The Great Himalaya Trail – Dolpa

Dolpa
Dolpa was another area that was restricted to foreigners until a few years back. Partly made famous by Peter Matthiesen,s The Snow Leopard, Dolpa remains one of the most remote places in Nepal and is famous for its high mountain lake, Phoksundo, and the Buddhist monasteries around the lake. There are many possible ways of doing the Dolpa trek varying from the ‘short’ two weeks to more than a month. Going for the shorter ones involves flying to nearby airfields while the others start from the road-heads of Baglung (near Pokhara), Sallyan of Surkhet (both in the western part of Nepal). This is certainly one of the tougher treks of Nepal.

Attraction:
1. Phoksundo is the Nepal’s deepest and second largest lake.
2. The highest mountain of the region is Churen Himal with 7,381 meters.
3. Phoksundo Lake is famous for its magnificent turquoise color and the spectacular scenery clearly rank it with the most scenic mountain parks in the world.
4. Ringmo village, a typical Tibetan village, is scenically nestled in the area.
5. Contain many Gompas (Monasteries) and religious area. The most famous, Shey Gompa was established in the 11th Century. Thashung Gompa located near Phoksundo Lake was built about 900 years ago to conserve wildlife.

Accessibility:
The easiest way to reach the Dolpa is by air from Nepalgunj to the Juphal airstrip in Dolpa followed by a half day walk to the Suligad.

Suggested Itinerary:
Day 01: Kathmandu – Nepalgunj by flight. Overnight Nepalgunj.
Day 02: Nepalgunj – Jumla – Gothichaur. Trek.
Day 03: Gothichaur – Naphukanka. Trek.
Day 04: Naphukanka – Mauria La – Chaurikot. Trek.
Day 05: Chaurikot – Toijem. Trek.
Day 06: Toijem – Kagmara Phedi. Trek.
Day 07: Kagmara Phedi – KagmaraLa – Daju. Trek.
Day 08: Daju-Phoksumdo Lake. Trek.
Day 09: Phoksumdo Lake – Phoksumdo Beach. Trek.
Day 10: Phoksumdo Beach – Mandala Ice Camp. Trek.
Day 11: Mandala Ice Camp – Kang la – Shey Gompa, Trek.
Day 12: Shey Gompa – Saldang la – Namgung. Trek.
Day 13: Namgung – Yangzer Gompa. Trek.
Day 14: Yangzer Gompa – Musigaon. Trek.
Day 15: Musigaon – LangLa – Shimengaon. Trek.
Day 16: Shimengaon – Tinje. Trek.
Day 17: Tinje – Kehang. Trek.
Day 18: Kehang – Chharka. Trek.
Day 19: Chharka – Yak Kharka. Trek.
Day 20: YakKharka – SandagLa – Sandag Phedi. Trek.
Day 21: Sandag Phedi – Sandag. Trek.
Day 22: Sandag – Dakardzong. Trek.
Day 23: Dakardzong – Jomsom. Trek.
Day 24: Jomsom – Pokhara or Kathmandu. By flight.