Lower Dolpa Trek

Day 01: Kathmandu, 1360m

You arrive in Kathmandu and are transferred to the hotel. A pre-trek briefing will be scheduled to discuss the trekking program and co-ordinate any last-minute arrangements.

Day 02: Kathmandu Sightseeing

Today we explore Kathmandu on an organized sightseeing tour. This will include a visit to the Bodhnath Stupa, one of the biggest Buddhist shrines in the world. We also visit Pashupatinath, located on the banks of the holy Bagmati River and home to the most famous Hindu temple in the country. Here we will see Hindu holy men (saddhus) and pilgrims performing ritual bathing, and occasionally, funeral pyres burning on the Ghats.
The early afternoon will be free to relax in the hotel garden or visit Thamel for last minute shopping. You will be supplied with your trek departure information in the afternoon.

Day 03: Fly to Nepalgunj

Transfer to the airport for the flight to Nepalgunj, which lies close to the Indian border in the western Terai.

Day 04: Fly to Jumla 2370m & trek to Gothi chaur 2700m

We take a morning flight from Nepalgunj to Jumla. Leaving the airport at Jumla, we cross the Tila Khola and the Chaudabise Khola, near their confluence and climb gradually to a fertile valley of rice terraces. The trail passes through several villages. It continues through a forest of maple and walnut, to a meadow which, in season, is covered in wildflowers. Beyond the meadow, the trail climbs to a small pass before descending again to Gothi Chaur.

Day 05: Trek to Naphukana 3080m

Today’s walk follows the Tila Khola through fields of corn, potato, buckwheat and barley until the valley narrows and we enter a forest of oaks, spruce and maples. We pass through the village of Chotra with typical Tibetan mani walls. After a short distance, we come to another Tibetan-looking village, Naphukana. There is a large gompa above this village.

Day 06: Trek to Chaurikot 3060m

From Naphukana the trail becomes steeper and climbs through a forest to a pass named Mauri Lagna [3820m]. From the pass there are views of snowy peaks to the north and east. Descending from the pass, the trail traverses a steep slope before dropping into a forest of pine and oaks. We then enter the Bheri Valley and after following the trail in and out of side valleys, we come to the village of Chaurikot.

Day 07: Trek to Bheri riverside 2610m

Continuing on to the village of Balasa we can see Kagmara peak on the horizon. The trail drops to a stream before climbing through a forest of walnut trees to a ridge. Passing through the apple orchards of Jyakot, we then descend to the village of Rimi before following a rocky trail down to the Bheri River.

Day 08: Trek to Garpung khola 2900m

We stay on the west bank of the Bheri River, passing Hurikot and arrive at the entrance to the Shey Phoksumdo National Park. We then come to the confluence of the Garpung and Jagdula Rivers, which joins the Bheri River. Following the Garpung Khola, we reach our camp by the riverside.

Day 09: Trek to Kagmara 3500m

We continue to follow the Garpung Khola, ascending slowly towards the Kagmara La. Today is a short trek but it is very important for acclimatization that we don’t ascend too quickly.

Day 10: Trek to Kagmara phedi 4000m

We now cross to the eastern side of the river, where the valley narrows and the river becomes a series of waterfalls. The trail climbs to a moraine below the Kagmara La and we make our camp among the boulders. We get magnificent views of the surrounding peaks from here.

Day 11: Cross Kagmara La 5115m

We get an early start this morning and ascend alongside the Kagmara Glacier to the Kagmara La. This is a good place to spot the rare blue sheep. After a 900m descent, we reach the pastures of the Pungmo Khola Valley.

Day 12: Trek to Pungmo

The trail now enters birch and juniper forests which soon give way to blue pine. Up the side valleys, there are views of Kanjirolba peak before we reach the fortress-like village of Pungmo, set amidst barley fields.

Day 13: Trek to Phoksumdo Lake

We continue downstream to the national park headquarters at Sumduwa before joining the trail up the Phoksumdo Khola to Phoksumdo Lake. We climb through a forest of large cedars to the winter settlement of Palam and continue ascending through the open country to a ridge from which there are good views of the lake in the distance. Close by is a spectacular waterfall, the highest waterfall in Nepal. The trail then makes an initial descent before climbing gently to Ringmo village. After crossing a bridge below Ringmo, the trail continues northwards to the shores of Phoksumdo Lake

Day 14: At Phoksumdo Lake

Today is a rest day at the lake which is known for its unusual greenish-blue colouring. It is overlooked on the western side, by a large snowy peak known as Kanjirolba or Kanchen Ruwa. A trail leads through a stand of juniper trees to an old dilapidated gompa which overlooks the lake. As well as Buddhist paintings and statues, there is also evidence of the ancient Bon-po religion within the temple and chapels.

Day 15: Trek to Baga La phedi

We retrace our route as far as Ringmo and then follow a trail eastwards, through forest of juniper and blue pine. The trail follows the river up the valley to a waterfall and we will reach at the base of the Baga La.

Day 16: Cross Baga La 5090m & Trek to Numa La phedi 4800m

From our camp it’s a steady 3 hour climb to the top of the Baga La, the second of the high passes. The descent is gradual at first but it soon drops steeply to a stream before ascending again to the foot of the Numa La.

Day 17: Cross Numa La 5360m & trek to Do 4100m

We continue climbing through arid country to the last of the high passes, the Numa La. It is marked by mani stones and, if it is clear, we can see as far as Dhaulagiri. The trail now descends past a huge mani wall to the Tarap region and we walk through the barley fields of the Tarap Valley to the settlement of Do.

Day 18: Acclimatize in Do

Rest days at Do. It is the largest settlement in Tarap and has several gompas. On the ridge above the village is the Ri Bhunpa Gompa and, just to the east, the village of Shipchhok has a Bon-po gompa which is certainly worth exploring. There are also opportunities to get great views of the valley and surrounding snow peaks from a number of nearby ridges.

Day 19: Trek to Lahini 3560m

This morning’s walk is almost level and follows the river until it flows into a gorge. We enter the gorge which has large rose shrubs and other wildflowers, and after crossing and re-crossing the river numerous times, we finally come to a flat expanse.

Day 20: Trek to Tarakot 2600m

The trail today is steep, narrow and dangerous as it clings to the cliffs, and the bridges along here can often be washed out. Eventually, the valley widens and the route becomes easier as we approach the village of Khanigaon. We then climb high above the river before descending towards the Barbung Khola and the fortress village of Tarakot.

Day 21: Trek to Dunai 2100m

We follow the Barbung Khola downstream along the south bank to the village of Lawan, before crossing to the north bank and walking for several more hours to Dunai.

Day 22: Trek to Juphal 2500m

Today, we trek from Dunai to Juphal. From Dunai we follow the river trail downstream to Juphal. We walk uphill through meadows and past a few houses to the small hotels at Kala Gaura (2090m). After several hours of walking, we finally reach Juphal, which is the end point of our trek.

Day 23: Fly Juphal -Nepalgunj-Kathmandu

We take a flight from Juphal to Nepalgunj. We then take a connecting flight from Nepalgunj to Kathmandu.

Day 24: Kathmandu Departure