In the remote north-western part of Nepal lies Dolpo - a pristine and lately discovered land. Abandoned by mountains from all sides, Dolpo is a place that looks so different from other treks of Nepal. Although Dolpo is among the most beautiful regions of Nepal, it still is unable to bring trekkers as much as other popular treks of Nepal do. Understandably, it is due to the remoteness and the effort that one has to put to reach this region.
Also called as “hidden treasure of Nepal”, Dolpo has its own unique charm. In your Lower Dolpo Trek, you pass through high passes like Numa La Pass (5,159m) and Baga La Pass (5,190m). You trek through protected areas into Phoksundo Lake. After spending a day around the pristine Phoksundo Lake, you walk for days through forests and villages alongside rivers to come back to Juphal.
In your 18 days Lower Dolpo Trek with Himalayan Joy Adventure, you get to witness the unexplored area of Lower Dolpo. You will meet Bonpo people and learn about their culture and tradition. The serene beauty of Himalayas, the hospitality of locals, and the breathtaking Phoksundo Lake all combine to make your trek memorable for the rest of your life.
Welcome to Nepal. After your arrival at the Tribhuvan International Airport, our guide will greet you and pick you up. He will then transfer you to your hotel room. After checking in, you can get refreshed and visit our office with our guide. We will give you a brief orientation about the Dolpo Trek. You can then spend your time visiting markets
Today, you will spend your time visiting several cultural and religious heritage sites in Nepal. There are so many attractions in Kathmandu, but you will visit the most popular ones. Our city guide will pick you from your hotel room and take you to tour around the Kathmandu. You will visit Pashupatinath, Boudhanath, Swayambhunath, and Kathmandu Durbar Square.
You will take an early morning flight to Nepalgunj. Nepalgunj is the major city of Western Nepal. After about an hour flight, you will land at Nepalgunj Airport which lies near to Nepal-India border. Here, the majority of people follow Hinduism or Islam religion. You can spend your day there visiting markets and tasting local foods.
Overnight stay at a hotel.
Trek Hours: 3 hrs
After your morning breakfast, you fly to Juphal which takes about 45 minutes. Throughout the flight, you will get to witness the scenery of majestic Himalayas. On your arrival at Juphal, you can have your lunch.
Today, you will have about three hours of walk to do. As you start your trek from Juphal, you will descend downhill and then walk through the terraced field to the narrow gorge of Bheri River. After about three hours of walk, you will reach Dunai for the overnight stay. Dunai is a small town located at the bank of Thuli Bheri River. It is the administrative headquarter of Dolpo.
You can walk around the village and prepare yourself to experience what Dolpo offers you for about two weeks.
Overnight stay in a lodge.
Trek Hours: 6 hrs
The trek takes you across many small streams alongside the Bheri and Barbung River. The trail passes through a deep gorge with pine trees. After walking for about 6 hours, you will reach Tarakot. Tarakot is a small town which used to be a fortress during ancient times. It once used to be the capital of this region. Here, you can visit the famous Sandul Gompa which lies at the junction of Barbung River and Tarap Chu River.
Trek Hours: 6 hrs
After breakfast, you will begin the trek towards Laini. You walk alongside Tarap Chu River and cross the river through suspension bridges several times. You walk through terraced farming of villages to finally reach Laini.
Trek Hours: 7 hrs
After your morning breakfast, you will continue your Dolpo journey. Today, the destination is Nawarpani which is about seven hours of walk away from Laini. You continue walking alongside Tarap Chu River and encounter some steep stones sections as well. As you walk through narrow gorges, you may experience an amazing walk today. With seven hours of exciting walk, you finally reach Nawarpani for the overnight stay.
Trek Hours: 8 hrs
You will begin the day with a hearty breakfast. Then, you continue your trek with an uphill climb that leads to Kamattarka. Kamattarka lies at the meeting point of Tarap Chu and Lang River. After a few hours of walk, you leave the gorge behind and pass through the tree line. Then, you walk for a few more hours to reach the beautiful settlement of Dho Tarap. An irregular stones wall surrounds Dho Tarap from all sides.
Dho Tarap is a small and unique settlement that looks quite interesting. Bon Po, Chaiba, Tibetans, and Magar inhibit the village.
Today, you spend the day acclimation your body to the high altitude. You can explore around the village and nearby areas and befriend locals. You can learn about their unique culture, tradition, and lifestyle. They often wear their unique customs that look quite interesting. You can visit the Bon Po Gompa and other monasteries. Dho Tarap once used to be the capital of Dolpo before the unification of Nepal.
Trek Hours: 7 hrs
After spending a well-deserved rest day at Dho Tarap, you continue your journey after your morning breakfast of day 10. Today, you move towards Numa La Base Camp which takes about 6-7 hours. After leaving Dho Tarap, you begin ascending towards a plain valley of grassland. You then continue alongside Tarap Chu River for about an hour to reach Tokyu Village. You can visit the Chiba monastery there.
After your lunch, you can continue your trek. As you are already above four thousand meters and the trail is uphill, you may find the walk a bit difficult. So, make sure you walk slowly with enough resting stops. After about three hours of walk from Tokyu Village, you will reach Numa La Base Camp.
Trek Hours: 7 hrs walk
Today is quite a strenuous day. After your morning breakfast, you will start your ascend to Numa La Pass. Numa La Pass at 5190 meters is the highest you reach in Lower Dolpo Trek. After a steep climb, the top rewards you with an amazing view of surrounding landscapes. You see the Dhaulagiri massif, other mountains, and valleys from Numa La Pass.
After spending some memorable moments at the top of Numa La Pass, you will begin descending down towards Pelung Tang. You will climb down for about three hours to reach Palung Tang located at 4,465 m.
Trek Hours: 7 hrs walk
Today, you begin your walk after morning breakfast. At first, the trail is quite easy. But as you reach nearer to Baga La Pass, the steep uphill climb begins. After a strenuous climb to Baga La Pass, you can have the amazing view of surrounding landscapes. The breathtaking view of Kanjirowa mountain range leaves every traveler in awe.
After spending some glorious time there, you will start walking down to Dajok Tang. It’s about 3 hours walk to reach Dajok Tang.
Trek Hours: 4 hrs walk
After two difficult days, you have comparatively a short trek today. You walk for about 4 hours to reach Ringmo Village. You walk through the trail that passes through the pine forest, grassland, and shrubs-dominating areas to Ringmo Village. You have a few up and down climbs to do before reaching Ringmo. As the turquoise Phoksundo Lake appears, trekkers are overwhelmed with its beauty.
Today, you spend the day around the breathtaking Phoksundo Lake. After your morning breakfast, you can explore Ringmo Village and then go on exploring the area around the turquoise Phoksundo Lake. You will forget everything and spend the day exploring the beautiful region.
Phoksundo Lake is a sacred lake of Buddhist. There is a monastery on the bank of the lake. You can visit the monastery and know a lot about the Buddhist culture, local people, Phoksundo Lake, and the surrounding area.
Trek Hours: 5 - 6 hrs walk
After spending a wonderful day and two nights in the vicinity of Phoksundo Lake, you begin your way down to Chepka After your morning breakfast, you pass through forest and lovely villages reach Chhunuwar.
Trek Hours: 5 - 6 hrs walk
Today, you will trek from Chunuwar to Juphal which is the last part of your Lower Dolpo Trek. You follow the river to Juphal. From Chhunuwar, you walk through meadows and a few houses to arrive at Kala Gaura. From there, you walk for a few more hours to arrive at Juphal. You spend the rest of your day unwinding in your hotel room. If you want, you can buy a souvenir of your Lower Dolpo Trek in Juphal.
You take the earliest flight to Nepalgunj. After you arrive at Nepalgunj, you again hop into another flight to Kathmandu. After landing at Kathmandu, we will take you to your hotel where you can spend your time resting. Or, you can also visit markets in Kathmandu. Thamel is the main tourist hub of Nepal. So, you can spend your evening experiencing the lively environment of Thamel.
Today is the final day of your trip. Himalayan Joy Adventure team will transport you to Tribhuvan International Airport. We wish you a safe journey and hope to work with you again.
ECO-FRIENDLY
Every day the world is facing a big issue of environmental pollution and in Nepal as well. Our field staffs are quite conscious about environmental pollution at any time and we encourage all. We would suggest to our guest to use boiled water or water purification pills than buying a bottle of water, it helps to avoid plastic bottles which can take long time to disappear. During the trek, if possible you can order same items food in a group which minimizes the fuel used and to make the campfire is almost forbidden. We would encourage being a responsible traveller so, just leaving foot-print on the trail and bring out all non-biodegradable which you had. Upper Mustang is one of the protected areas in Nepal.