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. Dolpo has appeared in historical records since about the 8th century⁴, and it traditionally traded salt from Tibet to the lower parts of Nepal⁴. 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 text counts 2 acclimatisation days, while the table marks rest days at Phoksundo Lake on day 8, Shey Gompa on day 12 and Dho Tarap on day 20¹. Day 3 reaches only 150 m at Nepalgunj, and the last day ends at 1,380 m in Kathmandu¹.

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 12, and another paragraph gives Shey Gompa as 4,500 m¹. The page’s FAQ names five passes, Kang La at 5,360 m, Numa La, Baga La, Jeng La and Saldang La at 5,315 m, and calls Kang La the highest, which conflicts with Jeng La at 5,670 m in the header¹.

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.

How difficult is the Upper Dolpo trek

The trek is graded strenuous¹. Three things set the grade: the length of 27 days from Kathmandu, 5 high passes with 3 of them over 5,000 m, and camping on every night¹. The operator built in 2 acclimatisation days¹. The group minimum is 2¹.

The highest day figures in the table are 5,100 m on day 13, crossing Saldang La, and 4,900 m on day 18, crossing Jenga La¹. The route has no ATM services, so cash for personal spending must be carried¹.

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.

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 Mustang and Upper Dolpa, if the royalty paid for a mountain expedition is less than the trekking permit fee, the difference must be paid separately².

The same table has a separate Lower Dolpa row, at USD 20 per person per week and USD 5 per day beyond 1 week, covering Thulibheri and Tripurasundari municipalities (wards 1 to 11 each), Dolpo Buddha Rural Municipality wards 1 to 3 and Shey Phoksundo Rural Municipality wards 8 and 9, among others².

In November 2025 the trekking operators’ association TAAN urged the Department of Immigration and the government to revise the rule, so that the fee follows the trekker’s actual length of stay instead of a 10-day minimum⁵. The table seen in October 2026 still lists the 10-day fee².

Shey-Phoksundo National Park permit

Part of Dolpo lies in Shey Phoksundo National Park⁴. In October 2026 the Nepal Tourism Board 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 the Destination Himalaya Treks group-size table priced the trek at 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 puts the cost at from USD 2,999 and goes up to USD 3,899 depending on group size¹. The one-person price conflicts with the header’s minimum group of 2¹.

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.

Nepalgunj to Juphal flight

The trailhead is Juphal. The trip starts with a small aircraft to Juphal via Nepalgunj¹. 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 domestic flight to Juphal or Nepalgunj is usually delayed or cancelled because of bad weather and air traffic congestion, so the operator advises 2 to 3 extra buffer days¹. The flight back from Juphal through Nepalgunj to Kathmandu is listed at 1.5 hours¹. See flights to Juphal.

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.

Shey Gompa and the Crystal Mountain

Shey Gompa is the turning point of the route, at 4,130 m in the operator’s pass list¹. The operator puts the monastery at the meeting of two rivers and reports it as said to be 800 years old¹. A TU Graz research page on Shey Sumdo, also called Crystal Monastery, gives a different account: it was founded in the late 17th century by Lama Tenzin Ralwa of the Kagyu tradition⁶. The TU Graz research page on Shey Sumdo places it north of Phoksundo Lake in Upper Dolpo, at the most important pilgrimage site of Dolpo around the Crystal Mountain⁶.

Both Bon and Buddhist inhabitants treat the place as an important religious centre⁶. Pilgrims come annually, or at least every twelve years in the Dragon Year⁶. This page uses the academic account for the founding.