You will be greeted by a represtantative from Snowland Treks at the airport. He will take you to your hotel and brief you about today's program. In the evening, you will meet with your guide, and end your day with a delicious welcome dinner organized by the company.
Upper Dolpo Trek Itinerary
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Day 01 Arrive Kathmandu (1,300m/4,264ft)
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Day 02 Full day Kathmandu City excursion
After breakfast, you will go on a guided sightseeing tour. You will visit several UNESCO World Heritage Sites. You will visit Pashupatinath Temple and Boudhanath Stupa. After visiting these landmarks, you will drive to the medieval town of Patan. Here, you will visit Patan Durbar Square, one of the three durbar squares of Kathmandu valley. You will witness fine art, architecture, and rich culture as well as history. Later in the evening, you will arrange your gear with your guide and prepare for the trek.
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Day 03 Fly from Kathmandu - Nepalgunj & transfer to hotel
After breakfast, you will drive to Nepalgunj. The drive will be long and take you to one of the hot & humid parts of Nepal. Upon reaching Nepalgunj, you will move to your hotel and end your day with dinner.
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Day 04 Fly from Nepalgunj to Juphal (2,320m/7,601ft) & trek to Sulighat (2,070m/6,790ft); 2-3 hrs
Leaving Nepaljung behind, you will fly to Juphal early in the morning. The flight will be 45 minutes long and present you with striking views of Himalayan mountains. From Juphal, you will begin trekking towards Sulighat. The trail will descend down from the airstrip and pass through terraced fields. You will reach the Behri river, and trek further to a long suspension bridge. Crossing the Bheri River, you will enter the beautiful Phoksundo River valley. The trail from here passes by a hospital and takes you to Sulighat.
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Day 05 Sulighat – Renje (3,010m/9,873ft); 5-6 hrs
Crossing the west bank of a river, you will pass by Raktang. The trail then crosses a herder's residing area and ascends to the winter settlement area, Ringmo village. From here, you will trek upstream to the east. Further, the trail descends & ascends and leads you to a junction. You will then ascend to a ridge and descend down to Chepka. Leaving Chepka behind, you will descend on a rugged trail and reach Renje.
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Day 06 Renje – Ringmo village (3,640m/11,940ft)–Phoksundo Lake (3,620m/11,874ft); 5-6 hrs
Waking up early, you will have breakfast, and begin trekking. The trail ascends over a ridge and descends down to a wooden bridge. From here, you will trek along the valley floor and reach the confluence of Phoksundo Khola and Phungmo Khola. Continuing your trek, you will reach Sumduwa and trek through a forest of birch and pine. The trail becomes steeper with every ascent and takes you to gorgeous Phoksundo Lake.
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Day 07 Rest day in Phoksundo Lake and explore around Ringmo village
This is a rest day for acclimatization. You will explore around and have some good time near the lake. You will traverse Ringmo village and visit ancient white Thasung Chholing Gompa. In the evening, you will walk around the lake and have some quality time enjoying delicious food nearby the lake.
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Day 08 Phoksundo lake - Phoksundo Khola (3,630m/11,909ft); 4-5 hrs
After a light breakfast, you will continue trekking along the western bank of the lake. The trail will be rocky and unstable, so caution is required. Soon you will enter an even more isolated region. Trekking through a valley and crossing a river on a bridge leads to Phoksundo Khola via a lush meadow.
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Day 09 Phoksundo Khola - Phoksundo Bhanjyang (4,120m/13,514ft), 6-7 hrs
Trekking along a glacial valley, you will head north and reach the confluence of Phoksundo Khola and another mountain stream. From here, you trek to the north-east of the valley. The trail soon changes into a rocky path and ascends to a meadow. Further, you will continue ascending and reach Phoksundo Bhanjyang that provides a stunning view of the landscape.
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Day 10 Phoksundo Bhanjyang - Kang-La pass (5,160m/16,925ft) – Shey gompa (4,390m/14,400ft); 5-6 hrs
Today, you will begin your day early as you must cross a thrilling high pass. The trek begins with a steep ascent on slate scree and takes you all the way up to the Kang La Pass. From here, you will see an excellent view of the surroundings. You will descend down on a steep trail to the valley floor. Further, you will trek along the bank of a river and cross it several times. You will then trek through a meadow and reach Shey Gompa.
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Day 11 Rest day at Shey Gompa the crystal monastery
Today is a rest day at Shey Gompa. You will spend the day exploring the village. Shey Gompa is devoted to Guru Rinpoche and Kagyu sects. It is a meditation center of lamas that come from Tibet. Built in the 11th century, Shey Gompa is a famous monastery of this region. Every year, the people of the Dolpo region visit this place to attend Shey festival and circumambulate the Crystal mountain.
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Day 12 Shey gompa – Saldang La (5,010m/16,432ft) - Namgung village(4,430m/1,530ft); 6-7 hrs
You will begin trekking through juniper trees and descend down to a stony canyon. The trail then zigzags and leads you to the top of Saldang La. From here, you will descend to a pasture where you will see various sheep, yaks, and tents of nomads. A short walk from here will lead you to Namgung village. Here, you will visit Namgung monastery, a red colored monastery built against the backdrop off a cliff. Namgung is a very small village with around six stone houses and many terraced fields on both sides of the river.
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Day 13 Namgung village - Saldang (3,620m/11,874ft); 4-5 hrs
Leaving Namgung village, you will ascend with dusty barren mountain views. You will reach Saldang village located on a high plateau above Nam Khongmala. This village is one of the largest villages of Inner Dolpo. Even though Saldang village is situated at the same elevation as Ringmo, both villages are completely different because Sladang village is located in an arid zone of the Trans-Himalayan Tibetan plateau, whereas Ringmo village is located below the tree line.
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Day 14 Saldang - Yangtze Gompa (4,960m/16,267ft); 4-5 hrs
From here onwards, you will trek in the far north and enter one of the least traveled regions of Nepal. Following Nang Chu river, you will ascend & descend gradually through Tiling and Lurigaon. From here, with a short walk, you will reach Yangtze Gompa, which is a very old BonPo monastery.
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Day 15 Yange Gompa - Sibu (4,560m/14,957ft); 6-7 hrs
Today, you will come across two trails that lead to Sibu. The first trail is long and passes through very remote villages of Nishalgaon, whereas the second route is shorter and easier. You will trek back to Saldang village and continue trekking along a river. On the way, you will pass by several terraced fields, stupas, chortens, mani stones, and the Chaiba monastery. Further, trekking through Namdo village, you will reach Sibu after two hours of trekking.
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Day 16 Sibu – Jeng La Phedi (4,900m/16,072ft); 5-6 hrs
Following the Nam Khong Khola, you will come across a caravan of loaded yaks that are on their way towards the Tibet border. Further, we trek on the east side and reach a small confluence of two rivers. From here, you will ascend on a steep trail and reach the bottom of Jeng La Pass, Jeng La Phedi.
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Day 17 Jeng La Phedi – Jeng La pass (5,090m/16,695ft) – Do Tarap (4,080m/13,382ft); 6-7 hrs
From Jeng La Phedi, you will ascend for around two hours and reach the top of Jeng La Pass. From the top of the pass, you will see an impressive view of the surrounding along with the north face of Mt. Dhaulagiri (8,167 m). Further, you will descend on a rugged trail to Tarap valley and continue trekking towards Tarap Chu. You will see spectacular landscape views from here. This village is also rich in culture and tradition.
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Day 18 Day explore and acclimatization in Do Tarap
Today is your rest day at Do Tarap. You will explore various monasteries along with Ribo Bhumpa Gompa situated above the village. You will also go on a short excursion to the east of the valley to Dero Gompa and Shipchok Gompa, a school of Bonpo.
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Day 19 Do Tarap - Karma Kharka (3,800m/12,464ft); 6-7 hrs
Today is going to be a long and tiring day. There are a few different options for camping today, so consult with your guide before moving further. Leaving remote Tarap valley, you will descend to a wide valley. The trail soon becomes narrow and changes into a gorge. Further, trekking along with the dense juniper bushes and wild roses, you will reach the confluence of the Tarap Chu and Lang Khola. You will camp in a lovely meadow known as Karmakharka.
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Day 20 Tarap Khola – Khanigaon (3,150m/10,332ft); 5-6 hrs
After breakfast, you will descend from the gorge of the Tarap River. On the way, you might see people from Dolpo taking their herds to lower pastures for winter. Today, you will have many options for camping so make sure to consult with your guide for the best option. Unexpectedly, the trail goes through the gorge, which will add a thrill to the trip and take you to Khanigaon for the night.
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Day 21 Khani Gaon – Tarakot (2,537m/8,321ft) – Dunai (2,030m/6,658ft); 5-6 hrs
Following an indistinct trail, you will reach Lalberi. The trail then passes through dense forests and descends to another gorge. Further, following a river, you will trek to reach Tarakot. You will have lunch here and walk to the Bheri river in the tremendous gorge with pine trees. From here, the trail will pass by some villages and take you to Dunai.
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Day 22 Dunai - Juphal (2,320m/7,610ft); 2-3 hrs
After a quick breakfast, you will descend to Jhupal. The trail will be short and easy. For the rest of the day, you can relax and enjoy some good food.
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Day 23 Fly from Juphal - Nepalgunj - Kathmandu
Today, you will fly back to Kathmandu. Upon reaching Kathmandu, you will move to your hotel. Again, the rest of the day is free for you to explore nearby areas on your own and go shopping. In the evening, you will have a farewell dinner organized by the company.
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Day 24 Final departure - Breakfast
As per your flight departure time, you will transfer to Tribhuvan International Airport to fly home.
