Dolpo Circuit Trek

When you arrive at Tibhuvan International Airport, our guide will pick you up and take you to your hotel in the bustling Thamel district of Kathmandu. Depending on your arrival time, you can choose to relax for the next journey, see the city’s attractions, or shop for adventure gear in one of Kathmandu’s many adventure supply stores. We’ll assemble our bikes and be ready for the journey in the afternoon.

After breakfast process for the UNISCO Heritage Sightseeing tour. Visit Swyambhunath Temple, Kathmandu Durbar Square, Patan city, Khokana Village and after sight-seeing tour, transfer you back to hotel. Overnight Kathmandu.

Today, we will fly from Kathmandu to Nepalgunj (60 minutes). After an exhausting day, you have the option of spending the evening at your hotel or exploring Nepalgunj. It is a bustling city that warrants exploration. This will also help you unwind before the hike.

It is only a 35-minute flight over rugged mountain ranges and snow-capped mountains to reach Juphal. From Juphal, we descend a tiny route through wheat and vegetable-filled fields to the Thuli Bheri River, which we shall reach after reaching this point. We pass a lovely gate chortens (stupa) around 45 minutes before to Dunai, which is the entry of the VDC (Village Development Committee) Dunai, where we can witness the wonderful Buddhist paintings of mandalas and prominent Buddhist characters.

Dolpa District is headquartered in Dunai. It is situated on the opposite bank of the river, on a slope overlooking Dunai. The Dolpo Bon School and Hostels are located a short distance from Dunai on the same hill. The Bon School educates pupils in the Bonpo faith, Tibetan culture, and Tibetan language. We spend the night in a tent camp.

As soon as we leave Dunai, we enter a breathtaking mountainous terrain that sometimes resembles the European Alps. Pine trees, primarily blue pine, are scattered throughout rocky slopes. We can see the snow-capped Kang Tokal on the horizon (6294 m). Following the Thuli Bheri River, the trail slopes somewhat up and down. We pass the Buddhist settlement of Byasgar (2427 m). The inhabitants of this region are Taralis, a Magar tribe.After Byasgar, the terrain becomes increasingly rugged and rocky. The path is occasionally dug out of the rocks, and in a few places it is extremely narrow. We reach Lingdo, a little settlement where we spend the night in a tent camp, after traversing a large and difficult terrain.

The road progressively ascends. Along the trip, we have an excellent perspective of several of the settlements in this region, such as Sarankot, which is perched on a cliff. These are the final settlements we would encounter before reaching Dho Tarap. Some Mani walls and chortens are passed by. The terrain is sometimes lush and magnificent. There are junipers and various types of pine trees growing on sharp rocks. The trail ascends steeply up a slope and travels high above the Thuli Bheri River, leading to a 120-meter-long suspension bridge also high above the river. We arrived in Laisicap (2772 m). On the opposite bank of the bridge After Laisicap, Laina Odar is around three hours of arduous climbing (3370 m). The trail passes through woodlands, and we are flanked by steep pine-covered cliffs, some of which are enormous. Close to Laina Odar, the trail follows the river once more. We spend the night in a tent camp.

The trail ascends to a small pass, which requires around 45 minutes of climbing to reach. After the pass, the trail is very flat with a few minor ascents. It is occasionally a lovely stroll through pine forests, which have a nice aroma. Approximately four hours after departing Laina Odar, we arrive at Nawarpani (3475 m), where we spend the night in a tent camp.

The trail traverses a dry or more desolate area, going past a river valley with towering cliffs on both sides. In this arid environment, the blue sheep resides. If we are vigilant, we have a good chance of spotting large crowds up on the mountains. It is an easy hike that gradually ascends. Several portions of the walkway are intricately carved out of the rock. The trail ascends sharply for around half an hour to a tiny pass with an attractive chorten (stupa). From the pass, Sisaul is 30 minutes away (3750 m). We spend the night in a tent camp.

The trail climbs to another small pass. Shortly after the pass, the valley suddenly widens. The trail stays besides the river. At the horizon a small collection of houses is appearing in between the mountains: Dho Tarap. Getting nearer to Dho Tarap, we cross many Mani walls and small chortens.A Dho Tarap is a traditional agricultural village, surrounded by fields. Yaks are used to plough the land. Barley, buckwheat and potatoes are among the few crops that can grow in this barren landscapeThe houses are made of stones found in the river valley and are in typical Tibetan style, with small windows and the flat roofs stocked with firewood.

Close to Dho are 2 monasteries which are worth a visit. Ribo Bhumpa Gompa, Gompa belongs to Nyingmapa Buddhism right on the hill behind Dho, and Shipchaur Gompa, which is in the village Shipchowk, 30 minutes walking from Dho. Shipchaur Gompa in Shipchowk belongs to Bonpo Buddhism. We stay overnight at tented camp.

As it is only a 3 ½ hours walk to Numala Base Camp, we pass a beautiful gate chorten. After more or less half an hour, we arrive at the Crystal Mountain School which is sponsored by a French NGO and worth to visit. From the school, it’s about half an hour to Tokyu (4209 m), a spread out village, which is said to be the highest permanent settlement in the world. The Gompa is at the end of the village, and is worth a visit. It has a beautiful statue of Maitreya, the Future Buddha. From the Gompa, it is a gradual climb of about 1 ½ hours over grassy land to Numala Base Camp (4440 m). We stay overnight at tented camp.

Early morning trek to Numa la pass give us the spectacular view of the mountain ranges from the pass. It’s a long and strenuous climb of about 3 hours to Numa La (la means pass) at 5318 m. The altitude makes we go slowly and we get out of breath quickly. We have a stunning view from the pass on countless snowcapped mountains. Dhaulagiri (8167 m) , Annapurna and Manaslu Range, the Shey Shikar (6139 m), Kanjirowa (6883 m) and many, many others. In spring there can be snow on the pass, which makes the crossing a bit harder. After the pass we go down steeply for about an hour. Then the path becomes pretty level and later climbs slowly but steadily again for about an hour. It’s an amazing spot close to the river (Panklanga Khola). To the south the beautiful snowcapped Norbung Kang (6085 m) is towering high above the campsite. On the other side of the river there are high pastures, which are often used by yaks to graze. We stay overnight at tented camp.

An early start is best. The path continues on the slope on the other side of the Panklanga Khola and climbs pretty steep, going “zig zag” over the slope. Soon we are high above the river. A good 2 hours after leaving camp we reach the high camp, which is already close to the pass. From here we have an excellent view on the Norbung Kang and the Baga La range Baga La (5190 m). From the pass we have a splendid view on many snowcapped mountains like Kanjirowa and Shey Shikar. After the pass, the path descends pretty steep at the beginning. This part can be icy which makes it slippery, we walk in stunning scenery of huge rocks in all kind of colors with at the Horizon Mountains covered with snow. And then, suddenly, more or less 1 ½ hour after leaving the pass, we will see green bushes and a bit later even tree Besides, we will see a couple of beautiful waterfalls along the way. It’s rather flat and easy walking, very gradually going down, till we reach Yak Kharka (3982 m), another beautiful place to camp. We have a great view of the imposing Kanjirowa Himal (6612 m). Besides, in spring the meadows are full with flowers.

The path is going up and down and stays level sometimes. The path is beautifully carved out of the rocks and leads to a small pass. After the pass, the path goes into a pine forest. Leaving the forest, we cross a small bridge from which we climb in a couple of minutes to Ringmo.

Ringmo is a charming village. Ringmo lies at the shore of the holy Phoksundo Lake. This lake is of an incomparable beauty. It has an enchanting deep blue color and is emerald green close to the shore .If we want; we can walk a part of the famous Demons Trail from the movie Himalaya (Caravan) of Eric Valli. This is a beautiful movie about the life of people in Dolpa, At the other shore, there is a beautiful Bonpo Monastery which we can visit. In the monastery we can observe a statue of Tonpa Shenrab Miwo, the founder of Bonpo religion, who lived thousands of years ago.

Phoksundo Lake is part of the Shey Phoksundo National Park. It’s Nepal’s largest National Park, established in 1984, with an area of 3,555 km². It aims to conserve the Trans-Himalayan ecosystem and the Tibetan type of flora and fauna. we can camp at the shores of Phoksundo Lake.

Walking time to Rechi is about 4 hours and from Rechi to Chhepka is 3 ½ hours as well.The path is rather flat at first, but soon climbs steeply up the hill. The walk to Rechi goes almost entirely through beautiful pine forests, with some bushes, birches and other broad leaved trees mixed in. Soon after the top we’ll come across Nepal’s highest waterfall, a spectacular waterfall of 167 meters high, the Phoksundo Waterfall. More or less one hour after the viewpoint we reach the Amchi Hospital. It’s about 1 ½ hour more to Rechi (2940 m). We walk through the forest, with birds singing. The river flows rapidly and is beautiful emerald green at some places. The village Rechi is at the other side of the river. It’s a very small village and consists of just a couple of houses and a primary school.

The trail stays Nepali flat to Chhepka, following the river all the time. We notice that we are descending; not only by the increasing temperature, but also by the difference in vegetation. After about 3 to 3 ½ hours we reach Chhepka, a small village, surrounded by fields of millet and wheat.

Descending with some small climbs. We can see a part of the Dhaulagiri range. We pass villages like Sangta (2520 m) and Kageni (2413 m) and reach the checkpost of the Shey Phoksundo National Park (SPNP) again. After crossing a big iron suspension bridge (the Dhim Bridge, 99 m long) we go left (west) to Juphal .From the bridge, it’s about 2½ – 3 hours to Juphal. The first part goes over a large path, passing through the small village of Kalagaonda. It’s a pretty steep climb to reach Juphal. Just before arriving, we pass the Hindu village Dangiwada. Juphal is a large village with a small bazaar where it is nice to spend some time looking around.we stay overnight at local guest house.

Early in the morning we fly to Nepalgunj. Especially the first part of the flight through the mountain valleys is spectacular. Later in the day, we fly back to Kathmandu. Spend the leisure time in Kathmandu on your own shopping or short sightseeing around city.

Breakfast in the hotel and today you have a free day in Kathmandu for your own activities and relax little bit before your long flight back to home. Today you can go for shopping, maybe massage to relax your body or short visit to Kathmandu Durbar Square which is in walking distance from Thamel. Overnight in Kathmandu.

Breakfast in the hotel and you have free time for your own activities. Afternoon one of our representatives will transfer to airport for flight onwards on your destination.