Treks inDolpo & Rara

Dolpo and Far Western Nepal sit inside the Shey-Phoksundo National Park in mid-western Nepal, behind the Dhaulagiri massif, towards the Tibetan plateau. Permitted since 1989, this remains a truly isolated corner of Nepal where time has stood still for centuries. Inhabitants of Tibetan stock continue to live, cultivate, and trade the way they have done for hundreds of years.

What Awaits

The region offers opportunities to visit ancient villages, high passes, breathtaking lakes, and isolated Buddhist monasteries. The wildlife inhabiting the region is equally remarkable:

• Blue Sheep grazing on high-altitude pastures above the tree line.
• Mountain Goat, Jackal, and Wolf roaming the remote valleys.
• The legendary Snow Leopard, one of the most elusive predators on Earth.

The impossibly blue Phoksundo Lake is the crown jewel of the region, Nepal's deepest lake set at 3,611m in a ring of towering cliffs. This is the landscape that inspired Peter Matthiessen's The Snow Leopard, and it remains one of the wildest places on Earth.

Trekking Routes

• Upper Dolpo Trek is a demanding restricted-area journey through wind-carved canyons, ancient Bon monasteries, and high passes above 5,000m. Most treks take 14 to 30 days depending on the route.
• Lower Dolpo Trek offers a shorter alternative reaching Phoksundo Lake without the Upper Dolpo permit, accessible in 10 to 14 days.
• Rara Lake Trek visits Nepal's largest and deepest lake, set in a remote national park with pristine forests and virtually no crowds.
• Shorter Dolpo treks are possible by flying into the airstrip at Jumla.

Permits & Costs

It is only by special permit that we are able to offer treks through Upper Dolpo:

• $710 per person for 10 days.
• $910 per person for 13 days.
• $70 per day thereafter.

These are expeditionary treks requiring full camping support. Mountain Hawk Trek is one of the few operators with the logistics network to run them reliably. We handle all restricted-area permits, transport, crew, and equipment from Kathmandu.