Lower Dolpo Trek

You are welcomed by a hospitable meeting and then you will be transferred to the hotel. Our airport representative will explain briefly the program upon arrival.

Overnight at hotel. Breakfast Included. 

Sightseeing of world heritage sites in Kathmandu valley including, Kathmandu Darbar Square, Swayambhunath Temple, Boudhanath Stupa & Pasupatinath Temple.

Overnight at hotel. Overnight at hotel. Breakfast Included. 

To get to Dolpo region, generally, you have to fly to Nepalgunj first. Nepalgunj is a steaming hot city in South Western Nepal, in the lowlands of Terai, close to the Indian border, which is just 8 km away. Culturally the area more resembles India than upland Nepal.

Take a cycle rikshaw for a ride in town. You pass the hustle and bustle of the bazaar and see horse carts full of colorful people going to or coming from the Indian border. The Bageshowri temple is one of Nepal’s most important Hindu temples and is worth a visit as well. Overnight at hotel. Breakfast Included. 

The flight from Nepalgunj to Juphal takes about 35 minutes, and the airplane goes over steep mountain ridges and beautiful valleys. The sight of the snow-capped mountains from the airplane is fantastic. The Juphal Airport is just a gravel airstrip amidst the mountains, guaranteeing a spectacular landing. Stepping out of the plane, you will enter a completely different world. From a hot city in the plains, you will have arrived in a small mountain village amid the Himalayas, breathing in crisp cold air. From Juphal, you will walk down a small path among fields of wheat and vegetables to the Thuli Bheri River, which you'll follow further on to Dunai.

Overnight stay at the tented camp. Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner are included.

Leaving Dunai, you will walk in a beautiful mountain landscape, which sometimes resembles the European Alps. Rocky slopes are dotted with Blue Pine trees, making for a pleasant walk. At the horizon, you can see the snowcapped Kang Tokal Himal (6,294 m). The path follows an up-and-down route, following the Thuli Bheri River, and passes a couple of tiny village houses. You will go through the Buddhist village of Byasgar, lying at 2,427 meters. After leaving Dunai, all the villages you'll come across are inhabited by Buddhists. The people who live in this region are Tarali, a Magar group. After Byasgar, the landscape quickly gets rougher and rockier. The path is sometimes carved out of the rocks and becomes very narrow at a few points. There are plans to make a motor-able road to Dho Tarap. You will reach Lingdo, a small village with one guesthouse, a camping site, and a check-post.

Overnight stay at the tented camp. Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner are included.

The path gradually goes up today. Along the way, you will have a good view of some of the villages in this region, like Sarakot- which is situated high on a cliff. These are the last villages you will see till you reach Dho Tarap. You will also pass some Mani walls (a wall with loose stones with Buddhist mantras carved on them) and chortens. According to Buddhist custom, you must pass these Buddhist shrines from the left side and follow a clockwise path. On the horizon, you can see the beautiful snowcapped Kang Tokal Himal. The landscape is impressive and sometimes very green. Sharp rocks are dotted with junipers and other pine trees. You can also see groups of large grey monkeys here if you are lucky. The trail then climbs high on a slope and goes high above the Thuli Bheri River, leading to a large suspension bridge (120 meters long), high above the river.

You will reach Laisicap (2,772 m). On the other side of the bridge is a tent hotel where you could stop for a dal bhat or noodle soup or fill up your stock of snacks. Tent hotels are big Tibetan tents set up to serve food and drinks to travelers. Besides the local restaurants, they also serve as a shop, and you can buy various items here, like biscuits, juice, Lhasa beer, shampoo, and other trinkets. After Laisicap, it's a long and strenuous climb of about 3 hours to Laina Odar. The path partly goes through forests, and you are surrounded by cliffs full of pine trees, some of which are huge. You will find yourself high above the river. Close to Laina Odar, the path goes alongside the river again.

Overnight stay at the tented camp. Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner are included.

After leaving Laina Odar, the trail goes up to a small pass, which takes about a 45-minute climb to reach it. After that, it's a reasonably easy walk with a few small climbs. It's a beautiful walk again, sometimes going through pine forests filled with the wonderful smell of nature. About 4 hours after leaving Laina Odar, you will reach Nawarpani, where you will find another tent hotel. You can camp here. If you are feeling well and in good shape, you could continue and walk to Sisaul (3,750 m) today.

Overnight stay at the tented camp. Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner are included.

After Nawarpani, the landscape quickly gets more barren. Only a few trees make an appearance in the otherwise empty landscape. You mostly walk in the river valley with high rocks towering above you on both sides. Blue Sheep live on these barren lands. Looking out for them, you can see big groups of these herd animals high on the slopes. Besides, if you are lucky, you might spot a snow leopard. It's a reasonably easy walk, gradually going up. In some parts, the path is beautifully carved out of the rock, so you will find yourself walking in a three-sided tunnel. The path climbs steeply to a small pass with a lovely chorten (stupa) for about half an hour. From that pass, it's a 30-minute duration till Sisaul.

Overnight stay at the tented camp. Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner are included.

Leaving Sisaul, the trail climbs to another small pass. Shortly after the pass, the valley suddenly widens. The landscape presents an entirely different sight. Its scorched and trimmed bushes grow in place of the trees from before. Gradually you will notice these bushes disappearing almost entirely as well. The trail stays beside the river. At the horizon, a small collection of houses appear between the mountains- the Dho Tarap village. Getting nearer to Dho Tarap, you will cross many Mani walls and small chortens. It makes you realize how important Buddhism is for the people of Dolpa. Buddhism is interwoven in every aspect of people's life here. Behind Dho, you can see the gompa (Buddhist monastery) of Dho, situated on a hill as well. The people of Dho are direct descendants of Tibetans, which you can notice quickly by their faces and dress. The women wear dark dresses with colorful aprons made from yak wool. Many women wear bracelets of big shells; some have beautiful silver and turquoise headgear. Most men have long hair; some wear a red ribbon in their hair, in the style of Tibetan Khampas. Their typical dress is a long coat, from which they let one sleeve hang down. The people in Dho are amiable. A Tashi Delek ("Good Day," like the Nepali "Namasté") is always welcomed with a big smile.

Overnight stay at the tented camp. Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner are included.

As it is only a 3 ½ hours walk to Numala Base Camp, you can use the morning to explore Dho and its surroundings. Leaving Dho, you will pass a beautiful gate chorten. After half an hour more or less, you will arrive at the Crystal Mountain School, which educates children from Dho and its surroundings. A French NGO sponsored it. If you want, you can visit the school, and the teachers will show you around. From the school, it's about half an hour to Tokyu (4,209 m), a spread-out village that is said to be the highest permanent settlement in the world. A Gompa at the village's end is worth a visit. It has a beautiful statue of Maitreya, the Future Buddha. From the gompa, it is a gradual climb of about 1 ½ hours over grassy land to the Numala Base Camp. It's in the middle of nowhere, but close to the river, and you can find a small house for cooking here.

Overnight stay at the tented camp. Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner are included.

A tough day lies ahead of you. It's a good idea to start early (between 5 and 6 am) to arrive early at the pass. The weather generally is best in the morning, making the pass crossing more accessible and safer. Besides, you have more of a chance to have a good view of the mountain ranges from Numa La Pass, as later in the day- clouds tend to cover the peaks. It's a long and strenuous climb of about 3 hours to the Numa La at 5318 meters. The altitude makes you go slow and get out of breath quickly, but it's worth it. On a clear day, you can have stunning views from the pass of countless snow-capped mountain peaks. Mount Dhaulagiri towers impressively on the right of the High pass. You can also see Annapurna and Manaslu Ranges, Shey Shikar (6,139 m), Kanjirowa Himal (6,883 m), and many other Himalayas. In the spring, snow can be on the pass, making the crossing a bit harder. After the pass, you will go down steeply for about an hour.

The path levels out and climbs slowly but steadily again for about an hour. As the river is going down quickly, you will find yourself soon high above the river. After a couple of turns, you will arrive at a meadow, the campsite for today- Danigar (4631 m). It's a fantastic spot close to the river (Panklanga Khola). To the south, the beautiful snowcapped Norbung Kang (6085 m) towers high above the campsite. High pastures on the other side of the river are often used for yaks to graze.

Overnight stay at the tented camp. Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner are included.

Another pass to cross today, so another challenging but beautiful day lies ahead of you. Again, an early start is best. The path continues on the slope on the other side of the Panklanga Khola and climbs pretty steep, going serpentine over the slopes. Soon, you will find yourself high above the river. A good 2 hours after leaving camp, you will reach the high camp, which is already close to the pass. You have an excellent view of the Norbung Kang and the Baga La Range from here. Soon after the high camp, you can observe the last stretch of the path to the pass, climbing very gradually in a half circle over the slope to Baga La Pass (5,190 m). This pass shows you many snowcapped mountains, like Kanjirowa Himal and Shey Shikhar. In spring, there can also be snow on this pass. After the pass, the path descends pretty steeply at the beginning. This part can be icy, making it slippery, so watching your step is best. You will walk through the stunning scenery of large rocks in various colors. At the horizon- mountains covered with snow make for a beautiful foreground. And then, suddenly, more or less 1 ½ hour after leaving the pass, you will see green bushes and, a bit later, even trees. In the distance, you can observe green meadows far below you. The site is beautiful and offers a different view after those days of trekking on a landscape without any trees. Besides you will also see a couple of beautiful waterfalls along the way. It's relatively flat and easy walking, gradually going down, till you reach Yak Kharka (3982 m), another beautiful place to camp. You will have a great view of the imposing Kanjirowa Himal (6612 m). Besides, in spring, the meadows are packed with flowers.

Overnight stay at the tented camp. Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner are included.

It's a short hike today. After leaving Yak Kharka, the path starts to climb high on the slope, and the river (Maduwa Khola) appears soon, far below you. The path goes up and down and stays level sometimes; they call it "Nepali Flat." The path is beautifully carved from the rocks and leads to a small pass. After the pass, the path goes through a pine forest. If you detour from the path soon after entering the forest and go to the left to the edge of the ridge, you can see a lovely waterfall. Walking through some beautiful pine forests and meadows, you can hear bird songs filling up the dulcet in the air. Leaving the forest, you will cross a small bridge from which you will climb in a couple of minutes to Ringmo.

Overnight stay at the tented camp. Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner are included.

You can walk the following stretch in two short days or one long day. The walking time to Rechi is about 3.5 hours, and from Rechi to Chhepka is 3 .5 hours. The walk to Rechi goes almost entirely through beautiful pine forests, with some bushes, birches, and other broad-leaved trees mixed in. Leaving Ringmo, the path is relatively flat but soon climbs steeply. Soon you will see the river far below you.

Overnight stay at the tented camp. Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner are included.

Today, you will likely spend most of your trekking time descending with small climbs. The first part goes through the forest again, with the wild flowing river below you. After the village of Shyanta, you will leave the forest and thoroughly walk by the arid landscape. In front of you, you can see a part of the Dhaulagiri range. Passing villages like Sangta (2520 m) and Kageni (2413 m), you will reach the check post of the Shey Phoksundo National Park (SPNP) again. After crossing a big iron suspension bridge (the Dhim Bridge, 99 m long), you will go left (west) to Juphal (if you would go right (east), you'll arrive in Dunai again (45 minutes walking).  From the bridge, it's about a 3-hour hike to Juphal. The first part goes over a large path, passing through the small village of Kalagaonda. Then you leave the main road and walk over a small path, through barley and wheat fields, with walnut, peach, and apricot trees. It's a pretty steep climb to reach Juphal.

Overnight stay at the tented camp. Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner are included.

Early in the morning, you will fly to Nepalgunj. The first part of the flight through the mountain valleys is quite spectacular. Later in the day, you will fly back to Kathmandu. Breakfast and Lunch are included.

Today is a leisure day in Kathmandu. You can spend the day shopping around the city or relaxing in your hotel.

Overnight stay at the hotel. Breakfast is included.

Approximately three hours before your scheduled flight, Escape Himalaya's representative will take you to the airport from where you will depart.

Breakfast is included.