Upper Dolpo Trekking

Trip Overview

Upper Dolpo Trekking takes place in the most remote zone of Nepal known to the world as upper Dolpo. Upper Dolpo is the generally known as Dolpo as rest of the region is called Dolpa, not Dolpo. So one may be confused between Dolpa and Dolpo, Dolpa stands for most inhabitant Hindu-Buddhist region of the nation; and Dolpo is the ancient remains of Tibet Buddhist settlements known as Bon religion and called as the south extension of Tibet residing on the borders of Nepal and Tibet. Dolpo is a high-altitude Buddhist-Tibetan settlements region located in the upper region of the Dolpa District of western Nepal. Dolpo is one of the most remote zones of Nepal located near towards borders of Tibet and is connected to Kathmandu from the Jufal airport which is a three-day horse ride from Dolpo. Generally, Dolpo is the southern extension of Tibet that lies inside the borders of Nepal. Dolpo is the thinly populated region of not more than 5500 to 18000 whose livelihood is based on agro-pastoral and a part of the region mixes in Shey Phoksundo National Park.

Upper Dolpo Trekking takes to the region of upper Dolpo that represents and advocates the remains of Bon religion, a religion that exists before Buddhism which is a rival of Buddhism. Today the modern form of Bon religion is officially considered as the 5^th school of Tibetan Buddhism. The region of Dolpo has preserved its ancient Tibetan culture and it was the 1999 Oscar-nominated film location and lately a German documentary named Dolpo Tulku. Even though the region lies in the most remote zone of the nation, Dolpo is one of the most popular tourist destinations of Nepal. In the geological aspect, Dolpo is the part of the sedimentary Tibetan-Tethys zone surrounded by Himalayan mountains chains of Mt.Dhaulagiri. In ancient ages Dolpo was divided into four valleys Tsharka, means good growing-place; Tarap, auspicious excellent; Panzang means abode of monks; and Nangkhong, means innermost place. These places still exist in the four of the current seven village development committees of today’s society established in 1975A.D. The southern region of the valley is supported by Bheri River. The main VDC (village development committee) of Dolpo residing from east to west are Chharka, the Tsharka Valley; Mukot, Dho, Tarap Valley; Phoksundo. The northern valley of this region is backup up by Langu River, a branch of Karnali River. The main VDC (village development committee) of this region are Tinje, Panzang Valley; Saldang, Nangkhong Valley; and Bhijer. Since Dolpo is mainly divided into four valleys each lead by a VDC which are Dho, Tarap Valley; Saldang, Nankhong Valley, the most crowded one; Tinje, Panzang Valley; and Chharka, Tsharka Valley.

Upper Dolpo Trekking starts from the capital city of Kathmandu from the travelers take vehicles or air flight to the place called Jhupal of upper Dolpo. Then they start their journey encountering the antique establishments, rough and rock nature, traditional people of Tibetan ethnicity, religion that is older than Buddhism, beautiful pine woodland, photographic landscapes and valleys, rhododendron forest along with lush and giant mountains at Numala pass at 5400meters until they reach Ringmo village owning Phoksundo Lake inside the Phoksundo National Park. The travelers spend time in this region enjoying the beauty of the deep blue waters of Phoksundo Lake and surrounding Himalayan peaks of Kanjirowa Himalayan range accompanied by the remote village of Ringmo and its monastery. After completing their rest the travelers continue their travel to Shey Gomba going through historical trans-Himalayan exchange course returning back to Jhupal. The travelers can choose their type of travel from Jhupal of upper Dolpo and return to their place of departure Kathmandu.

Outline Itinerary

Arrival in Kathmandu – (1360m)
Sightseeing Around Kathmandu Valley
Flight to Nepalgunj – (150m)
Flight to Juphal – 2475m
Trek to Chhepka – (2838m) – 6 hrs Walk
Trek to Palam – (3820m) – 6-7 hrs Walk
Trek to Phoksundo Lake – (3620m) 4 hrs Walk
Exploring Day
Trek to Salla Ghari – (3640m) – 5-6 hrs Walk
Trek to Lar Tsa – (4120m) 6 hrs Walk
Trek to Shey Gompa – (4320m) – 7-8 hrs Walk
Rest Day – Shey Gompa
Trek to Namgung – (4430m) – 6 hrs Walk
Trek to Saldang – (4046m) – 3 hrs Walk
Trek to Sibu – (4000m) – 6 hrs Walk
Trek to foot of the Jengla – (4480m) – 4-5 hrs Walk
Trek to Tokyo Gaon – (4240m) – 6-7 hrs Walk
Trek to Dho Tarap – (4200m) – 2 hrs Walk
Trek to Serkam – (3623m.) – 7 hrs Walk
Trek to Tarakot – (2280m) 5 hrs Walk
Trek to Dunai – (2109m) – 5 hrs Walk
Trek to Juphal – (2404m) – 3 hrs Walk
Flight to Kathmandu via Nepalgunj
Departure to your destination