The Shey Gompa Festival of Dolpo

You will be greeted at Kathmandu airport by our team in Nepal. Once you complete the arrival formalities at the immigration and you have access to your luggage you head towards the Exit Hall walking through a connecting tunnel/walkway. You will be met by our local team in the exit Hall just below the escalator or opposite the lifts. He/she will have a Cho La Adventures sign to greet you.
It is only a short drive to your hotel located in the heart of the city. Before checking into your room your trek leader or our representative will talk briefly on the program ahead and schedule a trek briefing.

Today, you have a free morning to explore Kathmandu or do some last-minute shopping for your trek whilst the trek permits to Dolpo are being processed. In the late afternoon, you take the flight to Nepalgunj from Kathmandu and stay overnight in a hotel as there are no connecting flights to Juphal.

You will make an early start to the airport for the 35-minute flight to the airstrip at Juphal (2475m). Upon arrival you are met by the trek crew and so once the bags are sorted you hit the trail or rather a dirt road which is easy as you descend down to Kalagauda. The trail now undulates above the Thuli Bheri River which you will be following along to Laisicap. You will soon walk past Rupgad to finally reach the small town of Dunai (2140m) which is also the District headquarters. Dunai has some private and government schools, a college, police check post and some government offices and a monastery. You can go out for an exploration of this interesting mountain town after you settle in at your camp.

You will be following the Thuli Bheri river upstream throughout the walk today. You cross a bridge to the northern bank of the Bheri and the trail traverses along the river for some time. In a few hours you will reach the settlement of Byasgad. From Byasgad, you will continue to walk towards the northeast direction following the Bheri. During this part of the trek, the trail follows the river closely and also undulates around the ridge extending from Byas Risi Lek. The trek continues traversing through riverine forests and open areas to pass through Lawan. You cross the river to the southern bank to pass through Beluwa to eventually reach Tarakot nestled above the Thuli Bheri river. This village with fields surrounded by stone walls used to be an important trading post and capital of the ancient kingdom of Tichorung.
Most of the inhabitants of the village belong to the Magar tribe and practice Tibetan Buddhism. In some clusters of of this village ‘Kaike’ a local dialect is spoken, which is not spoken anywhere else in Dolpo.

Today, you will be hiking along the trail that lies on the southern bank of Bheri River. An hour into the trek brings you to an open valley along Bharbung Khola which is a tributary of the Thuli Bheri. This part of trek brings you closer to Putha Huinchuli and Churen Himal. The trail gradually traverses to eventually bring you to Laisicap at 2775 m. Here you cross the main river and begin to trek along the west bank of Tarap Khola to reach Khanigaon at 2950m. Khanigaon is the winter residence for the villagers of Dho-Tarap. You can have the wonderful view of Sandul Gompa across the valley from Khanigaon. The final push on the steep uphill trail will finally bring you to Laini Odar, which is a wonderful camping site with a beautiful waterfall nearby.

Today as you head further up the Tarap Khola valley, the trail passes through the deep gorges with towering cliffs and spectacular scenery. After couple of hours of walking to the north of Laini Odar, the trail begins to widen up. You will now walk on a well paved wider trail with wooden planks in some sections leading to Chhyugar (3440m). Chhyugar lies at the bank of small stream which you cross to trek along the western bank of the Tarap River to reach Nawarpani at 3475m. To shorten the next day’s walk to Dho Tarap you will walk for another couple of hours to reach the winter settlement of the Upper Dolpo villagers at Toltol.

You will be following the Tarap River throughout the day and you will be crossing the river a number of times. You will walk along the northern bank of the river to reach the small settlement Ghyamgar which also houses a monastery. At Ghyamghar, you cross the Tarap Khola to the eastern bank to reach Sisaul. At Sisaul you cross the river again to the western bank and begin to trek along Tarap Khola valley to reach Langa.
You cross the river at Langa to walk on the eastern bank to eventually climb a hill from where you descend to the settlement of Dho Tarap. Dho Tarap is an important settlement of Dolpo nestled in wide Tarap valley and was a famous trading post for traders from Tibet and Mustang in ancient times. Dho Tarap used to be an administrative center of Dolpo and is currently, the headquarters of the Dolpo Buddha Rural Municipality and a trade center as well. It’s one of the highest human settlement in Nepal.

Dho is the largest settlement in Tarap valley and has several gompas. On the ridge above the village is the Ri Bhunpa Gompa and to the east, the village of Shipchhok has a Bon-po gompa which is certainly worth exploring. There are also opportunities to get great views of the valley and surrounding snow peaks from a number of nearby ridges. It is good to have an extra day at Dho which can also be used as a contingency day in case of bad weather or other delays en-route. However, this day is most useful for acclimatization to let your body get used to the altitude gain as the walk will be getting more demanding in the Trans-himalayan landscape above Dho.

Leaving Dho, you will head north-west following the Thakchiu Khola following the river upstream walking past mani wall and chortens to reach the settlement of Tokyu in about 1.5 hours. It is a gradual climb all along to Tokyu which is higher up the valley at 4400m. From Tokyu the trail heads up towards the Jyanta La valley with the vegetation becoming more arid and shrub like. The air becomes thinner as the trail climbs up the rugged valley to reach your camp at 4600m below Jyanta La.

Today, it is a steady climb following the Jyanta Khola through boggy alpine valley to reach the pass at Jyanta La (5220m) after climbing for about 500 metres. You will have views of the surrounding mountains and the numerous ridges both in Lower and Upper Dolpo. From the pass you will descend steadily following the valley extending from Kigu Danda to reach Pass Camp (4700m) close to Dachun Khola. However, we can also strive to push a little further to the small settlement of Rakyo (4200m) which has a few houses. This descent to Rakyo following the Dachun Khola downstream and then the Nagon Khola valley will help shorten the walk to Saldang.

You will be descending following the Nagon Khola passing through the villages of Chagaon and Sugugaon where there is a check-post for permit entry. You will be following an undulating dirt trail along the riverine valley flanked by Karcho Danda and Sela Lek. You will see the Rapa Gompa, Namdo Gompa and Dechen Gompa along the way to Saldang. From Sugugaon the trail continues to descend through settlements of Dundargaon and Tankhor to reach the village of Saldang which is one of the most prominent villages in Upper Dolpo with more than 300 houses. You will have time to explore and to wander through this fascinating, scenic Tibetan village, past mani walls and through kanis (chorten gates), village alleys and barley fields.

Today the trail ascends steeply up to a small crest topped with prayer flags with amazing views of the mountains in Tibet and the valleys and trails to the east heading towards Mustang. From here the trail traverses for a while and then descends down to the Namga Khola which you cross to reach the village of Namgung.
Just above the village you will see the ancient red and white Namgung Gompa perched on a cliff-side. There are also other ruins of ancient gompas and dwellings built into the cliff-side near Namgung, adding to the mystique of this area. A visit to the Namgung Monastery in the afternoon is worthwhile as the monastery houses very old Buddhist texts.

You will be hiking up steadily for about three and half hours to reach the Sela Pass (5095m) adorned with prayer flags. This windy pass offers magnificent panoramic views of the peaks surrounding Dolpo, with Mustang to the far east, Tibet to the north, Kanjiroba, Kagmara and the Crystal Mountain (Riu Dhukta), to the west. The landscape resembles more and more arid plateaus and cathedral-like canyons of neighboring Mustang as we descend through this other-worldly landscape. The trail descends down to the Shepu Khola which flows towards Shey. Once you are down by the valley you walk past seasonal settlements (Doksas) and ancient Mani walls to reach the small isolated hamlet of Shey.
It is here that Peter Matthiessen and George Schaller, the world-renowned zoologist and conservationist spent the first two weeks in November 1973 exploring the rugged landscape in a concerted attempt to see the elusive snow leopard.

After breakfast, you will have the opportunity to participate in the festival (The timing of the festival will be finalized as we reach Shey as the Monks will fix the timings according to the Buddhist calendar). The grand celebration will start with prayers and blessing speech by the renowned Rinpoche’s and Lamas. The local inhabitants, as well as monks from various monasteries participate in the festivities, making it a truly vibrant and spiritually charged event.
There will be dance, singing, picnic lunches and traditional dance by old age people. After an interesting and immersive day, you will head back to camp for dinner and a well-deserved rest and reminisce about the days event.

During the Shey gompa festival, devotees and pilgrims undertake arduous journeys to reach the monastery.
They come from different parts of Nepal, as well as from neighboring Tibet, to witness and participate in the scared rituals. Many pilgrims also bring offering such as butter lamps, prayer flags, and religious artifacts to the present to the monastery and seek blessings. All the villagers participate in the popular events like horse racing and archery. In the early evening, the villagers will perform traditional dancing and singing to entertain the visitors.

The Shey Gompa festival not only showcases the spiritual devotion of the people but also serves as a means to preserve and promote the cultural heritage of the region. It attracts researchers, scholars, and tourists interested in exploring the unique traditions and practices of the Dolpo region.
You will be joining the local people for the Kora of the Holy Crystal mountain which is the key component of the festival. It is believed that Crystal mountain is place where many Buddhist masters have walked through passing on ancient wisdom and prayers of protection. Preserving the tradition of ancestors, the devout along with visitors continue to partake in the Kora to wash their sins and gain merit. The Kora allows visitors to interact with the locals and understand their way of life better adding lifelong memories to their journey.

Today is the last day of the festival which is marked by the Masked Dance or Cham performed by the monks signifying the victory of Good over Evil. Clad in vibrant costumes and ornate masks representing deities, demons and various mythical figures, the dancers engage in intricate and symbolic movements to enact ancient Buddhist stories and teachings. The dance is accompanied by traditional music and chanting, creating an enchanting and mesmerizing atmosphere. Enjoy the day at festival and interact with local people gaining meaningful insights into the local culture and religion. After an intense four days of cultural insight and self-exploration, it is time once again to get ready for the adventure on the trail.

Leaving Shey, the trail crosses the Hubalune Khola and ascends following the river upstream past a long Mani wall. The trail climbs steadily towards Nangda La pass to reach a small clearing at the 4600m which will be the camp for the night.

You have an early start as the trail now continues to climb steeply till you reach Nangda La Pass (Kang La) at 5345m adorned with prayer flags. At the top, the views of the snow-peaks Shey Shikkar and Kang Chunne and Kanjiroba are spectacular. There is a steep descent for some time as you will have to switchback on scree and in snow sometimes (dependent on weather conditions during winter) while crossing the Tuk Kyaksa river several times to eventually reach the confluence of Tuk Kyaksa and the Phoksundo rivers. The trail then follows the Phoksundo river with numerous stream crossings through forests of silver birch and pine and alpine meadows which open up to a wider valley to reach a clearing at the north end of the lake.

After breakfast, you will take the trail that skirts around the west of the lake. The trail climbs up steadily to a crest adorned with prayer flags high above the lake. The trail descends and then undulates precariously offering magnificent views of the turquoise lake below. Phoksundo Tal (Phoksundo Lake) is a RAMSAR-registered wetland (The Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, especially to Water fowl Habitat) and is Nepal’s deepest and second largest (4.94 square km) freshwater lake.
On the lake's southern end, the village of Ringmo sits on the 30,000 to 40,000 year old landslide dam that formed the lake. Past the dam, the waters of the lake plunge into a 167 m (548 ft) waterfall.

Traditional Tibetan culture prevails in Upper Dolpo, Buddhism and Bon are prevalent in lower Dolpo, including Ringmo village. You have the entire day to explore the village of Ringmo and the nearby Tshowa or the lake-shore Bon monastery. The Gompa nestled on a ridge above Phoksundo Lake was built about 900 years ago.There are more than 20 stupas in the southern belt, and one gompa in the eastern side of the lake, where annual prayers and worship are carried out.

15 minutes of descent through alpine shrub of cotoneaster, barberry and juniper leads to the small settlement of Polam which is the winter settlement for the villagers of Ringmo. You have an amazing view of a 167 meter waterfall draining into the Phoksundo river. The trail continues to descend through the settlements of Chunuwar, Jharana and Sumduwa on the confluence of Pungma Khola and Phoksundo river. At Sumduwa the trail to Jumla branches to the west and to Dho Tarap to the east, you will take the trail following the Phoksundo towards the south. You will be now walking through riverine forests of fir, birch, larch and bamboo thickets to reach the small settlement of Rechi. From Rechi you will follow the Phoksundo river downstream to cross a bridge which you re-cross once again to the eastern bank to reach the small hamlet of Chhepka, a small Tibetan settlement tucked away amongst the steep hill-sides.

After breakfast you descend on rocky trail through forests to cross a bridge at Anhke Khola to reach the small settlement of Shyanta. You will now cross the Phoksundo river at Suligad bridge, hence the river is now called the Suligad river all along till it merges with the Thuli Bheri at Suligad Ghat. The trail continues to descend down the river valley through open woods to Raktang and to Kalrupi as the trail perched high on the cliffside follows the Suligad downstream to reach Suli Ghat which is the Entrance to the Shey Phoksundo National Park. It is the largest National Park in Nepal covering 3555 square km and was established in 1984. You will cross the Thuli Bheri to walk through Rupgad and other linear settlements to reach Juphal, your final camp on the trek before you fly back to Kathmandu tomorrow. In the evening it is time to celebrate with your crew, a slap up meal and few drinks and look back upon the great adventure that you have just completed. This will be the final night to say goodbye to the crew and thank them for the immense work that they have done to make your trek a safe and memorable one.

After breakfast, you will be assisted to the Juphal airport where you take morning flight to Nepalgunj and then on a connecting flight to Kathmandu. Upon arrival in Kathmandu you are driven to your hotel in the heart of the city. You have the rest of the day off to shower and relax or perhaps head out to town for shopping or a few beers.

Today you have an entire day to yourself in Kathmandu which you can spend exploring the back streets of Patan which is only 30 minutes away from your hotel or head off to explore the medieval city of Bhaktapur which is 45-minute drive from the hotel. You can just sit and relax in the hotel, your trek leader will be on hand to make suggestions and assist you. If you have missed out on your welcome dinner, your trek leader will take you for dinner in one of the fine Nepali restaurants in Thamel which is the main area close to your hotel.

Your trip ends today after breakfast. Your trek leader will be on hand to advise and assist with your onward travel arrangements. A departure transfer to the airport is included and you will be driven to the airport in a private vehicle for your onward journey.