Upper Dolpo trek: route, days, passes, permit fee and cost

Upper Dolpo is the northern part of Dolpa district, a high-altitude and culturally Tibetan region bordered in the north by Tibet⁴. Part of the region lies in Shey Phoksundo National Park⁴. The trek is a long camping route. This page sets out one operator’s stage table, the passes, the season, the permit, the costs and the way to the trailhead. The district is in Dolpa, and the other long routes are in the treks hub.

Route and days

Destination Himalaya Treks lists the trek as 27 days from Kathmandu to Kathmandu, a strenuous grade, trekking and camping, with a minimum group of 2¹. It crosses 5 high passes, 3 of them over 5,000 m¹. The page gives a maximum altitude for each day; those figures are the ones in the right-hand column:

The operator’s page includes 2 acclimatisation days¹.

Highest point

The operator’s header gives Jeng La at 5,670 m as the maximum altitude¹. Its text lists the other passes as Kang La at 5,306 m, Nangda La at 5,535 m, Saldang La at 5,029 m and Jyanta La at 4,970 m, with Shey Gompa at 4,130 m¹. The day-by-day figures on the same page are lower: the highest is 5,100 m on day 13, and day 18 crosses Jenga La at 4,900 m¹. Shey Gompa is 4,130 m in the pass list and 4,360 m on day 12¹.

The rest of the circuit sits well below the passes. Phoksundo Lake is at 3,611 m on the operator’s table¹, and the route finishes back at Dunai at 2,860 m¹.

Season

Destination Himalaya Treks lists spring, autumn and monsoon as the best times¹. Cloud barriers cause a semi-arid climate in Dolpo, with reported annual precipitation of less than 500 millimetres⁴.

Flights to Juphal are the main scheduling risk. The operator notes that the domestic flight to Juphal or Nepalgunj is usually delayed or cancelled because of bad weather and air traffic congestion, and suggests 2 to 3 extra buffer days¹. See flights to Juphal.

Permits

In October 2026 the Department of Immigration’s trekking route and permit fee table listed Upper Dolpa at USD 500 per person for the first 10 days and USD 50 per person per day beyond 10 days². The areas named are Dolpo Buddha Rural Municipality wards 4 to 6, Shey Phoksundo Rural Municipality wards 1 to 7 and Charka Tangsong Rural Municipality wards 1 to 6². The table adds that for Upper Dolpa, if the royalty paid for a mountain expedition is less than the trekking permit fee, the difference must be paid separately².

Part of Dolpo lies in Shey Phoksundo National Park⁴. In October 2026 the Nepal Tourism Board’s park entry-fee table listed it at NPR 100 for Nepalis, NPR 1,500 for SAARC nationals and NPR 3,000 for foreigners, per person per entry, with children under 10 free³.

Rules for each system are in restricted-area permits and national park fees.

Costs

In October 2026 Destination Himalaya Treks’ group-size table listed USD 4,999 for one person, USD 4,499 for 2 to 4, USD 4,299 for 5 to 7, USD 3,999 for 8 to 11 and USD 3,599 for 12 to 15¹. The text of the same page says the cost starts from USD 2,999 and goes up to USD 3,899 depending on group size¹.

The operator lists permit arrangements and fees, air transfer, road travel, a licensed guide, porters, a team and the essential equipment as covered¹. There are no ATM services along the route, so cash for personal spending is needed¹.

Getting to the trailhead

The trailhead is Juphal. Destination Himalaya Treks flies Kathmandu to Nepalgunj on day 3 and Nepalgunj to Juphal on day 4, then walks to Dunai the same day¹. The itinerary returns by Juphal to Nepalgunj to Kathmandu on day 26¹.

The region is connected to the rest of Nepal via Juphal airport, which can be reached in three days by horse⁴. For the lower leg of the same country, read Lower Dolpo trek, and for the transit city Nepalgunj.