We know you want to spend some time in absolute wilderness, far from modern settlements. For this, the Lower Dolpo trek in the Dolpo region is unequivocally your brilliant choice. Located in western Nepal, it is a high altitude region in the upper part of the Dolpa district.
Archaic and exotic, the region is culturally Tibetan. It is very thinly populated, and its people are the followers of the Bon—an animistic religion that predates Buddhism.
Lower Dolpo trek is evidently the lower part of Dolpo, sandwiched between the Dhaulagiri range and the Tibetan plateau. The trek begins from Juphal—first the flight will take you from Kathmandu to Nepalgunj, and from there you will be taken to Juphal by next flight. Thus, your trekking adventure will take the charge from here.
The trail traverses across varied landscapes—meadows, pine and oak forests, arid to semi-arid region. You will be surrounded by rolling hills and snowcapped mountains. The thrill will increase with the steps!
The trek is pertinent to high altitude trekkers, and even if you are not one such but audacious, you can make it only to find exotic animals, such as blue sheep and snow leopard in the Shey Phoksundo National Park.
In addition to this, you will be spellbound by the gleaming cobalt-blue Shey Phoksundo Lake. Furthermore, the Numala Pass and the Bagala Pass at 5115 m and 5100 m respectively are also its major attractions from where you will have a majestic view of the Mt. Dhaulagiri (8167 m) and the Tibetan ranges the Kugung La and the Khyung La.
The region’s Eastern and the Southern parts appear supernal with the Dhaulagiri, the Nilgiri, the Kyangyu, the Ripa and the Annapurna range. Moreover, you will cross the passes to reach the Dho Tarap village at 4040 m.
Lower Dolpo trekking is not the only natural, but also culturally exotic, since the people here have close to the Tibetan way of life, and the religion they follow is animistic Bon Po, predating traditional Buddhism.
The trek is convenient in a way that the trail is always scant with the trekkers, for independent trekkers are not allowed and on top of that, a special permit is required from the government of Nepal. And, what furthers the ease the simplicity, hospitality and the kindness of villagers.
This all is going to make your trek truly special—a lifetime experience of beauty and boldness, a remote world and wilderness! A worthwhile experience.
Day 01: Arrival at Kathmandu
Day 02: Visit Swoyambunath & Patan
Day 03: Flight Kathmandu to Nepalgunj
Day 04: Flight Nepalgunj to Juphal and trek to Dunai
Day 05: Trek Dunai to Tarakot
Day 06: Trek Tharakot to Laina Odar
Day 07: Trek Laina Odar to Nawarpani
Day 08: Trek Nawarpani to Dho Tarap
Day 09: Acclimatization day in Dho Tarap
Day 10: Trek Dho Tharap to Numa La Base camp
Day 11: Trek Numa-La Base camp to West Base camp / Danigar via Numa la Pass (South)
Day 12: Trek Danigar to Yak kharka / Bagala Base camp via Bagala Pass
Day 13: Trek Yak Kharka / Bagala Base camp to Phoksundo / Ringmo village
Day 14: Exploration day in Phoksundo Lake
Day 15: Trek Phoksundo to Chhekpa
Day 16: Trek Chepka to Juphal
Day 17: Flight Juphal to Nepalgunj to Kathmandu
Day 18: Free Day in Kathmandu
Day 19: Visit Bhaktapur
Day 20: Transfer to airport and departure
Day 01: Arrival at Kathmandu airport and you will be transferred to the hotel by one of our representatives. Welcome dinner at one of the Nepali Traditional restaurants in Kathmandu.
Overnight: Hotel
Elevation: 1334m
Day 02: Visit Swoyambunath and Patan: start our tour visiting a magnificent Buddhist stupa, Swoyambunath followed by a visit of Patan, a true open air museum with its pagodas, temples, and monasteries.
Overnight: Hotel
Day 03: Flight Kathmandu to Nepalgunj (165m): A scenic flight to Nepalgunj for about an hour. Nepalgunj is a small city which lies near the Indian border in the Terai region of Nepal.
Overnight: Guest House
Flight Time: 45 minutes
Difference in Elevation: -1169m
Day 04: Flight Nepalgunj to Juphal and trek to Dunai (2140m): Early morning flight takes you to Juphal which offers you wonderful view of precipitous hillsides and the river valley. Then we start our epic journey to nomadic land.
Overnight: Camping
Flight Time: 35 minutes
Walking Time: 3 hours
Difference in Elevation: +1975m.
Day 05: Trek Dunai to Tarakot (2537m): Following the trail along the south bank of the Thulo Bheri and ascending slowly upstream crossing this river many times we arrive to our campsite below the fortress of Tarakot village. It is worth climbing to the village for a spectacular view of surroundings.
Overnight: Camping
Walking Time: 5-6 hours
Difference in Elevation: + 397m
Day 06: Trek Tharakot to Laina Odar (3370m): The trek steadily ascends following the Thuli Bheri and going through fir and juniper forest.
Overnight: Camping
Walking Time: 6 hours
Difference in Elevation: + 833m
Day 07: Trek Laina Odar to Nawarpani (3475m): As we continue, we follow a river valley of Tarap Khola and go through some up and down hills.
Overnight: Camping
Walking Time: 6 - 7 hours
Difference in Elevation: + 105m
Day 08: Trek Nawarpani to Dho Tarap (3944m): Following Tarap kholo gorge and climbing gently to weatherworn chortens on top of the ridge we continue our trek through rocky trail and cross a bridge beneath a huge cliff to the east bank. We continue climbing up the canyon alongside the river. As we approach to Dho Tarap, we get a glimpse of the white Ribo Bumpa Gomba. Then a short climb along with the ancient chortens takes us to our camp site in a grassy meadow at the southern side of the village.
Overnight: Camping
Walking Time: 6 hours
Difference in Elevation: + 469m
Day 09: Acclimatization day in Dho Tarap (3944m): As our body needs to acclimatize to the gaining altitudes, we spend another night in Dho Tarap to give enough time for this process. We visit some monasteries and surrounding during the day.
Overnight: Camping
Day 10: Trek Dho Tharap to Numa La Base camp (4440m): After getting well acclimatized with the altitude, we continue our trek towards the passes. The trek to Numala Base camp provides spectacular views of the Mt. Dhaulagiri, (8167m), Annapurna and Nilgiri ranges.
Overnight: Camping
Walking Time: 6 hours
Difference in Elevation: +496m
Day 11: Trek Numa-La Base camp to West Base camp / Danigar (4630m) via Numa la Pass (South) (5238m): Today we cross Numa la pass (5238m) and camp at west base camp just before Bagala pass. It is one of the challenging days as it goes through the high pass. It is about 6 hours trek with the spectacular view of the surrounding mountains.
Overnight: Camping
Walking Time: 6 hours
Difference in Elevation: + 190m
Day 12: Trek Danigar to Yak kharka / Bagala Base camp (3982m) via Bagala Pass (5214m): We continue our trek crossing another high pass, Bagala Pass (5214m) and descend towards Phoksundo valley. It is another challenging day going through the pass and takes about 6 hours to reach our camp at Bagala Base camp.
Overnight: Camping
Walking Time: 6 hours
Difference in Elevation: - 648m
Day 13: Trek Yak Kharka / Bagala Base camp to Phoksundo / Ringmo village (3733m): It is fairly easy walk to Phoksundo / Ringmo village for about 3 hours, which gives you enough time to visit Phoksundo Lake and surroundings.
Overnight: Camping
Walking Time: 3 hours
Difference in Elevation: - 249m
Day 14: Free Day in Phoksundo Lake: We spend another night in Phoksundu to enjoy the lake and explore the surroundings.
Overnight: Camping
Day 15: Trek Phoksundo to Chhekpa (2838m): We continue our trek following the river valley of Phosudo khola. It's about 6 hours trek and goes through some green pastures.
Overnight: Camping
Walking Time: 6 -7 hours
Difference in Elevation: - 895m
Day 16: Trek Chepka to Juphal (2475m): It is mostly downhill trek up to our lunch spot in Sulighat then a steep climb takes us to Juphal. It is about 8 hours trek and goes through some fir and juniper forest.
Overnight: Camping
Walking Time: 8 hours
Difference in Elevation: - 363m
Day 17: Flight Juphal to Nepalgunj to Kathmandu (1334m): Early morning flight takes us to Nepalgunj to connect with our flight to Kathmandu.
Overnight: Hotel
Flight Juphal - Nepalgunj: 35 minutes
Flight Nepalgunj - Kathmandu: 45 minutes
Difference in Elevation: - 1141m
Day 18: Free Day in Kathmandu.
Overnight: Hotel
Day 19: Visit Bhaktapur: drive for an hour to visit oldest part of the Kathmandu valley called Bhaktapur.
Overnight: Hotel
Day 20: Transfer to airport and departure.
Special Note: This Itinerary can be customized according to the duration of your holiday. The Trek can be operated only by Camping accommodation. We have many options for shorter visits based on your interests and budget.
NOTE: The price of the tour will be adjusted according to the group size.
| Srl. | Description | Qty. | Remarks | |
| 01 | Day back-pack | 1 | ||
| 02 | Gore-Tex Jacket | 1 | ||
| 03 | Down Jacket | 1 | ||
| 04 | Fleece Jacket | 1 | ||
| 05 | Micro Fleece | 1 | ||
| 06 | Trekking pants(Trousers) | 2 - 3 | ||
| 07 | Hiking shoes (Boots) | 1 | ||
| 08 | Runners (sport shoes) | 1 | ||
| 09 | Trekking Socks | 3 | ||
| 10 | Rain poncho | 1 | ||
| 11 | Sun-glasses | 1 | ||
| 12 | Water bottles | 2 | ||
| 13 | Thermal underwear(long) | 1 - 2 | ||
| 14 | T- shirts | 2 - 3 | ||
| 15 | Sunscreen/lotion | 1 | ||
| 16 | Flip flop (sandal) | 1 | ||
| 17 | Towel | 1 | ||
| 18 | Hat(Baseball cap) | 1 | ||
| 19 | Pristine drops (Water purifier) | 1 | ||
| 20 | Head light/flash light | 1 | ||
| 21 | Sleeping Bag | 1 | ||
| 22 | Gloves | 1 | ||
| 23 | Wind Proof Trouser (s) | 1 | ||
| 24 | Personal medical kid | 1 | ||
| 25 | Toiletries | 1 | ||
Climate:
From the eternal snow of the high peaks to the extensive tropical lowlands, Nepal has a wide variety of climates.
Spring: March to late May: In this season, Kathmandu is in full bloom, lots of different types of flowers can be seen at this time of the year. Temperature is mild, end of the cold winter and approaching warm and hot summer. Temperatures vary between 10 ° C to 28 ° C but can rise up to 30 ° C. Between 2000 and 3000m, temperature rarely drop below 0 ° C. However, few frosts or snowfalls are possible in March above 4000 m.
The summer/monsoon period: It interrupts the majority of trekking from late June to late August. Some of the trekking regions "trans-Himalayan", Dolpo and Mustang, however, remain protected from monsoon prevailing rest of the country. They are the only channels available in Nepal in the summer.
Autumn: mid September – mid December - Perfect temperature and weather for trekking. Brings cooler days, but clear skies. Above 3000 m altitude, temperatures can drop to -10 ° C at night.
In winter: mid-December - mid-February - Nights are generally cold, dry climate, Above 3000m, temperature drop down to 0 ° C to - 15 ° C at night, the days are often sunny.
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