Lower Dolpo Trek

You can obtain the Nepalese visa from Nepalese consulate in your country easily or upon your arrival at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu. For that, you require a valid passport with 2 copies of passport size photos. Similarly, A visa for Nepal can be obtained at Nepal India border entry point at Birgunj, Nepalgunj, Kakadvitta, Bhairahawa, Gaddachowki and Kodari on the Nepal China border. A15/30/90 day multiple entries Nepalese visa can be obtained by paying USD 30/50/125 or equivalent foreign currency respectively. For more information, please visit http://www.nepalimmigration.gov.np/page/tourist-visa

We will be at the airport to welcome you upon your arrival to Nepal. We will be carrying the Raj BalaTreks & Expedition placard with your name underneath. From airport you will escorted to your hotel and we help you to check-in.

As vaccination requirements change frequently, we suggest you to consult your doctor at least 2 months prior to the beginning of your trip. We recommend protection against malaria, tetanus, typhoid, hepatitis and polio.

The main health consideration during Dolpo Trekking is Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS). You may experience some mild symptoms initially, such as headache, lethargy, nausea and difficulty sleeping, but these should lessen within a few days. To avoid Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS), people take pills called ‘Diamox’. You can also use these pills after consulting with your doctor and purchase them in Kathmandu. Our itinerary will allow your body to acclimatize properly and handle the low oxygen rate. If you have ever suffered from altitude sickness, or have a heart or breathing complaint, we highly recommend you to consult your doctor about your suitability for trekking in high altitude areas before booking. We suggest that you take some pain-killing pills with you and enough medicine for cold, diarrhea, nausea and fever. Some nasal ointment and throat-moistening pills will greatly help for those who are sensitive to chilly or freezing weather conditions.

This is a long trek that goes far beyond the normal haunts of trekkers and tourists, to remote areas of the country where the landscapes are wild and untamed and where the local inhabitants have seen little change in their way of life for centuries- untouched corners of an increasingly crowded planet. It is physically challenging, likely to include unfavorable weather conditions and strenuous activities, such as, climbing/ scrambling across high passes.

Dolpo Trek is a fully Camping Trek. Camping trek means sleeping in tents. On a camping trek, the tents provided are ‘Two men dome’ or ‘A’ shaped. Foam mattress with insulation underneath is provided for sleeping. Clients need to have their own sleeping bag. Bags or cloth packs are used as pillows. If you wish, you can bring your own ‘Air pillow’.

We provide three tasty, plentiful and nutritious meals daily with a variety of local and Western dishes. To start the day, breakfast consists of a choice of porridge, muesli and cereal followed by omelet, fried or scrambled eggs with chapattis or bread. Lunch is generally a selection of salad, cooked vegetable dishes, pasta and traditional breads.

After a long day on the trail, dinner is a hearty 3 course meal - soup, followed by a variety of vegetable, meat, rice and pasta dishes and completed with a simple dessert. Tea, coffee and hot chocolate are also provided at all meals. We use as much fresh produce as possible and special diets are regularly catered for. The leaders are able to maintain very tight controls on health and hygiene in the kitchen with respect to general cleanliness and food preparation and also within the group with respect to personal hygiene. This has allowed us to maintain remarkably high standards of health over many years of trek organization - and good health is vital to an enjoyable and successful trek and climb. All foods are well cooked and vegetables are treated by potassium permanganate or iodine. Boiled water is served for drinking. Antiseptic soaps and potassium or iodine treated water are provided for washing. Special dietary requirements can always be taken care of.

Your typical day begins with a hot cup of tea brought to the tent at about 6 am, followed by a bowl of hot water for washing. After packing all your bags and having a good breakfast, we set off on the morning’s walk. All you need to carry is a small day pack containing water bottle, camera, sun cream, hat, rain jacket and a warm jumper, just in case. The porters will carry the rest of your gear for you. After walking for 3-4 hours, we stop for lunch at around midday. The afternoon’s walk is generally shorter and we arrive at camp in time for afternoon tea. The remainder of the afternoon can be spent exploring the nearby villages, doing a bit of washing or simply relaxing with a good book. On some days, we will arrive at camp by lunchtime and the entire afternoon will be free.

Dinner is usually served between 6 and 7 pm. After dinner, the evening will often be spent playing cards and talking with the crew, or perhaps even joining in some singing and dancing, before heading off to the tent for a well-earned sleep.

You fly to Nepalgunj from Kathmandu and then you take another short flight from Nepalgunj to Juphal. The starting point of the trek is Juphal. On your return, take the flights from Juphal and further to Kathmandu on the same day.

Please consider that there is a high probability of cancellation of flights operating between Nepalgunj and Juphal due to bad weather conditions. Hence, we advise you to keep at least one day extra in Kathmandu before your flight home.

Our 25 days Dolpo Trek cost is all inclusive of your accommodation, meals, permits and other official expenses.(See price includes and excludes section for more detail). Besides, other expenses depend on your spending habits. A USD 10-15 is sufficient to buy bottled water, snacks, chocolate bars, hot and cold drinks, and showers during the trek besides your included meals and accommodation.

You can exchange money at a Bank or the money exchange counter in cities like Kathmandu and Pokhara. Many Tourist class Hotels have money exchange facilities. For Trekking, there are Banks and exchange counters at major Tourist hubs like Namche and Lukla. These days, there are availability of ATMs everywhere in Kathmandu and some in Lukla and Namche.

Tips are appreciated by your support team after the completion of your trekking in Nepal. The amount depends on your budget and appreciation of their work. As a suggestion, we advise that you can allocate 5- 10 % of the total tour cost as tips. It is recommended that you talk to the members and hand it over individually as per the hierarchy on the last day of the trek.

 While trekking you may not have an access to telephone facility for some days or weeks. However, en route there may be few places where telephone facilities may be available and likely to be working.

If it is urgent for you to be in contact with your family and friends, we can provide the Satellite Phone along with rental charge on request.

During trek your main luggage will be carried by porters. You simply carry a day pack with water bottle, camera, sun-screen, spare jacket, etc. - a small load that allows full enjoyment of the trek. A trek bag is ideal for your main luggage, plus a small lockable bag for travel clothes or anything that you do not need during trek which you can leave at hotel’s locker room/safe deposit box in Kathmandu for free of charge. Weight allowance at Nepal’s domestic airlines is 15 Kgs, excess weight is chargeable at USD 1 or more per Kilo depending on sectors.

You will need walking boots, sleeping bag (4 seasons/ -20C rated), waterproof jacket and trousers, fleece jacket, warm hat and gloves, sunglasses, water bottle, sun-screen and day pack. Comprehensive list of equipment will be provided once you book your trip. It's not necessary to spend a lot of money buying extra equipment and clothing before your trip. Majority of these gears can be bought or hired at reasonable rates in Kathmandu.

The best seasons to trek in the upper Dolpo region are Autumn (from mid-September till November end) and Spring (from the beginning of March until mid-May). Temperatures will drop considerably as you trek higher everyday. The nights are cold (between -10 C and 5C) but the days are sunny and hot (between 10C to 20C).The mornings are usually clear, with clouds building up during the afternoon, disappearing at night. Dolpo region being located in rain shadow area it may be possible to trek during monsoon but domestic flights are often disrupted by heavy monsoon cloud and rain.

March, April, October and November are the most popular and favored months for traveling. Please choose the time that is convenient for you.

We supply a medical bag with standard medicines prescribed by trekking doctors and a user’s manual. Since our staffs/guides are not qualified for suggesting medications to western clients, we would request you to use the medicines upon your own risk. It is safer and more reliable if you have your own medicine kit and not depend on what we have.

Your safety and security are our top priority, and we always make sure that nothing untoward happen to you. However, if anything serious like sickness or a casualty occurs, we will do everything to transfer you to the nearest hospital. As you are responsible for all the expenses incurred in evacuation, please make sure that it is covered by your insurance before assigning for it.

Before joining the Dolpo Trekking, we recommend you to take a travel insurance which should cover cancellation, medical expenses, helicopter evacuation and emergency repatriation. Our staff will collect your insurance details before you leave for the trek.

All our guides are certified and trained trekking leaders. Our guides are certified by the Nepal Academy of Tourism and Hotel Management (NATHM), Nepal. They have years of experience working in this line of work and know the different trekking trails of Nepal, mountain ranges, culture, and mountain sickness.

Your booking of this Dolpo Trekking will be confirmed by email once we receive your deposit of 20% of the total trip and the signed copy of booking form and contract. The balance is due no later than two months prior to departure. If you book a tour less than 2 months prior to departure, you must send the full payment within 7 days of confirmation by us.

If you cancel your booking, the following scale of charges will apply:

• 2 months before departure – Loss of deposit (20% of the total trip)
• 29 days to 2 months before departure – 30% of total trip cost
• 10 to 28 days before departure – 60% of total trip cost
• Less than 10 days before departure – 100% of total trip cost