You will be met at the airport by our Him Ganga Treks representative and transferred to your hotel in Kathmandu. Rest at the hotel and briefing about the trip. There should be time to explore the city’s many charms on your own too. Overnight (O/N) in Kathmandu (breakfast included).

Preparing permit paper and visiting some places in Kathmandu

Transfer to the airport and flight to Nepalgunj (1h). Great views of the Manaslu , Annapurna and Dhaulagiri ranges when the weather is clear. Nepalgunj is located in the Terai plain a few kilometers from the Indian border; there is a moist heat (altitude 280 m).

Flight to reach Juphal (about 45 minutes). This flight is subject to the vagaries of the weather. It can be canceled and postponed (in this case we modify the trekking steps). In Juphal, our team of porters and cooks awaits us. First step of trekking . Beautiful downhill trail to the junction of the rivers Thuli Bheri and Suligad (2080 m). The Suligad is born on the shores of Lake Phoksundo which we will discover at the end of the trek; our path goes back for the moment Thuli Bheri. In the hamlet of Dunai, registration of trekking permits and other administrative papers may take some time. We take this opportunity to visit the surroundings.

The trail, as the day before, follows the river with beautiful views on the balcony . We cross the Thuli Bheri twice through modern metal or traditional wooden bridges. Badly weather-resistant, they are gradually replaced in the lower region, which is not the case in Haut Dolpo. We pass under many terraced fields before reaching Tarakot (2370 m) and put our camp in a nice site. This is Gan, a large cultivated plateau with a few houses. In the case where it is occupied, there is another on a ridge, close to the river and just east of the village of Tarakot.

The path is much less flat than the day before! We continue to follow the river to the hamlet of Laisicap. At this point, the confluence is between the Tarap and Bharbung rivers to form Thuli Bheri. We leave on our right the Bharbung which goes up without end to the bottom Mustang , cross for the last time Thuli Bheri and begin to go up the gorges encaissées of the Tarap . New control of our permits to approach the Upper Dolpo. After a few climbs and descents, we put our tents over the river, which we will go up for the next 3 days.

The day is to go up the course of the Tarap, which roars near waterfalls and during some passages. During the morning, the trail is unusual and surprising, carved by hand in the cliff . We change the opportunity to shore by following the path that adapts as it can to the constraints of the land. Used for millennia, it is quite reliable, despite some impressive voids. The camp is established near a cave , which are frequent in the area, and having sheltered in the past some sages come there to meditate far from everything.

We tackle the last day of climbing the gorges of this narrow valley to Lang Khola , where a tributary from a wider valley flows into the Tarap. During the day, discovery of natural caves , small villages , small monasteries and refreshing waterfalls .

We always go up the Tarap but on an easier path, in a valley that widens. We get a little more sun and the landscape becomes more pleasant before the arrival in the village of Dho . It is an impression of arrival in unknown land, remote but hospitable, like explorers arriving on land after a long voyage. On the way, chortens , a monastery and mani walls signal the entrance to Buddhist land . We will also spend two days in this village and around, to discover the living conditions of this orthodox Buddhist community who still practices religion Bon-po. The latter was widely practiced in Tibet and in the foothills of the Himalayas until the 8th century, when Buddhism began to take root gradually in the region.

Day of rest or exploration of the surroundings. Dho is the largest village in the valley and has many gompas ( monasteries ). Visit of the hamlets and their gompas : villages of Tango and Chumaga, hermitage of Zur, hamlet of Kagar. Essential stop at the ” Cristal Mountain School “, a unique school in the heart of Dolpo; this visit shows that the future can also exist for these high valleys. At Ribo Gompa, the trail changes course and goes up the valley that comes from the east. Crossing some remarkable villages like Tsugso, Londje, Tabza. Visit the Shibchog gompa .

The path always goes up the valley of Tarap crossing many typical villages with their monasteries such as: Kahakar Gompa, Champa Gompa, Modo Gompa, Tokkyu and Shering Gompa . Although the walking distance is short, it will take us several hours to admire all these villages. The camp will be located at the foot of the neck Numa La , with a superb view over the valley Tarap.

The path climbs steeply until the Col du Numa La , open from April to November and blocked the rest of the year by the snow. Once at the pass, here we are at the highest point of our stay! The atmosphere is desert , just like the valley of the Tarap that we have just crossed, but of all beauty. The descent is done by the North-West side to find a beautiful path in balcony coming from another pass of the surroundings. The trail then goes back to the base camp of the second pass to be crossed the next day. The site of the camp is ideal , with the numerous and high summits which surround it.

The beginning of the climb to the Baga La pass is steep (as the day before) and is easier as we get closer. At the pass, superb panorama on the summits and the green valleys of the South. After having enjoyed it, we leave the arid landscapes behind us and start a fast descent. After a few hours of descent, we stop at a plateau located at the confluence of our valley and another on our left. The camp is in the hamlet of Roman, on the banks of the Manduwa Khola River and on the edge of the forest. We find with pleasure the trees that had disappeared from the landscape for a few days.

The path of the day is superb, most of the time in balcony with many climbs and descents, and we also take advantage of the Kagmara range on the horizon. The trail climbs steeply before reaching a clearing then it softens while passing on a hillside. The path then follows a river and crosses a beautiful pine forest . Then arrive in Ringmo, beautiful village with two gompas (one in the middle of the hamlet, the other nestled on the shores of the lake, half an hour from the camp) located on the banks of beautiful Lake Phoksundo. Camp on the shores of the lake where it is forbidden to swim for reasons of religious beliefs (anyway, the turquoise water of this lake … is icy!). We discover this magical place , especially put forward during Eric Valli’s film Himalaya .

From Ringmo, we leave the beautiful turquoise color of Phoksundo Lake to descend into the valley of Suli Gad River . The trail descends to Palam (winter village of Phoksundo’s inhabitants) and is located by the river. On the way, we turn to observe the cascades of the lake weir. The atmosphere is more and more forest and temperatures more lenient , with a path in “Nepali flat”, that is to say with a succession of climbs and descents! The trail then plays leapfrog over the tumultuous waters of the Suligad. No less than four bridges (all in very good condition, yak caravans borrow them!) to arrive in the afternoon to the hamlet of Chepka.

The path is all rollercoaster on the left bank of the Suli Gad. After Hanke and its beautiful grassy terraces , the path follows the bottom of the valley before reaching a belvedere offering a magnificent view of the peaks of Kanjiroba. We then reach the junction of the rivers Thuli Bheri and Suligad (2080 m), where we passed more than a dozen days ago. A little more walking and here we are back in Dunai.

We begin our last day of trek to go back on Juphal to take the flight of the following day. We know the route because we have already borrowed the first day in reverse. We are enjoying this last evening at Dolpo to party with our local team . And tonight we sleep in a lodge!

The departure of Dolpo and the return to Kathmandu is done in two stages: a first early morning flight to Nepalgunj near the Indian border in Twin Otter, then another more comfortable flight in the middle of the day to join the capital. We find the “big city” and we settle in the same hotel as when we arrived.

Free time to discover the capital and its surroundings. The guide stays with the group (but can not divide if everyone goes on his side …). We recommend the Bodnath stupa early in the morning (to enjoy the pilgrims’ ambience), as well as visits to the ancient royal cities of Bhaktapur (a true living museum of the valley) and Patan . Capitals of small kingdoms in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, both cities are renowned for their beautiful Newar-style architecture with beautifully carved brick and wooden temples and their multi-storey pagoda roofs. We meet again in the evening for a last dinner together .

Free morning in Kathmandu . As the day before, the guide stays with the group . Appointment for the lunch, then according to the schedule of the return flight, we take a little time to hang out or we leave directly for the airport to take our flight home.