Lower Dolpo Trek Via Kagmara Pass

After being picked up in the Kathmandu Tribhuvan International Airport by one of our representatives, they will transfer you to the hotel. Once there, you will get a short briefing of your trip and have the rest of the day off. Overnight at Hotel.

On the second day of the tour, we will visit some of the World Heritage Sites of Kathmandu. These include Durbar Square, the sacred Hindu temple of Pashupati Nath, the famous Swayambhu Nath ‘Monkey Temple’ , and the Bouddha Nath Buddhist shrine. You can also make last minute purchases of personal items and prepare for the next day. Overnight at Hotel.

In order to get to Dolpa, we will  fly to Nepalgunj first. Nepalgunj is a steaming hot city in South Western Nepal. It is close to the Indian border and culturally resembles India more than Nepal. Once there, you can take a rickshaw for a ride in the town, and stop by the bazaar where you can see horse carts full of colorful people going to or coming from the Indian border. The Bageshowri temple is one of Nepal’s most important Hindu temples and is worth a visit as well. Overnight at Hotel.

After an early rise, a morning plane will take us to the town of Jumla, which lies on the banks of the Tila Khola river. Jumla is one of the highest rice-growing areas of the world, where the unique ‘red’-rice is grown.

Overnight at Camping.

We will start our trek from Jumla on a trail that leads past several water-driven mills before dropping to the confluence of the Tila Khola and the Chaudhabise Khola. From there, we will climb gently alongside rice terraces to the village of Dochal Ghara at 2530 meters. Then, we will follow a trail through a forest of maples and walnuts until we reach a meadow. In season, the wildflowers that grow in this meadow include cinquefoils, terrestrial orchids, forget-me-nots, mints, buttercups, primulas, edelweiss and gentians. Beyond the meadow, the trail will take us up to a rocky cairn at Pattyata Lagna (2830m), and then we will descend into a magnificent alpine amphitheatre towards Gothi Chaur close to the stream at the bottom of the valley. At the spring we will arrive to there are some 13th century Malla dynasty stone carvings. Overnight at Camping.

After ascending through fields of barley and buckwheat we will arrive at the trail junction at Muni Sangu, a small settlement where we can see peculiar carved wooden faces, called dok-pa that are supposed to offer protection from evil spirits. As we keep on, we will stay on the southern side of the river as the valley slowly becomes narrower. We will continue going onwards to Changrikot (a series of houses built into the hillside on the opposite side of the river at 2900m). Then, we will finally cross the river and climb towards the grey stone houses of Chotra (3010m). The village has typical mani walls which are carved stone walls with Tibetan Buddhist prayers, and a kani which is an arch, decorated with paintings on the inside. A short distance from this stop is the Tibetan settlement of Naphukana where we will set camp.  Overnight at Camping.

As we kick off on day 7, the trail will become steeper and climb through a forest to a pass named Mauri Lagna (3820m). From the pass there are views of snowy peaks to the north and east. From there, we will begin descending and traverse a steep slope before dropping into a forest of pine and oaks. We will then enter the Bheri Valley and after following the trail in and out of side valleys, we will arrive to the village of Chaurikot. Overnight at Camping.

Continuing on to the village of Balasa we can see the Kagmara peak on the horizon. The trail drops to a stream before climbing through a forest of walnut trees to a ridge. Passing through the apple orchards of Jyakot, we will then descend to the village of Rimi before following a rocky trail down to the Bheri River. Overnight at Camping.

On our 9th tour day we will stay on the west bank of the Bheri River, passing Hurikot until we arrive at the entrance to the Shey Phoksundo National Park. We will then arrive at the confluence of the Garpung and Jagdula Rivers, which joins the Bheri River. Overnight at Camping.

The next day, we will continue to follow the Garpung Khola, ascending slowly towards the Kagmara La. Although it is a short trek, it is very good for acclimatization that we don’t ascend too quickly. Overnight at Camping.

A beautiful trekking day in which we will cross to the eastern side of the river, where the valley narrows and the river becomes a series of waterfalls. Overnight at Camping.

After an early start,  we will ascend alongside the Kagmara Glacier to the Kagmara La (5115m). This is a good place to spot the rare blue sheep. After a 900m descent, we will reach the pastures of the Pungmo Khola Valley. Overnight at Camping.

Our trail will take us through birch and juniper forests which soon give way to blue pine. Up the side valleys, we can catch views of Kanjirolba peak before we reach the fortress-like village of Pungmo, set amidst barley fields. Overnight at Camping.

After climbing through through a forest of large cedars to the winter settlement of Palam, we will continue ascending through the open country to a ridge from which there are good views of the lake in the distance. Close by is the highest waterfall in Nepal. After crossing a bridge below Ringmo, we will continue northwards to the shores of Phoksundo Lake. Overnight at Camping.

On day 15 we will start by trekking back to Ringmo village and continuing past Palam to the Suli Gaad valley, following the stream originating from the Phoksumdo Lake. After a descent of almost 900 meters we will arrive in the small village of Renje, which consists of 9 houses on the side of the river. From there we will continue trekking to Chhepka. After a long day, we will arrive to our campsite. Overnight at Camping.

On our way to Dunay,  we will pass through the villages of Ankhe, Rahagaon and Parela, meaning ‘eye’ ‘eyebrow’ and ‘eyelash’ respectively. We keep walking downstream following the river until we reach our destination. Overnight at Camping

Juphal is  famous for its lotus-like plant called chuk, which is used to make vinegar and medicines. On our way there, we will pass through the villages of Ankhe, Rahagaon and Parela, meaning ‘eye’, ‘eyebrow’ and ‘eyelash’ respectively. We will keep walking downstream and then ascend to Juphal through wide meadows. In Juphal we will spend the night in one of its hotels where a well deserved hot shower will await us. Overnight at Camping or Lodge.

Early morning flight to Nepalganj.
This is a wonderful 35-minute flight over the Himalayan foothills, with fine views of the main peaks including Annapurna and Dhaulagiri to the north. You will then connect with the flight back to Kathmandu. Overnight at Hotel.

After a fun packed journey you will have a full day at leisure on your own. Otherwise,  if you wish to extend your trip with us for an additional fee, we can organize to explore the Thamel for one last day shopping and evening farewell dinner at a Nepali restaurant.
Overnight at Hotel /B.

GuideSource will transfer you to the International Airport for your departure flight.