Upper Dolpo Hidden Valley Trekking -24 Days
A journey shaped by the landscapes, people and experiences of Nepal.
Offered by Churen Himal Treks & Expedition
NEPAL · TRAVEL EXPERIENCES
Discover the journey
Read the full journey overview
Trekking in Nepal’s Dolpo region allows you to experience the grandeur of Nepal’s rugged and remote far west. Dolpo borders Tibet, where the culture and much of the landscape is reminiscent of its northern neighbour. The western part of the district is home to the She-Phoksundo National Park, which is Nepal’s largest. As well as being remote, Western Nepal is also underdeveloped and quite poor. Tourism infrastructure in Dolpo is not what it is in much of Nepal, and it is necessary to camp and carry your own food supplies. Permits are expensive, and you cannot trek in Upper Dolpo independently. But the deep valleys, high passes and peaks, the turquoise Lake Phoksundo, the 800-year-old Shey Monastery and some rare wildlife—including the elusive snow leopard—reward intrepid trekkers who visit here. Getting There & Away Western Nepal is remote, making access more difficult than other parts of Nepal. First, you have to get to Nepalgunj, on the plains, and then to Juphal in Dolpo district. Most people fly to Nepalgunj from either Kathmandu or Pokhara. From Nepalgunj, you then fly to Juphal. (It isn’t possible to fly directly to Juphal from Kathmandu, although expensive charter flights can be arranged from Pokhara.) Most organised tours will fly from Kathmandu. Keep in mind that the airport at Juphal is no more than a tiny mountain airstrip, where bad weather can often delay flights. Nepalgunj is also accessible by road, but it is a long trip from Kathmandu or Pokhara. Roads are improving throughout Western Nepal, but Juphal is currently several days’ walk from the nearest road-head. Permits & Regulations Permits for Upper Dolpo are expensive and strictly enforced. You also need to purchase a permit for Lower Dolpo, which you pass through on your way to Upper Dolpo. On top of that, only 250 foreigners are permitted to enter Upper Dolpo each year. Lower Dolpo: $10 USD per week Upper Dolpo: $50 USD per day (10-day minimum) There is also an Rs. 1000 entry fee to the Shey-Phoksundo National Park. As it’s mandatory to trek with a guide on an organised tour in Upper Dolpo, your tour operator will arrange all permits and these fees are generally included in the total cost of your trip. TRIP HIGHLIGHTS Adventurous camping trek to the remote trans Himalayan region of Nepal. Superb view of Kanjirowa Himal, crystal Mountain and many more. Visit ancient monasteries of Dolpo district. Explore remote areas of the western region. Observe Unique Tibetan Buddhist culture Discover the wild west of Nepal Himalaya. Visit UNESCO world cultural heritage sites of Kathmandu Valley. Crossing Kang La (5350m) and Jyagla pass Explore mesmerizing Phoksundo Lake (Deepest lake of Nepal).
Day-by-day itinerary
Day 10Trek to Lar Tsa - (4120m) 6 hrs Walk — This day we will have Salla Ghari, trekking through between high rock walls on both sides and crossing a couple of streams. We will enter a narrow gorge where will set our camp. We can continue trek but there is a possibility of altitude sickness problem. Overnight at tented camp, inclusive of full board meal.
Confirm daily arrangements with the provider.
Day 11Trek to Shey Gompa - (4320m) - 7-8 hrs Walk — We will start the trek by a long and strenuous climb of about 2 and a half hrs over a dusty path to Kang La (5350m), also called as Ngadra La. We have to descend through pass covered with snow which is very steeply and after about 3 hrs we will reach Shey Gompa, a very small village with a couple of houses and the Gompa. It is an 11th-century gompa, situated beneath the crystal peak on a small grassy plain, at the confluence of two rivers people believed that it was constructed by a Tibetan Buddhist, who arrived here on the back of flying snow lion. It is also called the spiritual heart of Dolpo. Every year many pilgrims visit his gompa to make Kora (clockwise circuit) of crystal peak. Overnight at tented camp, inclusive of full board meal.
Confirm daily arrangements with the provider.
Day 12Rest Day - Shey Gompa — You can explore around Tsakang Gompa which is at about 457m. It is not a monastery but a retreat. Tsakang had been a meditation center of many famous lamas from Tibet. Shey Gompa belongs to the Chaiba community, followers of the Padmasambhava and Kagyu sects. It was the first Kagyupa monastery and its founder was the lama Ten-skin-Ra-Pa. The monastery was built during the 11th century. Shey is famous for its ancient Buddhist culture. In Dolpo, the ancient Tibetan way of life combines animism with the teachings of Buddha. Drutup Yeshe introduced Buddhism in the Dolpo valley. Many years ago he came to Dolpo and came across a wild people whose supreme God was a 'fierce mountain spirit'. Crystal Mountain is to the west of the Shey monastery. It is a very strange mountain indeed. Its contorted cliffs are laced with quartz and embedded with a rich variety of marine fossils. Shey Gompa stands above the confluence of Kangju Nala and Yeju Nala. Near the confluence, there is a group of prayer mills turned by water wheels. Overnight at tented camp, inclusive of full board meal.
Confirm daily arrangements with the provider.
Day 13Trek to Namgung - (4430m) - 6 hrs Walk — To get to Namgung, we have to cross the pass Sheyla which is also called Glen La is about 5000m. While we are through the Glen pass, we can see a beautiful view of the northern part of Tibetan plateau, which is the highest plateau in the world. To the east, we can see Mustang. After through pass, we have to descend to the pastures of Namgung. Peoples of Namgung heartily welcome us. It is a beautiful place with a friendly environment. Overnight at tented camp inclusive all board of meals.
Confirm daily arrangements with the provider.
Day 14Trek to Saldang - (4046m) - 3 hrs Walk — Our Trek to Saldang starts with climbing a tree slope. We have to ascend to 4700m before going down steep slopes to the picturesque village of Saldang, situated on a plateau high above the Nam Khong Nala and the biggest villages of the lower Dolpo area. The village is prosperous, not only agriculturally but also for its strategic location on a trade route to Tibet. Overnight at tented camp inclusive of full board meals.
Confirm daily arrangements with the provider.
Day 15Trek to Sibu - (4000m) - 6 hrs Walk — We will leave Saldang village and on way to Sibu we have to pass through terraced fields, Stupas, Chortens mani, and a Chaiba monastery. Namdo, the next village contains sixty houses having nearly four hundred inhabitants. It stretches 5km on the high slopes to the left of Nam Khong Khola. We will set camp near the small settlement of Sibu, right on the river bank. Overnight at tented camp inclusive of full board meals.
Confirm daily arrangements with the provider.
Day 16Trek to the foot of the Jengla - (4480m) - 4-5 hrs Walk — We will follow the line of the river valley and the trail is easy going initially. But after two hours, we must make another stream before turning into the side valley where the rise becomes very sharp. Overnight at tented camp with the full board of meals.
Confirm daily arrangements with the provider.
Day 17Trek to Tokyo Gaon - (4240m) - 6-7 hrs Walk — To reach to Tokyo Gaon we have to cross the Jeng La which is about 4850m. It will take about 2 hrs to climb to reach the top of Jeng La. Form the top of the peak we can have good views of Dhaulagiri, beautiful goldy views in the morning then we will descend towards Tarap valley. By the after we will see the green valley which leads us by a beautiful trail down. Towards Tarap Chu. Tarap is a spectacular valley with vast plants in high mountains extending to twenty kilometres along the Tarap Chu River. It consists of ten villages with cultivated fields, many Gompas, and Chhortens. Overnight at tented camp with the full board of meals.
Confirm daily arrangements with the provider.
Day 18Trek to Dho Tarap - (4200m) - 2 hrs Walk — To reach to Dho Tarap we will walk east along the downward lower of Tarap Chu. The trail is easy as it is well-traveled. There are many mani walls, we can see but some of the Chhortens are in a bad situation. The French School is just outside the village of Dho Tarap. Dho is surrounded by an irregular stone wall and consists of thirty-four houses. Both Bonpo and Buddhist is inhabitant here. We will visit a Buddhist Gompa where Lama lives. He is very happy to show his monastery and might even let you see his private Gompa and the Thankas which he has made himself. Overnight at tented camp with a full board of meals.
Confirm daily arrangements with the provider.
Day 19Trek to Serkam - (3623m.) - 7 hrs Walk — The next two days are longish with a choice of several different campsites so the itinerary can be flexible. Your route follows the course of the Tarap Khola, generally downhill. You go through narrow gorges with the river rushing through. One may see blue sheep, marmots, yaks, sheep, and goats and perhaps meet people from Dolpo taking their flocks of sheep and goats to lower pastures for the winter. The afternoon brings more undulations in the path when it leaves the immediate course of the river. There is evidence of improvements to the trail where parts of the rock have been blasted out. You will also see the first of the modern steel suspension bridges which have been built to facilitate the movement of people and animals. The track is very narrow in places. Overnight at tented camp, inclusive of full board meal.
Confirm daily arrangements with the provider.
Day 20Trek to Tarakot - (2280m) 5 hrs Walk — You leave Khanigoan by the new suspension bridge and then walk alongside the river, sometimes going very high before reaching down to the water again. Some of the going are quite demanding and one bridge, said to have unusable for six years, necessitates crossing on wet stepping-stones. Coming into the broad fertile valley of the Barbung Chu, you walk amongst the various crops of millet, sweet corn, barley, buckwheat, green beans, chilies, and marijuana. Your lunch and night stop is high above the river but there is a standpipe for water. Tarakot is an old fortress town known by the local people as Dzong, meaning 'fort'. Before the Gorkha dynasty, Tarakot was the capital and had a dzong. The famous Sandul Gompa, which lies 8km east of Tarakot and at the junction of Barbing Khola and Tarap Chu, stands on a knoll to the south of Bheri River and at one time supervised collections of tolls for the trading caravans traversing an area called Tichu Rong. As an alternative to camping at Tarakot, you may camp down by the river as there are good cooking facilities there and a clean, locked toilet for trekkers' use. Overnight at tented camp, inclusive of full board meal.
Confirm daily arrangements with the provider.
Day 21Trek to Dunai - (2109m) - 5 hrs Walk — The trail is mostly down and fairly firm underfoot. Walking beside the Bheri River you use the ingenious path built twenty feet above the river. All too soon you have reached the village of Dunai and the campsite you used before. You will now have completed the circuit and can mark the occasion with a celebration party! Overnight at tented camp, inclusive of full board meal.
Confirm daily arrangements with the provider.
Day 22Trek to Juphal - (2404m) - 3 hrs Walk — You now retrace your steps to Juphal. Initially, the way is flat but the final hour up to your destination seems steeper than you remember on Day One! Camp overnight on the grounds of one of the lodges. Overnight at tented camp, inclusive of full board meal.
Confirm daily arrangements with the provider.
Day 23Flight to Kathmandu via Nepalgunj — Early morning flight to Nepalganj. This is a wonderful 35- minute flight over the Himalayan foothills, with fine views of the main peaks including Annapurna and Dhaulagiri to the north. You then connect with the flight back to Kathmandu. Overnight at hotel, inclusive of breakfast.
Confirm daily arrangements with the provider.
Day 24Departure to your Destination — Our representative transfers you to the Kathmandu airport to catch your returning flight back home. Thank you for Travelling with Churen Himal Treks and Tours.
Confirm daily arrangements with the provider.
What's included in your experience
Included
- Includes
- All the airport pick up / drop by private car/van or bus (Depends on group size)
- All domestic airfare (Kathmandu-Nepalgunj-Juphal-Nepalgunj-Kathmandu) including airport tax
- All the necessary paperwork such as national park entry fees, special trekking permit and TIMS card fees.
- Very high-quality north face or mountain hardware or same category camping equipment (Sleeping tent/ Dining tent / Kitchen tent / Toilet tent/mattress and Kitchen utensils )
- All the trekking crews will be insured as Nepal government regulation.
- The company guarantees the rescue services in case of emergency; please hand over your insurance policy copy to us
- Full board meals (B.L.D.) during the trekking period with hot tea and coffee.
- All the trekking crews (guide, sherpa, porter, helper, cook) salary/accommodation/ food.
- Rain protection duffel bag for client luggage and first aid medical kit bag.
- 3-star category hotel in Kathmandu on B/B plan and Guesthouse in Nepalgunj.
- Supported staff and camping stuff will transfer by bus from/to Nepalgunj and by plane from/to Nepalgunj to Juphal.
- One full day Kathmandu sightseeing in cultural UNESCO world heritage sites.
- Trekking Map and Churen Himal Treks printed T-shirt for trekking.
- All the government taxes and company service charge
Not included
- Exclude
- Nepal visa which obtained at the airport on arrival {bring 4 copies passport size picture too}
- International airfare - from and to Kathmandu.
- Alcoholic beverages, bottled mineral water, soft drinks and snack foods
- Any personal medical or evacuation expenses incur and strongly recommend international Travel insurance which included rescue
- Extra porter for the personal day bag pack
- Riding horse along the trek
- Extra cost on natural disaster
- Restaurant food bills, if the client decide to go to other restaurants during the trek
- Extra night hotel Nepalgunj due to bad weather and earlier back to Kathmandu
- Helicopter charter and all accommodation on flight cancellation due to bad weather
- Tips to trekking crews.
Essential trip information
Fitness & eligibility
3
Meeting point
Kathmandu
Traveler reviews & experiences
Real traveler perspectives to help you plan with confidence.
No traveler reviews yet
Be the first to share what this journey was like and help future travelers plan with confidence.
Have you experienced this journey?
Your real travel story can help someone choose their next adventure.
Reviews are personal opinions from NepalGuide members. “Unverified traveler” means the trip or booking has not been independently confirmed. Report suspicious or abusive reviews to NepalGuide support.
Explore Nepal. Connect with travelers.
Join NepalGuide to share genuine reviews, take part in travel conversations and discover experiences offered by local travel providers.
There's more to experience.
Discover another journey, explore local experiences or find a place to stay.