|
Starting Point |
: KTM-Nepalgunj |
|
Ending Point: |
: Nepalgunj - KTM |
|
Grade info |
:
Moderate |
|
Transportation |
:
Flight |
|
Total days |
:
14 days (Ktm-Ktm) |
|
Trekking Hour |
: 5-6 hours a day |
|
 |
Dolpo,
one of the highest inhabited plateaus in the world, was closed to trekkers until 1989. Those that did get to visit this area needed special permission from the Government. With the changes in the regulations governing visits, a remarkable part of Nepal, hitherto almost unknown, has suddenly become a major destination for trekkers and mountain lovers. It is an area of roughly 2100 square miles inside Nepal's northwestern frontier with Tibet, encompassing some thirty villages and monasteries at altitudes if eleven to fifteen thousand feet. Dolpo is in Nepal but, its people - in race, religion and culture, are Tibetan Buddhists descended from nomadic tribes who settled in this area around the tenth century. Being in Nepal, the Chinese occupation and subsequent "cultural revolution" of Tibet did not affect the Dolpo-pa (People of Dolpo), and their religion and culture has survived as one of the best preserved examples of Tibetan Buddhism in the world. In fact, people living in certain pockets of the religion practice Bon Po, an animistic religion that pre-dates Buddhism and which, some believe, is actually the precursor to Tibetan Buddhism as we know it.
Lower Dolpo, the area opened to trekkers, is thickly forested with conifers and cut by gushing rivers. The upper portion of Dolpo, however, is an extension of the Tibetan Plateau and has the same wild, windswept, open spaces characteristic of Tibet. The region was declared a National Park in 1984, making it Nepal's largest National Park and the only one encompassing a Trans-Himalayan eco-system. The National Park status has helped preserve not only the culture but also the wildlife. The lower Dolpo is home to the endangered musk deer, which may be glimpsed along the trails and to a great variety of birds. Though rarely seen the blue sheep, the Himalayan black bear, snow leopard and the Himalayan Wolf are also found in Dolpo.
Your journey to the land of the Dolpo-pas begins with a flight from Kathmandu to Nepalgunj, followed the next day by another flight to the STOL airstrip at Jumla. From Jumla the trail follows a south-easterly direction through the villages of Gothichaur, Chaurikot and Hurikot. Then heading north-east, it crosses the Kagmara La at 5115m to the villages of Pungmo and Ringmo to culminate at the Shey Phoksumdo Lake. Trekkers are not allowed to go north beyond the lake. The return journey will bring you south through the villages of Sepka and Aankhe to Dunai for the flight back to Nepalgunj and then to Kathmandu.
Lower Dolpo Exploration Trek
Itinerary
|
Day 01: |
Take a flight of 1 and half hours to Nepalgunj, a
major city in western Nepal. Stay overnight at
hotel. |
|
Day 02: |
Transfer to the Nepalgunj Airport for an early
morning flight to Jumla. From Jumla trek heading in
a south-westerly direction, the trail passes through
terraced fields of wheat, potato and barley and some
small villages. It is a pleasant day's walk to the
village of Gothichour. encounters with Dolpo-pa
traders with their caravans of pack animals, laden
with salt from Tibet, headed for the middle hills is
likely. These traders supplement their income by
selling their meager agricultural produce first in
Tibet, in exchange for salt and then carrying the
salt from there to the Nepalese middle hills. They
sell the salt, buy more agricultural produce and
repeat the cycle. It is amazing that most of this
trade is carried on through a system of barter,
almost as ancient as the hills themselves. |
|
Day 03: |
From here, the trail continues south-west to
Manisangu, where there is a small police check post
where you will need to show your trekking permit.
After this has been examined you will continue to
Sherpa Gaon. This is one of the few Sherpa enclaves
in the Dolpo region and you will have the
opportunity to witness Sherpa culture, as it used to
be, unchanged by the onslaught of modernity. From
Sherpa Gaon the trail follows a series of ups and
downs to the village of Churta. |
|
Day 04: |
After a long day of constant climbing through
hamlets, and the occsional forest, cross the first
of the high passes on this trip - the Mauri La
(4326m). From the pass you descend to the village of
Chaurikot and on to camp. It is very likely that as
you pass through villages in this region people will
flock out of their houses to see you. Do not be
alarmed. Some of these people have never seen
westerners before are curious to find out more about
them. You should ask for permission before taking
photographs. People who have not seen cameras, ever,
do not like strange objects which make funny sounds
pointed at them. |
|
Day 05 &
Day
06: |
From Chaurikot you follow a series of
ups and downs to the village of Rimi, high above the
north bank of the Bheri River and then head
northwest along the Garpung Khola (Khola=small
river), which is a major tributary of the Bheri to
Hurikot. Continuing from Hurikot you cross the
Garpung Khola to its southern bank and reach Kagmara
La (5115m). As you pass through villages people may
come out to you ask for medicines for headaches and
various other ailments. Please DO NOT pass out
medications unless you can determine the nature of
the ailment and provide follow up medical care. |
|
Day 07: |
This is a day for you to spend
acclimatizing to the high altitude and to get some
real rest after the strenuous trekking of the last
couple of days. You will need to go to bed early
today to be able to wake up and make a very early
start tomorrow. |
|
Day 08: |
Waking up early you start out, upwards, for the
Kagmara La before the day gets hot and the sun melts
teh snow (when there is some), making ascent
difficult. This is going to be a long day. On the
ascent to the pass the forest at first is quite
dense and sighting are possible of the Red Panda and
various kinds of birds. On the rare occasion you may
be lucky and see markings of the black bear, snow
leopard or the Himalayan wolf.. On still rare
occasions you may see the animals themselves. After
crossing the Kagmara La, the trail descends to
Chouri Kharka from where magnificent views of the
Kajiroba Himal are available.
After descending for some time you arrive at a birch
forest where water is available. Your camp will be
set up at a grassy spot near the forest. It is
possible to sight blue sheep on the opposite slopes
but, you need a good pair of binoculars as these
animals blend very well with the surrounding
landscapes. |
|
Day 09: |
Further decend to Dorjan Khola. Continue through the
village of Pungmo to Suli Khola and then turning
north you continue to the village of Ringmo. Ringmo
is one of the enclaves where Bon Po is still
practiced and is situated very close to Phoksundo
Lake. |
|
Day 10: |
The icy waters give off a blue to turquoise color
and a sunny day by the lake gives you some much
needed rest. If the weather is good you can see the
peaks of the Kanjiroba Himal and the other peaks
surrounding Kagmara La. It is also possible to visit
the Ringmo Monastery at the edge of the lake. |
|
Day 11: |
Set off from Ringmo, heading south back over the
previous trail as far as the point where the trail
meets the one from Kagmara La and then proceed
further south to the village of Sumdowa. The
headquarters of the National Park is located at
Sumdowa. Trek further south along the Suli Gad River
to the village of Aankhe on the east bank of the
Suli Gad River. |
|
Day 12: |
Continue trekking south through the village of Roha
Gaon to the settlement at Suli gad along the river
and then continue to the large settlement of Dunai.
Cross the river and head west towards the airfield
at Juphal from where you will catch your flight to
Nepalgunj and then to Kathmandu. |
|
Day 13: |
This is a spare day in Juphal, incase you are
delayed getting there for a number of reasons,
including sickness or injury to any of your group
members. You will be booked onto the flight to
Nepalgunj and then to Kathmandu the next day. |
|
Day 14: |
The flight to Nepalgunj is in mid-morning therefore
there is no early morning rush to get to the
airport. There will be a transit period of some
hours in Nepalgunj before your flight to Kathmandu
is called. Arrive in Kathmandu in the evening. |
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