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A valley in Upper Dolpo in October

Western Nepal (Dolpo)

Upper Dolpo

The great Dolpo loop: from Phoksundo Lake to Shey monastery over the Kang La, then Saldang and the Tarap valley, camping and with a special permit.

  • Walking days 21 days
  • Highest point 5,360 m
  • Level Very demanding
  • Permits 3,000 NPR (≈ €17) + from 500 USD (≈ €445)
  • Start Nepalgunj
  • Agency and guide mandatory

At a glance

From Juphal, you follow the Phoksundo Lake trail to Ringmo, then walk along the lake and up the Phoksundo Khola valley to the Kang La (5,360 m) and Shey monastery, at the foot of Crystal Mountain. Then come the Sela La, the villages of Saldang and Sibu, the Jeng La and the Tarap valley, before heading down via Khanigaon and Tarakot to Dunai.

It is one of Nepal's most remote treks: three weeks of walking, three passes above 5,000 m, villages of Tibetan culture and hardly any lodges beyond Ringmo. Shey Gompa is at the heart of Peter Matthiessen's The Snow Leopard (1978).

Highlights

  • Shey monastery and Crystal Mountain
  • Phoksundo Lake, then the Kang La at 5,360 m
  • Saldang and the Tarap valley, villages of Tibetan culture
  • A very rarely visited region, sheltered from the monsoon

Drawbacks

  • Special permit: 500 USD (≈ €445) for 10 days, then 50 USD (≈ €45) per day
  • Fully supported camping with an agency: an expensive trek
  • Nepalgunj–Juphal flights often cancelled; help is very far away

In pictures

Chortens and prayer flags in Upper Dolpo
A monastery built against the cliff
Dho village in the Tarap valley

Route

The most common loop, about three weeks of walking, with a rest day at Ringmo, Shey and Dho Tarap. Outside the villages, you sleep in tents.

21 daysof walking
5,360 mhighest point
215 kmD+ 7,940 m D− 7,920 m
JuphalStart and finish
SulighatPhoksundo FallsJuphal — 2,475 mDunai — 2,140 mChhepka — 2,700 mRechi — 3,080 mRingmo — 3,640 mPhoksundo Khola — 3,650 mPhoksundo Bhanjyang — 4,400 mShey Gompa — 4,360 mNamgung — 4,360 mSaldang — 3,900 mSibu — 3,940 mJeng La Phedi — 4,370 mTokyu — 4,200 mDho Tarap — 4,090 mToltol — 3,700 mKhanigaon — 2,950 mTarakot — 2,280 mTshowa — 3,680 mKang La (Dolpo) — 5,360 mSela La — 5,110 mJeng La — 5,120 mJuphal — Start: Juphal · Finish: JuphalJuphalTshowa 3,680 mKang La 5,360 mSela La 5,110 mJeng La 5,120 mDunaiChhepkaRechiRingmoPhoksundo KholaPhoksundo BhanjyangShey GompaNamgungSaldangSibuJeng La PhediTokyuDho TarapToltolKhanigaonTarakotPhoksundo FallsAirstrip — JuphalStart : JuphalStartFinish : JuphalFinishN
  • Airstrip
  • Chosen route
  • Other possible trails
  • Possible start or finish

Drag the “Start” and “Finish” labels to another served point, or tap a point. The “+” buttons add a side trip. Zoom with + and − (or Ctrl + scroll wheel), then drag the map to move around.

How do I use it in a hiking app?

The file contains the route you chose on the map (start, finish, side trips), with altitude, and a marker for each night, pass and viewpoint.

  • Organic Maps or Maps.me (free, offline): download the Nepal map before you leave, then open the GPX file from your phone and choose the app.
  • OsmAnd: menu “My places” → “Tracks” → “Import”.
  • Komoot, Gaia GPS, Wikiloc, Garmin: use the app's or website's “Import a GPX file” feature.

With no signal, your phone's GPS still works: you can see your position on the track. The track is indicative: on the ground, waymarks and advice from the lodges come first.

Itinerary
  1. D 0Juphal2,475 m
  2. D 1Dunai2,140 m−335 m10 km60 m460 m
  3. D 2Chhepka via Sulighat2,700 m+560 m15 km710 m120 m
  4. D 3Rechi3,080 m+380 m9 km530 m150 m
  5. D 4Ringmo via Phoksundo Falls3,640 m+560 m11 km730 m120 m
  6. D 5Ringmo via Tshowa 3,680 m rest and acclimatisation3,640 m±0 m3 km30 m30 m
  7. D 6Phoksundo Khola3,650 m+10 m10 km590 m610 m
  8. D 7Phoksundo Bhanjyang4,400 m+750 m8 km700 m0 m
  9. D 8Shey Gompa via Kang La 5,360 m4,360 m−40 m12 km930 m950 m
  10. D 9Shey Gompa rest and acclimatisation4,360 m±0 m
  11. D 10Namgung via Sela La 5,110 m4,360 m±0 m12 km800 m780 m
  12. D 11Saldang3,900 m−460 m7 km210 m580 m
  13. D 12Sibu3,940 m+40 m13 km400 m140 m
  14. D 13Jeng La Phedi4,370 m+430 m9 km280 m100 m
  15. D 14Tokyu via Jeng La 5,120 m4,200 m−170 m19 km660 m900 m
  16. D 15Dho Tarap4,090 m−110 m5 km0 m90 m
  17. D 16Dho Tarap rest and acclimatisation4,090 m±0 m
  18. D 17Toltol3,700 m−390 m18 km110 m450 m
  19. D 18Khanigaon2,950 m−750 m18 km300 m1,080 m
  20. D 19Tarakot2,280 m−670 m11 km380 m580 m
  21. D 20Dunai2,140 m−140 m16 km70 m720 m
  22. D 21Juphal2,475 m+335 m10 km450 m60 m
Distances and elevation gain estimated from OpenStreetMap and a terrain model.
  • Juphal — Flight Nepalgunj → Juphal (about 35 min), early in the morning; frequent cancellations, especially during the monsoon. Road possible to Dunai via Surkhet and Jajarkot, only part of the year.
  • Juphal — Back via Tarakot and Dunai, then a flight to Nepalgunj; keep two spare days.

Elevation

above 3,000 m: climb slowly1,0002,0003,0004,0005,0006,000D 0 · Juphal — 2,475 mJuphal 2,475 mD 1 · Dunai — 2,140 mD 2 · Chhepka — 2,700 mD 3 · Rechi — 3,080 mD 4 · Ringmo — 3,640 mTshowa — 3,680 mTshowa 3,680 mD 5 · Ringmo — 3,640 m (rest and acclimatisation)D 6 · Phoksundo Khola — 3,650 mD 7 · Phoksundo Bhanjyang — 4,400 mKang La — 5,360 mKang La 5,360 mD 8 · Shey Gompa — 4,360 mD 9 · Shey Gompa — 4,360 m (rest and acclimatisation)Sela La — 5,110 mSela La 5,110 mD 10 · Namgung — 4,360 mD 11 · Saldang — 3,900 mD 12 · Sibu — 3,940 mD 13 · Jeng La Phedi — 4,370 mJeng La — 5,120 mJeng La 5,120 mD 14 · Tokyu — 4,200 mD 15 · Dho Tarap — 4,090 mD 16 · Dho Tarap — 4,090 m (rest and acclimatisation)D 17 · Toltol — 3,700 mD 18 · Khanigaon — 2,950 mD 19 · Tarakot — 2,280 mD 20 · Dunai — 2,140 mD 21 · Juphal — 2,475 mJuphal 2,475 m246810121416182021
Altitude of each night, with the day's passes and viewpoints (red dots). Green dot: rest day.

Permits

Upper Dolpo is a restricted area: 500 USD (≈ €445) per person for the first 10 days, then 50 USD (≈ €45) per day (Department of Immigration, October 2026), plus the Shey-Phoksundo National Park entry fee. The permit is applied for through a licensed agency; in practice, for a group of at least two trekkers with a licensed guide.

Restricted area

Upper Dolpo special permit

from 500 USD (≈ €445)

Obtained through a licensed agency from the Department of Immigration: 500 USD (≈ €445) per person for the first 10 days, then 50 USD (≈ €45) per day.

National park

Shey-Phoksundo National Park

3,000 NPR (≈ €17)

At the Nepal Tourism Board in Kathmandu or at the park entrance (Sulighat), in cash.

A TIMS card is not normally required in restricted areas. The return via Dho Tarap also crosses Lower Dolpo, whose permit (20 USD (≈ €18) per week) is sometimes added by the agency: ask them to confirm. See Permits.

Guide

Agency and guide mandatory

Restricted area: licensed agency and licensed guide required.

The trek is fully supported camping (cook, porters or mules); a guide who knows Dolpo is valuable for the passes, often snowbound in April and from November. See Guide and porter.

A guide for this trek? The Guides Nepal directory lists guides, porters and agencies who know this trek, with their licence checked, the languages they speak and traveller reviews.

See guides for this trek

Transport

Getting to the start

Kathmandu → Nepalgunj → Juphal

Duration 1 h, then 35 minPrice ~200 to 220 USD (≈ €180 to €195) (Nepalgunj–Juphal)

Tara Air, Sita Air, Summit Air; small plane early in the morning, 15 kg baggage, frequent cancellations.

Getting back

Juphal → Nepalgunj

Duration 35 min

Same uncertainties as on the way in: keep spare days before your international flight.

When to go

J: Not advisedF: Not advisedM: Not advisedA: PossibleM: IdealJ: IdealJ: PossibleA: PossibleS: IdealO: IdealN: Not advisedD: Not advised

IdealPossibleNot advised

May–June and September–October. Dolpo is sheltered from the monsoon: you can also walk in July–August, but flights to Juphal are then often cancelled.

November to March: snow on the passes, the trek is in practice impossible; in April, the passes can still be snowbound.

On the trail

AccommodationLodges up to Ringmo (Dunai, Chhepka, Rechi), then tents almost everywhere.
BudgetOrganised trek: about 3,800 to 5,600 USD (≈ €3,390 to €5,000) per person with an agency (2026), permits and domestic flights included.
MoneyWithdraw in Nepalgunj; nothing beyond Dunai.
NetworkAlmost none after Ringmo.

Good to know before you go

Remoteness: several days' walk from any help, evacuation is by helicopter. Insurance covering altitude (up to 5,400 m) and helicopter rescue is essential.
Names and altitudes: agencies don't all give the same ones. The pass between Shey and Namgung is often called "Saldang La"; we follow OpenStreetMap data.

What about the visa? A two-week trek plus a few days in Kathmandu and Pokhara quickly adds up to more than 15 days: get the 30-day visa. The calculator on our sister site Visa Nepal shows the cheapest length.

Which visa length?

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Preparing your trek

PermitsPrices, where to buy, documents needed, trek by trek.Guide and porterMandatory or not, region by region, and what it costs.TransportBuses, jeeps and flights to the start of each trek.Altitude and safetyAcclimatisation, altitude sickness, rescue, insurance.BudgetDaily costs, cash to bring, ATMs.FAQThe questions people ask before they go.