Overview
The Upper Dolpo Trek with Shey Gompa is in the most remote part of Nepal. On this Upper Dolpa Trail, you will see a kaleidoscope of colors and textures, sculpted gorges and ochre gompas, hundred years of old Buddhist and Bonpo costumes, and many more.
This Upper Dolpo Shey Gompa Trekking region was entirely closed to trekkers until 1989 when the southern part of Dolpo was opened to organize Trekking groups and for trekking adventures. As Dolpa is the most remote region of Nepal where there are the least accessible facilities and services yet being the most alluring corner for Trekking in Nepal.
The central part of this area has Shey Phoksundo National Park where you will get a chance to explore and witness different kinds of preserved wild animals, birds, herbs, plants, and many others. Trekking into this region will give you a different feel which you will not get from any other trekking region. This is an adventurous trek where you will stay in unique and isolated Himalayan Valleys.
You will encounter many snow-capped mountains like Dhaulagiri and Churen Himal ranging from east and south of this region. You will come across many pristine lakes, snowy peaks, and ancient villages which is rich in their own historical, cultural, and religious aspect. This region will bless you with beautiful views of rich wildlife, a hundred-year-old Buddhist Monastery, and stunning lakes.
You will get a remarkable impact by experiencing the remote lifestyle of people when they offer you their warm and kind hospitality when you will explore their untouched and extraordinary society with their enthralling culture.
Upper Dolpo Trek with Shey Gompa will allow you to visit an unspoiled region of near-mythical status. Shey Gompa is a base in the “Crystal Moutain” which is 11th century old. This mountain is regarded as the spiritual heart of inner Dolpo.
Upper Dolpa with Shey Gompa trek was first visited by Peter Matthiessen in 1973 along with George Schaller. They visited this region not for trekking but for their course of study where they had to study about rare animals Blue Sheep and Snow Leopards. So, don’t miss this opportunity, pack your bags and fly off to Nepal to explore and experience the Upper Dolpa region which will create a remarkable experience in your lifetime.
On our 3 weeks of trekking, we will pass through beautiful villages where we will get a chance to explore the rich art, culture, traditions, religions, festivals, norms, and values. We will meet with some fantastic locals and interact with them. They are very lovable and they respect and care for foreigners like their own family.
Our adventure will begin from Katmandu where we will visit different UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The next day from here we will take a flight to Nepalgunj and take another flight to Jhupal which will be the starting point of our trekking. We will trek through interesting villages and meet the kindest people. From Shey Gompa, we will trek to the trans-Himalayas and follow the roué and return to the starting point of our trek.
Thamel Marga Central Thamel Kathmandu (Google Map)
Accommodation: Standard Hotel
Maximum Altitude: 1300m/4428 ft
Meals: Dinner
Today you will arrive at the beautiful city of Kathmandu in Nepal. You will see our guide waiting for you at the Tribhuvan International Airport. He will help you with your luggage and transfer you to the hotel. After you arrive at the hotel, you can relax and have time for yourself. If you want then you can also explore the nearby shows and narrow roads in the city. There are many small temples, gift shops, Stupa, restaurants, cafes, and many more.
Overnight: Kathmandu.
Maximum Altitude: 1300m/4428ft
Accommodation: Hotel
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
After having breakfast, our guide will pick you up from the hotel and will take you to the Pashupatinath temple. This place holds great religious significance to Hindu devotees. Lord Shiva is worshipped here. You will notice that the Temple is made up of wooden craft and the top of the pinnacle is made out of gold. We will also visit the holy water which is the Bagmati River.
The next place will be Bouddhanath; it is one of the oldest Tibetan stupas. You can taste several Tibetan delights like Laughing, Thenduk, Khapse, etc. Here, you will notice Tibetan and Buddhism people’s dong meditation and yoga. This place is very much famous for its peace and positive aura. We will take many pictures videos and return to the hotel.
Our guide will give you a brief description of the itinerary for the Upper Dolpa and Shey Gompa trek in the evening.
Overnight: Kathmandu
Maximum Altitude: 150m/490ft
Kilometers: 150m
Accommodation: Hotel
Flight Duration: 45minutes
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Today morning we will leave Kathmandu behind and catch a domestic flight to Nepalgunj. It is a 45minutes flight from where you will see plain and plat land with grassy fields of buckwheat, paddy, millets, vegetation, and many more from above. Enjoy your views of the Mountains and Himalayas to the north on the flight too.
The weather of this place is quite hot, humid, and tropical. This town is located 3km away from the southern part of Nepal border with India.
Overnight: Nepalgunj
Maximum Altitude: 2000m/6561.68ft
Kilometers: 135-140km
Flight duration: 35 minutes
Accommodation: Local lodge
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Today we will take another domestic flight to Jhupal. The flight is about 35minutes long and you will likely see beautiful views of mountains like Annapurna and Dhaulagiri to the northeast during your flight.
After arriving at Jhupal, we will meet our next team of traveling members and we will give our bags to the porters. Slowly we will descend downhill to the river and reach Dunai.
Overnight: Dunai
Maximum Altitude: 2,970m/9,744ft
Kilometers: 16km
Trek duration: 5-6 hours
Accommodation: Local tea house
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Today is going to be the first day of the trek where we will descend through the cultivated fields of the locals to reach the Thuli Bheri River. We will notice there are fields of different vegetables including wheat. We will have to ascend and descend turns above the tumbling-water river.
We will see scattered villages in the route where there are deserted crude stone houses of Jyalhasa. We will cross through the long suspension bridge which will lead us to the entrance of Shey-Phoksundo National; Park which is known to be the largest National Park of Nepal. We will notice beautiful flora and fauna in our way where we will trek through the trails surrounded by pine trees. After a whole day of walking, we will finally reach Chhekpa which is a small and beautiful village.
Overnight: Chhekpa
Maximum Altitude: 3,820m/12,532ft
Kilometers: 12km
Trek duration: 6-7 hours
Accommodation: Local tea house
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Today we will have morning breakfast at tented camp in Chhekpa and head towards Palam. We will hike through the beautiful forests, following a narrow George. We will ascend in through the forests of bamboo and we will also steep uphill to the waterfalls and various steep bank rivers.
On our way, we will meet many local peoples who will be there to graze their Mules or Dzopas (cross bread of Yak and Cow).
Overnight at Palam.
Maximum Altitude: 3,620m/11,876ft
Kilometers: 12km
Trek duration: 6-7hours
Accommodation: Local tea house
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
From Palam, we will pass to a deserted winter village and enter the National park. We will steep to a ridge that separated the open fields of Ringmo from the valley down below. We will climb uphill for 2 hours and before reaching the top, we will be greeted with mesmerizing view of Nepal’s highest waterfall of 107m high known as Phoksundo Waterfall or sunlight waterfall.
From here we will descend from the top to reach Ringmo village which is a small beautiful village.
Overnight: Rigmo
Accommodation: Local tea house
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Today, we will have time to explore this beautiful lake of Phoksundo and it is also necessary for our body to get acclimatized with the surrounding for one day. We will take a rest here and adore the beauty of Phoksundo Lake. We will also visit the nearby village which is an inhabitant of Bon and Buddhist religious people.
Overnight: Phoksundo Lake
Maximum Altitude: 3,640m/11,924ft
Kilometers: 13km
Trek duration: 5-6hours
Accommodation: Local tea house
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Today we will walk towards the restricted area of Upper Dolpa. These routes are used by peoples of Dolpa and other trade with Tibetans. From this place, we will have to descend and ascend to a wide valley which will offer us the spectacular view of Kanjirowa Himal at the altitude of 66,612m.
From here we will reach an alpine area which is full of Junipers. This place is called Thaneba or also known as Lakeside camp which can be a good place for camping.
Overnight: Salla Ghari
Maximum Altitude: 4,120m/13,517ft
Kilometers: 8km
Trek duration: 6 hours
Accommodation: Local tea house
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Today we will walk towards Salla Ghari and walk for 5-6 hours. We will trek through between high rock walls on both sides. Slowly we will cross through a couple of streams and enter a narrow George. We will set our camp by the side of the river.
Overnight: Lar Tsa
Maximum Altitude: 4,370m/14,337ft
Kilometers: 12km
Trek duration: 6-7 hours
Accommodation: Local tea house
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
In the early morning, we will ascend on a steep trail littered with slate. We will start trekking by a long and difficult climb for about 2 and half hours until we reach Kang La at 5,350m altitude.
This pass is also called Ngadra La. We will steep downhill through the pass covered with now for about 3 hrs and walk on a trail along the bank of the river. We will cross and re-cross it several times.
Overnight: Shey Gompa
Accommodation: Local tea house
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Today we will have an exploration day at Shey Gompa where we will be exploring around Tsakang Gompa. This place is exactly not a monastery but a retreat where many famous Lamas and Yogis from Tibet come to this center for meditation.
Shey Gompa was the 1st kagyup monastery which was founded by Lama Teszin Ra-Pa. it is said that this monastery was built during the 11th century. You will see many famous its ancient Buddhist culture.
Overnight: Shey Gompa
Maximum Altitude: 4,430m/14,534ft
Kilometers: 13km
Trek duration: 6hours
Accommodation: Local tea house
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
We will begin today’s day with a slow and steady trail with Juniper trees that descend into a grey canyon. We will trek through zigzag over bare rocks and soils. We will cross the pass Sheyla which is also known as Geln La which is 5,000m.
We will see the beautiful view of the northern part of the Tibetan plateau. We will descend through passes and pastures until we reach Namgun.
Overnight: Namgun
Maximum Altitude: 4,150m/13,615ft
Kilometers: 14km
Trek duration: 6-7 hours
Accommodation: Local tea house
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Saldan is the biggest settlement in inner Dolpa where there are a collection of five separate villages. We will begin our journey by passing a high traverse above Namdung Khola and take a steep descend to the larger Dolpa village of Saldang.
As Saldan is close to the Tibet border and this is where people trade Yak caravans. This village is not only popular for its agriculture but also its location on a trade route to Tibet.
Overnight: Saldan
Maximum Altitude: 4,650m/13,648ft
Kilometers: 14km
Trek duration: 6-7 hours
Accommodation: Local tea house
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
We will leave behind Saldan village and walk towards Sibu where we will pass through terraced fields and Stupas. We will come across many Chortens mani and Chaiba monasteries. We will pass through the monasteries at Samdo and scattered villages of Namdo where there are two monasteries. One is situated at the bank of the river and another at a high cliff.
Overnight: Sibu
Maximum Altitude: 4,160m/13,640ft
Kilometers: 15km
Trek duration: 7-8 hours
Accommodation: Local tea house
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Today we will cross Jenga La which is at 5,110m and descend to Tokyu. We will take a steep climb to the summit of the pass which can be reached after 2 hours of trekking. From the top to the, we will get mesmerizing views of Dhaulagiri from southwards. After descending into the Tarap Valley for few hours we will reach steam that will lead us to our destination.
Overnight: Tokyu Gaon
Maximum Altitude: 4,020m/13,188ft
Kilometers: 6km
Trek duration: 2-3 hours
Accommodation: Local tea house
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Today we will trail down the valley of Tarap which has well fertile land and has easy trekking routes. We will also see several Gompas on our way. We will slowly descend beside Tarap Chu where we will notice a cluster of stone houses with large and small Chortens.
You will come across many locals in this area who are of the Buddhist and Bonpo community. We will also get a chance to visit the Buddhist Gompa where Lama resides which has been made by him.
Overnight: Dho Tarap
Maximum Altitude: 4011m/3,623ft
Kilometers: 15km
Trek duration: 7hours
Accommodation: Local tea house
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Leaving behind Dho Tarap we will continue our journey by following the route that goes downhill. We will trek through many narrow gorges where we will see a river rushing through. We might also get a chance to encounter Blue Sheep, Marmots, yaks, sheep, and Goats here.
Overnight: Serkam
Maximum Altitude: 2280m/7,480ft
Kilometers: 10km
Trek duration: 5 hours
Accommodation: Local tea house
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Today we will start our journey by crossing the new suspension bridge and walk the bankside of the river. The trail continues generally high above the river which has some descending and ascending to do. It is said that Tarakot was the capital and had a dzong meaning ‘Fort’.
Overnight: Tarakot
Maximum Altitude: 2109m/6,919ft
Kilometers: 13km
Trek duration: 5 hours
Accommodation: Local tea house
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
We will walk following the Barbung Khola today where the trail is mostly up and down and fairly is underfoot. We will walk beside the Bheri River also known as Barbung Khola and use the path which is 20ft above the river. This will be a short trek that will be completed in a short period.
Overnight: Dunai
Maximum Altitude: 2404m/7,887ft
Kilometers: 9km
Trek duration: 3 hours
Accommodation: Local tea house
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Time to congratulate yourself for making up to this far. This will be your last day of trekking where we will continue walking alongside the Bheri River like yesterday.
You will trek through the lovely trail which has large conifers and climb into terraced farmland until you reach Jhupal. We will celebrate our last day of trekking to Shey-Phoksundo with Shey Gompa trek with delicious food and beverage at the campsite.
Overnight: Jhupal
Maximum Altitude: 150m/490ft
Kilometers: 140km
Accommodation: Local tea house
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
As mentioned before, we need to take two domestic flights to reach Katmandu as we did on the 3rd day of the itinerary. 1st we will take a morning flight from Jhupal to Nepalgunj which will be a 35minutes flight and after arriving at Nepalgunj, we will be taking the next flight to Kathmandu which will be 45mintutes of flight.
Enjoy the beautiful scenery of Mountains, hills, terraced fields, and landscapes during your flight to Kathmandu.
After arriving, you will be accommodated in a nice hotel where you can relax and take a rest
Meals: Breakfast
We will give you a farewell morning breakfast today and with our guide, you will arrive at the Tribhuwan International Airport before your flight schedule. We hope you had fun and had a unique experience while trekking to Phoksundo and Shey-Gompa place.
We want you to return with your friends and family for another adventurous trekking in Nepal. Have a wonderful time and visit us again to create more beautiful memories and experiences.
Yes, this trek might be difficult for those who have never trekked before. Also for the Upper Dolpo trek, you will need a minimum of 20days where for 2 weeks straight we will be walking for 4-7hours per day. We will have to ascend and descend through various passes on a single day. Some days the routes and trails might be easy with relatively only 3-4 hours of the walk but most of the days your leg will feel the pain.
The price compared to other trekking routes might come off as expensive for this one and the only reason is that you will have to take two domestic flights from Kathmandu to Nepalgunj and Jhupal.
But Nepal is not so expensive when it comes to Tourism. You can have an economical luxury trek, unlike other countries that will charge you more than what you spend in Nepal.
The listing of necessary tools and equipment for this trek has already been listed above. But the most important trekking gear are hiking boots, sleeping bags and tents, Hiking sticks, and for your things like regular intake of medicine, sunscreen, glasses, water bottles should be carried by yourself. Things that you carry for the journey will entirely change the experience so make sure to carry all the necessary traveling equipment.
You must first obtain a Nepal visa before traveling to Nepal. Except for India, all international passengers must have it. You can apply for this visa once you are in Nepal. Then send your passport, which must be valid for at least six months after the start of the journey.
Covid-19 created one of the threats to the minds of every voyager. However, since the situation is modest, you can quickly go to several nations. However, the priority should be safety precautions.
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