Upper Dolpo To Jomsom Trek

26 days

Duration

Demanding

Trip Level

Group Size

5545 m

Max-altitude

From the mystical lands of Dolpa, the Upper Dolpo to Jomsom Trek lead to a beautiful high-altitude landscape to Annapurna. This trek is strenuous, with five high passes over 5000 meters. Dolpo is ideal and enjoyable for monsoon spending, thanks to its diverse terrain and vibrant culture. Located in the magnificent Himalayas, it is what we call an area with a “rain shadow.” Although the rain may help farmers in the lower regions to thrive, it does not increase the amount of plant growth. If you are looking forward to clearing blue skies and the smell of crisp outdoors, it indeed starts to rain.

Indeed, the Upper Dolpo to Jomsom is not famous for its highest peaks, such as Everest and Annapurna, but this culturally isolates the Tibetan country of Nepal and is attracting the attention of domestic and foreign tourists. The region expects to see more visitors improving on the Juphal airfield near Dunai. Some people in Dolpo are nomadic, so they move from place to place where new and greener pastures can find for their livestock to graze and thereby create a straightforward way of life. The Upper Mustang is where ancient ruins and picturesque mountains lie towards the south. It is one of the most preserved regions in the world.

The unique culture and historical monuments make it seem straight from a storybook. The Upper Dolpo to Jomsom trek is the right way for those seeking an adventure route. There is no doubt that you could never be bothered by a distinct trail, from arid high-altitude areas to subtropical and terraced rice paddies.

What to expect in Upper Dolpo to Jomsom Trek?

Trek through the beaten track of Nepal that only a few visitors will ever see.
Witness the hunt for yarshagumba in the spring, a bizarre, highly-looking caterpillar fungus for medical qualities.
Buddhist holy place, Crystal mountain, and Shey Gompa observe the unique Bon Buddhist culture.
More than five high passes above 5000 meters, extraordinary mountain views, meet locals and visit monasteries.

Upper Dolpo to Jomsom Trek Map

25 Days Upper Dolpo To Jomsom Trek itinerary

Days	Destination	Altitude in Meters	Walking Distance
1.	Fly to Nepalgunj	150	0h55 by flight
2.	Fly to Juphal, then trek to Dunai	2160	0h40 then 3h00
3.	Dunai to Chhekpa	2650	6h00
4.	Trek to Jharana Hotel	3170	6h30
5.	Trek to Phoksundo Lake	3650	4h00
6.	Acclimatization day!
7.	Trek to River Bed Camp	3660	6h00
8.	River Bed Camp to Nando – La High Camp	4120	6h30
9.	Trek to Shey Gompa via Kang – La Pass (5360)	4400	6h00
10.	Rest & explore Crystal Mountain
11.	Trek to Numagung via Shey – La (5000)	4200	6h30
12.	Numgung to Saldang	3970	3h30
13.	Trek to Komas Gaon	4100	5h30
14.	Komas Gaon to Mendo	4000	5h00
15.	Trek to Tenje or Tenkyu	4100	4h00
16.	Tinje to Rakpa	4535	6h00
17.	Trek to Chharka Bhot	4110	7h00
18.	Rest day!
19.	Trek to Norbulung Khola	4750	6h00
20.	Nurbulung Khola to Bottom of Sangta – La	4800	6h30
21.	Trek to Sangda Phedi via Niwar Pass (5130 m)	4260	6h00
22.	Sangda to Lower Sangda	3710	5h00
23	Trek to Phalyak via Bima Lojun La (4460 m)	3175	7h00
24.	Phalyak to Jomsom	2800	4h00
25.	Fly to Pokhara, then connecting flight to KTM

Day 1: Arrival in Kathmandu

Upon arrival in Kathmandu, the representative of our agency will greet and welcome you in front of the Arrival Gate with the Display Board of Himalayan Exploration Treks and then transfer you to your Hotel.

Day 2: Exploring Kathmandu

You will plan a full day of sightseeing while your trekking permits are processed. On the free day, you can visit Kathmandu valley’s heritage site. We conduct the pre-trip departure meeting on the next trek, where you meet the trek guide and other members of the team. They will tell you about the team formation, the equipment, and the essence of the expedition.

Day 3: Kathmandu - Nepalgunj

At the beginning of the afternoon, fly to Nepalgunj in the western plains of Nepal for about an hour. It is a bustling border town near the Indian border.

Day 4: Nepalgunj to Juphal, then trek begins to Dunai. (2490 m)

It needs to fight in the morning in Juphal. Forty-five minutes flying offers super visibility to the foothill of the Himalayas, which overlooks the mastic of Annapurna and Dhaulagiri. After you reach Juphal and arrange your baggage and other things, an easy walk to Dunai.

Day 5: Dunaito Chepka (2660 m)

It takes a bit more time for the first day of adventure to set up the baggage. Towards Shulighat, the entry point of Shey Phoksundo National Park, we take the left direction along the Bheri Bridge. The trail passes through several small villages along the Phoksundo Khola to Chhepka.

Day 6: Chepka to Amchi Hospital (3110 m)

The trail gradually goes up over the forest alongside the valley. The path follows some small ups and downs; you must cross the river across small bridges leading you to Raichi for lunch. About 30-minutes later, there’s a dramatic moment at some stage between Raichi and Chunuwar, where two distinctly different rivers converge into one Phoksundo river. Then we go to Chunuwar continuously.

Day 7: Forest Camp to Ringmo (3660 m)

For the first three hours, the trek goes steeply uphill. There is little vegetation, and hills in the dry season are very dusty. Once we arrive at the site, we see Nepal’s highest waterfall with 107 meters in height, beautiful scenery around hills. We will get the first sight of Phoksundo lake ten minutes up from the viewpoint. The trail then goes down to the small village of Ringmo gradually through the pine forest.

Day 8: Rest Day!

today, we will enjoy the beauty of Lake Phoksundo and stroll through Ringmo, a small village, and it’s Tibetan monasteries. The Bon Buddhist in this area is also known as the pre-Buddhist.

Day 9: Northern shore of the Lake (3650 m)

As we leave our campsite, which is the border between Lower and Upper Dolpo. We enter the Upper Dolpo and follow the trail Oscar-nominated film HIMALAYA, directed by Eric Valli. The path is a salt trading route between Tibetans and Dolpo people. The twisting trail reflects more lake adventures. When we reach a height of 4085 meters, then we descend through the dense jungle and climb up to open valley with a spectacular view of the 6612-meters high Kanjirowa Himal. Then we reach a beautiful campsite.

Day 10: Shey La Base Camp (4625 m)

We have a long climb with often no trace as we pursue up the steep-sided valley, pass some pasture areas, and cross several streams on the side. Shortly after that, the valley fills with an open birch and rose-bud trees and then narrows. We turn right into the first small intersecting valley (the trail is easy to miss, so stay with the group) that follows a rocky river to our camping site. As we ascend, the landscape becomes slowly barren, and the gorgeous Himalayan birches seem in the distance. Finally, a couple of grueling hours later, we reach our’ high’ camp, which was named Snowfields Camp by Matthiessen. The camp is underneath the pass, which takes us to Inner Dolpo.

Day 11: Cross Kangla to Shey Gompa (4375 m)

For the first two and half hours, the trail is steeply inclined over Sandy Mountain to Kang-La with an elevation of 5350 meters. The feet slid at each step, and at this point, altitude sickness can take hold. After about 4 hours of walking down the hill from the pass, we arrive at Shey Gompa.

Day 12: Shey Gompa: Exploration day!

The’ Crystal Mountain,’ also known as Dolpo’s Kailash, takes its name from the quartz veins which traverse its base and is Dolpo’s most sacred peak. Every July or August, during the full moon, the Dolpo pilgrim’s circumambulation before the seasonal grain harvest. Today we’re going to hike for a few hours to visit the remote Tsakang hermitage, made famous by Matthiessen in his book’ The Snow Leopard. It is correctly set into the side of the mountain. It’s like no other place on earth; it makes sense for both Bon Po and Buddhists to reverence it.

Day 13: Namgung (4430 m) via Shey - La Pass (5000 m)

Shey Gompa marks the intersection of numerous trails that were once used by the old salt trading caravans and today by trekkers. Keep hiking to Shey-la (or Gela) — another pass located at 5000 meters that offers a stunning panorama of the Dolpo landscape. Descend steeply from Shey-la to Numagung (4400 meters). Namgung is an enchanting village with a continual building structure in a triangle of land at the junction of a deep-cut canyon with a wider stream valley but with a beautiful valley layout east to west. Namgung is a particularly important settlement as the home of the historic Numagung Monastery — one of the oldest Buddhist monasteries in upper Dolpo.

Day 14: Saldang (3980 m)

Today is a short but mighty day along the high trail to Saldang. We leave Namgung with a gradual climb to a hilltop on an easy path, and then continue a gentle downhill slope to reach Saldang at 4046 meters. We camp just above ochre Saldang Gompa, in the midday sun, gold-gilded and sparkling.

Day 15: Khomas Gaon (4100 m)

We continue from Saldang along the quiet paths that lead to Khomasgaon. It went along the broad landscape of dunes and naked hills, through many white-washed villages, long Mani walls, and painted chortens. We traverse the small streams and climb up and down until we reach Khomagaon.

Day 16: Mendo (4000 m)

The trail descends onto the river and follows the river for most of the day. Again, a decent following a climb to the top of a ridge and ends at the green Shimen Valley. A short walk leads to Mendo.

Day 17: Tinje or Tinkyu (4110 m)

Our trek continues today as we move down the off-road trails across Panjyan Khola Gorge. We visit the ancient Pu Gompa before continuing on Tinkyu. The sights of spectacular sceneries and Upper Dolpo’s exclusive culture certainly offer the trekkers enchanting experiences. After a long and pleasant day of trekking, we get to Tinkyu.

Day 18: Trek to Rapka (4535 m)

We move to an old settlement alongside Panjyan Khola and arrive at a river union where we take left-turn tributary Kehein Khola to move across the river’s left bank. Over Kehein Khola, we cross several bridges to reach Rapka, where we camp for the night.

Day 19: Charka Bhot (4110 m)

We’re going from Rapka and walking along a slightly uphill track to Chharka La Pass (5027 m). Upon reaching the top of the pass, we go downhill on the side of the gorge and go down to Chharka Village on Chharka Tulsi Khola’s bank. We will visit Sarchhen Gompa in the center of the scattered village in the evening.

Day 20: Rest Day at Chharka Bhot

Today, we can either explore the village or relax before facing up to the exciting days ahead. We’ll explore the two gompas, Buddhist and Bönpo, which mean Dolpo’s two religions. In case of any postponements, this day could also be used as a buffer.

Day 21: Norbulung Kharka (4750 m)

We wander down the stream and stroll next to the right bank as we ascend on an uneven trail. As the Valley contracts, we move into an extensive meadow. Our trip continues as we go up to the campsite in Norbulung. As we near the Annapurna region, various peaks of the Dhaulagiri massif start to come in sight.

Day 22: Bottom of the Sangda La (4800 m)

The trek begins to gain elevation once again as the trek enters the final stages. Few passes separate the Dolpo region from the Kali Gandaki Valley, and one of those is Sangda La. At the bottom of Sangda La ends the day’s trek.

Day 23: Trek to Sangda Phedi via Niwar Pass (5130 m) and Sangda La (5300 m)

The day to Sangda Phedi involves crossing two passes and is one of the trek’s most challenging days. The path climbs up Niwar Pass (5320 meters) and then crosses Sangda La and for all the hard work provides stunning views of the valleys in front of it. A Long downhill finally ends at Sangda Phedi.

Day 24: Trek to Lower Sangda. (3710 m)

The trek goes downhill to pass through various small rivers all day long. There are many Blue Sheep nearby more mountains throughout the Kali Gandaki Valley.

Day 25: Trek to Phalyak

We start climbing up from Santa to Bhima Lojun La (4460 m), from where we get a fantastic view of the Valley of Kali Gandaki River. We go down through the pitchy of Mustang, observing snow-covered peaks. We wander off the main path and walk steeply down the forest to Phalyak. Phalyak is a beautiful town with an annual archery festival that most of the villages of Mustang and Manag are celebrating.

Day 26: Trek end at Jomsom

A small tributary follows us in Ekle Bhatti to reach the Kali Gandaki River. Afterward, we walk on the flat path along the riverbed to Jomsom, the windy town. We will celebrate together the completion of the trip after we have explored the city. You can then give the staff tips for all their hard work during the trek.

Day 27: Fly to Pokhara and another flight connects to Kathmandu

A short 15-minute trip through the Kali Gandaki valley (the deepest gorge in the world) and over the Ghorepani ridge into Pokhara. And a flight connects to Kathmandu on the same day.

Day 28: Fly to Kathmandu

Take a flight from Pokhara to Kathmandu and leisure in the afternoon.

Day 29: Free day in Kathmandu

This day is held as a day of contingency. If we were unable to board any of the flights the day before, we could do it on this day. But if we had arrived in Kathmandu as expected, you can use this day to explore Kathmandu’s various markets and temples.

Day 30: Final departure

Transfer to the airport for final departure.

DEPARTURE/RETURN LOCATION

Kathmandu International Airport

DEPARTURE TIME

Please, arrive at least 3 hours before the flight.

INCLUDED

All domestic flight, Hotel/Airport transfer

Accommodations in Kathmandu with breakfast

All accommodations in tents and all meals during the treks

All necessary documentation and permits

All ground transportation (as per mention in itinerary)

Professional guide and porters

A First Aid Kits

Applicable Government Taxes

NOT INCLUDED

International Airfare

Nepal Visa fee (advice to take accurate amount)

Meals in Kathmandu (except breakfast)

Personal Expenses e.g. phone calls, laundry, bar bills & extra porters

Travel Insurance

Tips for Guide and Porter.

Prices are quoted in US$ dollars and payable in convertible currencies. All prices published on our website are set as low as possible. The Prices may vary at any time due to currency fluctuation, fuel prices, and unforeseen economic circumstances. However, we guarantee our prices which already signed up for your tour. Please consult us for a custom quote.

Is the water at Upper Dolpo to Jomsom Trek safe to drink?

No, you are not allowed to drink water from the direct tap or streams on the Upper Dolpo to Jomsom. But you can also use a purifier or SteriPen. It is expensive to buy water (maybe ten times the cost of purchasing water in Kathmandu).

Am I going to be sick on my trek at altitude?

Be conscious. This trek will be over 3500 m in elevation. The possibilities of having an altitude illness usually begin at this altitude. But to prevent this, we have planned the itinerary to give you time to acclimatize as much as possible.

How can I conquer the altitude sickness?

There’s nobody who’s going to suffer from altitude sickness. The younger and fitter people do not experience high altitude illnesses when they feel older and less fit. It’s not related to fitness or age. Speak to your private practitioner. Prescription medicines are available to help avoid the symptoms of altitude sickness. But go gently and listen to the body and be mindful of any changes and listen to your guide if he thinks that you have symptoms (which might not be apparent).

What happens if an emergency evacuation is required while I am trekking?

We will be able to collect your travel insurance policies and details before your trip. In case of emergency, we will be able to coordinate with your insurance company and helicopters company for emergency evacuation.

What about simple medication during the trek?

There is no doubt only be a First aid. We take a first-aid kit on every trip. We always advise you to make your own. Here’s a checklist of items you can bring, recommended. Vaccinations are not compulsory in Nepal; however, we suggest that you keep this checklist if necessary.