Lower Dolpo Trek takes you to the lower Dolpo region of Nepal which is often regarded as an unexplored natural paradise . Mother Nature has favored this western section of Nepal with natural amusement and serene beauty. The landscapes resemble that of the roof of the world i.e. Tibet. Many people find this place similar to that of the Tibetan plateaus and villages. Lower Dolpo Trek is undeniably a true adventure for those who seek an off beaten route with natural beauty, mountain views and cultural richness in abundance. Have to watch the Oscar-nominated movie – Caravan? If yes, then the challenging trail shown in the movie was of Lower Dolpo region. The film featured this region and was appreciated by lots of people around the globe.
Lower Dolpo Trek is an opportunity to traverse into the heavenly beauty of the Himalayas, mountain lakes and authentic Tibetan Buddhist religion. Also,You can immerse into the divine glory of Phoksundo Lake and experience its serenity. Lower Dolpo Trek is indeed a once in a lifetime experience. Located on the northern side of the Dhaulagiri range; Dolpo region in hidden jewel amidst the shadows of mighty mountains.
Lower Dolpo Trek was opened for foreign travelers only in 1990 and even today the place is less traveled due to its remoteness. People in the Dolpo region live a very simple and traditional life. They use yak caravans to trade salt and cotton to Tibet. They follow the Bon religion which is a unique religion of its own kind. We can see the influence of the Buddhist Bon religion as we pass the villages and monasteries on the way in Lower Dolpo Trek.
The trail of Lower Dolpo Trek goes through the Shey Phoksundo National Park which is a treasure of biodiversity. You can encounter many species of floras, faunas, and wildlife within the untouched dense forests of the region. Similarly, The Lower Dolpo Trek offers an opportunity of crossing high passes like Baga La pass and Numa La pass. One will be rewarded with striking views of mountains from these high passes. So, are you ready for this lifetime journey to the remote Himalayas? Contact your reliable travel partner – World Alpine Treks for more details about Lower Dolpo Trek.
The first day marks your arrival day in Kathmandu. Clear all the visa requirements and customs clearance if any at the arrival section of the airport. As you come out, you will find a representative from World Alpine Treks waiting for you holding a board with your name. You will then be transferred to your hotel at Kathmandu. The representative will shortly inform you about the plans ahead.
The second day is a day tour just to warm up prior to your trekking journey. Kathmandu is a city enriched with artistic palaces, beautiful monuments, ancient temples and other constructions of historical and cultural importance. No wonder, the city has seven out of ten UNESCO listed world heritage sites. Today, you will be guided to the UNESCO listed heritage sites in Kathmandu. These heritages are perfect examples of rich history, fine culture and architectural treasures of Nepal. At first, you will be taken to Kathmandu Durbar Square. The art, crafts, and carvings in the palaces, temples and other monuments of the durbar square are excellent. After that, you will be escorted to Swayambhunath stupa (Monkey temple), Pashupatinath temple and Boudhanath stupa respectively. (Inclusive of breakfast)
In the early morning, you will be picked up from your hotel and transferred to the domestic terminal of Tribhuwan International Airport for a flight to Nepalgunj. It’s a fifty minutes flight from Kathmandu to Nepalgunj. Nepalgunj lies in south western Nepal close to the Indian border. It is one of the hottest cities in Nepal. as soon as you land in the airport, you can feel the instant heat of the place. Upon arrival, you will be transferred to a hotel in Nepalgunj. Stay in the hotel till evening. In the evening, you can explore the city and visit the Bageshwori temple. Tonight at a hotel in Nepalgunj (Inclusive of breakfast, lunch and dinner)
Today, we leave Nepalgunj and fly to Juphal. It’s around thirty-five minutes flight from Nepalgunj to Juphal. The flight is an amazing experience above the mountain ridges with astonishing views of snow-clad mountains. Upon arrival, you will notice that you have come to a quaint small village from a busy city. Landing in Juphal will give a remote vibe with fresh cold air and Himalayas. From Juphal, we follow a trail that will lead us to Dunai. We descend down via the farmlands to Thuli bheri river. From here, we follow the trail to Dunai. Tonight at Dunai (Inclusive of breakfast, lunch, and dinner)
Leaving Dunai, we follow a trail along with mountainous landscapes that resemble to that of the European Alps. We can see the rocky slopes dotted with the blue pine trees. Somewhere in the far distance, Mt. Kong Tokal is visible. The path undulates up and down through the Thuli Bheri River. We pass some villages and settlement areas on the way to Byasgar. It is a village inhabited by Magar people who follow Buddhism. From Byasgar, we follow a wild rough, dry and rocky trail to Lingdo. Tonight, we stay at a guesthouse in Lingdo. (Inclusive of breakfast, lunch, and dinner)
From Lingdo, we move gradually upward with some astounding views of villages and wild landscapes. On the way, we pass some chotens and mani walls that gives the vibes of the Buddhism religion prevalent in that area. The landscape is amazingly full of sharp rocks with few juniper and pine trees. The trail climbs up steeply through a sloppy path to a long suspension bridge over the Thuli Bheri River. We cross the bridge and start climbing up for around three hours to Laina Odar. The climb is quite strenuous and goes through a forested area. Today, we stop at a camp in Laina Odar. (Inclusive of breakfast, lunch, and dinner)
With a gentle walk from Laina Odar, the trail climbs up to a small pass. It’s around 45 minutes' walk from Laina Odar to the pass. We cross the pass and continue through an easy path with few ups and downs. It’s a scenic route through pine forests with a beautiful aroma. After four hours of walk, we reach Nawarpani. Tonight, we stay at Nawarpani (Inclusive of breakfast, lunch, and dinner)
Today, we start traversing to a more barren region. We can slowly notice the change in vegetation that goes from a few trees to bushes to no trees. Today, you can get a glimpse of blue sheep in the high slopes of the region. If lucky, you may even encounter a snow leopard. It’s an easy day walk today through a beautiful path with rocky stones. In the final minutes of our walk, we cross a pass and walk for around 30 minutes to Sisual. Tonight, we stay at Sisual (Inclusive of breakfast, lunch, and dinner)
From Sisual, we climb up to cross another small pass. After crossing the pass, the valley widens and we get into a completely different place. The place is dry and arid with only a few bushes. As we move ahead, we can see some houses appearing at the horizon amidst the mountains. As we walk closer to those houses, we can see mani walls, chotens, and stupas that give us the vibes of the Buddhist region. Finally, we reach the Dho Tarap. It is a beautiful village inhabited by the direct descendants of Tibetans. Their faces, dresses, lifestyle, and culture resembles to that of the Tibetans. There is a monastery in Dho located at the hilltop of the village. Tonight at Dho Tarap (Inclusive of breakfast, lunch, and dinner)
The walking hours for the day is short. From Dho Tarap it takes us around three and a half hours to reach Numala Base Camp. In the morning, we wake up and explore the surrounding areas of Dho Tarap. Then we leave Dho and pass a chorten gate to Crystal mountain school. It is a school-sponsored by a French NGO. From school, we walk for around half an hour to Tokyu. It is a village that is considered to be the highest settlement area in the world. We visit a gompa at the end of the village. The gompa has a beautiful statue of Future Buddha – Maitreya. Leaving the village, we climb for around one and a half hours to Numala Base Camp. Tonight at Numala Base Camp (Inclusive of breakfast, lunch, and dinner)
It’s a tough day today. We start early in the morning to cross the pass as the weather gets bad afternoon. The climb up to the pass at 5318m is strenuous and takes around three hours. If the weather supports, one can have some outstanding views of Dhaulagiri Himal along with other mountains in the Annapurna and Manaslu range. After crossing the pass, we open up to a meadow where we would stay for the night. The place is popular as Danziger. It is close to Panklanga River and offers some striking views of Norbung Kang to the south. Tonight at Danigar (Inclusive of breakfast, lunch, and dinner)
There is another pass that we need to cross today. Leaving Danigar, we cross Panklanga Khola and follow a steep twisted path that climbs up to a high camp. From here, we can applaud some astounding views of Norbung Kang and the Baga La range. We climb up to the Baga La pass at 5190 meters and cross it admiring the classic views of Kanjirowa Himal and Shey Shikhar. After crossing the pass, the trail descends down steep. The path is quite slippery in the first half but then we start traversing through a bit lush environment. Beautiful bushes and trees come to our sight. Further, we pass some beautiful waterfalls and walk along a flat and easy path to Yak Kharka. Yak Kharka is a meadow and a fascinating location with impressive views of Kanjirowa Hmal in a backdrop. Tonight at Yak Kharka (Inclusive of breakfast, lunch, and dinner)
From Yak Kharka, we descend down through a beautiful forested area to Ringmo. As we follow the trail, we pass some lush forests and waterfalls. The birds chirping and the serenity within the jungles make the environment pleasing. We walk until we reach a place called Ringmo. It’s a beautiful village close to Phoksundo Lake. Tonight we stay at Ringmo village (Inclusive of breakfast, lunch, and dinner)
Early in the morning, we walk towards the Phoksundo Lake. As we move ahead, we can see yak caravans walking through the village. The scene is quite similar to that presented in the Oscar-winning movie Caravan. Upon reaching the lake, we can enjoy our time applauding the serenity of lake water and pristine nature. The Mountain View, lushness and azure lake water, the combination is simply perfect. Leaving the lake, we follow a trail that goes downhill to Chhepka. On the way, we traverse through an overhanging rock which is considered to be an ore of Shilajit mineral. Tonight we stay at Chhepka (Inclusive of breakfast, lunch, and dinner)
Today, we descend down to Juphal via Sangta and Kageni. The trail runs downhill most of the time. We pass lush forests, villages, and rivers on the way to Juphal. As we traverse out of Shey Phoksundo National Park, we cross a long suspension bridge and descend towards Juphal. Finally, we complete our trekking journey with a night in the place where we had started our trek earlier. Tonight we stay at Juphal (Inclusive of breakfast, lunch, and dinner)
Today, we take a flight to Nepalgunj. From Nepalgunj, we take another flight back to Kathmandu. Upon arrival, you will be dropped at a hotel in Kathmandu. You can relax at the hotel after this two-week-long journey. Tonight at a hotel in Kathmandu (Inclusive of breakfast and lunch)
After sixteen days long journey, today is a free day in Kathmandu. You have two options for the day – you can either explore some unexplored UNESCO listed heritage sites around Kathmandu or go to the shopping malls for shopping. You can also collect some souvenirs for your family and friends back home. (Inclusive of Breakfast)
Before a few hours of your scheduled flight, you will be transferred to the international terminal of Tribhuwan International airport. (Inclusive of Breakfast)