Dolpo Jomsom 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.

Leaving the metropolis of Kathmandu behind, we fly to Nepalgunj while enjoying the gorgeous trip. Due to its location in western Nepal, close to the Indian border, Nepalgunj is an important business hub for several regions. Later in the evening, we can stroll through Nepalgunj’s bustling markets.

Today, we take a 35-minute flight from Nepalgunj to Juphal. As soon as we touch down in the Juphal, our trek begins. We reach the Bheri River by descending via local settlements and terraced fields. The walk continues along the riverbank and passes past the Roop Ghar with water mill before reaching Dunai.

Today, the true experience of the Dolpo Mustang Trek begins. As the journey commences, we initially follow the traditional trekking route of Dolpo via Sulighar, which is a somewhat easy path. At the Sulighat Checkpoint, we will present the hiking permission to Dolpo and the Shey Phoksundo National Park Permit. Currently, we are within Shey Phoksundo National Park. Beyond Sulighat, our trip continues alongside the Phoksundo River to Kageni. As the walk continues, the surrounding landscapes begin to alter. Shangta is reached after traversing a lush tropical forest and frequently surfacing at isolated mid-hill communities such as Jutung. At Shangta, we cross the bridge twice – once over the Phoksundo River and once over the confluence of the Phoksundo Khola and Maiaba Khola – before beginning our trek to Chhepka in the north. Chhepka is reached after a period of time spent trekking upstream alongside Phoksundo Khola. We placed our overnight camps in an outstanding location in Chhepka.

Today’s trek carries you alongside Phoksundo Khola, the famous Lower Dolpa Circuit trail. To reach Amchi Hospital, we hike in the opposite direction of the river’s flow. The hike traverses the Phoksundo Khola bridge twice. The track goes up above Phoksundo Khola to Rechi 3011m, where we pause for lunch, as we approach Kharka while trekking through an astoundingly tranquil zone. Beyond Rechi, we retrace our steps along the riverside path to Sulligad Dovan, where we cross the bridge over the junction of Phoksundo Khola and Yulung Khola to reach Chunuwar. Here is where we will set up camp for the night.

Today, we will join the direct route to Phoksundo Lake, ascending through large cedar trees to the Ringmo village winter habitation of Palam (3710m). At the southern end of the town is the Shey Phoksundo National Park entrance station. The trail then falls on switchbacks across open land to an altitude of 3300 meters before ascending another set of dusty switchbacks to a ridge at 3780 meters to reach Nepal’s highest waterfall (200 meter high). Our journey then proceeds to Ringmo hamlet, a lovely community of stone dwellings with several mani walls. We cross a bridge just below Ringmo and then follow the trail to Phoksundo Lake, where we tent in the national park camping area to the west.

The area surrounding Ringmo Village and the lovely Phoksundo Lake is the focus of today’s exploration. After exploring Ringmo Village, we proceed to Tshowa (the lake-shore Bon Monastery).

The Gompa perched on a ridge above Phoksundo Lake was constructed approximately 900 years ago. This culturally rich Bon Monastery is a wonderful site to explore.

Along steep-sided cliffs, we then descend to Lake Phoksundo. The lake is renowned for its stunning turquoise hue and breathtaking surroundings. From Phoksundo Lake, Ringmo village, a typical Tibetan settlement, is visible.

The park contains a number of monasteries (Gompas) and Bon-po religious structures, and we spend our day touring some of these. We also explore the beautiful natural sights on our tour of nature.

Today’s trip is likely one of the most enjoyable days of the Dolpo to Mustang Trek. It ascends along the narrow trail carved into the cliff that towers dramatically above Phoksundo Lake. This dangerously intriguing path leads us to the opposite side of Phoksundo Lake.

This portion of the route resembles a fantasy walk described in a writer’s work of fiction. To reach the Phoksundo Khola camp on the opposite side of the lake, we slide over lovely trees for ninety minutes. The final portion of today’s hike ascends to the magnificent Sallaghari campground. Spend the night in a camp surrounded by a magnificent pine forest.

Today’s hike is rather short; we reach Nangdala High Camp (4100m) in approximately three hours. As the hike begins, we ascend the Tuk Kyaksa River’s steep gorge.

Several times, the trail crosses to the opposite bank of the river. We will soon reach a section of the river where the rapids are quieter. At that point, we cross the bridge over the river.

After thirty minutes of walking, we reach the large valley, followed by two hours of walking through the canyon to the probable campground. A short hike brings us to Nangdala High Camp, our overnight encampment, which is located on a gigantic rock slab.

Today, we hike to the legendary Shey Gompa and the nearby ‘Crystal Mountain,’ the most sacred peak in Dolpo, which is circumambulated by Dolpo pilgrims every harvest season. To enter this mysterious country, we must cross the Kangla/Nangdala pass. We are now entering the true Dolpo. The three-hour ascent to the summit of Kang La/Nangdala Pass follows a graveled path uphill. However, our efforts to reach the summit of the pass are rewarded with breathtaking vistas.

From the Kang La Pass, one can see Crystal Mountain, the mountains in Tibetan territory, and the hypnotic landscapes of Dolpo. Before descending sharply to the valley floor and following the river, we have views of the peaks Shey Shikkar and Kang Chunne, which are both slightly over 6000 meters tall. A red chorten serves as the gateway to Shey.

According to the Tibetan calendar, every 12 years there is a major celebration during the Dragon year. People from various regions and nations attend this festival. We spend the night camping.

We will explore Shey Gompa today. The monastery is estimated to be approximately 800 years old, including murals and an antique scroll outlining the story behind Crystal Mountain.

The native name for the monastery is Shelri Sumdho Gompa. Shey Celebration, the summer festival celebrated with great passion by the inhabitants of Dolpo, is held at Shey Gompa. Peter Mattheissen wrote extensively about his stay in Shey in ‘The Snow Leopard,’ and Thinley’s son’s gompa was depicted in Eric Valli’s film ‘Caravan’.

After exploring Shey Gompa at the beginning of the hike, the route follows Sephu Khola for over two hours. This section of the journey features scenery that are typical of Dolpo: desolate and magnificent.

Approximately two hours of hiking is required to reach the summit of Shey La Pass. The summit of Shey La Pass, located west of Shey, offers breathtaking views of Mustang to the east, Tibet to the north, and Kanjiroba, Kagmara, and Riu Dhukta, also known as the Crystal Mountain, to the west. The last descent from the Sela La (5095m), which takes about two hours, gets us at Namgung. We spend the night in Namgung, a nearby nomad settlement.

Prior to departing for Saldang, we explore the monastery on the cliffside at Namgung. As the trip from Namgong Gompa begins, we follow Namgong Khola, pass by further summer herding areas, and emerge from the spur to descend to Saldang. Saldang is a picturesque town surrounded by numerous dry, hilly lands. Here in Saldang, Amchi heritage and Buddhism in Dolpo flourish. We will have the opportunity to tour local homes, drink salt butter tea or chhyang (Tibetan barley beer), and experience traditional cuisine in Saldang.

Today we will have a day hike after early breakfast to Yanjer the richest monastery of this region. We will have packed lunch and will come back to Saldang for the night stop after the exploration of the monastery.

Today, after six hours of hiking, we reach the settlement of Komash. The trail initially follows the Saldang Lek beside the Rapyha Khola to a desolate slope. The trail drops steeply to Komash Village, a village that resembles a Tibetan settlement, after leaving the about 4,500-meter-high ridge (Khom La). Spend the night in tents in Komash.

As we journey from the settlement of Komash, we may encounter endangered species such as snow leopards and Blue sheep. On the road, we pass by tiny towns. The surrounding regions are dominated by highland deserts with sparse shrubby flora. There is one tiny pass Shimen La on the trek (4260m). After nearly five hours of a pleasant hike, we reach Shimen.

Today, the path runs alongside Panjyang Khola. There are several villages and monasteries along the route to Tinje. Tinje is a breathtaking valley. There is a natural airstrip where British planes formerly landed and took off.

We travel from the settlement of Tinje to Yak Kharka, which is an open yak and sheep pasture area. Yak Kharka’s green meadow is a wonderful camping location.

From yak kharka we trek towards Chharka. We reach Chharka after traversing the pass Mola (5030m) In Chharka, we can visit a picturesque village and the Bon Monastery.

Today, the trail traverses desert highland. There are several uphills along the route. We climb up to Norbulung and camp there for the night.

The trail from Nulungsumda ascends to the pass Niwas La. We spend the night at Ghaldang Ghuldung, which is located at the base of Ghaldang Ghuldung Pass, after traversing the pass and resuming our journey towards another pass, Jungbenla.

Today, after multiple ups and downs, the route eventually reaches the settlement of Sangta.

We climbed the hill behind Santa and spent the majority of the day traversing nine hills to reach a final crest at 4280m. Then, we descend into the Kali Gandaki valley, passing beneath towering cliffs and reaching the huge settlement of Phalek.

We fly form Jomsom to Pokhara and to Kathmandu today. Our representative will pick you up at Kathmandu airport and take you to the hotel.

We reserve one additional day in case the flight is canceled due to bad weather or delayed for other reasons. Stay at a 4-star hotel in Kathmandu for the night.

Today we will take you to the airport to catch your flight out of Nepal. Alternatively, if you’d like to stay longer, we may make additional travel arrangements to assist you continue your Nepal experience.