Upper Dolpo Itinerary
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Day 01 Welcome to Kathmandu.
On your arrival in Kathmandu, a Himalayan Paradise Treks representative will be at the airport to welcome you. We take you by our vehicle to drop you off at your hotel. The remainder of the day will be for you to relax, catch up on sleep, explore the surroundings on your own, or we will definitely be happy to guide you around the city. Overnight in hotel -
Day 02 Trip preparation, sightseeing and flight to Nepalgunj.
We will meet after breakfast at your hotel lobby to review your trip and equipment. This way, if you realize you are missing anything, there is opportunity to buy it. After briefing you about the trip we will go for a sightseeing tour around Kathmandu Valley to visit some famous sites such as Swayambhunath – the oldest monument in the valley and Kathmandu Durbar Square. After lunch, your Himalayan Paradise Trek representative will take you to the domestic airport for departure to Nepalgunj. Overnight in hotel -
Day 03 Fly from Nepalgunj to Juphal and trek to Dunai, 3-4 hrs.
After breakfast we leave for the airport to fly from Nepalgunj to Juphal. We get started on our first day of trekking walking through terraced fields and following the narrow canyon of the Bheri River to Dunai.
Overnight camp at Dunai
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Day 04 Dunai to Chhepka, 6-7 hrs.
The real adventurous journey starts from today! Today is a long trek that is quite hard on legs for those who are out of practice. We leave Dunai and cross the suspension bridge to follow the crystal clear Phoksondo River, traversing suspension bridges several times on our way to the entrance of Shey Phoksundo National Park. We walk through walnut forests keeping our eyes keen for wildlife. The trail becomes steeper as we near Chhepka, a small village surrounded by millet and wheat fields. Overnight camp at Chhepka -
Day 05 Chhepka to Samduwa/ Amchi Hospital, 6-7 hrs.
The trail today is long but does not gain much elevation, so it will not be too tiring. The trail continues to follow the Phoksondo River up the valley ascending through an alpine forest of larch, birch, and chestnut trees. We may stop near the small village of Rimchi for lunch. Nearing the Amchi Hospital there is a boarding school with more than 300 students. We stop to visit the Amchi Hospital before reaching our campsite at Samduwa. The Amchi art of healing, rooted in Tibetan medicine, has existed since the Bonpo civilisation. As there are no modern medical doctors in the area, the Amchi provides the only health treatments available. Overnight camp at Samduwa -
Day 06 Samduwa to Phoksundo Lake, 5-6 hrs.
Today our trail starts out flat but then ascends steeply for 3 hours to reach a view tower from where we can see the the 365-meter high Phoksundo waterfall, Phoksundo Lake and Ringmo Village. Looking behind you you will see Norbu Khang, 6085m, the South Face of Kanjirowa, 6612m. At Ringmo village we cross the river and enter the national park. The campsite we use for two nights is only 10 minutes from Ringmo village. Overnight camp at Phoksundo Lake -
Day 07 Rest day at Phoksundo Lake.
Today is a much needed acclimatization day, which is great, as there is plenty to explore. Phoksundo Lake is a greenish-blue color similar to the Tibetan turquoise. If you toss a rock in, you can watch it sink most of the way to the bottom. According to legend, a female demon, fleeing from the saint Padmasambhava gave the villagers a turquoise after they promised not to tell that she had passed by. Padmasambhava, angry that the villagers would not tell, turned the turquoise into a lump of dung. This upset the local people so much that they revealed the demon's whereabouts. Padmasambhava then caused the flood which covered the village. It is said that you can still see the remains of the village below the surface of the lake.
There is a monastic community around the lake, where there are five gompas which contain old Buddhist paintings, statues, as well as trappings of the Bon-Po religion. Overnight camp at Phoksundo Lake
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Day 08 Phoksundo Lake to Phoksundo Khola or forest camp, 5-6hrs.
From the southern end of Phoksundo Lake, a precarious wooden trail supported on pegs driven into crevices in the rocks clings to the cliff, taking you up the western side of the lake. After reaching the top of the hill overlooking the lake, the trail is up and down through pine forest until you reach the point where the Phoksundo Khola enters the lake. A lush meadow opens up into a long valley. Crisscrossing the Phoksundo Khola we follow the valley which becomes increasingly barren until we reach our camping spot for the night.
Overnight in forest camp
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Day 09 Trek from Phoksundo Khola to Snowfield Camp, 5-6 hrs.
The trail now heads due north though a glacial valley. The Phoksundo Khola joins another mountain stream and there is an old wooden bridge. The trail more or less disappears, and we head northeast up the valley, climbing over rocks and boulders and crossing back and forth across the stream till we reach a sheep meadow. From
here the trail veers up a steep ravine we camp below the pass. Overnight in Snowfield Camp
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Day 10 Trek from Snowfield Camp via Kang La pass to shey gompa, 6-7 hrs.
The climb to the pass is steep and physically demanding as it is littered with loose scree. It takes about 2.5 -3 hours to reach the pass. The views from the top are worth it all. You look down upon a large valley, which is bisected by a gushing river. From here it is a steep and quick descent to the valley floor and then a meandering trek along the banks of the river, crossing and re –crossing it several times. A red chorten heralds the gate to Shey Gompa. We cross the river on a quaint log bridge and start the climb up to the Shey Gompa compound. Shey means “crystal”. Crystal Mountain is to the west of Shey monastery. It is a very strange mountain indeed. Its contorted cliffs are laced with quartz and embedded with a rich variety of marine fossils. The Gompa, built in the 11th century, is not large, and there are no significant artifacts or paintings in its premises, except for an ancient Tibetan scroll that describes the legend of the Crystal Mountain and Shey Gompa. Overnight camp at Shey Gompa -
Day 11 Trek from Shey Gompa via Saldang La to namgung, 6-7 hrs.
We trek east from Shey Gompa through a grey stony canyon taking about two hours to ascend to the pass. From the pass we enjoy the magnificent view of Mustang to the east, Tibet to north and mountains like Kanjiroba, Kagmara, and Riu Dhukta. .of the arid landscapes of Mustang and the snow-capped peaks in Tibet. We descend from the barren landscape of the pass turning northward descend to yak and sheep pastures, which indicate we have reached Namgung village, which consists of a new monastery and about six stone houses and its surrounding terraced fields of barley, buckwheat, potatos and radish. Camping in Namgung -
Day 12 Trek from Namgung to Saldang, 5-6 hrs.
We have time to explor the Namgung Gompa before starting our day’s trekking. The Namgung Gompa houses terracotta images of Sakyamuni Buddha, Dorje Chang, and Guru Rinpoche. As we trek today, we will pass yak caravans on the trail, as the Saldang is a trading village where traders throng with their caravans. We can either traverse high above the Namgung Khola to Karang or descend to the river and cross over to the northern side and follow upstream to the west. Camping in Saldang -
Day 13 Rest day at Saldang.
Layover day, Today you can explore the picturesque Saldang village which stretches for nearly two kilometers and really consists of five villages having about eighty well-built houses with nearly six hundred people. The landscape is barren. There are some old monasteries like Samye Chhiling Monastery and Jova Monastery along with their many mani walls and payer flags. Saldang is also a trading village on the route to Tibet. Camping in Saldang
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Day 14 Trek from Saldang to Khomagaon, 6-7 hrs.
The day we decend to the river and then ascend all the way to Khoma La pass, 4460m. We descend to to Khomagaon below the pass. Gan in Nepali means village.
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Day 15 Trek from Khomagaon to Shimengaon, 6-7 hrs.
Continue up the valley to Mugaon and climb towards another pass, Muri La, 5030m. We descend from the pass to Shimen Village.
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Day 16 Shimengaon to Tinjegaon, 6-7 hrs.
Today we follow the course of the river gently leading us uphill to Tinje, a village located in a widespread valley.
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Day 17 Trek from Tinje to Kharka, 6-7 hrs.
We leave Tinje by passing the runway of the mysterious Tinje Airport to a trail junction, where a high route leads to Tarap. We continue southwards to a campsite on the banks of river at Kharka, which means pasture.
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Day 18 Trek from Kharka to Chharka Bhot, 6-7 hrs.
It’s a long climb to the Chharka La pass, 4920m, from Kharka. The trail then descends along the side of the valley, making a big drop into a side valley, then a long traverse down to the picturesque village of Chharka Bhot on the bank of Barbung Khola (river).
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Day 19 Trek from Chharka to Nurbulung, 6-7 hrs.
Climb to a crest and descend again to the river. Follow the right fork southward, climbing in and out of side valley on a rough trail. The valley narrows, then emerge into a big meadow and climbs to the Nulungsumde.
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Day 20 Trek from Nurbulung to Sangda Phedi, 7-8 hrs.
Climb to a yak pasture at Molum Suman and on to a crest. Make a long traverse across meadows to the foot of the Sangda La, then a long, steep final climb to pass the switchback down to the Sangda Phedi.
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Day 21 Trek from Sangda Phedi to Santa village, 5-6 hrs.
Climb to lower Shangri-La, and then descend through loose shale toward the village of Sangde Ghunsa (4,190m) Drop to the Chalung Khola, crossing and climbing steeply up the opposite bank. A long traverse leads to cairn and then a set of steep switchbacks descends to a stream. Another climb to the compact settlement of Sangda ends a long day.
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Day 22 Trek from Santa to jomsom, 5-6 hrs.
Climb the hill behind Santa and spend most of the day making a high traverse, crossing nine ridges to a final crest. Descend into the Kali Gandaki valley, traversing under high cliffs and descending to the large village of Kagbeni and drive to Jomsom by jeep or bus. 40m. Overnight in lodge.
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Day 23 Fly to Pokara in the morning.
Early in the morning transfer to the Jomsom Airport for the 25 minutes flight to Pokara. Upon arrival at Pokara Airport, transfer to the hotel in Pokara. Afternoon free time for relaxing or visit around Phewa lake
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Day 24 Fly back to Kathmandu.
Transfer to the Pokara Airport for the 30 minutes flight in the afternoon back to Kathmandu. Upon arrival at Kathmandu, transfer to the hotel in Kathmandu. overnight stay at Kathmandu Hotel.
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Day 25 Sightseeing tour of Bhaktapur city
After breakfast, met by the tour guide & the waiting vehicle, and start a half –day sightseeing tour Pashupatinath – to immerse into Hindu death rites on the bank of a holy river, and Boudhanath –a massive Buddhist shrine considered as the biggest in the world. After completing the sightseeing around Kathmandu our guide will bring you to Hotel.
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Day 26 Departure from Kathmandu
Transfer to the Airport for the final departure from Kathmandu.
