Lower Dolpo Trek

After your arrival at Tribhuwan International Airport in medieval and modernized Kathmandu, you will be warmly greeted by our office representative and transferred to the hotel. After check-in and some refreshments, our senior sherpa guide will come to meet you and give you a brief orientation about Lower Dolpo Trek. You can then go for a stroll down the street to get familiar with the neighborhood, have supper and go to bed. This is your first overnight in the valley of temples and cows, probably the most in the world.

The capital city of Nepal, Kathmandu, being the historical and cultural heart of the country, is a popular destination for tourists, trekkers and other types of adventure seekers. The city is a marvelous amalgamation of Hinduism, Tibetan Buddhism, and Western cultures and influences. Patan and Bhaktapur are its two major neighboring cities.

These two cities, like Kathmandu, have a rich historical, cultural and religious legacy which is reflected in the many temples, monuments, and artifacts that they contain. You will be taken on a half-day guided tour of Kathmandu and Bhaktapur cities.

In Kathmandu, you will be visiting Pashupatinath, the most famous and revered Hindu shrine in the country; Boudhanath, the largest Buddhist stupa in Nepal, Soyambhunath, which contains both Buddhist and Hindu shrines and stands as testimony to the religious harmony that exists in the country; and the 15th-century 55-window palace in Bhaktapur.

Today, we fly to the western side of Nepal. It is about a 1-hour flight from Kathmandu to Nepalgunj. Situated nearby the Nepal-India border, Nepalgunj offers you the taste of both Hindu and Muslim culture. Overnight at the hotel inclusive full board meals.

After our breakfast, we will catch another flight to reach Juphal. It will take about 45 minutes to reach Juphal with a scenic view of the mountains. Upon arriving at Juphal our trekking crew will receive you, these guys have done a tough hike from Nepalgunj with the camping gear and food supply which takes about 5-6 days.

From Juphal, a short 2-3 hrs walk from the airstrip takes us to our first overnight camp at Dunai village. Our first day on the trail begins with an hour of downhill hiking through the village below the airstrip, then leading through the terraced fields to the Bheri River and the narrow gorge taking 2-3 hours to camp at Dunai.

This is a much larger village or rather, a small township, with a new hospital and is the administrative headquarters of the Dolpo region. Here we have ample time for a leisurely walk around the village. Overnight at a tented camp with all meals.

Today’s trek leads through many small streams and then follows the Bheri and Barbung river that runs through a tremendous gorge with pine trees and an ingenious path built about seven meters above the river; after a good walk, we come to Tarakot where colorful terraced fields greet us.

Tarakot is an old fortress town built by the local people as Dzong or fort. Tarakot was the capital before the Gorkha dynasty reigned in Nepal. The famed Sandul gompa lies farther east of Tarakot and at the junction of Barbung Khola(river) and Tarup Chu (river). The village stands on a hillock to the south of Bheri River which at one time supervised the collection of tolls for the trading caravans.

Our overnight camp is made by the river about 150m below the village, near the police post or we climb a steep ridge for an hour to the village on a spur, where there are chortens and a gompa on the edge of a grassy plateau with solitary trees scattered around. Overnight in Tarakot at a tented camp with all meals inclusive.

After breakfast After breakfast, we will leave for Laini which is about 6-7 hours walk. We will catch away following the Tarap Chu River. We have to cross some suspension bridges and the same river again. We can see a famous Gompa named Sandul Gompa little further on a junction where Barbung River and Tarap Chu River meet. The trail goes through terraced farming inside some beautiful villages. Then walking downwards for some time, we will be at Laini. Overnight in Laini at a tented camp inclusive full board meals.

We will start our trek early morning after our breakfast. We will leave for Nawarpani, we will continue following the Tarap Chu River walking on the way made by steep stones. You can feel the different experience of walking today because you will get some narrow gorges on the way where you have to jump from one place to another.

On the way, the path disappears in some places where we have to make the way to our effort. We have to place logs between the stones which will work as a bridge. This will be an exciting walk. Walking a little further, we will reach Nawarpani. Overnight in Nawarpani at a tented camp inclusive of full board meals.

Our morning walk begins with a gradual up leading us to Kamattarka at the confluence of the Tarap Chu and Lang Khola, a stream flowing from the east. After few hours of good morning hiking, we leave the narrow gorge & from here the path leads just above tree lines of juniper bush and wild rose, typical of dry inner Himalayan valleys.

Another 3 hours or more walking brings us to the village of Dho Tarap surrounded by an irregular stone wall. At Dho, thirty-four houses are divided into three groups and built randomly, it’s pretty interesting! In this Valley, both Bon Po and Chaiba sects reside together. Tarap is also inhabited by a few Tibetans and mostly Magars who have lived here for many generations. Overnight at a tented camp by the village yard with all meals.

This is a well-deserved rest day free from the hassles of packing today and a chance to make friends with the locals who have hardly seen Westerners for ages. It’s always good to interact with the local folks & give the kids some toffees if you have them.

The Dolpo people wear homespun clothing that is sometimes dyed maroon and they favor Tibetan style Somba or Dhocha (boots with upturned toes) for footwear. Both men and women often wear religious amulets and strings of coral, amber and turquoise. The people of the region are both Bon Po and Nyingmapa of the Buddhist sect.

The Buddhist Gompa is nearby to the camp while the Bon Gompa (pre-Buddhist) is about half an hour’s walk away. Overnight at a tented camp with all meals inclusive.

After exploring Dho Tarap village, our journey heads towards Numa La Base Camp which is about 6-7 hours walk. Going upwards from Dho Tarap village, the trail leads you inside the plain valleys with the view of the river covered by green grasses on both sides which is a different view than others you can have in this region.

We will then follow Tarap Chu upward all the way. After having an hour’s walk, we will be at Tokyo village where we can see a monastery of the Chiba group. We can have some roaming around this village.

The trek from here may be a little difficult as we have to walk over a rough path for about 3 hours. Finally, we will be at Numa La Base Camp. Overnight at Numa La Base Camp on tented camp inclusive full board meals.

Our journey continues with the crossing of Numa La pass at 5,190m, the track goes to a steep climb to the top ridge of Numa La with fantastic views of the surrounding landscapes; the scenery of the valleys, & mountains including the north face of the Dhaulagiri massif along with other distant snow-capped peaks is so spiritually invigorating.

After a glorious moment at the pass, almost three hours of downhill hiking brings us to Palungtang 4,465m or further for the overnight camp just before Baga-la or Basi-la pass. We bunk out here with all meals inclusive.

The trek today also goes across high altitudes as we have to cross Baga La pass of 5070 meters. The journey commences with a steep climb up to the top of Baga La which is difficult to climb but worth climbing as you can have a beautiful view of the surrounding landscapes and snowcapped peaks of the Kanjirowa Mountain range.

After spending some time, we will walk downward for about 3 hours to reach Dajok Tang. Overnight at a tented camp in Dajok inclusive of all meals.

The morning trek starts with a steep climb to reach the ridge top of Baga-la at 5,070m, which offers fantastic views of the surrounding landscapes and the distant snow-capped peaks of the Kanjiroba Himal range.

After a great moment here our walk leads to descent for 2 hours through a pine forest; on leaving the forest behind, the country and the vegetation changes for pasture fields and alpine shrubs most of the way to Ringmo on the gradual slopes with few ups and downs.

As we reach our final destination at Ringmo and the crystal serene Lake of Phoksumdo. We crash out in this lovely area at a tented camp with all meals inclusive.

The nearby Tibetan Buddhist monastery is well worth a visit, as is the village of Ringmo. A walk partway around the lake is also very enjoyable and relaxing. It’s a wonderful place to just chill out & let your spirits go free. You could also perhaps, get rid of your demons down here. Overnight at a tented camp with all meals inclusive.

Today we will descend downwards to Chepka after having breakfast. It is believed that we can get many important medicinal minerals that cure many diseases. Then we pass through some lovely villages. After some more walking, we will reach Shyanta. Overnight at Shyanta in a tented camp inclusive of full board meals.

Today, we trek from Shyanta to Juphal. From Shyanta we follow the river trail downstream to Juphal. We walk uphill through meadows and past a few houses to the small hotels at Kala Gaura (2090m). After several hours of walking, we finally reach Juphal, which is the endpoint of our trek. We bunk out here in our tents with all meals inclusive.

Today is the last day of our Lower Dolpo Trek. We will take a flight to Kathmandu via Nepalgunj from Juphal. After we reach Kathmandu, you will be taken to your hotel. We don’t have any plans today, so you can either take a rest or visit around town for some shopping. Overnight at the hotel inclusive breakfast.

After breakfast and our last day in Kathmandu, our vehicle and escorts will be on standby to drop you off at the international airport three hours before our scheduled flight back home. At Glorious Adventure, meeting you has been a great honor and we pray for your Safe journey home and will reflect on the wonderful times we spent together. Bon Voyage!!! We hope to see you again someday…