Lower (outer) Dolpo trek

 

Considered to be the less strenuous of the two Dolpo treks, the Lower Dolpo trek gives trekkers an opportunity to experience the life in remote highlands of Nepal. Trekkers experience a wide variety of landscapes ranging from green pastures to barren lands and the Phoksundo Lake which is the deepest and second largest lake in Nepal after Rara Lake. Trekkers will experience the everyday lifestyle of people living in these regions. The trek usually takes about 15 days after you get to Dolpa. The trekking is quite tough and consists of walking for about 5-6 hours a day. Trekkers are request to account for Acute Mountain Sickness(AMS) and are suggested to acclimatize properly during the trek.

 

The Trek

 

After arrival at the Juphal airport(2475 metres) in Dolpa, the trek usually begins with the 2.5 hours along fields of wheats and vegetables. After reaching the Thuli Bheri River, trekkers follow the river until they reach Dunai. After resting in Dunai for the night, the next day, people trek to Lingdo or Tarakot village which is about 5 and 6 hours away respectivetly. This trek will take people past many villages habited by Buddhist Tarali people who are a Magar group. Lingdo has a guest house and camping sites and most people spend the night there.

 

After Lingdo/Sarakot, the next stop is usually at Laina which is about 6 hours away at an elevation of 3370 metres(11056 feet). With the view of the beautiful Kang Tokal mountain, the landscape is impressive and trekkers will follow the Tarap Chu river upstream. Between the sharp rocks, trekkers will occasionally see juniper and pine trees and might also be greeted by some grey monkeys. Trekkers will be greeted by many Mani Walls which are walls made out of loose stones and with Buddhist mantras carved on them.  At around the halfway point, trekkers reach Laisicap where they can get food and rest at some of the big Tibetan tents selling  biscuits, juice, beer, soap, etc. After Laisicap, trekkers will have to climb for about 3 hrs(about 600metres) before they reach Laina which will be their rest for the night, usually on tented camps.

 

After Laina, trekkers usually begin their relatively easy 4 hour trek to the next rest stop at Nawarpani(3475m).  The trek to Nawarpani is relatively easy with small climbs and trekkers will come across trails which will take them through pine forests. Trekkers usually rest at Nawarpani for the night at tented camps.

 

The next day, depending on how fit trekkers are, they can choose to trek from Nawarpani to Sisaul(3750metres - 3.5hrs away) or to Dho Tarap(4080 metres - 8hrs away). The trek to Sisaul entails crossing very barren landscape with a few trees. But once trekkers pass Sisaul,   the valley widens and the landscape changes. Once users get near Dho Tarap, they can once again see many Mani Walls. Trekkers rest at Dho Tarap for the night in tented camps. The people in Dho Tarap are very friendly and are direct descendants of the Tibetans.

 

The next day, trekkers usually spend the morning exploring the Dho Tarap village and learning more about the people there. From Dho Tarap, the next day trekkers usually go to Numula Base Camp for the night. Numula Base Camp(4440m) is located only about 3.5 hours away. En route to Numula Base Camp, trekkers come across Crystal Mountain School which is a school sponsored by a French NGO and educates children from around the Dho area. About half an hour from the school, trekkers will come across Tokyu(4209m) which is considered to be the highest permanent settlement in the world.  After Tokyu, users will get to Numula Base Camp after about an hour and a half of steady climb where trekkers spend the night.

 

After spending the night at Numula Base Camp trekkers have to cross the Numa La Pass (5318m) which is one of the most difficult part of the trek. Morning weather is the best for the crossing the path and trekkers leave very early in the morning. On a clear day, trekkers can see Dhaulagiri mountain(8167m), Shey Shikhar(6139m), Kanjirowa(6883m) and many others mountain range including Annapurna and Manaslu range. After crossing the pass, people either trek to Danigar(4631m) for the night or descend and camp at Pelung Tang(4465m).

 

After spending the night at their preferred destination, trekkers cross the Baga La(5070m) and camp at Dajok Tang(4080m) for the night. This trek takes about 6 hours in total. The trek is surrounded by snow capped mountains of the Kanjirowa Himal range. The next day, people trek to Ringmo(3600m) which takes about 3-4 hours through pine forests, pasture fields and alpine shrubs. Reaching Ringmo, the next day is spent hiking to the Phoksundo Lake and exploring the area around the Lake.

 

After Ringmo, trekkers then descend to Shyanta(2520m) which is about a 5-6 hours walk. The trek to Shyanta goes through Chepka which has trails that follows massive overhanging rock before reaching the Shyanta village. After Shyanta village, trekkers then descend to Jhupal the next day to finish the trek. Since the slopes are slippery, trekkers are advised to be cautious while going down the slopes.

 

After reaching Jhupal, users can explore the town before returning back to Nepalgunj and then Kathmandu. 

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