26 days
Duration
Demanding
Trip Level
2
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 the “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 Tibetan country of Nepal is attracting the attention of domestic and foreign tourists. The region expects to see an increasing number of 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 a place 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 as if it came straight out of a storybook. The Upper Dolpo to Jomsom trek is the right way for those looking for an adventure route. There is no doubt that you could never be bothered by a distinct trail, from arid and dry high-altitude areas to subtropical and terraced rice paddies.
What to expect in Upper Dolpo to Jomsom Trek?
- Trek through off 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’s 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.
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. | Trek 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. | Trek to Saldang | 3970 | 3h30 |
| 13. | Trek to Komas Gaon | 4100 | 5h30 |
| 14. | Trek to Mendo | 4000 | 5h00 |
| 15. | Trek to Tenje or Tenkyu | 4100 | 4h00 |
| 16. | Trek to Rakpa | 4535 | 6h00 |
| 17. | Trek to Chharka Bhot | 4110 | 7h00 |
| 18. | Rest day! | ||
| 19. | Trek to Norbulung Khola | 4750 | 6h00 |
| 20. | Trek to Bottom of Sangta – La | 4800 | 6h30 |
| 21. | Trek to Sangda Phedi via Niwar Pass (5130 m) | 4260 | 6h00 |
| 22. | Trek to Lower Sangda | 3710 | 5h00 |
| 23 | Trek to Phalyak via Bima Lojun La (4460 m) | 3175 | 7h00 |
| 24. | Trek to Jomsom | 2800 | 4h00 |
| 25. | Fly to Pokhara then connecting flight to KTM |
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Day 28: Fly to Kathmandu
Take a flight from Pokhara to Kathmandu and leisure in the afternoon.
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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.
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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. | ||||||||
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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.
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).
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.
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).
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.
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.
Yes, we only provide insurance to our staff. We recommend that you purchase insurance in your home country. Note: Insurance should cover medical and emergency evacuation.
No. The trails are well-known. You will not need crampons if you are not traveling in the mid-winter. Instead of the crampons, bring non-technical, lightweight spikes, are less costly and suit any shoe size.
No, we do not need tents or mattresses. There are tea houses along the trek.
When you forget something, it may be complicated to find something here. Check here for a detailed packing list for (general) trekking in Nepal. If you’re not a regular hiker, you can rent most of Nepal’s trekking equipment upon your arrival.
Anything you do not want for the trip can leave at our office or your hotel. We recommend that you make sure your bag is lockable.
Generally, we use local guides. Our guides have been numerous times on each trek to the relevant areas. All are qualified, competent, versatile, and certified licensed guides with the Government of Nepal.
If you use a porter, there are two advantages:
1. You can enjoy your trek entirely without carrying a heavy backpack.
2. Another is to increase the local communities’ income.
1. You can enjoy your trek entirely without carrying a heavy backpack.
2. Another is to increase the local communities’ income.
A porter can carry an average of 20 kg with his or her bag so that they can carry up to 16 kg of your equipment and gears. But we provide a backpack for them.
Yes, of course. We ensure that our staff is well insured.
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