Middle Dolpo *exploratory
Dho-Tarap - Schaller Trail - Phoksundo - Kagmara La
Dolpo is a dramatic landscape of nature's colours and bedrock textures, water-sculpted gorges of sheer rockfaces and translucent turquoise rapids, steep hillsides of fragrant pine and leafless birch rising to autumnal shrubs and alpine grasses crowned by soaring mountains, and all on a Himalayan scale. Meditatively blended into this are red ochre gompas with chanting incarnate lamas, wandering shepherds based from homely tents, jingling yak caravans driven by jaunty cowboys, snotty ragamuffins and their more circumspect parents living sustainably in once fortified stone villages. Our innovative trek route is an appreciative, adventurous journey off the beaten path where we explore a few geographical mysteries of the area and immerse ourselves in all that is Dolpo.
Why Middle Dolpo? The name relates to exploring an area that is not true Upper Dolpo with its expensive permit as it is just south of the administrative border but is above the normal Lower Dolpo trek routes. It is an area where few trekkers have dared and none have explored comprehensively. Second, why this trek? I simply love Dolpo, the whole experience, reinforced by our 2011, 2016, 2018 & 2019 Upper Dolpo exploratory journeys and given the choice of all of Nepal would rather explore here in Dolpo.
And the Schaller Trail? When the noted naturalist George Schaller and Peter Matheissen of "The Snow Leopard" book fame trekked out of the region they took a more circuitous route around Phoksundo in the hope of seeing more wildlife - as we hope too.
For our previous Dolpo trekkers, this route is new to you, avoiding trails we have previously trekked except for a day around Phuksundo Lake and there is a new lower trekking trail partly around the lake under construction/recently opened there too. The trek is a mix of shorter and moderately long trekking days and plenty of days for wide ranging alpine exploration.
Our journey begins with a spectacular flight along the Himalayan range to Juphal then trek (or partly drive?) to our horsemans' village, passing through the still surprisingly rustic headquarters of Dunai. The next few days to the villages of Dho-Tarap are in a rough and deep gorge that will become a road in a few years, although work has yet to start, and so another reason for this "before it's gone" trek. Then we venture off the beaten trail for our exhilarating exploration of the multiple passes that lead to Upper Dolpo and head the long way around Phoksundo Lake, including a few additional days for exploring. Only briefly back at familiar lake shore camps/on the standard route, we detour to take the traditional winter herding route over the Kagmara La to Kaigaon with some exploration of a mountain ring "Dolpo Sanctuary" and then back to Juphal for our flight out.
All in all, our trek is a unique, fabulous Dolpo camping journey with two or three bouts of trademark exploration.
