Shy Gompa - Upper Dolpo Trekking

Trip Facts

  • Cost Start FromContact Us
  • Duration 27 Days
  • Trip Difficulty Moderate
  • TransportationNA
  • DestinationNepal
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About Trip

Shey Gompa - Upper Dolpo Trekking is a strenuous endeavor that sweeps past unimaginable natural beauty and age-old traditional Buddhist and Bonpo villages. Desolate landscapes with isolated villages that still follow shamanism, untouched by external influences pass along the journey. In the fairytale-like Crystal Mountain, SheyGompa resides as the spiritual center for Upper Dolpo and is a revered pilgrimage site. The Upper Dolpo region requires special permits which makes this trek even more exclusive.

We fly first from Kathmandu to Nepalgunj and then to Jhupal where our trek begins. Dunai is a short trek from Jhupal passes terraced fields and the Bheri River. Hankhe, our next stop is the entrance to SheyPhoksundo. Passing forests, grassy slopes and narrow trails along the river, we cross Regi, and then head to the Buddhist village of Ringmo with Phoksundo Lake nearby. We stop here one more day and take a short hike to the RingmoGompa. Climbing a rocky ledge to reach an altitude of 4060m and then descending along alpine vegetation, we settle down and the campsite of Chunemba. Passing a ridge that gives spectacular mountains views with valleys below, we reach LarTsa. Following similar trails, we reach Mendok Din after which we reach the ancient SheyGompa village. The trail passes Saldang La pass(5010m) and descends through yak grazing pasture lands all the way to NamdoGaon and Saldang. Taking barren wind eroded terrain following the Nang Chu river, we pass small settlements along this least explored territory, we reach YangjeerGompa. Climbing to Musigaon, and further on to Lnag La, we take a descent to Tinjagaon. In the subsequent days we cross Charka pass(5036m) and Sangda pass(5490m) camping along the way. The rest of the journey is a gradual descent to Yak Kharka, Sangda village and finally to Jomsom where we take a flight to Pokhara and then to Kathmandu. 

Trip Highlights

Several high passes cross 5000 meters where the trail takes strenuous ascents and bestows amazing views of Dhaulagiri, Annapurna, Kanjiroba et cetera. Amazing culture in small villages, which remain in their true form till today makes the trek special.The SheyPhoksundo National Park conserves various rare and endangered species of flora and fauna. Wildlife species like Himalayan blue sheep, musk deer, snow leopard et cetera and highland vegetation forms a special attraction. 

Outline Itinerary

  • Day 01:Arrival and Transfer to the Hotel.
  • Day 02:Trek preparation
  • Day 03:Fly to Nepalgunj. Overnight stay at Hotel.
  • Day 04:Fly to Juphal and trek to Dunai (2230m) 2 hrs. O/N at Camp.
  • Day 05:Trek to Hankhe (2660m) 5 hrs. O/N at Camp.
  • Day 06:Trek to Regi (2950m) 5 hrs. O/N at Camp.
  • Day 07:Trek to Ringmo (Phoksundo Lake) (3660m) 5 hrs. O/N at Camp.
  • Day 08:Explore Lake and visit Ringmo Gompa.
  • Day 09:Trek to Chunemba (3630m) 5-6 hours. O/N at Camp.
  • Day 10:Trek to LarTsa (4120m) 5 hours. O/N at Camp.
  • Day 11:Trek to Mendok Din (4610m) 3 hours, O/N at Camp.
  • Day 12:Trek to SheyGompa (4390m) 7 hours, O/N at Camp.
  • Day 13:Rest-Exploration.
  • Day 14:Cross Saldang La pass (5010m) trek via NamdoGaon to Saldang(4380m)5/6 hrs. O/N at Camp.
  • Day 15:Trek to YangjeerGompa (3890m) 5/6hrs. O/N at Camp.
  • Day 16:Trek to Musigaon (4270m) 6hrs. O/N at Camp.
  • Day 17:Cross Lnag-La (5002m) & trek to Shimengaon (3950m) 6hrs. O/N at Camp.
  • Day 18:Trek to Tinjagaon (4150m) 6hrs. O/N at Camp.
  • Day 19:Trek to Khengkhola (4550m) 6hrs. O/N at Camp.
  • Day 20:Cross Charka pass (5036m) & trek to Charka (4180m) 7hrs. O/N at Camp.
  • Day 21:Cross Sangda pass (5490m) & trek to Sangdaphedi (5110m) 6/7 hrs. O/N at Camp.
  • Day 22:Trek to Yak Kharka (4780m) 5 hrs. O/N at Camp.
  • Day 23:Trek to Sangda Village (3909m) 5hrs. O/N at Camp.
  • Day 24:Trek to Jomsom (2710m) 3/4hrs. O/N at Camp.
  • Day 25:Fly to Pokhara 25 minutes and transfer to the hotel.
  • Day 26:Drive to Kathmandu and transfer to the hotel. 6/7hrs. O/N at Hotel.
  • Day 27:Final Departure or onward for next program

Detail Itinerary

  • Day 01Arrival and Transfer to the Hotel. Arrival in Kathmandu. Our Airport Representative will meet you at the Tribhuvan International Airport. A drop to the Hotel by private tourist vehicle is arranged. You can either take a rest or meet us at our office and know the detail arrangement of the Trek.
  • Day 02Trek preparation After breakfast, you will be introduced with the trek leader/guide at the hotel. This pre-trip meeting is for briefings on the trek and other necessary details. Please bring along your passport and three passport sized photos and a copy of your travel insurance policy. You can use your free time to rest or explore around for some last minute shopping. A visit to the world heritage sites in Kathmandu including Swayambhu, Boudha, Pashupatinath, Kathmandu Durbar Square et cetera is also arranged as per request.
  • Day 03Fly to Nepalgunj. Overnight stay at Hotel. The third day we take a flight from Kathmandu to Nepalgunj. Nepalgunj is a city in plain terrain. We can enjoy the rickshaw ride around the city or visit the famous Bageshwori temple.
  • Day 04Fly to Juphal and trek to Dunai (2230m) 2 hrs. O/N at Camp. We fly from Nepalgunj above the plains of Terrai, Across the Chure hills past Mahabharat range to land the Juphal airport of Dolpo. Our trek begins right after we meet out team in Juphal. It’s an easy walk to Dunai and takes a couple of hours where we stay overnight.
  • Day 05Trek to Hankhe (2660m) 5 hrs. O/N at Camp. The trail takes a suspension bridge and turns west. After a climb along the hills of ThuloBheri Valley, we reach the Phoksundo River Valley. We move towards the entrance to the SheyPhoksundo National Park and reach Hankhe where we stay overnight in a tented camp.
  • Day 06Trek to Regi (2950m) 5 hrs. O/N at Camp. Climbing and descending along small hills, the forested route reaches the river. As we continue through the ascent above the river and, the forest area slowly thins out to reach Regi where we stay overnight on a tented camp.
  • Day 07Trek to Ringmo (Phoksundo Lake) (3660m) 5 hrs. O/N at Camp. On the seventh day our trek continues from Regi. Continuing throught the valley floor, we ascend past the confluence of Phoksundo and Pongma River. The steep and narrow trail that ascend east ward leads to Ringmo. The path reaches the ridge of the 3730m from where we can see approximately 200m high waterfall and few hours further we reach the bank of Phoksundo Lake.
  • Day 08Explore Lake and visit Ringmo Gompa. This is the rest day for acclimatization. On this day we explore most of the aspects of SheyPhoksundo Lake. A walk along the bank of lake is peaceful and scenic. We can view the medieval Phoksundo village, RingmoGompa and ThasungChholingGompo built approximately 60 generations ago.
  • Day 09Trek to Chunemba (3630m) 5-6 hours. O/N at Camp. Next day we continue our trek through rocky ledge to the crest at 4060m following the steep trail. The trail further leads through birch and blue pine forest. The trail further leads through birch and blue pine forest to PhoksundoKhola and Chophu. Walking further in 5 hours the indistinct trail covered with bushes and shrub trees, we reach our campsite known as Chunemba.
  • Day 10Trek to LarTsa (4120m) 5 hours. O/N at Camp. We leave our campsite in Chunemba and follow the trail along the bank of PhoksundoRiver then to the steep valley up north. We walk past the ridge to reach few groves of birch. The views of mountains and valley are beautiful while descending to the campsite at Lar-Tsa at the height of 4120m.
  • Day 11Trek to Mendok Din (4610m) 3 hours, O/N at Camp. Our trek begins with an ascent of around 500m and then an immediate 130m downhill. The trail passes across the bridges up to the height of 4490m past grass ridge we reach our camp site at Mendok Din.
  • Day 12Trek to SheyGompa (4390m) 7 hours, O/N at Camp. Today’s trek will last for approximately for 7 hours until we reach SheyGompa. There are two routes; the first is one used by herdsmen called Dolmala, and the second one is used by pilgrims and is known as Sehu. We can enjoy the scenic beauty while descending down the trail, eventually we reach the ancient SheyGompa monastery.
  • Day 13Rest-Exploration. This is thirteenth day of our trek and we take rest and explore around the places. SheyGompa believed to have been built 800 years ago is an ancient scroll with Padhmasambhava, Shakyamuni Buddha and Milepara. This Gompa is not so huge and lacks rich decorations with artifacts and paintings.
  • Day 14Cross Saldang La pass (5010m) trek via NamdoGaon to Saldang(4380m)5/6 hrs. O/N at Camp. The trail descends through juniper forests and then takes a zigzag ascent along a rough trail to Saldang La. We descend to NamdoGaon and ascend again along the trail for a few hours to reach Saldang where we tent for the night.
  • Day 15Trek to YangjeerGompa (3890m) 5/6hrs. O/N at Camp. Further north, we take a path less trodden by trekkers. After taking trail along the Nang Chu River, we walk past the Panzang River to finally reach the YangjeerGompa where we stay overnight in a tent.
  • Day 16Trek to Musigaon (4270m) 6hrs. O/N at Camp.
  • Day 17Cross Lnag-La (5002m) & trek to Shimengaon (3950m) 6hrs. O/N at Camp.
  • Day 18Trek to Tinjagaon (4150m) 6hrs. O/N at Camp.
  • Day 19Trek to Khengkhola (4550m) 6hrs. O/N at Camp.
  • Day 20Cross Charka pass (5036m) & trek to Charka (4180m) 7hrs. O/N at Camp.
  • Day 21Cross Sangda pass (5490m) & trek to Sangdaphedi (5110m) 6/7 hrs. O/N at Camp.
  • Day 22Trek to Yak Kharka (4780m) 5 hrs. O/N at Camp.
  • Day 23Trek to Sangda Village (3909m) 5hrs. O/N at Camp.
  • Day 24Trek to Jomsom (2710m) 3/4hrs. O/N at Camp. Crossing the hill beingdSangda, the trail continues through scenic ridges and descends into the Kali Gandaki Valley. We pass the large village of Phalek, climb another ridge and take a rough descent along rocky trail to Jomsom. Overnight stay in a camp.
  • Day 25Fly to Pokhara 25 minutes and transfer to the hotel. It’s a short and interesting flight from Jomsom to Pokhara. In 25 minutes, we reach Pokhara where we stay in a lakeside hotel. Overnight stay in the hotel.
  • Day 26Drive to Kathmandu and transfer to the hotel. 6/7hrs. O/N at Hotel. A 5/6 hours bus ride from Pokhara gets us to Kathmandu. The end of the journey is celebrated with a farewell dinner. Overnight stay in Kathmandu.
  • Day 27Final Departure or onward for next program Departure from Kathmandu. A drop from the hotel to the airport 3 hours before the scheduled time of flight is arranged in a private tourist vehicle. You can also prolong your stay and choose another package with us.

Trip Note

Above itinerary can be re-designed as per your interest & preferences. Let us know whether you would like some changes

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