Lower Dolpa Trek

You’ll arrive in Kathmandu where you will be received by the company’s staff and taken to a hotel for that day. You’ll stay at one of the hotels in the city. After you freshen up, we’ll provide the necessary information and guidelines for the trekking. Then, you can explore the city for the rest of the day.

Certain permit procedures are required for the trek, and we will look after them on your behalf. Then, you'll fly from Kathmandu to reach Nepalgunj within an hour. Nepalgunj is the biggest business center and transportation hub in western Nepal. In the evening, you can roam around to observe the culture and tradition of the local Tharu Community or shop in the local market.

You’ll take a flight from Nepalgunj to Juphal. It is a small yet beautiful airport in Dolpa. You can observe scenes of hills and mountains, Annapurna and Dhaulagiri range on the flight. The journey will be of about 45 minutes. From Juphal, you’ll start trekking to reach Dunai. After you reach Dunai, you can explore the village and enjoy the local Khas lifestyle.

On this day, the trail continues along the banks of the Bheri River for the entire trek. The path ascends gradually as you trek past several Khas and Chhetri villages on the way to Tarakot. You will walk through pine woods, suspension bridges, and gorges, including the Bharbung River gorge. You'll even see the cultivation in terraced fields in the isolated Tarakot village.

You’ll follow the trail along the bank of Bheri River and reach an open valley. There are other rivers that you’ll cross like Bharbung Khola and Tarap Khola. You’ll also get to enjoy the view of mountains like Putha Hiunchuli (7,246 m) and Churen Himal Range. As the trail ascends further, you will reach Laina Odar and stay overnight.

On this section of trail, you'll cross the deep gorge of Tarap River and reach Toltol through Nawarpani. Toltol is the winter settlement of people in Upper Dolpo. During the winter season, it is freezing so, and they descend to lower altitudes. You'll be crossing rivers on wooden planks and flat stones as you ascend to Toltol.

Firstly, you will move along the banks of the Tarap River and ascend. On the way, you'll cross the junction of Tarap Chu and Lang Khola as well as some narrow gorges. You'll follow a forested path with the sights of tree line, plenty of wild roses, and juniper bushes to reach Dho Tarap. It used to be a popular trading point for traders of Tibet and Nepal in the old days.

Dho Tarap is a Bon Po village where you will acclimatize climate with high altitude for a day. It is one of the highest places with human settlements. The people here follow traditional Buddhism and ancient Bon Po religion. You can learn about their culture and history. You'll have the feeling of being in the prehistoric era. Dho Tarap is a valley so, you'll have a fantastic view of the surrounding hills.

After a day in Dho Tarap, you’ll ascend further as the trails start getting sparsely populated. Although the trail is not a long one, it will gradually become difficult because of the high altitude. The trail follows steep landscapes and dotted rocks. You’ll rest for the day in Numa La Base Camp.

This is the most challenging part of the whole trek. The way is through hills, and you'll have to climb steep rocks. You'll cross the enthralling Numa La Pass, the highest altitude on the trail at an altitude of 5,310 m. The top of the pass offers exquisite scenery of the Dhaulagiri range along with Putha Hiunchuli and Chure Himal range. From the top of the pass, you begin the descent to Danighar.

From Danighar, you’ll ascend slightly and then descend to reach Temche. You’ll pass another famous pass Baga La Pass at an altitude of 5,170m. You’ll also have the view of another famous Himalaya in western Nepal, Mount Kanjirowa. Moreover, you can also enjoy the sights of the Dhaulagiri range and the vast expanse of the Shey Phoksundo National Park. Later, you descend to Temche village as the trek heads west towards the Phoksundo Lake. The trail will be difficult a difficult one as you descend over a 1000 meters.

On this day, you will trek from Yak Kharka to Phoksundo Lake. This part of the trail is comparatively easier as you descend across the lush hills. The trail begins at the pasture lands of Yak Kharka and heads to the dense forests of the Shey Phoksundo National Park. The entire trail will be slightly isolated to the serene lakeside.

Phoksundo Lake is the deepest lake in Nepal and lies within the Shey Phoksundo National Park. The view across the skirts of the lake is captivating. As you explore the lake, you can observe its unique ecology. The forested area around the lake has diverse floras and faunas. The slope hills are full of national flora Rhododendron along with white Himalayan Birch, Juniper, Caragana shrubs, and Salix, just to name few. The area is also a habitat to different high altitude faunas like Musk deer, Himalayan Tahr, Blue Sheep, Goral, Himalayan Black Beer, and endangered Snow-Leopard among others.

After spending a whole day around the Phoksundo Lake, you’ll start descending your way back. You’ll be covering longer distances in a day while descending in comparison to the ascents. With lifetime experiences, you’ll trek down to Chhepka. You’ll see woods of pine trees throughout the way and witness abundant attractions of Dolpa.

From Chhepka, you’ll reach straight to Juphal airport. You’ll trek through a forested path and pass the check post of Shey Phoksundo National Park. You’ll also cross a metal suspension bridge over Dhim Khola on the way to Juphal. On the way, you will also pass Byasgad Ghat and follow the Bheri River to reach Juphal.

From Juphal, you'll take your flight to Nepalgunj. You'll have the scenic view of mountains and observe drastic changes in geography from hills to plain lands of Nepalgunj. In the afternoon, you will fly back to Kathmandu. Back in the capital, you can explore around and try the local ethnic cuisine.

You’ll have a day off in Kathmandu. There can be flight delays or cancellations due to bad weather. You may need to rest as well. Moreover, there are many places to visit within Kathmandu also. UNESCO enlisted world heritage sites like Kathmandu Durbar Square, Pashupatinath, Boudhanath, and Swayambhunath. You can try some places if you feel like visiting.

Today will be your final day in Kathmandu. We’ll arrange transportation for you from the hotel to the airport. We’ll then bid you farewell from Kathmandu.