14 DAYS Trek + 4 nights in Kathmandu

Dolpo, one of the highest inhabited plateaus in the world, was closed to trekkers until 1989. Those that did get to visit this area needed special permission from the Government. With the changes in the regulations governing visits, a remarkable part of Nepal, hitherto almost unknown, has suddenly become a major destination for trekkers and mountain lovers.

It is an area of roughly 2100 square miles inside Nepal's northwestern frontier with Tibet, encompassing some thirty villages and monasteries at altitutes of eleven to fifteen thousand feet. Dolpo is in Nepal but, its people - in race, religion and culture, are Tibetan Buddhists descended from nomadic tribes who settled in this area around the tenth century. Being in Nepal, the Chinese occupation and subsequent "cultural revolution" of Tibet did not affect the Dolpo-pa (people of Dolpo), and their religion and culture has survived as one of the best preserved examples of Tibetan Buddhism in the world. In fact, people living in certain pockets of the region practice Bon Po, an animastic religion that pre-dates Buddhism and which, some believe, is actually the precursor to Tibetan Buddhism as we know it.

Lower Dolpo, the area opened to trekkers, is thickly forested with conifers and cut by gushing rivers. The upper portion of Dolpo, however, is an extension of the Tibetan Plateau and has the same wild, windswept, open spaces characteristic of Tibet. The region was declared a National Park in 1984, making it Nepal's largest National Park and the only one encompassing a Trans-Himalayan eco-system. The national Park Status has helped preserve not only the culture but also the wiildlife. The lower Dolpo is home to the endangered musk deer which may be glimpsed along the trails and to a great variety of birds. Though rarely seen the blue sheep, the Himalayan black bear, snow leopard and the Himalayan wolf are also found in Dolpo.

Your journey to the land of the Dolpo-pa begins with a flight from Kathmandu to Nepalgunj, followed the next day by another flight to the STOL airstrip at Jumla. From Jumla the trail follows a south-easterly direction through the villages of Gothichour, Chaurikot, and Hurikot. Then heading north-east, it crosses the Kagmara La at 5115 m. (La = pass) to the villages of Pungmo and Ringmo to culminate at the the Shey Phoksumdo Lake. Trekkers are not allowed to go north beyond the lake. The return journey will bring you south through the villages of Sepka and Aankhe to Dunai for the flight back to Nepalgunj and then to Kathmandu.

Day 01
Upon arrival in Kathmandu you will be greeted by a representative of Himalayan Journeys
and transferred to your hotel.

Day 02
Free day in Kathmandu to make final preparations for your trek. If you feel that you are adequately prepared and would like to have an escorted sightseeing tour of Kathmandu city, we will be glad to arrange it for you. Please ask for this service from our representative upon arrival.

Day 03
Fly to Nepalgunj, a major city in western Nepal. Your Sirdar will meet you at the airport and arrange for you to be tranferred to your hotel. Your room at the hotel has been paid for but you will have to buy your own meals at the hotel restaurant. It is suggested that you eat at the hotel itself due to the questionable quality of food available elsewhere.

Day 04
Transfer to the Nepalgunj airport for the flight to Jumla. Today camp at Jumal. From Jumla, heading in a south-westerly direction, the trail passes through terraced fields of wheat, potato and barley and some small villages. It is a pleasant day's walk to the village of Gothichour. Encounters with Dolpo-pa traders with their caravans of pack animals, laden with salt from Tibet, headed for the middle hills is likely. These traders supplement their income by selling their meagre agricultural produce first in Tibet, in exchange for salt and then carrying the salt from there to the Nepalese middle hills. They sell the salt, buy more agricultural produce and repeat the cycle. It is amazing that most of this trade is carried on through a system of barter, almost as ancient as the hills themselves.

Day 05
From here, the trail continues south-west to Manisangu where there is a small police check post where you will need to show your trekking permit. After this has been examined you will continue to Sherpa Gaon. This is one of the few Sherpa enclaves in the Dolpo region and you will have the opportunity to witness Sherpa culture, as it used to be, unchanged by the onslaught of modernity. From Sherpa Gaon the trail follows a series of ups and downs to the village of Churta.

Day 06
After a long day of constant climbing through hamlets, and the occasional forest, cross the first of the high passes on this trip - the Mauri La (4326 m.). From the pass you descend to the village of Chaurikot and onto camp. It is very likely that as you pass through villages in this region people will flock out of their houses to see you. Do not be alarmed. Some of these people have never seen westerners before are curious to find out more about them. You should ask for permission before taking photographs. People who have not seen cameras, ever, do not like strange objects which make funny sounds pointed at them!

Day 08
From Chaurikot you follow a series of ups and downs to the village of Rimi, high above the north bank of the Bheri River and then head northwest along the Garpung Khola (Khola = (small river), which is a major tributary of the Bheri to Hurikot. Continuing from Hurikot you cross the Garpung Khola to its southern bank and reach Kagmara Phedi at the bottom of the Kagmara La (5115 m.).

As you pass through villages people may come out to you and ask for medicines for headaches and various other ailments. Please do NOT pass out medications unless you can determine the nature of the ailment and provide follow up medical care.

Day 09
This is a day for you to spend acclimatizing to the high altitude and to get some real rest after the strenuous trekking of the last couple of days. You will need to go to bed early today to be able to wake up and make a very early start tomorrow.

Day 10
Waking up early you start out, upwards, for the Kagmara La before the day gets hot and the sun melts the snow (when there is some), making ascent difficult. This is going to be a long day. On the ascent to the pass the forest at first is quite dense and sightings are possible of the Red Panda and various kinds of birds. On the rare occaision you may be lucky and see markings of the black bear, snow leopard or the Himalayan wolf. On still rare occasions you may see the animals themselves. After crossing the Kagmara La the trail descends to Chouri Kharka from where magnificent views of the Kanjiroba Himal are available.

You will be carrying packed lunches which will have been distributed to you in the early morning. This is necessitated because it is very difficult to set up a kitchen at this section and also because of the delay it would cause. You have to cross the pass the pass and get to the first available water before it gets dark.

After descending for some time you arrive at a birch forest where water is available. Your camp will be set up at a grassy spot near the forest. It is possible to sight blue sheep on the opposite slopes but, you need a good pair of binoculars as these animals blend very well with the surrounding landscape.

Day 11
Further descend to Dorjan Khola. Continue through the village of Pungmo to Suli Khola and then turning north you continue to the village of Ringmo. Ringmo is one of the enclaves where Bon Po is still practiced and is situated very close to Phoksumdo Lake.

Day 12
The icy waters give off a blue to turqoise color and a sunny day by the lake gives you some
much needed rest. If the weather is good you can see the peaks of the Kanjiroba Himal and
the other peaks surrounding Kagmara La. It is also possible to visit the Ringmo Monastery
at the edge of the lake.

Day 13
Set off from Ringmo, heading south back over the previous trail as far as the point where the trail meets the one from Kagmara La and then proceed further south to the village of Sumdowa. The headquarters of the National Park is located at Sumdowa. Trek further south along the Suli Gad river to the vilage of Aankhe on the east bank of the Suli Gad river.

Day 14
Continue trekking south through the village of Roha Gaon to the settlement at Suli Gad along the river and then continue to the large settlement of Dunai. Cross the river and head west towards the airfield at Juphal from where you will catch your flight to Nepalgunj and then to Kathmandu.

Day 15
This is a spare day in Juphal, incase you are delayed getting there for a number of reasons, including sickness or injury to any of your group members. You will be booked onto the flight to Nepalgunj and then to Kathmandu the next day.

Day 16
The flight to Nepalgunj is in the mid-morning therefore there is no early morning rush to get to the airport. There will be a transit period of some hours in Nepalgunj before your flight to Kathmandu is called. Arrive in Kathmandu in the evening and transfer to your hotel.

Day 17
A cushion day in Kathmandu in case your return is delayed due to bad weather or other circumstances. Day may be used for sightseeing around Kathmandu valley or for overnight excursions. Our office in Kathmandu will be glad to assist you in planning any sight seeing tours or excursions.

Day 18
Transfer to airport and fly out of Nepal.