One of the most isolated areas choosing for trekking in Nepal is the Dolpo Region trekking route. Dolpo region situated between the Tibetan plateau and the Dhaulagiri Himalayan range is the highest inhabited land of western Nepal. Dolpo, a land beyond the Himalaya, conjures up visions of mysterious monasteries, snow leopards and blue sheep; it is situated in the north-west part of the country, and is one of the most remote regions in Nepal. The traditions and way of life have remained intact in Dolpo Regionsince decades.  The first trekking in this route has been organized in autumn of 1990 by the first British tour operator. The trek was scheduled from east to west, from Pokhara to Jumla through Lower Dolpo.

The Upper Dolpo trekking route passes many gigantic mountain ranges of Mt. Annapurna, Dhaulagiri and Kanjiroba, to name but a few and passes through Lower Dolpo, at one time a small Kingdom in its own right. Trekkers are enthused greatly about the wild remoteness, the stunning mountain scenery and the fact that the local people had thatinnocent friendliness peculiar to people who live in excessively remote mountainous regions in this trekking route.

The people living Upper Dolpo region number only a few hundred and are among the world’s highest dwellers. The villages in Upper Dolpo are 4,300m and above. This is only the place that the people still practice the pre-Buddhist Bon Po religion. This early sect was almost entirely replaced after Buddhist doctrine began to spread across Tibet in the 9th century.

The books of Peter Matheson’s, the Snow Leopard and David Snellgrove’s Himalayan Pilgrimage have contributed to the mystique and attraction of Dolpo. Both writers visited the Shey Gompa, to the north of the Phoksumdo Lake, inner Dolpo. This is the goal of most trekkers but this Dolpo trek will take you even further into this mysterious land.

The first English subtitled movie on Dolpo “The Caravana” or “The Himalaya” of Nepal was a huge success and was nominated for the Oscar Award in the best foreign language film category. Boundaries of the Shey Phoksundo Park include within 3,500 square kilometers of land, mostly above 4,000 meters.

Within the trek route scheduled by Snowy Horizon, at Ringmo, the highlight of our Upper Dolpa Trekking Trip is to have two nights here to enjoy the beauty of the deep blue waters of the Shey Phoksundo Lakeand the surrounding snow peaks of Kanjirova Himalayan range, with time to visit the nearby isolated village of Ringmo and it’s Monastery. Our classic journey continues to the amazing country of Crystal Mountain at Shey Gompa, following the ancient Trans Himalayan Trade route and back to Juphal for the flight back by an alternative route, giving you more opportunity to explore this fascinating wild west ofNepal Himalaya through Trekking in Nepal.

When Snowy Horizon Treks and Expedition organizes the Upper Dolpo Trekking, our first day adventure begins with an hour downhill walk through the village below the airstrip, then leading through the terraced fields to the Bheri River and the narrow gorge taking 2-3 hours to camp at Dunai. Dunai is a much larger village or small township, with a new hospital and it is administrate headquarter of the Dolpa District.