Upper Dolpo & Shey Gompa Trek

Welcome to the beautiful city of Nepal!! There won’t be a possibility for you to feel like an outsider when you arrive at the Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu as one of the representatives of Pariwar Holidays Pvt. Ltd will be there to receive you. After your airport check-up formalities, you will be led directly to your hotel. Please make sure that you have enough rest at the hotel and you can also try to explore around the beautiful city on your own. It is fun to meet people around the place as most of them speak English. In the evening, the team of Pariwar Holidays Pvt. Ltd will sponsor a dinner in one of the best restaurants in the area. You can enjoy delicious cuisines along with the team of Pariwar Holidays Pvt. Ltd.

Today after breakfast we start a guided tour to several of the most historical and spiritual sites of Kathmandu. Most of these landmarks are categorized under World Heritage Sites. They include the historic Durbar Square of Basantapur, the sacred Hindu temple of Pashupati Nath, the famous ‘Monkey Temple’ (Swayambhunath) and Buddhists’ shrine (Bouddha Nath). Boudha Nath is the largest spherical Stupa of Nepal. At the evening, there will be a pre-trip discussion and trek leaders along with other team members will also be meeting to discuss about the upcoming adventure. Please do feel free to ask any questions regarding the trip that you are making.

On this day, a representative of Pariwar Holidays Pvt. Ltd. will drop you to the domestic airport of Kathmandu for your departure towards Nepalgung. After you reach the Nepalgunj airport, a representative of our company will receive you and drop you to your designated hotel. Nepalgunj is an interesting town of Terai region of Nepal. The culture of this town is a conglomeration of all cultures as we can see Hindu, Buddhist and Muslim cultures there. You can spend the rest of the day either at your hotel or explore the local markets around Nepalgunj.

This day, after our early breakfast, we fly from Nepalgunj towards Juphal. The flight is of around 45 minutes over the high mountains. From Juphal an excellent view of the Annapurna and Dhaulagiri peaks can be seen on the northern side. Juphal airport is also the place where we will be meeting our trekking staffs. After the introduction with all the staffs, begins the trekking. The journey leads us through the terraced field of the Bheri River via a narrow gorge. The actual trekking is of around 2-3 hours to reach the Dunai Bazaar. This region is also the administrative headquarter of Dolpa. We can spend the rest of the day to explore the popular Dunai Bazaar. Our overnight would be in a camp at Dunai Bazaar.

The trek of this day begins from Dunai towards Ankhe. Along the trail, there would be diversion of the route via King Mahendra statue to cross a new suspension bridge. The trail then follows towards a hospital. After crossing this hospital, the path gradually starts to climn up the sides of the treeless Thulo Bheri Valley. Towards our south, we can see the most magnificent view of the Phoksumdo river valley from this valley. The trail further leads us to a ridge with a cairn which is situated at 2,499m/8,197ft. The enchanting view of Kagmara Peak can be seen during our trek. The trail further leads to a large side canyon, and descends gently through a long downhill slope through the scattered houses and walnut groves to a stream at 2,810m/9,217ft. Along the trial, we reach a place called Dhera, which is a winter settlement for the cows and goats. The trail further leads us to Rahagaon, a Thakuri village at 2,900m/9,512ft. There is also a Gumba at this village which is dedicated to the local god, Mastha. Mastha is considered to be the guardian and protector of this village. From Rahagaon, the trail further passes towards Phoksumdo Khola. To reach the Shey Phoksumdo National Park at Ankhe (2,896m/9,499ft). Our overnight stay will be in a camp at Ankhe.

The trail of this day ascends and descends in most of the way via forested riverbed until we reach a steep cliff of around 2,900 m. By and by we reach an open area with grassy slope along the river. From there the trail further starts to descend through the forested area to reach a cliff. Different sceneries of grazing yaks and cows can be seen along the pasture lands. The trail further leads us to Ryajik and from there we move towards Sulighat. Sulighat used to serve as the army headquarters previously but now, it is in ruins. Our overnight stay would be in a camp at Sulighat.

The journey of this day continues along the valley floor to reach the confluence of Phoksundo River and Pungmo River. We cross the Phoksundo River from the western side via a wooden bridge to reach the Pungmo River. From there, the trail further continues to Phoksundo Lake (3,500m/11.480 ft). Along the way we reach Ringmo village. The houses of this village are very interesting as most of the houses seem to be buried in the sand. From this village, the trail further leads us to open fields and from there the lake of Phoksndo is very near. Upon reaching this lake, we camp at the side of the lake.

This day marks as the rest day at Phoksundo. On this day, we go for a short hike around the Ringmo village. There are also famous Tibetan Buddhist Monasteries as well as Bon monasteries around this place. You can opt to explore these monasteries on this day. Your overnight stay will be in a camp at Phoksundo on this day.

After having a splendid restday at Phoksundo Lake and recharging the body to the full, we continue our adventure via the banks of the lake that leads towards the rocky ledge. The trail is somewhat unsteady and passes through the crevasse in the rocks. From the western edge of the lake the path progresses via lush meadow that opens up into the flood plain of the Phoksundo Khola. The other side of the river would be our camping place for overnight.

On this day, we begin our journey from Phoksundo Khola towards the Phoksundo Bhanjyang. There are many rivers to be crossed along the journey of this day. After crossing the confluence of Phoksundo Khola and a mountain river via a wooden bridge, we start ascending to the north east side of the trail towards the valley. The journey gets harder on this day as in some of the places, there is no trail at all and we need to clamber over the rocks and boulders to get along towards the destination. Through this precarious climbing, we reach a valley from where Kang-La pass can be seen. By and by, the trail further leads us to Shey Gompa and from there Phoksundo Bhanjyang is very near. Our overnight stay will be in a camp at Phoksundo Bhanjyang.

The trail of this day ascends via a trail full of slates towards the pass. As the trail is through slate screeds, a proper attention should be paid. By and by we reach Kang-la 5,360m/17,581ft. From this pass, magnificent sight of a large valley being bisected by a large river can be seen. From this pass, we descend steeply towards the valley floor until we get to the banks of the river. We need to cross this river at several places on this day. After a while we reach some mud caves overlooking the river. The trail further leads us to the meadows where we can see numerous yaks and sheep grazing over there. Further continuation through this trail leads us to a red chorten which marks as our arrival to Shey Gompa 4,500m/14,760ft. Our overnight stay would be in a camp inside the compound of Shey Gompa.

This day marks as a rest day at Shey Gompa. The landscape and natural beauty of this place is really fantastic and it would be a matter of gladness that you have ascended such a height of the Dolpo region where only a few of the foreigners have trodden their foot on. The interesting monuments and the places of historic beauty around this monastery makes this trip even more interesting. After visiting the Bon monasteries as well as some other Buddhist monasteries, we camp on the premises of Shey Gompa like yesterday for the overnight stay.

From Shey Gompa, we begin our trek via a splendid trail via juniper trees. After crossing this area, the trail starts to progress through zig zag bare rocks and coarse eroded soil to reach the top of Saldang-La 5,200m/17,056ft. From Saldang La, the trail further ascends to reach the meadows where yaks and sheep graze. We can also see the nomadic camps along the meadows, which is a place where the yak herders reside. From this meadow, the trail further leads us to Namduna Gaun 4,800m/15,744ft. This village is also famous for Namgung monastery and this monastery belongs to Karma-pa sect. In the village of Namduna village itself, we will be camping for overnight.

The trial of this day begins from Namduna Gaun towards Saldang. From Namduna, the trail ascends steeply via a slope. The trail of this day generally ascends until we reach Saldang. Saldang marks as the biggest village of the inner Dolpo. This village stretches for nearly two kilometers on an open slope. At Saldang, there are around five villages with the total population of around six hundred people. This place marks as the trade route with Tibet hence it is a prosperous village. We camp in the grassy meadows at Saldang for overnight stay.

This day, the trail further leads us through the bank of Nang Chu river towards the wild windswept terrain. The ascending and descending is common on this day as the Yangze via Tiling and lurigaon. This village is famous for the Bon po monasteries and various over monasteries. After getting to this village, we camp in the grassy meadows for overnight.

The trail of this day begins from Yangze Gompa. There are two trail connecting Yangze to Sibu. The longer one heads due west passing through the very remote villages of Nishalgaon and further past Shimengaon. But the shortest way is via the village of Saldang. We take the short way, and from Saldang, we cross through terraced fields, stupas, chortens and a Chaiba monastery towards the Nam Khong Khola. The Namdo monastery is very near from this river bed. From this monastery, the journey further continues for around two hours to reach the small settlement of Sibu. Our overnight stay will be in a camp at Sibu.

This day, from Sibu, the trail further continues towards Jeng-La Phedi. The trek begins in the morning itself through the banks of Nam Khong Khola. Along the trail, we can see herds of Yaks marching towards Tibet as this route is a trade route with Tibet. This day, we bid good bye to the Nam Khong Khola as from this day we won’t be able to see this river along the trail. By and by our trail leads us to Jeng-la Phedi which marks as the place for our camping for overnight stay.

This morning, we begin our trek by ascending towards the top of the Jeng La (5,090m/16,695ft). From the top of Jeng La, splendid vista of the snow peaked mountains can be viewed. The picturesque scenes of the north face of the Dhaulagiri range look awesome in the morning sunrise. After staying awhile at this pass, we descend towards Tarap valley. Tarap is an excellent valley with vast plains and tall mountains. Tarap Chu comprises of around ten villages. There are many Gompas and Chortens in this village belonging to both Bon and the Buddhist sects. Our overnight stay would be at Tokyu monastery belonging to Chaiba sect.

The trail of this day heads from Tokyu towards Dho Tarap. The trail leads towards the eastern side of the hill of Tarap Chu. There is many Bon Po as well as Chaiba sect’s monastery along the trail of this day. The trek further continues to Dho Tarap (4,040m/13,251ft). The village of Dho is surrounded by irregular stone walls and consists of around 40 houses. We camp in this village for overnight stay.

On this day, we make short exploration of the local area of Dho. The people of Dolpa are very friendly and you can opt to make friends with them. They have typical way of dressing and mostly wear home spun clothing. Both the males and females of this region wear religious amulets and strings of coral and turquoise. Their religious belief can be of Bon Po and Buddhist of Nyingmapa sect. After exploring this area, we stay for overnight in the camp itself.

This day marks as one of the long day with moderate walk. The trail of this day basically descends in most of the places. The trail changes its sceneries from the barren lands to wide valley via narrow gorge. The trail passes through Juniper bush and wild rose. These vegetation are typical of dry inner Himalayas. If we get lucky, we can also see herds of Blue sheep along the trail of this day. By and by the trail further leads us to the confluence of Tarap Chu and the Lang Khola. From this confluence, we head again through the trail to reach Tarap Khola. We camp in the grassy meadows of Tarap Khola for overnight stay.

On this day, we begin our trek from the Tarap River towards Khanigaon. The trail follows the steep descend and we can see many local people taking their herds of Yaks and Sheep to the lower pastures for the winter. The journey gets even more interesting as our trail leads us through a gorge. This gorge at times gets very close and we can jump from one side to the other. There might also be chances that at some places the wooden logs that acted as a bridge has been swept way. We might need to cross this icy river barefoot. By and by our journey leads us to Khanigaon which marks as the place of camping for the overnight stay.

The trail of this day is even more interesting as it leads to the village of Lalberi from where we cross a forested area. The trail further descends through a gorge to reach the village of Tarakot. Tarakot (2,537m/8,321ft) is an old fortress town which is popularly called by local people as Dzon (fort) . The famous Samdul Monastery lies 8 Km away from this village. Upon reaching this village, we will be camping in the grassy meadows for overnight stay.

The trail continues from Tarakot towards Dunai. We walk by the side of the Bheri River. The surrounding consists of the sceneries of pine trees and an ingenious path built about seven meters above the river. The trail continues towards Dunai and upon reaching there, it’s time for celebration. As we come to an end of such an exciting journey. Bottled beers and local brew are available there. You can also opt to give tips to the guides and porters here as they helped you in many ways for the trip. Their assistance has played a great role for your successful completion of the trek. Our overnight stay would either be in a tent or at the guest house at Dunai Bazaar.

This day, we get back from Dunai towards the Jhuphal. The journey of this day is very short and passes along the river bank of Bheri River to a small airstrip. This day marks as the last day of our stay in the Dolpa region. We camp near the airstrip of this day and it would be one of the memorable days in Dolpa.

In the early morning, we take a short scenic flight from Jhuphal towards Nepalgung. From Nepalgunj, another connecting flight will take us to Kathmandu. Upon reaching Kathmandu, a representative of our company will receive you and drop you to your designated hotel in Kathmandu. You can spend the rest of the time on your own at hotel and get nostalgic about the wonderful trek that you just accomplished.

On this day, you will have a full day of leisure at Kathmandu. You can either explore around the ancient and culturally rich streets of Kathmandu or spend the day at the hotel itself.

On this day depending on the schedule of your flight booking, a representative of Pariwar Holidays will drop you to the Tribhuvan International airport for your final departure towards your homeland. Please do feel free to contact us for another exciting adventure with us to a new destination with the team of Pariwar Holidays.