Upon arrival, we have a day of sightseeing in the main historic local town where there are many museums, temples, monasteries etc. Next day in the afternoon, we take a flight to the south west of Kathmandu. Depending on the schedule we may fly to Nepalgunj which is closest to the Indian border or alternatively the hill town of Surkhet – Overnight we rest at a hotel.

The following day we fly to Dunai and start our trek. We trek to the Tarakot valley following the trail to the east of Dunai. Most of the villages in this area have Tibetan influences. We trek through cedar forest and fields of cannabis as some of the trails climb over the tops of some spectacular landslides. Some trails are newly built with wide stone steps as well as open grassy meadow where wild flowers abound as well as the chance to see a snow leopard.

Dolpo is popular for blue sheep as well and you might see some herds living among yellow rocks and cliffs. The people of these regions are well dressed, especially from Dho Tarap with jewelery adorning the women and men with red braid in their hair, Tibetan style. You will observe Buddhist monasteries, local stone houses as well as cliff caves and yak pastures with wild herb bushes. Past high water falls and through junipher forest we cross the high passes Numala and Bagala to reach Phoksundo lake at a height of 3730m. It is also called Bonpo country, where people practice shamanistic religion predating Tibetan Buddhism.

You can visit to Bonpo monastery after which we return to Dunai on pleasant trail via Ringmo village. Occassionally, you will be met by Drokpa (gypsy’s) crossing high passes or come across camps where you will be happily welcomed to taste butter tea. During summer, you may see herders and groups of people collecting a special larva insect call Yarcha Gombu which is a popular medicine of very high value.

Grade

Area covered : Kathmandu valley, South-western city and Dolpo valley.

Itinerary

Day to Day itinerary: 

 An extension is possible on request. It is possible to climbs peaks in this region. 

• Grade: Adventure
• Daily walking duration: 4-8 hrs.
• Altitude: max. 5318m
• Group size : 2-15
• Time: March – October

Depending on your available trek days, we can extend the trek to the Kagmara pass (5115m) – route to Hurikot, Gothichaur to Jumla and we take a flight back to Surkhet or Nepalgunj and on to Kathmandu 20 days. With 8 additional days it is possible to visit Rara lake (2980m) which is the largest lake in Nepal, we trek via Dafe Lagna – take in a loop via the 12th century Malla kingdom, and  Sinja on the banks of the Sinja river.

There is a further special attraction of the Shey Gompa. This remote trekking route through Upper Dolpo is only possible by paying extra special governement fees – trekking days : 21-28 days for the circuit.

Depending on interest, time available and fitness, we provide tailormade programmes with more flexible itineraries such as: From Phoksundo lake, we trek through upper Dolpo via the popular Shey Gompa monastery as well as the remote upper areas by crossing Tia la – Kedang, Yangser, Saldang and Jengla to Tokkyu village. Instead of returning to Dunai via Dho – we can can also trek back to Jomsom via Charkabot crossing Charka pass (4920m) and Sangda pass (5460m). These remote routes involves steep ascents and descents on basic tracks.

Also at the beginning of Dolpo – instead of flying to Juphal, we can drive to Beni and start trekking to the base of Dhaulagiri and via Darbang, Jaljale to the Dhorpatan national park, Tatopani to Tarakot which takes almost 2 weeks.

We recommend this to fit trekkers who can adjust to the local terrain and understand that flexibility to the programme is required.

Please consult for more detailed information.

Departures

DEPARTURE DATES FOR 2012 / 2013 (Departure on Request)