Upper Dolpo Trek

• Hotel breakfast and checkout
• Arrival at the airport and transfer to your hotel by our representative
• Hotel rest / explore the streets of Thamel
• A special welcome dinner will be organized in a traditional Nepali restaurant
• Overnight stay at your hotel in Kathmandu

Meals:

• Hotel breakfast
• Meeting the Peregrine Treks & Expedition office for your trek preparation
• Sightseeing around Kathmandu:
  • Swayambunath Monkey Temple
  • Bouddhanath Buddhist Stupa
  • The Hindu Temple of Pashupatinath
  • The Royal Durbar Square of Kathmandu
• The rest of the day is free for souvenir shopping or leisure
• Overnight stay in Kathmandu city

Meals: Breakfast

• Hotel breakfast and checkout
• Our driver will transfer you to the domestic airport
• Catch an hour flight to Nepalgunj located in the Terai region of Nepal
• Sightseeing n Nepalgunj
• Overnight stay at Nepalgunj

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

• Breakfast and departure
• Take the morning flight to Jhupal
• From Jhupal we start the trek officially
• Hiking through the terraced fields towards the narrow gorge of the Bheri River
• Continuing on we soon reach Dunai
• Explore around Dunai
• Overnight stay in Dunai

Traveler’s note: from our flight we can see fantastic mountain views of the Annapurna and the Dhaulagiri! Did you know that Dunai town is the administrative headquarter of the whole Dolpo region!

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

• Breakfast and departure
• After leaving Dunai behind, we cross a suspension bridge and head west passing a hospital
• Ascending upwards through the treeless Tulo Bheri valley we reach the fertile Phoksundo River valley
• Passing by amazing walnut groves and the Dhera and Rahagaun villages
• The trail descends now and leads us through dense jungles until reaching Ankhe
• Overnight stay in Ankhe

Traveler’s note: today we get to see the mighty Kagmara peak!

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

• Breakfast and departure
• Starting with an ascending and descending trail, we follow the riverbank
• A steep climb brings us above the river and into more grassy terrain
• From here we head downwards back into the tree line we reach a cliff
• Here we take a drop-down and traverse a stone staircase to the riverbank
• A final trek brings us to Sunlight
• Overnight stay in Sunlight

Traveler’s note: while climbing up above the river, we can cool down in the various fresh streams. While heading down on the stone staircase, we should take our time as it can be a bit wobbly!

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

• Breakfast and departure
• Following the valley floor, we reach the confluence of the Pungmo and Phokundo Rivers
• Crossing the bridge, we take the path leading on the western bank of the Pungmo River
• Heading through a beautiful cedar forest, we reach Palam village
• Descending from the Palam ridge, we head through birch forests to arrive at the upper reaches of the Phoksundo Lake and Ringmo village
• A short walk from Ringmo brings us to the shores of the Phoksundo Lake
• Overnight stay at Phoksundo

Traveler’s note: From the ridge of Palam village we get to see amazing views of one of the largest waterfalls in Nepal and the Phoksundo Lake, make sure to have your cameras ready after reaching Palam village! Ringmo has beautiful Chortens and Mani walls, but we get to explore them the next day.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

• Breakfast
• Today we enjoy Phoksundo Lake and explore around Ringmo village
• Before noon we hike up to Ringmo and explore around town and its unique Tibetan Buddhist Monastery
• After taking our lunch, we get to relax at the lake or roam around and find that perfect photo spot
• Overnight stay at Phoksundo

Traveler’s note: Ringmo villages have their traditions and culture, the people here where traditional attires. Homespun clothing, sometimes dyed maroon and Tibetan style footwear called samba or dacha. Religious jewelry is prevalent and made of coral, amber, and turquoise.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

• Breakfast and departure
• We follow the western bank of the Phoksundo Lake around its rocky edge
• Carefully traverse the slippery trail of wet rocks and trees
• Once reaching the far west side of the lake, the path opens up into the flooded plains of the Phoksundo river
• The road becomes difficult as the marshlands slow us down and we need to watch our every step
• At the edge of the march, we reach the bank of the Phoksundo River
• Overnight camp at the Phoksundo River

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

• Breakfast and departure
• We hike for about an hour along a level path into the glacial valley that leads us up north
• After reaching the confluence of a mountain stream and the Phoksundo Khola we cross an old wooden bridge
• Following the northeastern route, we got along and steep climb up to a steep meadow until reaching a steep ravine
• A final climb brings us to the open valley with amazing views of the Kang-La Pass
• Overnight camp at Bhanjyang

Traveler’s note: Peter Matthiessen christened this campsite as the “Snowfields Camp.” It’s essential to have good night sleep as we face the Kang-La Pass of 5,360m tomorrow.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

• Early breakfast and departure
• We start today’s trek by ascending a steep trail full with black slate rocks
• At one point we start to climb upwards to the top of the Kang-La
• We take a well-deserved break and take some pictures
• From here the path goes steeply downwards into the valley floor
• The views become more open as we follow the river and multiple times crossing it
• After a final crossing over a log bridge, we reach the Shey Gompa
• Overnight stay in Shey Gompa

Traveler’s note: Along the river, we get to see a lot of hill caves looking over the river. Today we have chances to witness the Yaks, mountain goats and sheep peacefully grazing in the fields.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

• Breakfast
• Explore the Buddhist village of Shey
• We will use this day to get used to the high altitude and hike around the village
• Some sightseeing point at Shey Village:
  • Shey Gompa
  • Crystal Mountain
  • The culture of the Bon Po teachings
• Overnight stay at Shey Gompa

Traveler’s note: Did you know that the Shey Gompa was built in 1655! A giant golden copper statue of a seated Shakyamuni Buddha marks the entrance of this ancient monastery.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

• Breakfast and departure
• An easy-going trail leads us through Juniper trees and descends into a stone canyon
• From here we ascend slowly zigzagging our way up to the top of the Saldang-La Pass
• We take a break and enjoy the views from the top of the Pass
• After a short rest, we descend a long path leading north and passing by nomadic tents made of yak hair and their grazing sheep and yaks
• We finally reach Namduna Gaun

Traveler’s note: Did you know that Gaun is Nepali for Village? Namduna Gaun has a red stone monastery build against the cliff, an exciting site to explore.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

• Breakfast and departure
• A short climb brings us up a sloop and into a barren mountain area
• A hard climb of about 3 to 4 hours brings above Saldang village that is located just above the Namga Khola
• Overnight stay in Saldang

Traveler’s note: Saldang village is the largest village of the inner Dolpo area, with a village area of 2 kmand about six hundred villagers residing, Saldang is worth exploring and visiting the market place.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

• Breakfast and departure
• We start by following the Nagaon Khola (River) up north through empty terrain
• The path is mostly gradual with some ascends and descends
• Passing the Marang and Ki villages, we reach a crossing of a side stream from the Panzang River
• Following the River, to the east, we come to a final crossing and reach up to the Yangtze Gompa
• Overnight stay at the Yangtze Gompa

Traveler’s note: The Yangtze Gompa houses an ancient Bon-Po Buddhist Monastery, worth a visit!

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

• Breakfast and departure
• We take the trail back to Saldang to save some time
• After Saldang we follow the River until reaching Namdo village
• A short break at Namdo and we continue along the river to our campsite near the Sibu settlement
• Overnight camp at Sibu

Traveler’s note: From Saldang to Namdo, we get to see ancient Chortens, spiritual Mani Stones, and an old Chaiba Monastery. At the edge of Namdo, we also can visit the Namdo Village Monastery shortly.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

• Breakfast and departure
• We start by following the Nam Khong Khola (River)
• After a while, we turn east until reaching a joining of two streams
• From here we begin to ascend steeply to a grazing area just below the Jeng-La Pass
• Overnight camp at Jeng-La Phedi

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

• Early breakfast and departure
• We start by heading up the Jeng-La Pass
• Ascending for about two hours, we reach the top of the Pass and enjoy the views
• From here we descend on rough going trails into the Tarap Valley
• We head on until reaching Tokyu
• Overnight camp near Tokyu village

Traveler’s note: from the top of the Pass we get to see incredible panoramas of the entire Dhaulagiri massif.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

• Breakfast and departure
• Today is a short trek, and we head downhill through a plain valley
• Following the river, we get to see some marshlands and lush green grass trails
• Arrival in Dho Tarap
• Overnight stay in Dho Tarap

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

• Breakfast and departure
• Today we descend in the valley until the trail leads into a narrow gorge
• From here we hike through juniper trees and rose bushes
• After a good half-day of trekking, we will reach the confluence of the Lang and Tarap Chu Rivers
• Here we can find a beautiful meadow to make up our camp
• Overnight camp at Tarap Khola also known as Kamakharka

Traveler’s note: on this day it’s common to see herds of blue sheep! Did you know that the Lang Khola and the Tarap Chu join into the big Tarap River further up east?

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

• Breakfast and departure
• Hiking along the gorge of the Tarap river this day is promising to be full of adventure
• We continue the whole day following the canyon, crossing it and entering it
• After a good day of trekking, we reach our campsite
• Overnight camp near Khanigaon

Traveler’s note: The gorge trek today is so spectacular, as it narrows down we can jump across it, sometimes even the path disappears, and we need to improvise a way using slate rocks and broken tree logs!

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

• Breakfast and departure
• Our trek starts by following the trail that brings us to Lalberi village
• From here we head through lush forests and descend a gorge
• A river will guide our path to Tarakot village
• We make our camp about 150 meters down Tarakot near the Tarap Chu River
• Overnight camp at Tarakot

Traveler’s note: After reaching Tarakot we can visit the Sandul Gompa about 8 km east of the village.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

• Breakfast and departure
• A trail behind the Bheri River brings us to a crossing after passing Lawan village
• We continue ascending slowly along the Bheri River until reaching Byas Gadi
• Following an easy-going path westwards until we can cross the river at Lochakhola Gaon
• A final ascend brings us to Dunai
• Overnight stay at Dunai village

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

• Breakfast and departure
• Today is our last day of trekking, and we enjoy the scenery for the last time
• The trail passes by the Dhupichaur and Rugged villages and an old temple
• Heading further, we hike through the Motipur and Kalagaonda villages and finally reaching Jhuphal airstrip
• Overnight stay in Jhuphal

Traveler’s note: we take an early flight in the morning so better to take an early sleep. Please consult with your trek leader for the exact flight times.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

• Early breakfast and departure
• From Jhuphal we take a short flight back to Nepalgunj and transfer on another flight back to Kathmandu
• Our representative will be there at the airport in Kathmandu and transfers you to your hotel
• In the evening, Peregrine Treks and Expedition team will organize dinner
• Overnight stay at Kathmandu city

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

• Hotel breakfast and checkout
• Transfer to the International airport 3 hours before your departing time

Meals: Breakfast