Shey Gompa - Upper Dolpo Trekking is a strenuous endeavor that sweeps past unimaginable natural beauty and age-old traditional Buddhist and Bonpo villages. Desolate landscapes with isolated villages still follow shamanism, untouched by external influences passed along the journey. In the fairytale-like Crystal Mountain, SheyGompa resides as the spiritual center for Upper Dolpo and is a revered pilgrimage site. The Upper Dolpo region requires special permits, making this trek even more exclusive.
We fly from Kathmandu to Nepalgunj and then to Jhupal. Dunai is a short trek from Jhupal, passing through terraced fields and the Bheri River. Hankhe, our next stop is the entrance to SheyPhoksundo. Passing forests, grassy slopes, and narrow trails along the river, we cross Regi and then head to the Buddhist village of Ringmo with Phoksundo Lake nearby. We stop here one more day and take a short hike to the RingmoGompa. Climbing a rocky ledge to reach an altitude of 4060m and then descending along with alpine vegetation, we settle down and the campsite of Chunemba. Passing a ridge that gives spectacular mountain views with valleys below, we reach LarTsa. Following similar trails, we get to Mendok Din, after which we go to the ancient SheyGompa village. Next, the trail passes Saldang La pass(5010m) and descends through yak grazing pasture lands to NamdoGaon and Saldang. We follow small settlements and this least explored territory by taking barren wind-eroded terrain following the Nang Chu river. We reach YangjeerGompa. Climbing to Musigaon and further on to Lnag La, we take a descent to Tinjagaon. Next, we cross Charka pass(5036m) and Sangda pass(5490m), camping along the way in the subsequent days. The rest of the journey is a gradual descent to Yak Kharka, Sangda village, and Jomsom, where we take a flight to Pokhara and then to Kathmandu.
