Our Upper Dolpo to Jomsom trek visits a remote region of the Himalaya in mid West Nepal close to the Tibet border. Inner Dolpo to Upper Mustang trek crosses high passes on a section of The Great Himalaya Trail. This is a camping style trekking expedition where you sleep in tents and our cooks provide the meals.
We walk through Shey Phoksundo National Park inhabited by the Dolpo-pa people. Upper Dolpo region, often known as Inner Dolpo or Dolpa, is one of the last enclaves of pure Tibetan culture. There are Bönpo (shamanistic pre Buddhist) monasteries including the important Shey Gompa. Pilgrims come to walk a religious circuit known as a kora around the nearby Crystal Mountain.
By walking our Upper Dolpo trek itinerary you will see a very isolated region of the Himalaya. After landing at Juphal airstrip near Dunai we follow the Phoksundo Lake trek for four days. North of this beautiful lake we cross the Kang La pass over to Shey. For the next ten days we are trekking in Dolpo to the isolated villages such as Shimen, Tinje and Chharka. On our trekking route we do not walk through the largest village in Dolpa called Dho Tarap. This place is in a wide valley to the East of Chharka village.
Our Upper Dolpo trek we cross many high passes out to Lower Mustang in Kali Gandaki valley. This incredible Himalayan journey finishes at the town of Jomsom on Annapurna Circuit. Early next morning we take a flight via Pokhara to Kathmandu.
Day 1: Arrive in Kathmandu (1,400m)
Day 2: Fly to Nepalganj (150m)
Day 3: Fly to Juphal (2,500m), trek to Dunai (2,000m)
Day 4: Buffer day in case of any delays flying to Juphal
Day 5: Trek to Chhepka (2,840m)
Day 6: Trek to Amchi Hospital (3,110m)
Day 7: Trek to Ringmo and Phoksundo Lake (3,700m)
Day 8: Rest and acclimatisation day at Phoksundo Lake (3,700m)
Day 9: Trek to Phoksundo Lake North Camp (3,630m)
Day 10: Trek to Lar Tsa Camp (4,312m)
Day 11: Trek to Snowfields Camp (4,676m)
Day 12: Rest & acclimatisation day at Snowfields Camp
Day 13: Cross Kang La (5,380m), trek to Shey Gompa (4,257m)
Day 14: Exploration day at Shey Gompa (4,400m)
Day 15: Cross Saldang La (5,060m), trek to Namgung (4,391m)
Day 16: Trek to Tora Sumda (3,743m)
Day 17: Trek to Mischagaon village (4,136m)
Day 18: Trek to Chanpola Goth near Shimen village (4,195m)
Day 19: Trek to Tinje village (4,132m)
Day 20: Trek to Rapka (4,550m)
Day 21: Cross Chharka La (5,015m), trek to Chharka village (4,284m)
Day 22: Exploration day at Chharka village (4,284)
Day 23: Trek to Norbulung (4,750m)
Day 24: Cross higher Sangda La (5,515m), trek to Sangda Phedi (5,100m)
Day 25: Cross lower Sangda La (5,035m), trek to Sangda village (3,732m)
Day 26: Trek to Pangling (2,900m)
Day 27: Trek to Jomsom (2,670m)
Day 28: Fly to Pokhara & Kathmandu
Day 29: Sightseeing in Kathmandu
Day 30: Fly back home
- Trekking arrangements. Including permits and fees, tents, International and Sherpa guides, porters and cooks. Restricted area permit for Upper Dolpo costing US$810.
- All internal transport and transfers including airport collections.
- Internal flights. The flights are Kathmandu to Nepalganj & Juphal. After the trek from Jomsom to Pokhara & onto Kathmandu. The weight allowance is 15kg for your main bag checked into the hold and 5kg for your day pack.
- One day sightseeing in Kathmandu with Nepalese cultural guide and private vehicle.
- Twin share rooms at Hotel Tibet or Ambassador in Kathmandu. Hotel Siddhartha or Soaltee Western in Nepalganj.
- Breakfast only in Kathmandu and Nepalganj, all meals included while on trek.
- Twin share tents while on trek using our Western branded tents. These are three person domed tents with plenty of space for two people sharing plus gear.
- Porterage. The allowance for your main bag is 15kg.
- Weather forecasts for Dolpa region from EverestWeather.com.
- Thuraya satellite phone for organising logistics and medical evacuations. It can also be also used for personal calls at extra cost.
- GPS tracking on Google Maps. Your friends and family can track your progress during the trek.
- Trekking map given to you on arrival to Kathmandu.
- Rubberised luggage tag posted to you before departure.
- Full financial protection. Our Air Travel Organiser’s Licence (ATOL) number is 10921. Our Association of Bonded Travel Operators Trust (ABTOT) membership number is 5365).
- Pre departure support and advice from The Mountain Company. We are available by email, phone or face to face meetings.
- International flight to/from Kathmandu.
- Travel & trekking insurance.
- Nepal visa for 30 days.
- Lunch and evening meals in Kathmandu and Nepalganj.
- Personal clothing & equipment, please see the Appendix for suggested kit list.
- Tips. Each trekker should budget for giving tips into the group fund. This should be in region of 21,000 Nepalese rupees (£135, US$175 or €150)
- If you have to wait in Nepalganj due to delays flying into Juphal accommodation is not included.
- If the airlines cancel the flights to Juphal it may be possible to take a flight by helicopter. This would cost extra depending on which helicopter company and the demand at the time.
- Other items not listed in “What is included”.
The trek of Upper Dolpo is exceptional, it includes all that I look for in an expedition in Nepal. It is remote, includes stunning scenery but also benefits from the wonderful Tibet culture, people and villages. Lovely chortens, monasteries, marni walls and prayer wheels are alongside the route. The Mountain Company and their guides know the area well and make sure that you are able to maximise the enjoyment from the experience. They look after you well, keep you safe and ensure you have great food. This is an exceptional trek
I had trekked in Nepal on 3 previous occasions prior to going on the Upper Dolpo to Mustang GHT trek with the Mountain Company in 2018. I have trekked with them again since and cannot speak highly enough of them. They clearly have a detailed knowledge of the Himalayan region and the different treks.The pre-trip information was spot on and the level of client care throughout was both high and reassuring. Upper Dolpo was my first camping style trek, necessarily so given the remoteness of the area visited. The attention to detail in the organisation and management of the trek itself was excellent. The catering was of a high standard, extending even to cooked lunches in some pretty out of the way spots. The trek itself, while challenging at times, was certainly ‘doable’ and well planned. The main central part of the trek is mountainous involving the crossing of a number of passes with superb views but there are also remote villages affording a brief insight to a very different way of life. We didn’t see a snow leopard on our trip but were ‘entertained’ one night by howling wolves! There are many memorable features of the trek but as well as the absolutely stunning mountain scenery perhaps it would be camping beside the incredibly blue Phoksundo lake or later the wonder of camping on a grassy area beside Shey Gompa facing Crystal Mountain. I would therefore recommend this to anyone looking for a high altitude mountainous trek with wonderful scenery in a very remote part of the world with an interesting history given its once close trading connections with Tibet.
Stunning, utterly breathtaking trek because of its challenge, remoteness, wide open mountain scenery, village-friendliness and magic of Shey Gompa, and Saldang. The Mountain company provided an unmatched first-class service with a truly excellent logistician as a trek leader and trusted, highly trained trekking crew. Unforgettable privilege to visit this part of Nepal. I would do it again. Big thank you to Roland and TMC.
An amazing trek to a really remote part of Nepal. This trip ticks all the boxes for me. Culture, wildlife, scenery in bucket loads. Phoksundo Lake and the path around it, monasteries, rural communities who see very little tourism all forge unforgettable memories. A challenging but very rewarding holiday. The crew that guided and portered our trip were first class, as was the organisation and leadership provided by the Mountain Company.
The expedition through Dolpo was superbly organised by TMC with nothing left to chance. First class leader, excellent sherpas, fine cooking crew and porters. An exhilarating experience with a very capable operator with faultless logistics.
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