Snow leopard trek takes you to the remote area of Dolpo which is located in the western region of Nepal. In 1973 a travel writer, Peter Matthiessen published the book ‘The Snow Leopard’ after traveling to one of the remotest and least accessible districts of Dolpa. This snow leopard trek in Nepal is based on the writer's experience of getting to see the snow leopard in Nepal.
Snow Leopard (Uncia uncia), a giant cat native to the mountainous part of South Asia is a very rare species of a leopard that is on the verge of extinction and listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
These leopards are mostly found in the Himalayan region of central Asia and protected in 8 conservation areas: Annapurna Conservation area, Shey Phuksundo National Park, Kanchenjunga Conservation Area, Manaslu Conservation Area, Makalu Barun National Park, Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve, Sagarmatha National Park,and Langtang National Park.
Dolpo, which is located in western Nepal, provides an opportunity to travel the ancient village Dho Tarap, where people practice centuries-old traditions and customs, trail meander around the woods of pine, oak and juniper which homes the endangered animals like Himalayan musk deer, blue sheep and snow leopard.
Snow leopard trek in Nepal takes you to the place of far behind reach of modern facilities and development, Dolpo. 'Dolpa' which is geographically largest and remotest district in Nepal that lies in mid-western Nepal. It consists of unexploited and the diversity of flora and fauna.
Before, the entry to the upper region of this district was restricted for foreigners but it has changed now. You can get an special permit to explore the nature. The snow leopard is the endangered big cat found in Himalayan region. It is considered as the most dangerous and aggressive animal but instead it is very shy in nature.
Furthermore, snow leopard trek in Nepal is designed to fulfill the desire to observe snow leopard in its natural habitat. Through this trek, you will get to know more about the importance of this endangered animal for the ecosystem and the need for its conservation.
Trip Code
SLTID51
Starts
Juphal
Finishes
Juphal
Duration
20 Days
Difficulty
Moderate
Group-Size
2 - 14
Age
Minimum 16
Seasons
Mar-May
Elevation
5221 m/ 17129.3ft
Trip View
3095
Activities
Trekking
Travel Style
Comfortable
Trip popularity
TRIP FACTS
The scientific name of Snow Leopard is Panthera uncial
Nepal is home to 300-500 snow leopards
In Nepal, snow leopards are distributed along its northern frontier
Why this Trip
Trek based on the book ‘The Snow Leopard’ takes you to the remotest part of Nepal, Dolpo, towards the altitude of 2500 to 5190m. Snow Leopard is a very rare and beautiful species which you can see exclusively in Dolpa.
Trip Notes
•We reserve the right to change and that the program may be reversed. Things can happen that make it impossible to meet them as planned. If any meeting or plan would not be feasible, we always try to find an equivalent alternative. In Nepal, you always have a plan B and C!
•What follows is a general flow of events. Expect the unexpected and prepare to be flexible
•A trekking permit is a must to travel to controlled areas. Permit, however, is issued only to groups. Individual trekkers will not be issued trekking permit.
You will be surprised to see our little airport but what matters is affection and benevolence and that’s what you will get from our hospitality. We will be eagerly waiting for your arrival and soon we will be escorting you to our office for the briefing of the trekking. Then you will check-in at the hotel and after short rest we will gather for a fine dining.
Nepalgunj is a town in the western Terai, very close to the Indian border. It is a major trade hub for western regions of Nepal. On this day you will hop on a deluxe bus to Nepalgunj which is approximately 12 hrs long drive. Overnight stay at Nepalgunj.
Today we take a brief 35 minutes flight to Juphal. Juphal is starting point for our trek, from Juphal we hit the road and commence the trekking. The trail descends and skirts through local villages. To reach Rupghat we walk around 3 hrs then finally we reach our today destination.
Today after breakfast we will move towards the Chhepka village where we can found only few houses and lodges in the surrounding. On the way, enjoying the bird watching we will go to visit the Shey Phoksundo National Park.
Like in Every day today we move towards the Polam by crossing the big cedars forest and Boarding School “Tapariza”. Ringmo village people used to stay in Polam as a winter settlement.
Continuing the trek today we move towards the Phoksundo by viewing the highest waterfall in Nepal (200m). Also during the trek today we go through the Ringmo village where we can see the flat-roofed stone houses with lots of Mani walls. At night, we will do camping in the national park camping ground.
For 2 days, we take rest in Phoksundo to visit around the national park and look forwards the natural beauty of this place. Also, in this days if we are lucky then we can see the endangered species Snow Leopard here.
Today, we take rest in Yak Kharke to visit surroundings and look forwards the natural beauty. If we are lucky then we can see the Snow Leopard here also.
Today we embark on crossing another pass called Baga La Pass. It is strenuous uphill climb to Baga La pass, enjoying the beautiful meadow of Temche(4000m) we reach Danigar.
Today, after we finish breakfast we head toward the Numala Base Camp. During today's trek we can enjoy the scenic beauty of mountains and natural areas. 7-8 hours walk from Danigar we reach the Shering Gompa which is the house of the monks. From there for overnight stay, we go towards the Numala Base Camp, which is nearby the Shering Gompa.
Dho Tarap is a Highlight of this trek. It is a wonderful settlement that portrays the rustic attributes of Dolpo. Dho Tarap situated above a wide valley and was a famous trading point to the traders of Tibet and Mustang in the ancient days. We trek via traditional Tokyu village (4209m) to reach the magnificent village of Dho Tarap.
After the stay at the wonderful place, Dho Tarap and finishing the morning breakfast we move our feet for Simara. 6-7 hrs continuous walk through the Mirbubane Khola Dovan we reach our today destination.
We have our hearty breakfast and head towards Laini. We pass via Nawarpani Dovan (3780m) and Chhyugar (3440m). Laini is a great Campsite which has cascading waterfall nearby.
Today we head to Tarakot leaving Laini behind, we cross the latter via a high suspension bridge. We walk high above the river and then descent to Tarakot where we stay overnight. Tarakot has Gompa where we can visit at day.
Today we complete our circuit following the Barbung Khola to Dunai (2090m). Dunai has a couple of small lodges that allows us to stay overnight or we can stay in Camp.
It will be your last day in the city and therefore shop and try out the traditional cuisines as much you desire and make the most of the day. According to your schedule we will drop you off at the airport for the flight back home.
For nights in cities, we use standard/superior standard/deluxe rooms whereas, during the trek we use camping for our clients. We also arrange sleeping bags for our clients, on their request.
We believe in operating small intimate group to provide personal attention and services to our guests. Small groups can enjoy the trek hassle free and enjoy the customized trip according to their need and suitability. We do not incorporate more than 14 People in a group, unless we get special requests from our clients.
Snow Leopard is a very rare and beautiful species which you can see exclusively in Dolpo. It provides an opportunity to travel ancient villages like Dho Tarap, people here practice centuries old traditions and customs, trail meander around the woods of pine, oak and juniper which homes the endangered animals like the Himalayan musk deer, blue sheep and snow leopard.
Yes, Nepal can boast as the one of the safest country in South Asia for women, you will find people very friendly and respectful towards foreigners especially towards women. As this trek is not so hard to finish, it is mostly done. You won’t be having any difficulty while doing this trek.
We make sure to take security measures during trek to make your trip delightful. We hire experienced and license holding guides to safeguard your life in mountains. We suggest you to follow the guide’s instruction carefully and take responsibility for personal belongings. Always keep your valued belongings near you.
During camping, our expert camping cooks prepare a wide range of delicious meals empowering you with enough strength for your strenuous climbing. All the cooking materials will be carried by our porters.
There are plenty of water stations on each stop on the route. You can easily fill up the bottle from the open taps. We recommend that you bring water purifier tablets with you or at least get it from Kathmandu before you depart for trekking. You can also buy mineral waters but we usually recommend tap water which is pure and it helps us not promoting plastic bottled water.
We use private car, van and deluxe minibus with A/C depending on the size of the group for the transportation. We then transfer from Kathmandu to Nepalgunj on private transportation too. We then fly to Juphal on domestic flight. We also pick up and drop from the starting point to ending point depending on your comfort desires of transportation.
October and November are the best seasons for this trekking. December, January and February are still good months for trekking, but it can be bitterly cold at high altitudes.
Before coming to Nepal, make sure that you are covered by insurance policy for the altitude of 5500 meters. In the case of an emergency like altitude sickness, dehydration or any medical conditions ask your tour leader/guide to contact us as soon as possible so that we can manage/arrange helicopter for the rescue. Then you will be transferred to hospital for the treatment.
Trekking is a tiresome activity that requires a lot of physical movement so pack your active wears and trekking pants for at lower altitudes. Weather at high altitude is unpredictable so carry a light weight waterproof jacket along with thick down jacket, pant and thermal inner wear to escape severe cold. Needless to say that, good shoes are very important for trekking in rough and snowy terrain, so invest on good quality shoes or rent it from us in a minimum price. As you are trekking in remote village try to wear modest clothes to quickly gel up with the local people without hesitation.
We contact the lodge/guesthouse owner for reservation of the room before trekking on a particular day. On other days, porters reach the destination on advance and book the rooms for you. But there are always going to be exceptions but even in those cases, we may have to be flexible about very basic sleeping arrangements. We always try to make sure that we have everything well arranged.
All our guides are trekking experts holding license from Nepal Tourism Board, Nepal Government. They are the most valuable assets of the company. Guides know the trekking route like the back of their hand and use their expertise in ensuring your safety in the mountains.
While trekking in higher lands you need to pay for charging the electronics upon request to the owner. The best idea always is to bring your own power bank with you. It's easier and cheaper.
If you need extra day to complete the trekking, you'll need to inform the guide in advance and the guide will let the company know. Adding a day to trekking can result in many changes in other arrangements such as transportation, guides' schedule, flight details, hotel bookings and all, so we really don't recommend this to our clients unless there's an emergency cases. But it's true that those changes could be made but it will cost extra. The best way to do it is to inform the agent company about it.
Before coming to Nepal, make sure you are covered for diphtheria & TB, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, malaria, typhoid, polio and tetanus. Make sure you are in best shape to complete the trekking without any complication.
Usually, we have to walk about 7-9 hours a day. But it shouldn't be taken as certain thing. Because the number of hours of walk really depend on client’s speed. So it's really relative.
To confirm your booking, a deposit of 15% of total trip amount is required if you are booking at least a year in advance before trip departure date. If booking is made between 100-364 days before the trip departure, you'll need to pay 20% to confirm the trip. If payment is made between 99-60 days, 25% of the total trip amount will need to be paid and if booked between 59-30 days, 50% of the total trip amount needs to be paid and finally, if you are booking 29 days prior to trip departure, then 100% payment should be made. The payments can be easily made by the bank transfer. The due balance is payable on arrival in Kathmandu with cash (preferably USD/EURO) or card on POS/credit card machine. Please note that non refundable fee is 10% or $200 whichever is greater.
You cannot use the credit card during the trek. You have to withdraw the money before you start the trek and convert it into Nepali Rupees. You can use credit card only in Kathmandu.
You have to carry your personal bags with water bottle and medicines remaining bags will be carried by porters to make you easy to trek. The weight limit for porters is 15 KG.
No, we can not guarantee the sights of Snow Leopards. We try and prepare our best to show this mysterious cats to our clients. But it shouldn't be taken as one hundred percent. There are chances that we see them but not always.
