Tarap Valley and Phoksundo Lake

Overview

Dolpo is a region of Tibetan culture of very isolated Bonpo religion in Nepalese territory, cut off from Tibet and Mustang by high passes. These mythical high valleys were long forbidden to foreigners. Their trails were covered by caravans of yaks, as they still traded salt from Tibet for spices and cereals of the middle valleys. Nowadays the rush for the harvest of Yarsagumba – caterpillar parasitized by a fungus – with aphrodisiac virtues in Chinese medicine – to supplant these ancestral activities. Apart from two high passes over 5,000m, this trip will culminate in the discovery of the Tarap Valley and the turquoise waters of Lake Phoksumdo, part of the famous film by Eric Valli “Himalayas the childhood of a chef”.

Outline Itinerary

Day 1 ARRIVAL IN KATMANDU

Day 2 FLIGHT TO NEPALGUNJ

Day 3 FLIGHT OVER JUPHAL - TREK TO DUNAI

Day 4 DUNAÏ - TARAKOT

Day 5 TARAKOT – LAINI ODAR

Day 6 LAINI ODAR – NIWARPANI

Day 7 NIWARPANI - DHO

Day 8 DAY IN THE TARAP VALLEY

Day 9 DHO - NAMU LA PHEDI

Day 10 NAMU LA PHEDI - NUMA LA - BAGALA PHEDI

Day 11 BAGALA PHEDI - LA BAGA - YAK KHARKA

Day 12 YAK KHARKA - LAC PHOGSUMDO

Day 13 DAY ARROUND THE LAKE PHOGSUMDO

Day 14 PHOGSUMDO - CHHEPKA

Day 15 CHHEPKA - JUPHAL

Day 16 FLIGHT ON NEPALGUNJ THEN FLIGHT ON KATMANDU

Day 17 DAYS TO VISIT THE MAIN SITES IN KATMANDU

Day 18 DAYS OF VISIT TO THE MAIN SITES IN KATMANDU

Day 19 Departure

Itinerary

Day 1 ARRIVAL IN KATMANDOU
Receive and welcome by agency’s representative, transfer and installation at the hotel.

Day 2 FLIGHT TO NEPALGUNJ
Flight from Kathmandu to Nepalgunj

Day 3 FLIGHT OVER JUPHAL - TREK TO DUNAI
Morning flight to Juphal (2,440m), about 35min flight. It is at Juphal that our trek begins where we meet our staff, we walk to Dunaï (2,090m); Administrative town of the Dolpo district. At Juphal, we are already in a different universe. From end of September, the Dolpopa dried red Chilly on the terrace roof. The path goes down to the river Bheri, we cross the fields of buckwheat, barley, millet and corn.

Day 4 DUNAÏ - TARAKOT
We cross the Barbung Chhu (Bheri) river and the small villages of the valley. After lunch, we have a magnificent view of Mt. Putha Himal (7246m) and Dogari (6 536m), little known peaks that belong to the Dhaulagiri massif. After crossing the beautiful valley, end of the day we will arrive in the inhabitant of mixed ethnic people, Tarakot.

Day 5 TARAKOT – LAINI ODAR
After the nice breakfast, we are going to leave Tarakot, the trail gradual rise along cornfields, buckwheat, amaranths (until mid-October). We have lunch at Lapsicape where the rivers Tarap Chu and Barbung Chu meet; we also cross the longest suspension bridge in the valley. After lunch a small part of the trail is a little steep crossing the forest of juniper trees, pines, fir trees, birches.

Day 6 LAINI ODAR – NIWARPANI
Today our day will with an attack a fairly steep climb of around 500m. Then, the path is an alternation of small ascents and descents. Sometimes the path is a little dizzy. We will stop in Chhugar for the lunch. After lunch we are supposed to cross the river with a beautiful suspension bridge and end of the day again we need to take another bridge to be in NIWARPANI.

Day 7 NIWARPANI - DHO
Today also the trail goes ahead long the Trarap khola, Until the Lang, the path is chaotic and relatively flat; we meet nomads and their herds (until mid-October). They valley going to open more and more as we go up.

Day 8 DAY IN THE TARAP VALLEY
Today is rest day and stroll in the Tarap valley and the Dho village, visit of small Tibetan monasteries (there are no more monks in the monasteries) and Tibetan houses. Visit the Buddhist and Bonpos monasteries. For the acclimatization, we climb up to 4,400m. We spend the night at the same camp, where a small part of the movie "Himalaya, the childhood of a leader" was shot.

Day 9 DHO - NAMU LA PHEDI
After a free morning in Dho, we leave at the foot to the neck of Numa La that we cross the next day. We will walk inside the beautiful valley of Dho Tarap and some villages like Chhumagaun, Takshi etc.

Day 10 NAMU LA PHEDI - NUMA LA (5308M) - BAGALA PHEDI
We gradually climb up to Num la pass at 5 185m. From there, we dominate the entire Himalayan chain: Daulagiri I (8,167m), Churen Himal (7,310m), Annapurna massif, Damodar, Kanjiroba (6,612m), Kang Chune, Guras Himal, Norbu Kang (6,140m) and the Tibetan Plateau to the north. After the pass, the descent is steep, sometimes in the scree to the stream. After a small gradual climb and the flat we arrive at the camping place just in front of Norbu Kang.

Day 11 BAGALA PHEDI - LA BAGA (5 170M) - YAK KHARKA (3 907M)
We climb up towards the Baga La pass (5,170m), the mineral landscape is magnificent, it going to take around 3:30hours to be on the top. End of the descent is a little steep. We will make lunch stop at the foot of the descent with wonder full waterfall a side.

Day 12 YAK KHARKA - LAC PHOGSUMDO (RINGMO 3 700M)
We take left side of the Maduwa River, the trail is little bit narrow, and we need to be attention for the rock falls. The arrival on Lake Phogsumdo (3,600m) and the village of Ringmo (3,600m) is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful Himalayan panoramas. Beautiful pine, fir and birch forest around the lake.

Day 13 DAY ARROUND THE LAKE PHOGSUMDO
Visit around the lake and visit Ringmo Bönpo monastery in a splendid setting in the lake side. We will visit Ringmo Village where we can see traditional houses and old Chhyorten with beautiful painting inside.

Day 14 PHOGSUMDO - CHHEPKA (2 620M)
After passing an impressive waterfall over 300m high, we radically change scenery and find the greenery when the path plunges into the gorges and the forest. It's a long day of walking along the turquoise blue river. We will cross several wooden bridge over the beautiful river.

Day 15 CHHEPKA - JUPHAL (2,440M)
Easy walk along the river but the trail is sometimes hilly. We cross a village whose inhabitants seem straight out of a wonderful tale where time has stood still. We stop for at Sulighat for the lunch and then Last climb to reach the beautiful village of Juphal from where our trek was started the terraces are connected by ladders cut from rough trunks.

Day 16 FLIGHT ON NEPALGUNJ THEN FLIGHT ON KATMANDOU
Flight to Nepalgunj then flight to Kathmandu. Transfer to the hotel.

Day 17 DAYS TO VISIT THE MAIN SITES IN KATMANDOU (SAFETY DAYS ALSO)
Day of visits to the main sites of Kathmandu.

Day 18 DAYS OF VISIT TO THE MAIN SITES IN KATMANDU
Day of visits to the main sites of Kathmandu.

Day 19 DEPARTURE
The last day in Nepal, we will help you with the check out formalities and drop you to the airport.

Date & Cost

Trips Dates	Trip Cost	Trip Status

What's Included

Included In The Cost

- Airport pickups and drops in a private vehicle
- 3-star hotel accommodation in Kathmandu and Pokhara with breakfast
- Teahouse accommodation during the trek
- All meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner) during the trek
- Welcome and farewell dinners
- All ground transportation on a comfortable private vehicle as per the itinerary
- Domestic flights (Kathmandu-Pokhara-Kathmandu)
- An experienced, government-licensed trek leader and assistant trek leader (4 trekkers: 1 assistant guide)
- Porter service (2 trekkers: 1 porter)
- Staff costs including their salary, insurance, equipment, food and accommodation
- Agency’s trekking bag/duffel bag, t-shirt and trekking map are yours to take
- All necessary paperwork and trekking permits (ACAP, TIMS)
- Medical kit (carried by your trek leader)
- All government and local taxes

Not Included In The Cost

- Nepalese visa fee
- International airfare to and from Kathmandu
- Excess baggage charges
- Lunch and dinner in Kathmandu and/or Pokhara
- Extra night accommodation in Kathmandu and Pokhara in case of early arrival, late departure, and early return from the mountain(due to any reason) than the scheduled itinerary
- Travel and rescue insurance
- Personal expenses (phone calls, laundry, bar bills, battery recharge, extra porters, bottle or boiled water, shower, etc.)
- Tips for guide(s), porter(s) and driver(s)

Equipments

Important documents and items
- Valid passport, 2 extra passport size photos, airline tickets
- Separate photocopies of passport, visa form (easily obtained at Kathmandu airport), proof of insurance
- Dollars, pounds or Euros in cash to pay for Nepalese visa at Kathmandu airport, for gratuities, snacks, and to purchase your own drinks and gifts
- Credit cards, Bank/ATM/Cash machine cards for withdrawing funds from cash machines (bring a photocopy of your cards), traveler’s checks, etc.
Head
- Bandana or head scarf, also useful for dusty and windy conditions
- Warm hat that covers your ears (wool or synthetic)
- Headlamp with extra batteries
- Sunglasses with UV protection
- Prescription sunglasses (if required)
Upper Body
- Polypropylene shirts (1 half sleeve and 2 long sleeves)
- Light and expedition weight thermal tops
- Fleece wind-stopper jacket or pullover
- Waterproof (preferably breathable fabric) shell jacket
- Down vest and/or jacket
- Gore-Tex jacket with hood, waterproof and breathable
Hands
- 1 pair of lightweight poly-liner gloves.
- 1 pair of lightweight wool or fleece gloves
- 1 pair of mittens, consists of 1 Gore-Tex over mitt matched with a very warm polar-fleece mitt liner (seasonal)
Lower Body
- Non-cotton underwear briefs
- 1 pair of Hiking shorts
- 1 pair of Hiking trousers
- 1 pair of lightweight thermal bottoms (seasonal)
- 1 pair of fleece or woolen trousers
- 1 pair of waterproof shell pants, breathable fabric
Feet
- 1 pair of trainers or running shoes and/or sandals
- Cotton socks (optional)
- Gaiters (winter only), optional, “low” ankle high version
- 2 pairs of thin, lightweight inner socks
- 2 pairs of heavy poly or wool socks
- 1 pair of Hiking boots with spare laces (sturdy soles, water resistant, ankle support, “broken in”)
Sleeping
- 1 sleeping bag (good to -10 degrees C or 14 degrees F)*
- Fleece sleeping bag liner (optional)
Rucksack and Travel Bags
- 1 medium rucksack (50-70 liters/3000-4500 cubic inches, can be used for an airplane carryon)
- 1 large duffel bag *
- A small daypack/backpack for carrying your valuables, should have good shoulder padding
- Small padlocks for duffel-kit bags
- 2 large waterproof rucksack covers (optional)
Medical
- Small, personal first-aid kit. (simple and light)
- Aspirin, first-aid tape, and plasters (Band-Aids)
- 1 skin-blister repair kit
- Anti-diarrhea pills
- Anti-headache pills
- Cough and/or cold medicine
- Anti-altitude sickness pills: Diamox or Acetylzolamide
- Stomach antibiotic: Ciprofloxacin, etc. Do not bring sleeping pills as they are a respiratory depressant.
- Water purification tablets or water filter
- 1 set of earplugs
- Extra pair of prescription glasses, contact lens supplies
Practical Items
- 1 small roll of repair tape, 1 sewing-repair kit
- 1 cigarette lighter, 1 small box of matches
- 1 compass or GPS(optional)
- 1 alarm clock/watch
- camera with extra cards and batteries
- large Ziplocs
- 2 water bottles (1 liter each)
- 1 small folding knife
- Binoculars (optional)
Toiletries
- Nail clippers
- Face and body moisturizer
- Anti UV sun block cream
- Female hygiene products
- Small mirror
- 1 medium-sized quick drying towel
- Toothbrush/paste (preferably biodegradable)
- Multi-purpose soap (preferably biodegradable)
- Deodorants
Personal Hygiene
- Wet wipes (baby wipes)
- Anti-bacterial hand wash
Extras/Luxuries
- Voltage converter (from 220 to 110)
- Plug adapter (2 round pegs to 2 flat pegs)
- Lightweight pillow case (in case your teahouses provide you with pillows) or use your own stuff as a pillow
- Reading book
- Trail map*
- Journal and pen
- Travel game i.e. chess, backgammon, scrabble, playing cards (to help you pass the time at teahouses and/or camps)
- 1 modest swim suit
- Binoculars (optional)

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100% Satisfaction

Max-Altitude: 4,018 metres
Destination: Tarpa Valley and Phoksundo lake
Arrival on: Kathmandu
Departure from: Kathmandu
Meals: Authentic Nepali cuisine, common international cuisines like Indian, Italian, Continental
Accommodation: 3-star hotel in the city; teahouses and lodges during the trek