and remote villages, rich wildlife, lovely Buddhist monasteries and wonderful lakes. The people of this area are simple and warm-hearted with an enthralling culture and traditions. The cultural traditions of this area are basically linked with the Tibetan culture. Shey Phoksundo Lake” is another famous feature of this region. The lake is totally free of aquatic life, which the crystal waters clearly demonstrate. Surrounded by rocks, forests, and snow-capped peaks, the area has been described as one of the world’s “Natural Hidden Wonders.
This Lower Dolpo Trek – 16 days itinerary begins with a scenic flight to Juphal from Nepalgunj. The track goes along the Bheri River then turns to Burbung Khola valley. It continues to Dho Tarap, crosses two high passes before getting the famous Phoksundo Lake and end at Juphal via the beautiful village Rechi, Chepkaand Kageni.
Quick facts
Location: Dolpo Region
Best time: Sept. – November, March – May and in monsoon
Trek Duration: 12 Days
Max. Elevation: 5309 m. Numa La Pass
Difficulty: Challenging
Average walking: 5-6 hours
Mode of Trek: Camping
Start/ End: Juphal / Juphal
Group size: 2-10 people
Attractions:
- Superb view of Crystal Mountain and many more.
- Visit ancient monasteries of Dolpo region.
- Explore remote areas of the western region.
- Discover the wild west of Nepal Himalaya.
- Crossing Numa La (5309m.) and Baga La (5169m.) Pass.
- Explore mesmerizing Phoksundo Lake (Deepest Lake of Nepal).
- Experience hidden treasures of Ancient caves, Chhortens, Monasteries, etc.
- Spotting the rare flora and fauna including Himalayan Thar, musk deer, and others.
- Discover unspoiled mountain valleys with a mixture of raw Himalayan nature and ancient Buddhist culture.
- Highest water fall in the country ( 330meter ).
- Visit UNESCO world cultural heritage sites of Kathmandu & Bhaktapur.
Trip Itinerary
Day01.Arrival in Kathmandu (1,350m)
Upon arrival in Kathmandu, we will be greeted by a representative of Sisne Rover who will drop us off at our hotel. We then check-in at the hotel, freshen up and take rest. Complete the official formalities for necessary permits. Meet with your guide and check the final preparation for the trek .Overnight in Kathmandu.
Day02. Kathmandu sightseeing and fly to Nepalgunj: 45 minutes.
After breakfast, leave for the Kathmandu Valley Sightseeing tour that includes UNESCO World heritage sites – Durbar Square, Bouddhanath Stupa and Pashupatinath temple then drop to the airport in the afternoon to catch the flight to Nepalgunj.
Pick up and transfer to your hotel in Nepalgunj. Rest or make a short sightseeing trip around Nepalgunj.
Meals included: Breakfast
Day03. Fly Nepalgunj – Juphal (2475m) and trek to Dunai (2140m.): 3 hrs.
We will take earliest flight (35 minutes) from Nepalgunj north towards to a small town called Juphal. We will gain significant altitude compared to Nepalgunj (150m) as well as Kathmandu (1400m). The climate will be cool and refreshing.
Take rest for a while for acclimatize during the period of meeting with other crew members (trekking staff), then walk to Dunai. Dunai is the administrative head quarter of Dolpo District The trek from Juphal is an easy walk. The first one and half an hour is a steep descend and later the trail gets more horizontal.
In the evening, we will have a small meeting with other crew members (trekking staffs) and check the final arrangements if anything has missed before heading to the mountain.
Accommodation: Camping
Meals included: Breakfast Lunch Dinner
Day 04. Dunai – Lingdo (2391 m) 5-6 hrs.
Very quickly, after we leave Dunai, the landscape turns beautiful with pine trees in the surrounding and high hills and mountains in the distance. Most of the times we will follow Bheri river and make our way through hamlets settled by Terali Buddhist of Magar communities who have strong connection with Tibet. After Byasgar, the trail becomes arid and rocky and at times the trail gets very narrow and is carved on rock face of the hills and mountains. The narrow roads open to the village of Lingdo where there are few teahouses with running water facilities. Depending upon our condition and we will either put up the tents or enjoy accommodating in concrete structures. Overnight in Lingdo.
Accommodation: Camping
Meals included: Breakfast Lunch Dinner
Day 05. Lingdo – Laina Odar (3370 m) 7 hrs.
The trail is the newly built road and stays on it all the way to Laisicap. The first two hours of the day is a comfortable trek and after that the trail starts to climb steeply snaking the ridge. The terrain changes and switches dramatically from green to arid time and again. On this very section of the trail we will get glance of snow clad Kang Tokal. Keep our eyes open for grey monkeys as well. Making our way through juniper and pine trees, we follow Bheri River all the way to the top to cross a suspension bridge. The trail further leads to Laisicap which is equipped with hotels and campsite with tents and shops serving biscuit, drinks and other stuffs. It is a back breaking 3 hours long walk to Laina Odar from here. The trail however is surrounded by pine trees and some surprisingly very large. You climb up high to the top and leave the river below to join the river again on the top. Once you reach the river you will see a tented hotel which is Laina Odar. Overnight in Laina Odar.
Accommodation: Camping
Meals included: Breakfast Lunch Dinner
Day 06. Laina odar – Sim Odar (3523 m) 6-7 hrs.
A steep continuous climb lasts for a little more than an hour through beautiful pine forest. Then the trail continuously undulates with small sections of descends and ascends. Making our way through couple of beautiful waterfalls and gradual ascend we climb to the hilltop in 3-4 hoursthat leads to Chyuggar after a brief descent. Chyuggar is a small resting place with some small teashops by the river. A comfortable hour with again small ups and downs takes to Nawarpaniand a similar half an hour leads to Sim Odar. Sim Odar is a flat place at the river banks with couple of Odars (a shelter beneath an overhang).
Accommodation: Camping
Meals included: Breakfast Lunch Dinner
Day 07. Sim Odar – Dho Tarap (3944 m): 6-7 hrs.
The trail undulates for the most part in the morning and arrives at Toltol after an hour. The valley is quite narrow and trails keep undulating following the river. After around 3 hours the trail crosses the river and a steep 10 minute climb leads to Kesi La. After Kesi La, a drop is briefly leads to a bridge and again continues to follow the valley which is starts to be a little wider. Another bridge follows (lots of tiny caves by the river) and a gentle climb leads to another set of prayer flags. This second prayer flag is an hour away from Kesi La. A wider valley appears after the prayer flags and a long comfortable walk of around 4 hours by the stream ends at Dho.
Day 08: Acclimatization day. The day is used to do some acclimatization hikes around Dho as the trek enters into higher elevation in the next few days. There are several monasteries around Dho. A Bon Monastery in nearby village is one of the highlights of this acclimatization day.
Accommodation: Camping
Meals included: Breakfast Lunch Dinner
Day 08. Dho Tarap – Numa La base camp (4440 m) 4-5 hrs.
There is not much walking to do but just plenty of detours to see the landscape and gompas. The first gompa we will witness is a century old Mekyem gompa, which features a large statue of an avatar of Buddha. We will join back on the trail through crystal mountain school which is a private facility. Further, we will climb to the village of Gakar where Phurba Dorje gompa is housed and move forward towards the village of Tokyu. From here the trail branches to the restricted area of Upper dolpa. Tokyu is a fine place to camp but since the following day is going to be long and tedious we will continue further to Numa La phedi base camp.
The trail starts to turn into a gentle climb and also leaves the main trail and the valley behind. After one more hour, a small stream and a wide valley appears on the left side of the main valley coming from Dho. The trail crosses the stream and a steep climb on a ridge that follows through several piles of small mane stone plates. The steep ascent lasts all the way to High Camp. It is a little more than 2 hours climb from the stream to High Camp.
Accommodation: Camping
Meals included: Breakfast Lunch Dinner
Day 09. Numala base camp – Danigar (4512 m) via Numala (5309m.): 6-7 hrs.
The trek is steep right from the beginning and the snow remains almost at all times of the year which makes it a little difficult to cross. Later, the trek becomes gradual and we walk on bowl shaped glacial formation. The climb ends at NumaLa. Numa La offers the views of Dhaulagiri range to the east and Kagmara Range in the west.The trail descends steeply and further climbs up the ridge towards Panglanka Khola. Keep our eyes open and become as quiet as we can because people have spotted a lot of blue sheep as well as snow leopards at this very section of Dolpocircuit trek. The path straight leads to a beautiful meadow of Danigar. Danigar is a pasture at the end of the valley surrounded by towering ridges. Norbu Gyang is a prominent peak among these ridges that surround Danigar. Camp at Danigar.
Accommodation: Camping
Meals included: Breakfast Lunch Dinner
Day 10. Danigar – Yak Kharka (3860 m) via Baga La (5169m.): 6-7hrs.
There are high chances of the trail being covered with snow or frost at all time of the year making our ascend to Baga La base camp tougher. The day starts with a steep climb on the ridge seen directly from Danigar. Steep climbing continues for around 2 hours and reaches a spot with some mane stones. After the spot, the steepness decreases (yet still difficult) and a traverse towards the top of Baga La starts. It takes around 40 minutes to reach Baga La from the spot with mane stones. Most of the descend from the pass is steep and traversed over loose rocks. After an hour, a valley opens up and the trail starts to follow a stream. The stream snakes through the valley and after less than an hour, the trail moves away from the stream and starts to drop very steeply to Phedi. The descend continues farther and then changes into a comfortable and gentle walk towards the Yak Kharka which is a seasonal campsite for yak herders.
Accommodation: Camping
Meals included: Breakfast Lunch Dinner
Day 11. Yakkharka – Rigmo Village (3641m.): 3-4hrs.
Compared to the hiking of the previous days, we will enjoy the easy stroll with beautiful views of the mountains. However a steep climb starts and lasts for almost more than an hour until it reaches a stop with a prayer flag. Now, the climb eases and a huge waterfall appears on the opposite valley. Furthermore, Juniper trees and some fields appear near the trail and soon Rigmo village is seen. A bridge to cross the Phoksundo River flowing out of the Phoksundo Lake marks the entry to Rigmo village. Ringmo village also has hotels with basic facilities. We could either camp once again or enjoy our accommodation in a concrete yet traditional building. Thecampsite lies just outside of Rigmo village and right next to the Phoksundo Lake.
Accommodation: Camping
Meals included: Breakfast Lunch Dinner
Day 12. Exploration day – Phoksundo Lake
The day can be enjoyed by the side of the majestic lake or explore monasteries, side trips and the village.
Accommodation: Camping
Meals included: Breakfast Lunch Dinner
Day 13. Ringmo Village (3641 m) – Chepka (2838 m): 6 hrs.
The trek now starts to go through the valley carved by Phoksundo River. On this day we are still bound to walk downhill but nothing like the days we have already spent on the trail .The trail stays with or near Phoksundo River until the end of the trek. A comfortable trek with small ascends and descends takes through a small settlement of Rechi (2940m.). After Rechi, it takes about 3 hours to reach Chepka. Chepka is a bigger and wider place compared to Rechi.Today, We will have a very nice view of waterfall which is about 330 meters height and this is supposed the highest waterfall in the country.
Accommodation: Camping
Meals included: Breakfast Lunch Dinner
Day 14. Chepka (2838 m) – Juphal (2475 m):6-7 hrs.
Today we will have a pleasant journey from Chepka to Juphal. The trail traverses via beautiful lotus like flowers which is used for making vinegar and little other medicine. The trek follows the same pattern as of the previous day and continues in the same valley. The trail goes through small settlements of Shyangta and Kageni en route to Sulighta. Surprisingly, some villages in this route are named as Ankhe, Rahagaun and Parela, that means eye, eyebrows and eyelashes respectively. Finally the valley widens up after Sulighat and the trek head towards Dunai by the bank of Bheri River. The trail follows Bheri River and there is a final climb of around an hour to reach Juphal, the ending point of the trek.
Accommodation: Camping
Meals included: Breakfast Lunch Dinner
Day15. Jhupal – Kathmandu via Nepalgunj & transfer to hotel.
Today we have two flights ahead of us, firstly a very short flight to Nepalgunj and then on to Kathmandu. On reaching Kathmandu airport we will take you to Bhaktapur. Bhaktapur is a city in the east corner of the Kathmandu Valley. Bhaktapur has the best-preserved palace courtyards and old city center in Nepal and is listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO for its rich culture, temples, and wood, metal and stone artworks. We can spend the day taking the much needed rest or catch up on some last minute shopping in Bhaktapur.
To celebrate the successful completion of our journey, we will have farewell dinner and share the experiences about our trek.
Accommodation: Hotel in Bhaktapur
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch Dinner
Day16. Final departure
Our journey in Nepal comes to an end today. A representative of Sisne Rover will escort us to the airport approximately 3 hours before our scheduled flight. On our way home, we have plenty of time to plan our next adventure in the wonderful country of Nepal.
Meals included: Breakfast
Cost Includes:
- Airport pick up and drop
- 1 night accommodation in Kathmandu in a 3 star hotel on B/B plan
- 1 night accommodation in Nepalgunj in a 3 star hotel on B/ B plan
- 1 night accommodation in Bhaktapur in a 3 star level on B/B plan
- Flights : KTM – Nepalgunj – Juphal
- Flights : Juphal – Nepalgunj – Kathmandu
- All equipment for Camping – Tents, Kitchen utensils, Sleeping bags etc.
- Meals – breakfast , lunch and dinner during the trek
- Trekking staffs – Guide, cook , Sherpa, and porters
- Staff costs including their salary, insurance, equipment, food and accommodation
- Special permit for Lower Dolpo and National Park permits
- Medical kit (carried by your trekking guide)
Cost Excludes:
- Other any transportation except included in the section
- Extra night accommodation in Kathmandu because of early arrival, late departure, early return from mountain (due to any reason) than the scheduled itinerary
- Lunch and dinner at Kathmandu and Bhaktapur
- Travel and rescue insurance
- Personal expences(phone calls, laundry, bar bills, battery recharge, extra porters, bottle or boiled water, shower, etc.)
- Tips for guide(s), porter(s) and driver(s)
- Temple and monastery entry fee if applied
- Sightseen tour in Kathmandu
Important Note
- The itinerary mentioned is a standard guideline. It can be fully customized according to the client’s needs, requirements, and availability.
- The cost of the trip can changed according to the group size, needs, and time boundary.
- The addition or removal of activities will increase or decrease the cost of the trip respectively. This will be done through mutual understanding between the agency and the client(s).
We can customize this trip as per your schedule, budget and preferences. If you wish to discuss any aspect of this trip or your suitability for it please contact us.
