Lower Dolpa Trek – 25 days

A unique insight into ‘Old Tibet’, Medieval, colorful Dolpa villages.

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• Highlight:
  
  
  • A unique insight into 'Old Tibet', Medieval, colorful Dolpa villages.
  • Trek through rugged mountain landscape and rich cultural legacy
  • Visit the ancient village of Do-Tarap
  • Spend an exclusive moment at a very esquisite Shey Phokshindu lake
  • You will see Tibetan nomads, cave gompas with exquisite murals, fortresses, palaces and cave hermitages
  • Visit Tibetan Buddhist monasteries along the incredible sculpted valleys  and wild rock formations
  • Enjoy classic scenery of the high Tibetan platean plateau

  Since the journey Snellgrove took in 1956 and described in his book ‘Himalayan Pilgrimage.’ The region north of the Dhaulagiri range was a forgotten land, isolated from the rest of the country. Dolpo is a hidden valley kept isolated by the huge Himalayan range in the south and, in the north, there is a mountain range of 5000 to 6000 meters high. It has many ridges, passes and peaks that expends to the Tibetan plateau. A movie titled "caravan" has shown part of the beauty of Dolpo. You get to see spectacular mountain-view, unique and unspoiled Bhotia people in their nomadic condition. Broadly speaking Kanjiroba Himal range defines its western border and in the south is Barbung Khola (river). The enigmatic Shey-gompa lies in inner Dolpo behind the high pass that divides Tarap valley. Dolpo is among the very few places where Bon-po, a pre-Buddhist, religion is in practice.

  The tough trek to these hidden valleys from a remote mountain airstrip in Jumla is like being transported in a time machine. Part of the grandeur of this region shown in the movie ‘Caravan’ can only be believed once you are there.

  Fly to Nepaljung and transfer to a hotel in Nepalgunj for an overnight. The next day morning fly to Jumla. You will walk from Jumla to Dunai using an old migration route to the east or follow the higher route from Hurikot to Kagmara pass ((5115m) and then travel north Ringmo. If the weather is nice you may traverse via Kagmara la to Phoksindhu-lake. There is a beautiful view from the pass. Phoksindhu lake (3658m) is part of Shey Phoksundo National Park; it was established in 1984. It is a beautiful alpine lake perched in the corner of the surrounding mountain range. Cross two high pass Baga la (5090m) and Numa la (5190m) to reach Tarap valley on the eastern side. Do Tarap have two major gompas? Bon po and Buddhist - and chorten (Buddhist stupa). It is a fairly large village with cultivated land. Most of the inhabitants are Magar, one of the major ethnic groups of Nepal, but their dialect and culture are Tibetan. Walk down to Tarakot through a narrow valley made by Tarap-Khola (river) and continues the journey to Dunai and Juphal. Fly from Juphal to Nepaljung and to Kathmandu.

• Day 1. Arrive Kathmandu, transfer to Hotel.(BB)

  Our office representative will meet you at the airport and escort you to your hotel. In the evening we will have a short briefing about the program.

  Day 2.In Kathmandu. Free day.(BB)

  Last minute to sort our equipments and shopping. For interested ones, halfday sightseeing tour can be organized.

  Day 3. Fly to Nepaljung. In Nepaljung:

  Transfer to airport. We fly to Nepaljung located in the southern Terai belt in west Nepal. Normally the flight leave in the afternoon. The duration of the flight is one hour. Upon arrival transfer to hotel. Overnight at Nepalgunj.

  Day 4. Fly to Jumla (2317m). In Jumla.

  Transfer to airport. We fly in the morning to Jumla. The flight duration is about 35 minutes. We stay overnight at Jumla to organize porter and food.

  Day 5. Dillichaur (2525m):

  We take northeastern route through Chaudabise Khola (river). We pass through the field at Talichaur and Devkotaabara and continued north on the west bank of the river to Dansangu. After lunch, continue to walk to Urthu and head east following the south bank of the river. Beyond Lorpa to Lamri the valley is wide. Our journey continues along the undulating plain of Dillichaur (2525). Overnight camp would be at Dillichaur. You may meet Bhote people from the village up north like Mandhara on their way to Jumla. Normally we take the other alternative trail to go to Gothichaur (2700m). This is the main trail to Dunai.

  Day 6 Talpi (2710m):

  Today is fairly a short day. We cross the wooden bridge on the Chaudabise Khola (river) and follow the trail that heads in the northernly direction to Mandhara and Rinimokscha tal (lake). The trail continues to the east below Bhotegaon (2680m) along the north bank of Chaudabise Khola (river). As we reach Talsi the valley is quite wide. This village is at the junction; one trail leads north to Mugu and Wangri through Hurigaon which is possible only in summer the other trail leads to Talpi. After Gothichaur we trek to Naphu Khona (3080m).

  Day 7.Churta (3020m):

  We are still following Chaudabise Khola (river). We cross the river and walk upstream of Patel Gad (river); the small village of Siyalgari (2620m) is an hour walk. The main occupation of the people of Siyalgari is to breed horse. We walk through the dense forest of pine and birch in the valley made by Patel gad (river). It is a long day walk along the river valley before we ascend to cross Lete Lagna pass at 3383 meters. After the pass, we make a steep descent to the south through dense forest to Ghar Gad (river). The long descent continues to the village of Churta (3020m). Churta is a Bhote (Tibetan) village. From Naphukhola trek to a place Below Barburi Lagna (3658m).

  Day 8. Chaurakot (3078m):

  We follow another river (Ghar Gad) upstream on the right bank. There is a magnificent forest of pine and oak trees along the route. We make another river crossing and climb the steep trail and cross Maure Langna (3916m) pass. After the pass, we descent gradually then traverse to Chaurakot (3078m). The view of kagmara (5961meter) and other nearby peaks are visible as we descent. Chaurikot has a small Bhote village but they do not claim to be Bhote. From Buri Lagna to Hurikot (2745m).

  Day 9. Toysen:

  Next day we continued to descent to Jagdula Khola (river) to Rimi and Kaigaon (2620m). Instead of following the main migration road to Tibrikot we trek northeast to Hurikot. The people of Hurikot though they follow the Buddhist faith in the past, now they are in the process of becoming Hindu. Their names are Bhote origin but tradition are mixed of Hindu and Tibetan. We continued to follow Jagdula Khola towards the north. After lunch we cross the river at Toysen and follow its tributary –Garpung khola (river) to the east.

  Day 10. Kagmara Base Camp ((4000m):

  As we climb the steep slope to the high camp we can see birch firest in the lower section and juniper bushes at higher elevation in the backdrop of small peaks on Kagmara range. On this day we climbed almost 1000 meter to the base camp of kagmara. Though the day walk is short we will be walking slowly as you approach the base camp of Kagmara which is just below Kagmara la (5115m).

  Day 11. Cross Kagmara (5115m) and descent to Lasa (3450m):

  Early in the morning we cross Kagmara la and make a steep descent to the small village of Lasa and the source of the river- Julung Chu. The climb to the pass on the ridge of Kagmara RI (5370m) would take us about 30 minutes. From the pass, we can get a great panoramic view of the entire eastern Himalayan range including a mountain that extends to the Tibetan plateau. Dhaulagiri and Annapurna range dominate the view in the east. The view of Kagmara and the Kanjiroba Himal are very impressive.

  Day 12. Pungmo (3200m):

  We continued our descent solowly and carefully through the slopes. It is possible to come across heard of blue sheeps, wild goats and blue pheassnts. These wild animals and birds are not killed and disturbed by the villagers as they are Buddhist. After a long descent we reach Pungmo (3200m). This is a Bhotia village. The villagers practice Bon po faith with the adaptation of Buddhist teaching though most of their symbolic tradition are done in opposite way to what Buddhist does. Bon po faith dates back pre Buddhist era. The villagers are mostly traders. Visit Kani chorten (stupa); the ceiling and walls of the chorten are painted with Bon po and Buddhist symbols. Apart from the gompa of Shey in upper dolpo beyond the high mountain the gompas of Pungmo has the image of Shen–rab, the founder teacher of Bon po. It is possible to meet the reincarnate lama of the gompa. If you are ucky you may have chance to observe one of their summer festivals.

  Day 13.Ringmo (3600m):

  We walked down to the confluence of Pongmo chu (river) and Suli gad (river) and walk along the bank of Suli gad towards north. Stop for lunch at Polma (3200m). After lunch, we cross the river and climb the trail to Murwa known as Maduwa (3300m) and make a further ascent to Ringmo gompa. As we move onward from Murwa we can see the cascade of a waterfall from the high mountain – it is a truly enchanting sight. And the view above the waterfall and the entire landscape is unbelievably beautiful to mesmerize anyone. David Snellgrove, a veteran traveller in the mountain of Nepal, on his visit in 1956 described the scenic beauty of the place as the paradise of Buddha. Its beauty cannot be described in word; it has to be seen and experience. The Ringmo (3627m) village is situated at the end of the south side of Phoksumdo lake. (3728m).

  Day 14.Free day in Phoksindhu (3728m):

  Stay overnight at Ringmo. Visit the chorten and gompas; it is amazing to see the fresco painting on the walls and ceiling. People of Ringmo are predominantly Buddhist but many of them have adopted Hindu names. The blue turquoise lake was shown in the film “The Himalayan Caravan” filmed by Eric Valli.

  Day 15.Pyon khola (4450m):

  From Ringmo village we crossed the bridge and climb the trail to the east that leads through dense forest until the top of the valley above Murwa and then we descend gradually to the pasture land at Roman. We continue to climb to the cross road and from there take the trail on the left marked with waterfall. The trail head towards north east direction and enter into a narrow valley that gradually widens as we reach Baga la. The Baga la pass at 5070 meter is surrounded by glacier and sharp rocks. At this vantage point you can get a beautiful view of entire Kanjiroba himal. We cross the pass and decend to Pyon khola (4450m). Our camp would be above the river.

  Day 16.Tarap Khola:

  It is best to cross the river in early morning; it should take us about 2 hour easy walk to another crossroad. We take the trail that leads in the south-east direction.The trail to the northeast direction leads to Shep gompa. In another 4 hour walk, we reach the summit of Numa la (5190m). Often the pass is covered with snow. The pass offers a great view of the mountain to the north and Tarap valley to the south. Cross the pass and descend to Tarap Khola (river).

  Day 17. Do Tarap (4040m)

  We descend further to Champa Gompa for lunch. It has a beautiful gompa dedicated to Guru Rimpoche. After lunch we pass through the village of Mondo, cross the river to Chumaga and Kakar village and reach Dho Tarap (4040m). Dho is a major village in this area. There are many chortens and gompas around Dho. The valley has cultivated lands and many other villages to the north and east. Though the people are Magar-one of the major ethnic group in Nepal, they have Tibetan tradition and speaks Tibetan. They have both type of gompas – Bonpo and Buddhist. The village also has major facilities like schools and health centre funded by foreign aid agencies.

  Day 18. Dho Tarap (4040m)

  Stay overnight in Dho Tarap. Take walking excursion in the village and visit gompas and chortan. You may take this as your rest day.

  Day 19. Serkam (3745m)

  From Dho Tarap our return journey starts. We begin to descend through a gentle path along the river valley made by Tarap Khola (river). We walk about a 4-hour stretch to the lunch stop. After lunch, we enter into the narrow and deep gorge. The path is made on the rock high above the river. There are several small caves throughout the narrow gorge. We stop at Serkam for the night.

  Day 20. Kani Gaon (2950m):

  We continue to follow the river slowly and steadily through the narrow gorge to Lahini (3250m) where there is a beautiful meadow on the side of the river with the waterfall behind it. After Lahini the path gradually widens and becomes green. We pass through Juniper and pine forest. It is possible to see musk deer in this area. We walk further to Kani gaon (2950m) – winter residence of the people of Dho.

  Day 21.Tarakot (2600m):

  The trail decent to the bridge and cross the river. The confluence of the river at Kahani gaon (2543m) is about 3 hour down the trail. After lunch at the river confluence we walk along the major trail to reach Tarakot (2600m).

  Day 22. Juphal (2400m):

  The last day of our walk pass through the district headquater of Dunai (2150m) where there are health post, schools, government offices, military and police check post. Finally we reach Juphal to take our flight out of Dolpo.

  Day 23. Fly to Kathmandu. In Kathmandu.(BB)

  Early in the morning we fly to Nepaljung. It is about 40-minutes flight. We wait at Nepaljung for connecting the flight to Kathmandu. The connecting flight are usually in the afternoon. We fly to Kathmandu. Upon arrival transfer to hotel.

  Day 24: In Kathmandu. Free day.(BB)

  In Kathmandu, free day. You can walk around the bustling toursit hub of Thamel and buy souviners.

  Day 25: Depart Kathmandu.

  Transfer to airport, depart Kathmandu

  An alternative route from Beni to Dolpa is also available. Check with us.
  
  Note:

  This trek involves several days in a high elevation above 4000 to 5000 meter. So, it is important to bring appropriate clothing and shoes. All participants must be physically fit. This trek is physically demanding though mountaineering skill is not necessary. It is important to remember not to endanger the lives of other trek members, Sherpas, and porters by climbing a peak or continuing the trek in unsafe conditions. The schedule stops as shown above are a guideline only. It may change due to logistic reason and other condition like weather, etc. that are beyond our control. Flight to remote mountain airstrip is subject to weather and technical condition. All flights are in the early morning. In winter the thick fog in Kathmandu airport in the morning may delay subsequent flights to and from other destinations. It is important to allow 2 night before and 3 night after the trek in Kathmandu to allow possible flight delay in the mountain. There is no refund for unused service whatsoever be the reason after the trip has begun.

• COST-Private Trip: US$ 4310 per person
  
  Cost Includes:
  
  
  • All meals and full camping arrangement trek
  • Cooking and eating utensils, all camping equipments
  • Service of trek guide, cook, kitchen and sherpa assistants.
  • Porters to carry personal baggage (each 15 kg.), food and camping equipment
  • Warm clothing, shoes, blankets and dark goggles for high altitude porters as required.
  • Accident insurance for staffs and porters.
  • Domestic Airfare according to programme
  • Nationalpark/conservation entry permit as per programme
  • Arrival and departure transfers.
  • Local / Public transport as shown in the programme
  • Hotel accommodation on BB in Kathmandu using 3 star category
  
  Cost Excludes:
  
  
  • Personal clothing and sleeping bag (US$ 50 per person)
  • Personal accident and health insurance
  • Emergency evacuation and medical-cost
  • Alcoholic and bottled beverage, laundry, and tips.
  • Sightseeing tours and meals in Kathmandu
  • Any other services and expenses that are not specifically mentioned in the programme.
  • Expenses due to flight delay, sickness other contingencies
  
  
  Departure: Anytime as per your choice of date.
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