Lower Dolpo Trek 18 Days

Day 01: Arrival in Kathmandu Altitude: 1,300m/4,264ft

Welcome to Kathmandu – the capital city of Nepal. Today is your first day with Treks Planner Nepal; therefore, we send one of our company representatives to receive you at the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA), who will further escort you to a tourist standard hotel, booked for you in Kathmandu. If possible, we also schedule a meeting at our office for the briefing regarding the trek followed by an introduction session with other team members (especially Sherpas and guides). Today, we also arrange a welcome dinner in one of the most popular local restaurants, where you can also enjoy the ethnic dance and cultural music along with great Nepali food. If your flight arrives late, both the meeting and the dinner can be scheduled for the following day.

Day 02: Kathmandu valley sightseeing tour and trek preparation Altitude: 1,300m/4,264ft

The capital, Kathmandu valley itself, is a big storehouse of exclusive natural, cultural and historical sites. Therefore, today, we take you on a few hour tours of the major attractions of the Kathmandu valley. After spending few hours observing these wonderful sites, we again meet for a few hours to finalize your clothing and trekking gears (down jacket, trekking boots, sleeping bags etc.), required during the trek. The night will be spent at a hotel in Kathmandu.

Day 03: Fly from Kathmandu to Nepalgunj Altitude: 150m/492ft Time: 1 hour

Nepalgunj is the destination set for the day. You will be escorted to the airport to catch a flight to Nepalgunj from Kathmandu. After one hour’s scenic flight, the plane lands the Nepalgunj Airport, from where you will be transferred to the hotel. As this interesting Terai town of Nepal offers a number of sightseeing locations like the mini zoo, Muslim bazaar and interesting Tharu villages, the remaining day will be spent exploring the area. Later in the evening, we make preparations for the next day’s flight to Jhupal. The night will be spent at a hotel in Nepalgunj.

Day 04: Fly from Nepalgunj to Jhupal (Dolpa) and trek to Dunai Altitude: 2140m/7,021ft Time: 2-3 hour

Dunai, the district headquarter of Dolpa, is the destination set for the day. After breakfast, an early morning flight, over the high mountains, will first take us to Jhupal from Nepalgunj, where we meet the rest of the crew members (especially porters), awaiting our arrival. The luggage will be prepared for the porters, while you enjoy your lunch. Once everything is set, the adventure begins downhill towards the Thuli Bheri River, past a beautiful village and terraced fields. Once we reach the Thuli Bheri river, we continue on a flat trail, along the river, until we reach Dunai. It will only take about 2-3 hour to reach Dunai; therefore, the remaining day can be spent exploring the settlement, lifestyle and the monasteries in Dunai. The night will be spent at a  lodge in Dunai.

Day 05: Trek from Dunai to Tarakot Altitude: 2,537m/8,323ft Time: 5-6 hour

Tarakot is the destination set for the day. Initially following the south bank of the Thuli Bheri River, we head east, out of Dunai. The trail gradually ascends upstream to cross the bridge to get to the north bank of the river. We further continue along the deep gorges and remote villages in the shades of pine trees; about seven meters above the river, until we reach Lawan, where we crosses another bridge to get to the south bank of the river again. As we continue, we will be greeted with beautiful terraced fields of Tarakot and the village of Tarakot, standing on the mound located south of the Bheri River. The village was built as a fortress by the local people. The remaining day can be spent exploring the village of Tarakot. The night will be spent at a lodge in Tarakot.

Day 06: Trek from Tarakot to Laini Altitude: 3,370m/11,056ft Time: 6-7 hour

Laini is the destination set for the day. Leaving Tarakot, we first cross the bridge over the river and gently climb through the fields of buckwheat. Taking a long, roundabout route, south into the side valley, we head forward to cross another bridge across the Yalankot River. We then climb towards the south bank of the Thulo Bheri River. We head further, crossing cypress trees and a white chorten, towards 120m long high-suspension bridge at Laisicap. Before crossing the bridge, we can also see the confluence of the Bharbun River and the Tarap River. After crossing the bridge, we can spot the village of Kanigaon high above the trail and some white-breasted dippers (only found in the western Nepal) down below the trail, along the river. If time permits, we can also visit Chhedhul Gompa, which is just a 15 minute climb from the main trail. We now continue through the cedar forest and the steepest part of the gorge to finally reach the destination, Laini. The night will be spent in a basic teahouse.

Day 07: Trek from Laini to Nawarpani Altitude: 3,475m/11,400ft Time: 5-6 hour

Nawarpani is the destination set for the day. After about five minutes of flat trail walk, we make a sharp ascent to the mini pass. We then walk across the steep gorge and descend crossing the waterfall created by the Tilba River. Next, we climb one more ridge and then descend to the Chyangru River, spotting some Eurasian Crag Martin, flying high above us. We now cross the river to get to the east bank, continue following the river, cross a side stream - the Chaya Khola and continue to Thanjam; crossing the bridge across the Tarap Khola one more time. Following the riverside trail, we now walk up to Nawarpani. Overnight at Nawarpani.  

Day 08: Trek from Nawarpani to Dho Tarap Altitude: 3,944m/12,939ft Time: 7-8 hour

Dho Tarap is the destination set for the day. Starting Nawarpani, we continue on the west bank of the river, crossing the small cave, campsite and the most thrilling section of the trail, up till another bridge over the Tarap River; enjoying the barren canyon walls. We then climb the east bank of the river and through an eroded Trans-Himalayan landscape, we climb the ridge at Serkam that greets us with a chorten. We descend from Serkam and after walking for about a kilometer, we cross the bridge across the Sisaul River. We further walk towards another bridge at Langa to push ourselves to the east of the river. The walk continues on a rocky trail beneath the cliff. Then, climbing gradually alongside  the river past mani walls and eroded cliffs, we ascend to a line of ancient chortens. From here, after about  20 minutes walk, we reach the settlement of Dho Tarap, which greets us with beautiful crops in the field and the monastery with colorful praying Buddhist flags. The night will be spent at a lodge in Dho Tarap.

Day 09: Acclimatization day at Dho Tarap Altitude: 3,944m/12,939ft

Dho Tarap is a village of several clusters of closely packed stone houses and corrals surrounded by the fields of barley. The village is inhabited by a few Tibetans, and more Magars, who are both Bon PO and Nyingma followers. The offers a good number of attractions to spend a worthy day. Therefore, the day will be spent exploring the  nearby monasteries like Doro and Shipchhong and the settlement of Dho Tarap. The night will be spent at a lodge in Dho Tarap.

Day 10: Trek from Dho Tarap to Numa La Base Camp Altitude: 4,440m/14,563ft Time: 6-7 hour

Numa La Base Camp is the destination set for the day. Although, the distance is comparatively short, we make a lot of detours to visit gompas and villages, before reaching the destination. Leaving Dho Tarap, we head towards the century-old Mekyem Gompa, explore and get back to the main trail and continue uphill till Gakar village and Dorje Phurba Gompa. We continue further on the trail along the river, enjoying the plain valley with yaks and horses grazing the patches of thick green grasses,  to cross the bridge across the River. This is the most beautiful part of the entire region. Crossing the bridge, we walk towards another bridge that is also a trail junction, from where we continue following the southern trail heading towards the Numa La base camp. The walk continues until we reach the Numla base camp. The night will be spent in a tented camp beneath Numa-la.

Day 11: Cross Numa La (5,238m/17,185ft) and Trek to Phelung Tang Altitude: 4,465m/14,645ft Time: 6-7 hour

Today is going to be the toughest day of the entire trek. As we plan to cross Numa La, we start early in the morning. We first climb the ridge on a yak trail up a grassy slope that greets us with a number of Mani walls and a Chorten. We further climb up to the ridge to a grassy mound and a tiny stream, from where a long climb up a moraine will take us to Numa La. The top presents an amazing view of the surrounding mountains and the panoramic view of the barren mountains of Dolpa. We also climb the crest for the best views of the trek. After enjoying the view, we climb down from the pass into a U-shaped, rocky valley. We cross the stream, scree slopes and head towards the point, where the valley meets another valley. We then follow the river downstream past eroded cliffs and gently climb up enjoying the view of river disappearing into the gorge until we reach Phelung Tang. The night will be spent in a tented camp in Phelung Tang.

Day 12: Cross Baga La (5,070m/16,630ft) and Trek to Dajok Tang Altitude: 4,080m/13,382ft Time: 6-7 hour

Dajok Tang is the destination set for the day. Crossing the stream, we switchback up a slope to a small meadow after which, the trail hitting the snowline climbs a ridge. We then climb up a moraine into a huge bowl that greets us with the chorten of overturned stones. Then a gentle arc around the bowl on a scree slope past several cairn will take us to another high pass of the trek, that is the Baga La. Leaving the pass, a steep descent  at first and a gentle one will bring us high above the right bank of the stream. After crossing the two large streams, the trail enters a huge valley from where, a steep descent will take us to Dajok Tang. Overnight at Dajok Tang.

Day 13: Trek form Dajok Tang to Ringmo Altitude: 3,600m/11,808ft Time: 5 hour

Ringmo is the destination set for the day. Initially, we pass through the vegetations like pines, walnut, and willow oak; however, after walking about an hour, we need to continue through the narrow rocky cliffs for about 2-3 hour to reach Ringmogaon. The remaining day will be spent exploring the village of Ringmo. The night will be spent at a lodge in Ringmo.

Day 14: Exploration day at Ringmo and a hike to Phoksundo Altitude: 3,600m/11,808ft

The areas offer a lot for trekkers to spend a worthy day. Therefore, we take a relaxing walk part way round the lake to explore the lake area. We also visit the nearby temple as well as the Tibetan Buddhist monastery. If time permits, we spend the rest of the day exploring the Ringmo village. The night will be spent at a lodge in Ringmo.

Day 15: Trek from Ringmo to Shyanta Altitude: 2,520m/8,265ft Time: 5-6 hour

Shyanta is the destination set for the day. Leaving Ringmo, following the Phoskundo River we walk towards the bridge across Pugma Khola past Polam (a winter settlement), and Amchi Hospital. An easy walk along the east bank of the Phoksundo river, through the forest, will bring us to  Chhepka before climbing to Shyanta. Overnight at Shyanta.

Day 16: Trek from Shyanta to Jhupal Altitude: 2,475m/8,120ft Time: 4-5 hour

Jhupal is the destination set for the day. From Shyanta following the river bank, we descend to Sulighat past Raktang. From Sulighat, we cross the bridge across the Thuli Bheri River and head west enjoying the villages  until we reach Jhupal. The remaining day can either be spent enjoying the market of Jhupal  and surrounding areas or can be spent resting at the lodge relaxing the tired muscles. The night will be spent at a lodge in Jhupal.

Day 17: Fly to Nepalgunj and then to Kathmandu Altitude: 1,300m/4,264ft Time: 45 mins (Nepalgunj) 1 hour (Kathmandu)

Kathmandu is the destination set for the day. It is our last day in Dolpa. Therefore, leaving Dolpa, we board an early morning flight to Nepalgunj. After reaching Nepalgunj Airport, we take the next available flight to Kathmandu. On reaching Kathmandu, you will be transferred to the hotel, where you can rest for some time. In the evening, we again meet for the farewell dinner. The night will be spent at a hotel in Kathmandu.

Day 18: Departure day Altitude: (1,300m/4,264ft)

This day is the last day of your trip in Nepal with Treks Planner Nepal. If your flight is scheduled early morning, then one of our company representatives will escort you to the airport as per your flight departure time. But, if the flight is scheduled later in the evening, you can go shopping and collect a few mementos or simply hang around shopping areas in Kathmandu. However, if you are planning to spend some extra days in Nepal, Treks Planner Nepal can also make the arrangements for some other top adventurous activities that you can attend while you are in Nepal.

Dates and Cost

Note : Set your own departure date if you have a group size of 2 packs or more.

Cost Include

1. Airport / Hotel / Airport pick up & drop off service by a private tourist vehicle.
2. Standard twin-sharing accommodation in a three-star hotel in Kathmandu including breakfast (3 nights).
3. Basic guesthouse accommodation during the trek in mostly twin-share and occasionally dormitory-style rooms (6 nights).
4. Local licensed English-speaking trekking guide.
5. The required number of local staff and porters to carry your luggage during the trek (We assign one porter for every two guests.)
6. Food, accommodation, insurance, equipment and medicine for all staff.
7. Everest National Park permits and TIMS permit for trekking.
8. Airfare from Kathmandu – Lukla - Kathmandu including airport departure tax in Kathmandu and Lukla airports.
9. All our government taxes, vat, tourist service charges.
10. Official expenses.

 Cost Exclude

1. Dinner and lunch in Kathmandu except for welcome and farewell dinner. 
2.  Your personal expenses for mineral water, soft beverages ,confectionaries ,laundries, phone calls, hot drinking water, barbills, showers etc. 
3. Internet facility, battery chargers, multi plugs etc. 
4. Extra baggage excess while flying to Lukla.
5. Extra porter if you require. 
6. Personal trekking equipments.
7. Your travel insurance that covers Helicopter evacuation.
8. Medical expenses and trip cancellation. 
9. Any other extended trips and accommodation.
10. Tips of guide, porters and driver as  a token of appreciation. 
11. Monument entrance fee for sightseeing tour in Kathmandu.
12. Any other expenses or charges that are not mentioned in “cost includes” list. 
13. Nepal arrival visa.

Passport and Visas:
First, be sure you have a valid passport with at least 6 months validity from return date.  You can obtain visas for Nepal from the Nepalese Consulate in your country or up on arrival in Kathmandu Airport. Nepalese visas cost USD 25 for 15 days and USD 40 for 30 days till date.

Get the required visa for Nepal.
You can get Nepal visa prior to arrival from the Nepalese Embassy at your home country. Likewise, you can easily get an up on arrival visa at Kathmandu airport and other different borders from Nepal. This is for those who travel from India and Tibet. For more information and download please visit Nepal Visa Information.

Bring Official Papers
Some of the required official documents are your valid passport, 4 extra passport sized photographs (for trekking permits), travel insurance, airline tickets and luggage tags. Visas can be obtained upon entry into Nepal. For detail information we request you to visit our visa page.

Money & Credit card Info
We find that most of the credit card, master and visa card is blocked from your card provider. It may be because of a security reason. It, sometimes, may bring you in problematic situation that you can't get money from ATMs and that you find difficult to pay for your treks and tour. To find yourself free from this problem, you can call to your card provider before you travel to Nepal and inform there that you are traveling to Nepal. Ensure them to give the authorization for the payment. In Nepal you have to pay 3.5 % credit card commission s per Nepal Bank rules, on top of your payable amount for the trek cost.  So, please be sure that you bring some cash in USD to pay us. Likewise, be sure you have brought some small amount for your daily expenses as well as for those items which are not included in our cost. We request you not to change money in the Airport. The exchange rate is very low there. Our office provides you the facility to change your money. Or, you can take help from Money Changers in Thamel.

Travel Insurance:
Our clients must have comprehensive travel insurance package. Their insurance must cover against medical, personal accident, emergency evacuation, trip cancellation, lost of gears, natural calamity, theft of or damage to baggage etc.

Who can trek?
No special degree of fitness is required and that there is no age barrier. However, in the areas over 3000m altitude, extra care should be taken. One can trek who have strong legs and the spirit for adventure to explore the exotic will enjoy the thrills of trekking in the hills of Nepal. Normally, for weary trekkers we have a list of short, easy and exotic treks and for the experienced trekkers we offer a longer trek with lots of excitement and adventure. We encourage all men and women, families, students and professionals around the world to enjoy the enchanting trekking in Nepal. You can join us as an individual team member or with your own group. We commit to arrange a best trekking that delight you in the Nepal Himalayas. If you can have fun walking for 3-6 hours up and down hills to Nepal, pack your luggage and join us for an exhilarating and unforgettable journey. All the necessary things for your trekking will be arranged by us. What you can do is to enjoy the beautiful scenery and magnificent view of Nepal Himalayas.

Clothing and Equipment for Traveling in Nepal
Trekking in the Himalayas need to arrangement of equipment as you have to find yourself comfortable at higher altitude. The basic clothing item that you are expected to be prepared with are well described here. Remember that excess baggage is likely to be a burden for yourself and your supporting staff. "Pack light, but pack right", is our motto. This will allow you to enjoy a comfortable journey with your energies and enthusiastic zeal focused on the exploration of this enchanting Nepal scenic beauty. Please visit here for Clothing and Equipment list.

Buying and Renting Equipment in Kathmandu
It is not really necessary to spend large amount of money buying extra equipment and clothing prior to your trip. It is because most of the trekking equipment can be hired from many adventure shops within Kathmandu. Most of the gear is locally manufactured (hence a lot cheaper). Some Chinese gear are likely to be more expensive but qualitative. Sleeping bag and down jacket are easily rented. Each item can be rented for less than USD 1, for a day. You have to manage other items buying them yourself. However, these items are more likely to be cheaper than those in your hometown. We will arrange all the necessary items you need on the second day of your arrival. 

Vaccination for Nepal
All travelers should consult with their physician or update on vaccination requirements before travel. (Your doctor or health-care provider will determine what you will need, depending on factors such as your health and immunization history, areas of the country you will be visiting, and planned activities) For traveling to Nepal; we recommend you to take a vaccination of Polio, Tetanus, Typhoid, Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Rabies etc, it is not really must but recommended.

How to Book
While you chose which trip you wanted to go with, contact us to our head office Thamel Kathmandu Nepal by mail or phone, email is more easy and clear options, as soon as we get your email or call we will process for your booking. We need 20% booking amount to confirm your booking, the payment can be made through the Bank transfer, Credit card payment (Master/Visa card) or through online money transfers also Money Gram, Western Unions or others. After we get the 20% amount we will confirm your booking and you will get the official booking and payment receipt. The final balance for the tour will be paid up on arrival in Kathmandu.