Regd. No: 196582/70/067, Vat No: 10882/77

Lower Dolpa Trek 20 Days

Duration: 15 Days Days
  • Destination: Nepal
  • Region: Dolpo
  • Maximum Altitude: 5309m.
  • Accommodation: Tea House/Camping
  • Activity: Trekking/Hiking
  • Trip Grade: Challenging
  • Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
  • Activity per day: 6-7 Hours
  • Trek duration: 16 Days
  • Best Time: September to December and March to June
  • Transportation: Bothe way Domestic Fly
  • Start/End Point: Nepalgunj to Nepalgunj

Trip Overview

Lower Dolpo Trek is one of the most adventurous ventures into the wild and remote nature of Dolpo region which is full of natural wonders. These wonders are:  massive freshwater lakes, age-old Buddhist civilization and culture, awe-inspiring arid landscapes, historical forts, local villages, unspoiled trekking trails and green hills, protected areas and its serene surrounding with diverse species of floras and faunas and most importantly, the breathtaking mountain views. These charms of nature will, inarguably, stun you during your Lower Dolpo Trek.

More specifically, passing through Juphal via Nepaljung, exploring the pre-Buddhism Bon Po culture, pacing via arid landscapes of Lower Dolpo region, alpine meadows and deep woods of Shey Phoksundo National Park with some of the rare species of flora and fauna including snow leopard, Himalayan musk deer, blue sheep, wild buffaloes and so on will be very fascinating to experience during Lower Dolpo Trek.

Moreover, traversing through two high passes above 5000m:  Numa La Pass (5309m), the highest point of the trek, and Baga La Pass (5169m) will let the trekkers experience an absolute thrills of adventure with fabulous mountain views  of Mt. Dhaulagiri (8167m) and the Tibetan ranges—Kugung La and Khyung La.

Phoksundo Lake is another prime highlight of Lower Dolpo Trek. The turquoise freshwater lake located in the lap of Himalayas in Shey Phoksundo National Park provides an authentic opportunity to celebrate the bliss of being solitude into the wild nature.

The local people especially Tibetan, their day-to day activities, the herd of yaks and sheep heading towards destinations, combination between brown setting of the landscapes and mountain panorama, holy ancient monasteries let the trekkers feel that they are in different kingdom of the world completely isolated from others.

So, Lower Dolpo Trek is very popular among the travelers as an adventure and less crowded area trekking in restricted area of Nepal’s Himalayas bordering to Tibet. One also can experience the blended culture of Nepal and Tibet which is mostly based on Tibetan Bon-Po.

Best Time to do Lower Dolpo Trek

What is the best time of the year for Lower Dolpo Trek? Definitely, this query will be very common and mandatory to be raised beforehand venturing on the trail because one must know the best weather/time of the year so that they can make their Lower Dolpo Trek a memorable and can accomplish comfortably. The best time to travel to Lower Dolpo Region and Shey Phoksundo National Park Area  is between Sep-Nov. These months in Nepal not only offer best time for Lower Dolpo Trek but they also are the finest times of the year for trekking, hiking and all types of jeep tours. The temperature is mild, the region and the trail receives no rain and snowfall and the mountain breathtaking during the months September, October and November.

Similarly, people who are willing to travel to Dolpo  region can find  the months March, April and May equally beautiful as September, October and November. The flowering rhododendron, birch, juniper and other flowering and non-flowering plants in Shey Pokhsundo National Park make the trail and entire trek more enchanting during the trek.

Required Permits

Travelers need to collect three different types of Permits for Lower Dolpo Trek. These are: TIMS Card, Shey Phoksundo National Park Entry Permit and Dolpo Restricted Area Entry Permit. If you have time and idea to visit Nepal Tourism Boar Office, you can collect these permits on your own, or, you can ask your travel operator to collect them for you. Unless you obtain all these required permits, you cannot make your Lower Dolpo Trek.

Lower Dolpo Trek Food and Accommodation

The food and accommodation you are using during the tour will be provided by local lodges/teahouses. They have their own menus and offer what they can prepare for the visitors.

You will get to have Nepali, Asian, Indian, Some Chinese, Continental and Some Japanese items of foods on the way to Phoksundo Lake and two high passes (Numa La Pass (5309m), the highest point of the trek, and Baga La Pass (5169m) and back to Kathmandu. They also offer you some fresh and authentic local dishes which you can enjoy.

You will be using the accommodation on the twin sharing basis. Further, you will be spending the nights at local lodges/homestays. Don’t expect to enjoy luxury accommodation with suite rooms like you do enjoy in cities.

How difficult is Lower Dolpo Trek? Preparations

Lower Dolpo Trek is an adventure trekking in a remote area of Nepal in Dolpo region encompassing Shey Phoksundo. Actually, trekking above 5000m high is considered as a challenging or an adventure trekking. Similarly, the two highest elevations the trekkers will get during the trek are:  Numa La Pass (5309m), the highest point of the trek, and Baga La Pass (5169m).

There are no such technical rocky and slippery trails on the way to Numa La Pass (5309m), the highest point of the trek, Baga La Pass (5169m) and Phoksundo Lake. However, if it rainy and snowy, the ascends and the descends tend to be more challenging.

So, those who have prior experience of some easy and moderate hiking/trekking in the hills up to 4000m and above, going ups and downs, who are doing regular exercises like aerobics and jogging and those who have the stamina of walking 7-8 hours in higher elevation like above 4000m  can do Lower Dolpo Trek. Therefore, one requires preparing accordingly. Prepare with all required trekking equipment as people for an adventure trekking above 5000m.

Getting to the Trailhead and Away

Juphal is the trailhead of Lower Dolpo Trek. To get from Kathmandu, we have to take a domestic flight for 50 minutes to Nepaljung and then another short flight for 20 minutes from Nepaljung to get Jufal. As we arrive at Juphal airport located in Dolpa district in Karnali province, we head for Dunnai commencing our formal walk to higher elevation.

We do the same while returning back to Kathmandu from Juphal and Nepaljung. We take a short flight to Nepaljung from Juphal and and then to Kathmandu to end our Lower Dolpo Trek.

Acclimatization and Altitude Sickness

Actually, yes, there are a few cases of sickness of higher altitude during Lower Dolpo Trek. So, we get the elevation gradually by ascending with the proper pacing. We have an acclimatization day at Phoksumdo (3641m./11945ft.) beforehand ascending up to the two high passes: to Numa La Pass (5309m), the highest point of the trek, Baga La Pass (5169m). This acclimatization is much needed because it is mandatory to have acclimatization properly before ascending above 5000m.  If you ascend quickly while trekking in the mountain, there is high possibility of getting acute altitude sickness.

We have set this Lower Dolpo Trek Itinerary with a day for acclimatization. If you want to add another day for acclimatization, we will set Lower Dolpo Trekking Itinerary accordingly.

Yes, there are some cases of altitude or acute mountain sickness with the trekkers every year while doing Lower Dolpo Trekking. Then, what happen to them? They are evacuated safely or made okay with some first aids taking them to the lower elevation. Acute mountain sickness is sudden so that one has to adopt some important precautions:

  • Get elevation gradually with proper acclimatization
  • Address your health issues if you have beforehand the trek
  • Don’t smoke and drink a lot at higher elevation
  • Avoid having impure water and food during the trek
  • Use right and reliable trekking equipment
  • Have a sound sleep
  • Report immediately to the leader if you have any problem during the trek
  • Carry first-aid kit with some basic medicines

Internet, Phone and Wifi Services on the Trail

You can simply install local Nepali SIM card in your cell phone and take it to the mountain. You can also buy data pack to run internet on the trail. In fact, for some days at higher elevation, it may not work, but, it will help you a lot during the trek. You can buy either NT or NCELL Sim car and install call and internet on your phone. It will take no more than Rs.100 for you to get it.

You can also have the access of internet or Wi Fi on the trail at local lodges/teahouses. They may charge you Rs. 200-500 per password or per device. Few years back, there wouldn’t be these facilities on the trail and in the teahouses during Lower Dolpo Trekking.

You can even talk to your family, relatives and the friends from the Lower Dolpo Trekking Trail very easily and can share your images and the videos instantly these days.

However, you may not have good strength of phone, Wifi and internet in case of cloudy and snowy weathers at higher altitude.

Can Solo traveler do this Trek?

No. Solo independent traveler cannot do Lower Dolpo Trekking on his/her own. No solo traveler is permitted to do trekking in any area in Nepal by the government. But, it doesn’t mean that, single traveler cannot do this trek; one has to hire either a guide or a porter. Also, the group has to be accompanied at least a licensed guide during the trek. It means, without hiring an authorized and licensed guide, the group is not allowed to go on Lower Dolpo Trekking Trail. This is because of security issue during the trip since the trekking trail is located at the border between Nepal and Tibet . And most importantly, Lower Dolpo trekking is a restricted area trekking and has to obtain special/ restricted area trekking permit to do this trek.

Details Itinerary

You can arrive in Kathmandu via any international flight that people recommend for you. Optionally, you can take a drive if you are using road to enter Nepal. You can use Indian and Chinese border for this. Whatever way you use for arriving in Kathmandu, our representative will receive you and takes you to the hotel. The representative will let you know about the short orientation meeting regarding your Lower Dolpo Trekking. Since we do not have any scheduled activities to do for today, you just rest and relax at the hotel or take a short walk around the city if time favors you.

Today, largely, you will spend your time with astonishing UNESCO World Heritage Sites located in Kathmandu. You will go to explore them one by one after your breakfast. The private vehicle will come to receive you along with a professional and experienced city guide at the hotel where your stay and transfer you to the historical and religious sites which includes Swyombhunath Stupa( Monkey Temple), Patan Durbar Square, Bouddhanath Stupa and Pashupatinath Temple. You end this trip at around between 3-4 pm and prepare well for your Lower Dolpo Trekking. Or, you can choose not to do Kathmandu Sightseeing Tour.

You are taking a short domestic flight from Kathmandu to Nepaljung. Sometimes, the flight to Neplajung may get disturbed due to bad weather condition. Otherwise, the flight will be very scenic and mesmerizing with incredible mountain views.

Take another short flight to Jufal airport and begin formal walk to Dunai with your trekking crew.  Actually, this is an easy walk today. Walk down to Kalagauda and pass through incredible landscapes and green hills before you arrive at Dunai. Arrive at Dunai and stay overnight at local lodge.

Begin your trek after a beautiful breakfast at the lodge. Walk via  Ringmo and arrive at Chhepka. You will get an elevation of 700m today. Stay overnight at local lodge at Chhepka.

This is a flat walk through incredible landscapes viewing some magnificent mountain panoramas. You will get an elevation of 100m today and stay overnight at local lodge at Samduwa.

You walk past a couple of ascents and descents through dry and arid landscapes with some alpine floras. Now you are heading towards a mesmerizing freshwater lake, Phoksundo Lake. You will astonish at seeing this green-purple colored lake once you arrive at the lakeside. Stay overnight at local lodge at Phoksundo.

This is an acclimatization day before ascending to the two higher passes of the trek. During this acclimatization, you will walk around the giant Phoksundo Lake and explore it. Moreover, you will also visit Bon Monastery of Tshowa which stands there from medieval time. Kanjiroba mountain panorama also can be seen from the lake. You can relax and have rest at the lodge rest of the time. Stay overnight at local lodge at Phoksundo.

You will have an ascent to Yak Kharka from Phoksundo Lake. You will ascend around 200m today through magnificent landscapes fo Mustang district. Yak Kharka is popular for keeping yaks and sheep. This section of walk today may offer you an opportunity to spot snow leopard too. Arrive at Yak Kharka and stay overnight at local lodge.

Ascend up to the Bagala Base Camp and then to Bagala High Camp. While ascending up to High Camp from Base Camp, the trail gets steeper and more challenging today. Arrive at Bagala High Camp and stay overnight at local lodge.

Walk up to the apex of Bagala Pass, astonish at incredible mountain peaks in Nepali and Tibetan sides, spend some time there and walk down to Danigar. Stay overnight at Danigar at local lodge.

Waking up early you steadily climb to the summit of Numala and cross it. You will experience an adventure of thrills and magnificent mountain panorama upon this ascent which is the highest pass of this trek.  You will spend here at the top for mountain views and the thrills of adventure and walk down to Tokyu. Stay overnight at local lodge at Tokyu.

Walk passing through mani walls and colorful prayer flags which will be beautiful to experience on this section of walk. You will also view some fabulous mountain views in both Nepal and Tibetan sides. You will gradually descend to Dho-Tarap region and finally get to the settlement of Dho-Tarap. Stay overnight at local lodge at Dho.

Now, we are returning back to Dunai and Jufal gradually. We descend through beautiful topography and mountain setting to Ghyamghar from Dho- Tarap and stay overnight at local lodge at Ghyamghar.

Walk down to Chhedhel Gompa from Ghyamghar. Chhedhel Gompa is very popular school of Buddhism which is consider to be standing there from16th century located in Mustang District. You can walk around the Gompa  and explore it. Stay overnight at local lodge at Chhedhel Gompa.

Descend down via magnificent landscapes and some forested areas losing the altitude of around 800m to the village Lawan. Arrive at Lawan and Stay overnight at local lodge.

This is the second last day walk of Lower Dolpo Trek. Follow same trail as you used before while approaching Dunai. Arrive at Dunai and stay overnight at local lodge.

You will have an ascent today from Dunai to Jufal airport. Pass through magnificent mountain landscapes before you aarive at Jufal. Arrive at Jufal and wait for the flight to Nepaljung.

You will take an early flight to Nepaljung from Jufal and then to Kathmandu. Arrive at hotel and check in. Go for a cultural farewell dinner in the evening with our team.

We drop you to the Kathmandu airport on time so that you can catch up your international flight homewards or can begin another trip to other destinations.

Cost Exclude/Includes

Question and Answer

Cost & Date

All set dates are guaranteed departures. If the following dates are not suitable for your travel plans then contact us for your custom trip dates. The private trips are available on any date of your selection at any time of the year.

Trip Map

Popup Image

Client Reviews

Based on 58 reviews.
Alfie Duchars
Alfie Duchars
2022-05-08
We arrived at Kathmandu airport with only the plan that we wanted to do the 3 passes trek, we hadn’t actually organised anything, and were even thinking we would only need a guide for parts of the trek. Milan met us at the airport by chance, rode with us in our taxi to our hotel and said he’d be happy to help us with the whole trek, but without forcing us to use his company. We don’t regret a thing - we paid one very good price which included a guide from Kathmandu for the whole trek, the flights to and from Lukla, accomodation in lodges and teahouses and 3 meals a day. Milan even included paragliding, bunjee jumping and white water rafting in this same price. The trek was stunning, lucky enough to have perfect weather for the most part. We also couldn’t have asked for a better guide, Rajan was perfect for us, took us at our pace and taught us so much about Nepal and the culture that we never would’ve been able to learn without him. He became not only a brilliant companion but a good friend who we hope to see again. Once we arrived back in Kathmandu after the trek he even took us to his sister’s home and we were given a perfect home cooked Dhal bhat - a real treat after all the mountain food we’d been having. Overall, Himalayan Spirit Adventure has turned out to be a very good find, and Milan an excellent organiser and very fair businessman. He’s even taking us out to dinner tonight! We are very pleased and happy that our 2months in Nepal has started so well. Thank you Milan and the team!
Nans Bouissou
Nans Bouissou
2022-04-23
Nice tour very Well organised from Kathmandu I spent 11 days in Langtang which was beautiful going two times over 4000 meters !! The guide was very kind and professionnal and helped me to go through that challenge. Im very thankful to him for that. After I saw beautiful mountain from Nagakrot and had the chance to chill 3 days in Pokhara. The company is very arranging as they accept to change my hotel for a better one in the center. You can trust them for your next trip Nepal if you want to be well accompanied ;)
Bianka Hermanski
Bianka Hermanski
2022-04-22
We really liked the trip Milan organized for us. We met him at the airport and we discussed our wishes at his office in Kathmandu. We did a nice hiking tour from Pokhara to Australian Basecamp in the Annapurna highlands. After that we did a nice rafting tour and a safari near Chitwan. Milan was always available for questions and we didn't need to be worry about anything. I can recommend him very much.
Gerrard Ould
Gerrard Ould
2022-04-17
Our trek to Everest Base Camp with Himalayan Spirit Adventure Treks and Expeditions was exceptional! We were lucky to have one of Nepal’s greatest and best known guides - Jagat (“Kaji”). He knew Everest like the back of his hand, having been a guide and Sherpa for over 50 years. Everyone along the trek knew him well and we were warmly welcomed by his colleagues and friends everywhere we went. He was so respected and known that he was able to use his connections to achieve what we simply couldn’t do ourselves (eg. Getting us on return flights from Lukla on a different airline at no cost, when there was no availability with the company we had tickets to). He spoke some English and was able to tailor our trip to our needs. He is an incredibly kind, giving and caring person. Whilst he was much older than us, and we consider ourselves fairly active and fit, he set a comfortable pace and we felt so incredibly lucky to have experienced the Everest trek with him. DB (family to Kaji), organised everything before our trip, including flights and pick up. He set out our itinerary and made sure it was what we needed, and that nothing was left out. He even contacted us periodically through our trek to ensure we were well and didn’t need anything. This company is a LOCAL company, employing LOCAL people, ensuring the money returns to the LOCAL community. Whilst you may be tempted to trek with a big foreign company for peace of mind, I can assure you, you won’t be disappointed by this company as it’s fantastic and the people are genuine and wonderful. Thank you especially to Kaji. We would love to see you soon.
Lucilla Patrizi
Lucilla Patrizi
2022-04-11
Through our accommodation in Thamel, we were introduced to manager Dh, who immediately informed us about the different trekking options. We went for a drink to discuss the routes again and he told us about the career of the agency. We finally decided on the Manaslu trek, which we unfortunately had to postpone for 2 days due to an illness. Dh was helpful and understanding, so it was no problem to postpone the tour at very short notice. The Manaslu Circuit Tour would have been unimaginable without Madhu, our guide. He organized spontaneously and reliably the accommodations and the daily stages and was always a good companion. Madhu knew the area and the people of the surroundings very well, so he did not have a map with him. If you value getting an overview of the route, you should carry one yourself. On the whole, a good price-performance ratio, a helpful crew who knows their business!
Tomás González
Tomás González
2022-03-01
We arrived to Nepal thinking about doing this trek on our own, but in the end we thought the piece of mind of having everything arranged for us (route, sleeping places, etc.) would make the trip more worth it. We were right! Milan and his team made sure we had all perfectly planned, but also had space to make adjustments based on our adaptation to the altitude and spontaneous decisions based on our interests (I'm a photographer so I took my time on each place.) Our guide/porter made sure we achieved our goal of reaching the Everest Base Camp safely. When I had complications adapting to the altitude of over 5000 meters, he reacted promptly, knowing exactly what to do. As I plan to come back to Nepal in a few years (this time to do a summit), I would trust on this company again and I recommend it whether you want to do a short trek or one of +2 weeks.
Jamie McClenaghan
Jamie McClenaghan
2021-12-14
Such an unforgettable experience. I arrived to Nepal on a whim with no real plan on what i wanted to get out of the trip. I was introduced to Milan and his team who created a unique and thrilling experience for me which would last the duration of my trip. I paid a single fee and EVERYTHING else was taken care of by Milan and his team. Milan and the team were very flexible and helped me in any way they could with information about Kathmandu, local deals and even arranged my PCR tests. Literally everything was taken care of by Milans team. It was fantastic. I will most certainly come back to Nepal and will 100% be with Himalayan Spirit Adventure Treks & Expeditions again. Though this time i will arrive as a friend rather than a customer. Thank you once again Milan!
Cassidy Newman
Cassidy Newman
2021-12-12
Milan and his team made our trip to Kathmandu unforgettable. My travel partner and I got to the country having no idea what to do and how we would navigate the city until Milan came in and saved the day. His team went above and beyond to make sure we didn't have to do any logistics and could just enjoy our vacation. With knowledgeable tour guides and the best hospitality in the city, Milan gave us an insider's view of Nepal with an experience that left us feeling like family.

Cassidy Newman

Milan and his team made our trip to Kathmandu unforgettable. My travel partner and I got to the country having no idea what to do and how we would navigate the city until Milan came in and saved the day. His team went above and beyond to make sure we didn’t have to do any logistics and could just enjoy our vacation. With knowledgeable tour guides and the best hospitality in the city, Milan gave us an insider’s view of Nepal with an experience that left us feeling like family.

Couly Jouce

Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry’s standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book. It has survived not only five centuries, but also the leap into electronic typesetting, remaining essentially unchanged. It was popularised in the 1960s with the release of Letraset sheets containing Lorem Ipsum passages, and more recently with desktop publishing software like Aldus PageMaker including versions of Lorem Ipsum.