Quiet trails · Dolpo & the far west
Upper Dolpo, beyond the passes
- 22 daysDuration
- 5,360 mHighest point
- StrenuousDifficulty
- ★ 4.931 reviews
Twenty-two days across the highest inhabited valleys in Nepal, camping the whole way, in the one region that stays dry through the monsoon.
Upper Dolpo sits behind the main Himalayan range on the Tibetan plateau, which means it runs on the opposite calendar to the rest of Nepal: dry and walkable from May to September while everywhere else is under monsoon cloud.
There are no lodges. A full expedition crew moves with the group — cook, kitchen staff, pack animals and a satellite communicator — and every night is a camp. In return you get Shey Phoksundo, the Crystal Monastery, Bon villages older than Buddhism in Tibet, and about four other trekkers in three weeks.
- Shey Phoksundo Lake, and the 167 m waterfall below it
- Shey Gompa — the Crystal Monastery — under Crystal Mountain
- Three passes over 5,000 m: Kang La, Saldang La and Jeng La
- Bon monasteries where the practice pre-dates Buddhism
The essentials
- Duration
- 22 days
- Highest point
- 5,360 m
- Group size
- Max 8
- Style
- Camping expedition
- Starts and ends
- Kathmandu to Kathmandu
- Best season
- May–Sep
- Accommodation
- 18 nights camping, 3 nights in hotels, 1 night in a lodge
- Meals
- All meals, cooked by the expedition kitchen crew
- Transport
- Kathmandu–Nepalgunj–Juphal flights, return by air from Jomsom
- Permits
- Upper Dolpo restricted-area permit (USD 500 for ten days, USD 50/day after) + park entry
The shape of the journey
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When to walk it
May to September — the reverse of the rest of Nepal. Dolpo sits behind the main range and stays dry through the monsoon.
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- Prime
- Shoulder
- Closed
Day by day
22 days, as they are actually walked. Your guide may reorder a day for weather — that is the point of having one.
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1
Arrive in Kathmandu
Transfer, expedition briefing and a thorough kit check — there is no resupply once you fly west.
- 1,400 m
- Kathmandu hotel
- Dinner
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2
Fly to Nepalgunj
An hour south to the Terai, and a hot afternoon at 150 m above sea level.
- 150 m
- Nepalgunj hotel
- All meals
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3
Fly to Juphal, walk to Dunai
A short mountain flight into Dolpa, then two hours down to the district headquarters.
- 2,140 m
- 5 km
- 2 hr
- Dunai lodge
- All meals
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4
Dunai to Ankhe
Along the Thulo Bheri and into the Suli Gad gorge — the last easy walking for a while.
- 2,660 m
- 13 km
- 6 hr
- Camp
- All meals
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5
Ankhe to Sulighat
Steep forested sidewall above the river, in and out of side valleys all day.
- 3,020 m
- 12 km
- 6 hr
- Camp
- All meals
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6
Sulighat to Phoksundo Lake
Past the 167 m waterfall and up to the lakeshore at Ringmo, where the blue arrives without warning.
- 3,610 m
- 13 km
- 6 hr
- Camp
- All meals
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7
Rest day at Phoksundo
The Bon monastery above Ringmo, and an afternoon doing nothing beside the most photographed water in Nepal.
- 3,610 m
- Camp
- All meals
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8
Phoksundo to Phoksundo Khola
The cliff traverse above the lake — exposed, narrow, and the crux of the approach — then a flat river camp.
- 3,750 m
- 12 km
- 6 hr
- Camp
- All meals
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9
Phoksundo Khola to Kang La base
Up the valley on old caravan trail to a camp below the first pass.
- 4,400 m
- 13 km
- 6 hr
- Camp
- All meals
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10
Kang La to Shey Gompa
Over 5,360 m in the morning, then down to the Crystal Monastery on the far side.
- 4,340 m
- 14 km
- 8 hr
- Camp
- All meals
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11
Rest day at Shey
The kora around Crystal Mountain, and time at a monastery that sees a few dozen outside visitors a year.
- 4,340 m
- Camp
- All meals
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12
Shey to Namgung
Over Saldang La at 5,200 m, with a red-cliff monastery at the far end of the day.
- 4,430 m
- 15 km
- 7 hr
- Camp
- All meals
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13
Namgung to Saldang
A short day into the largest village in Upper Dolpo, terraced and irrigated at 3,900 m.
- 3,900 m
- 9 km
- 4 hr
- Camp
- All meals
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14
Saldang to Sibu
Down the Nagon Khola past chortens and salt caravans heading north to the border.
- 3,950 m
- 16 km
- 6 hr
- Camp
- All meals
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15
Sibu to Jeng La base
Up a tributary valley to a high camp below the last of the three passes.
- 4,900 m
- 12 km
- 6 hr
- Camp
- All meals
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16
Jeng La to Tokyu
Over 5,090 m with Dhaulagiri visible to the south, then down into the Tarap valley.
- 4,210 m
- 14 km
- 7 hr
- Camp
- All meals
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17
Tokyu to Dho Tarap
A gentle morning through the highest cultivated fields in the country.
- 4,090 m
- 8 km
- 3 hr
- Camp
- All meals
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18
Dho Tarap to Serkam
Into the Tarap gorge, dropping fast between walls that close overhead in places.
- 3,630 m
- 18 km
- 7 hr
- Camp
- All meals
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19
Serkam to Khanigaon
Out of the gorge into juniper and the first villages with roofs made of anything but mud.
- 2,550 m
- 17 km
- 6 hr
- Camp
- All meals
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20
Khanigaon to Juphal
The last walking day, back to the airstrip and an evening of laundry and celebration.
- 2,475 m
- 16 km
- 6 hr
- Camp
- All meals
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21
Fly to Nepalgunj and Kathmandu
Two flights and a hot shower, followed by an expedition dinner.
- 1,400 m
- Kathmandu hotel
- Breakfast, dinner
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22
Departure
Airport transfer, or a spare day held back for weather at Juphal.
- 1,400 m
- Breakfast
Is this trip for you?
Three weeks at sustained altitude with three passes above 5,000 m, no road access and no way to exit early. Previous multi-day trekking above 4,000 m is a requirement, not a preference.
What is included
Included
- Licensed guide, assistant guide, cook and full kitchen crew
- Upper Dolpo restricted-area permit and Shey Phoksundo National Park entry
- All camping equipment: tents, mattresses, dining and toilet tents
- Pack animals and staff for the entire route
- All internal flights: Kathmandu–Nepalgunj–Juphal and the return
- All meals for 22 days, cooked fresh on the trail
- Satellite communicator, portable altitude chamber and comprehensive medical kit
Not included
- International flights and Nepal visa
- Travel and evacuation insurance (mandatory, helicopter cover to 6,000 m)
- Personal sleeping bag and trekking equipment
- Excess baggage on the Juphal flight above 10 kg
- Drinks and tips for the expedition crew
What to bring
- Expedition sleeping bag rated to −20 °C, plus a liner
- Inflatable sleeping mat in addition to the camp mattress
- Two pairs of broken-in boots
- Down jacket, waterproof shell and windproof trousers
- Glacier sunglasses and factor 50 sun protection
- Trekking poles — three weeks of descents
- Headtorch and a solar charger
- Duffel under 12 kg for the pack animals
Demo photography, from the region rather than this departure. Every image is CC0 or public domain.
Departures
20% deposit confirms your place. Balance due 45 days before departure.
| Dates | Availability | Price | Book |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16 May – 6 Jun 2027 | Places open | $4,790 | |
| 4 Jul – 25 Jul 2027 | Places open | $4,790 | |
| 22 Aug – 12 Sep 2027 | Few places left · 2 left | $4,890 |
Your guide
Guide profiles are fictional. The photographs beside them show the terrain each guide works in — they do not depict the people described.
What travellers said
★ 4.9 from 31 fictional demo reviews.
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★★★★★
Three weeks, four other trekkers
We passed four foreigners in twenty-two days. Karma's planning was so quiet you barely noticed it, which is the highest compliment I can pay an expedition.
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★★★★★
Phoksundo is real
I assumed the photographs were saturated. They are not. Nor is the cliff traverse above it, which is genuinely exposed and genuinely worth it.
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★★★★★
Hardest and best
Three passes above 5,000 m in eight days. The kitchen crew produced apple fritters at 4,900 m. Extraordinary trip.
Things to know
Why does Dolpo run in the monsoon?
It sits north of the main Himalayan range, in the rain shadow. While Everest and Annapurna are under cloud from June to September, Dolpo is dry, green at the edges, and at its best.
What happens if someone gets ill deep in the route?
The crew carries a portable altitude chamber and a satellite communicator, and helicopter evacuation is possible from most of the route in daylight and good weather. This is why evacuation insurance is mandatory rather than advised.
How comfortable is three weeks of camping?
More comfortable than people expect. Two-person tents, a dining tent with chairs, a toilet tent at every camp, and a cook producing three hot meals a day. It is not a lodge, but it is not survival either.
Can I do Upper Dolpo as a first Himalayan trip?
No, and we will say so at the enquiry stage. We ask for previous multi-day trekking above 4,000 m. There is no way to shorten this route once you are inside it.
You might also consider
Close relatives.
Same region or same spirit, different commitment.
Not quite right?
We will build it around you.
Different dates, a shorter version, a family pace or a route that is not on this site. Private departures start at the same price as scheduled ones.