Upper Dolpo - The Crystal Mountain Trek

View from Shey Monastery
View from Shey Gompa, in Upper Dolpo (Photo: Donato Cabal)

The Crystal Mountain Trek: Upper Dolpo (35 days, 34 nights)

At the edge of the Tibetan Plateau lies Dolpo, the legendary "Hidden Land" that for years has been off-limits to outsiders. Our trek into this beautiful, wild, and crystalline landscape begins as we head north in the massive gorge of the Kali Gandaki. Crossing the Toudje La (18,250 feet) beyond Dhaulagiri we gain access to a world of rugged people and remote monasteries including Dho, Saldang, Shey (Crystal Mountain), and Ringmo on the shores of Phoksumdo Lake. All restricted-area fees and in-country flight included. On the Tibetan Plateau -- in the great Himalayan rain shadow -- lies Dolpo, the legendary Ba-Yul or "Hidden Land"; geographically cut off from the rest of the world by a barrier of high mountains, deep gorges and thick forests. Our 30-day trek through true Himalayan wilderness will gain us access to this unique place, which is home to one of the few enclaves of un-oppressed traditional Tibetan culture. En route we pass many of the highest and most beautiful mountains in the world: Maachapuchhare, the Annapurnas, the Dhaulagiri massif, and the remote Kanjiroba Himal. It is not difficult walking, but there is a lot of it!

Dolpa is no tourist tea-house trek, and you will not find our route outlined in any of the Himalayan trekking guidebooks. It is rugged, unspoiled, and unforgettable - arguably the best trek in all of Nepal.

Crystal Mountain - Is that the ski-resort just outside of Seattle, WA? Is your company named after this mountain?  CMT's Jwalant Gurung has been asked this question many times. Crystal Mountain, the holiest mountain in Dolpa, is the English name of a mountain near Shey Gompa, the most important monastery in Dolpa. Dinesh Gurung, CMT founder, named the company after a trek to the area in the early 80's. In 2010, Crystal Mountain Treks will donate US$ 1,000 to help build a new health clinic in the area.

 

itinerary

06 Sep - Kathmandu

Arrive Kathmandu. You will be met on arrival at the Tribhuwan International Airport. Transfer to Hotel. Day Free. Enjoy welcome dinner. Briefing during dinner. (Dinner)

07 Sep - Kathmandu

Full day sightseeing in Kathmandu. You will be accompanied by our in-house city guide. In the morning, visit Bodhanath, the Stupa of a million dew drops, to watch monks and devotees circumambulate the largest stupa in Nepal. Then visit Pashupatinath, Nepal's most sacred Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva, with its two-tiered golden roof and silver door. Drive to Patan for lunch in the garden of the Patan Museum Café. After lunch, visit the well-maintained Patan Museum. Drive back to Kathmandu. (Breakfast and Lunch)

08 Sep - Kathmandu to Tatopani

Morning flight to Pokhara. At Pokhara, board a bus to Tatopani (hot spring). Overnight Lodge. (All meals)

09, 10, 11, 12 Sep - Tatopani to Kagbeni (9,100 ft.)

Continue by bus from Tatopani to Marpha. From Marpha, we begin our trek on foot. We pass through hot, windy Jomosom (8,900 feet) on day 5 where the landscape has become truly desert-like. Here, we turn away from the Kali Gandaki and begin to seriously gain altitude. We first go in the opposite direction to Muktinath at 12,400 ft., towards the Thorung Pass, to acclimate better. Then we descend to Kagbeni, the gateway to Mustang, the Kingdom of Lho.

Overnight camp. (All meals)

13 Sep - Kagbeni to Dangorjung (10,300 ft.)

From Kagbeni, we turn away from the Kali Gandaki towards Dolpo. Our first night away from the river will be at the prosperous little village of Dangorjung (10,300 feet) with its small red-walled Buddhist temple and rows of ancient cottonwoods. Overnight camp. (All meals)

14 and 15 Sep - Dangorjung to Sangda (12,300 ft.)

 

Dhaulagiri range
Dhaulagiri (Photo: Donato Cabal)

The following day, we cross our first pass of note (13,700 feet) - from there we can enjoy unmatched views of the Annapurna area, the Kali Gandaki gorge up to Kagbeni, and to the north-east the entire kingdom of Mustang. Dropping from the pass to a meadow at about 13,100 feet, we make camp and plan to spend two nights (for acclimatization).

Sangda is considered to be the ‘gateway to Dolpo’. Overnight camp. (All meals)

 

 

 

16, 17 and 18 Sep - Sangda to river camp (16,000 ft.) crossing Thuje La (18,250 ft.)

Leaving Sangda the next day, the trail floats over a small pass (13,500 feet) before descending into the Chalung gorge itself to cross the river on a bridge. Camp (at 13,700 feet) lies on a balcony below our first pass, in a beautiful juniper forest. We will stay here two nights to continue our acclimatization process

The following day is a ‘two pass day’, one of which is also notably the highest altitude of our trek. On the trail by six in the morning, swirling mists clear as we again see our way to the top of the Khog La. It is slight descent to a long basin beyond the pass, where we stop for an early lunch before continuing over the Touje La (18,250 feet). We should reach its wind-swept top after a few more hours, gaining magnificent views of Dhaulagiri and Tukuche Peak to the south. Overnight camp (All meals)

19, 20, 21 and 22 Sep - River camp to Dho Tarap

The next morning, after a rolling pass of about 16,500 feet, we descend into a network of canyons, continuing to work our way north. After two days, the emerald green fields of Charka come into view. We will want to visit the two gompas (temples) here before continuing north. The gompas represent the two religions of Dolpo, Buddhism and B’on.

We descend into the gentle wide valley of the Keheng Khola, and before camp that evening turn west up a small drainage, heading for Tarap. Overnight camp. (All meals)

23, 24, 25, 26, 27 and 28 Sep - Tarap to Saldang (13,000 ft.)

Leaving Tarap the following day, our route continues north over another pass (Jeng La 16,700 feet). Prayer flags strung across the river and innumerable unbelievably massive mani walls (made of stones each carved with an offering prayer) welcome us to Saldang. Overnight Camp (All meals).

29 and 30 Sep - Saldang to Shey (14,800 ft.)

Turning southwest, another major pass (Se La at 16,800 feet) needs to be crossed in order to get over to Shey. This will take us about two days, so we can enjoy a high camp en route with an excellent view of Tibet. We set up camp (14,800 feet) and plan to spend two nights to explore the area. Shey is named after the ‘Crystal Mountain of Dolpo’, which rises to the southeast. Highly recommended is the 1,500-foot climb to Tsakang, the "Red Chalk" gompa. Overnight camp. (All meals)

01, 02, 03 and 04 Oct - Shey to Ringmo

 

Shey Phoksumdo
Shey Phoksumdo (Photo: Donato)

Turning south the next day, we have our last pass (Kang La 16,800 feet) to negotiate. This is the continental divide, and snow is likely to cover the pass. Camp is near the village of Ringmo. The people here are B’on, and the amiable resident lama will delight in showing his gompa to us. A layover day is planned here to enjoy the surroundings. Coming from the barren north, the green of the pines and junipers, and the blue of the lake seem almost surrealistic.

Overnight Camp. (All meals)

 

 

 

05, 06 and 07 Oct - Ringmo to Dunai

Continuing south, we leave the lake along its effluent, the Suli Gad. You may begin to hear a roar in the distance, then coming around a corner - a massive 900-foot waterfall, the biggest in Nepal. The next day we walk along the south side of the Thulo Bheri for about an hour, then climb up for about three hours to the village of Jufal (8,700 feet). This is the location of the Dunai airfield, a steeply inclined STOL field carved out of the hillside. It is necessary to camp here one night, as our flight out on our charter plane will be in the early morning. This last evening in tents we will have a party with all our porters and staff who have been with us for 30 days.  Overnight camp (All meals).

08 Oct - Dunai to Kathmandu

The next day, we will depart Jufal by chartered plane (Twin Otter) landing in Pokhara. From Pokhara we will fly to Kathmandu on a regularly scheduled flight, arriving by mid-day. Day free in Kathmandu. Overnight Hotel (Breakfast and Lunch).

09 Oct - Kathmandu

Sightseeing in Kathmandu. Visit Swayambhunath, the monkey temple, and Bhaktapur Durbar Square. Overnight Hotel Tibet. (All meals)

10 Oct - Depart for home

Final departure.

 

Price includes:

Price does not include:

TO BOOK THIS TRIP:

Application:

Download and complete Application form. (Participants will be screened)

Email application form as an attachment.

Payments:

After acceptance to the program, a $500 non-refundable deposit is required to secure your spot. Deposits must be sent by wire transfer. Balance payment is required 60 days prior to the trip start date. Payments can be made by wire transfer ($30 will be refunded for wiring costs) or by credit card (VISA card only).

Cancellation Policy:

The $500 deposit is non-refundable.

There will be no refunds once the trip begins.

If for security or other reasons, we need to cancel or postpone the trek, you may apply the deposit and final payment toward any other trip we offer in Nepal, Tibet, India or Bhutan.

Because this trip requires a lot of pre-trip logistics arrangement, we are unable to provide cancellation refunds for personal emergencies like we do for other trip. Hence purchase of trip cancellation insurance is highly recommended.

Altitude sickness

This trek does involve sleeping and hiking at high altitude. We will, as we do for all high-altitude treks, provide a GAMOW bag for this trip. A GAMOW bag is a portable hyperbaric chamber that looks like an inflatable extra-large sleeping bag. The effective altitude inside the inflated GAMOW bag is about 5000 feet lower than the altitude you are at; it has been very effective in the past in relieving headaches and other symptoms of altitude sickness.


TREK RATING:

This trek is rated challenging and involves trekking at high altitude. Most of the hiking will be above 12,000 feet, with nine major pass crossings (the highest being 18,250 feet). Our highest camp will be at about 16,000 feet. There can be snow on the passes. No technical climbing experience is required.

This trip is non-technical and suitable for anyone in good physical condition who loves to hike and would enjoy camping out for an extended period (30 days). You should feel comfortable hiking about 10-12 miles per day at these altitudes while carrying a daypack of approximately 15 pounds. Our maximum altitude gain in one day will be about 4,300 feet, our maximum altitude loss in one day will be about 3,800 feet. Because of the altitudes involved, this is a serious trek. If you don't have experience backpacking in remote areas for lengthy period, this trek can be more than what you asked for. This is not a backpacking trip; your gear will be carried by porters.

Upper Dolpa is not at all like lodge trekking in the Everest or Annapurna region; it is unforgiving and charmingly remote.

REFERENCES:

Crystal Mountain Treks organizes treks and tours in Nepal, India, Bhutan and Tibet for hundreds of satisfied travelers every year. Feel free to ask us for references who can tell you about their experience with us.

WHY BOOK WITH CRYSTAL MOUNTAIN?:

There are over 500 and counting trekking companies in Nepal. We are aware that you have lots of options. But, we believe there are reasons we stand out from our competitors. We've listed some reasons here...

GUIDE:

Ram Rai
Ram Rai in a bhatti (tea and alcohol shop).

This trek will be led by Ram Rai, our senior-most guide. Ram has over 35 years of experience in trekking - he started out as a porter and slowly moved up to become a sirdar. Ram has trekked the Upper Dolpo numerous times and is very familiar with the region. Ram has also guided numerous Sierra Club groups in Nepal and Tibet. His friends include leaders of some of the first Sierra Club groups to Nepal around 20 years ago. Many of our junior guides have worked with and learned from Ram Rai.

Trekking clients have been impressed with Ram's patience and maturity. Feel free to ask us for references who can speak to you about their experience on treks with Ram Rai. We have numerous previous clients who would be glad to tell you about Ram's ability as a guide - and as a leader and a friend.

QUESTIONS:

Email: info@crystalmountaintreks.com

Phone
Land Line: + 977 1 4416813

Mobile phone: + 977 98410-00724