Escape and explore a forgotten frontier, where rhinos thrive, and Tibetan monasteries glow beneath the mountains. Western Nepal is the land of the wild Himalayas, a place few people visit and even fewer understand. Proud and pristine, this land has only just become accessible to visitors, so bask in the uniqueness of a Lower Dolpo trek and a jungle safari. If you seek off the beaten track adventure, there’s nowhere quite like Nepal. Are you planning your once-in-a-lifetime dream vacation to Nepal?...
Customizable Itinerary
Day 1
Kathmandu – Touch Down and Checking Out the City
Exotic scenes will fill your day once you touch down in Kathmandu. You will meet your guide at the airport before your private transfer takes you to the hotel. Then spend the day exploring as the itinerary will be flexible to your energy levels. Just walking around Thamel will bring hundreds of evocative impressions. Bicycle rickshaws cut down streets of mandala paintings and incense slips out from temple sanctuaries. Holy men don painted bodies and orange robes while cows lie in the road to rest. Monkeys swing beneath prayer flags at Swayambhunath pagoda, but this is only just the start. Tomorrow you’ll fly off to the far west of the country, where it’s just as exotic but far less crowded.
What's Included:
Day 2
Nepalgunj – Relaxed Morning and Flying to Far Western Nepal
Day 3
Dunai – Himalayan Scenic Flight and the First Day of Trekking
Day 4
Chhepka – Into Shey Phoksundo National Park
Day 5
Jharana Hotel – Through a Forest of Cedars and Past a 1,000-Foot Waterfall
Day 6
Ringmo – Lakeside Life in the Wild Himalayas
Day 7
Ringmo – Exploring Phoksundo Lake With its Glaciers and Monasteries
Day 8 - 9
Juphal – Descending Through Wild Valleys
Day 10
Bardiya National Park – Nepal’s Lesser-Known Jungle Safari
Day 11 - 12
Bardiya National Park – Relaxing With Rhinos and Elephants
Day 13
Kathmandu – Final Morning Safari and Back in the Capital
Day 14
Kathmandu – Departure
Trip Highlights
- Savor eight days on the trekking trail as you traverse rivers and forests in Shey Phoksundo National Park
- Bask in the beauty of Phoksundo Lake, a pristine work of nature hidden away in the Himalayas
- Come eye to eye with rhinos on a jungle safari in Bardiya National Park, Nepal’s lesser-known wildlife realm.
- Fully celebrate the beauty of the wild as you follow trails that see hardly any other trekkers
- Get invited to mountain monasteries, feel the warm welcome of rural villages, and connect with a proud Himalayan culture
- Tailor your jungle experience with walks, drives and boat safaris bringing intimacy with nature’s giants
- Marvel at the views on a 35-minute scenic flight from Nepalgunj to Juphal, the only way to access the Phoksunod trekking region
- Experience a landscape and destination that remains entirely off tourists’ radar, known only to a handful in Nepal
Detailed Description
The Himalayas remain mysterious and unknown. Trekkers may clamber to the world’s highest mountains, but there is far more beyond Everest and Annapurna. Phoksundo Lake is so remote that it’s a 35-minute flight to the start of the trekking trail, followed by several days of walking. This is far western Nepal, a region that’s only just become accessible to tourism. There’s a real sense of how Nepal used to be, before tourism. Rugged trails through remote valleys, meetings with monks in mountain monasteries, and spectacular vistas that remain uninterrupted. With no other tourists around the experience will be raw and unscripted. When you return home, you’ll wonder why this region so unknown, but you’ll be happy to keep it a secret for a while longer.
Phoksundo is a magical and glittering body of turquoise water surrounded by raw Himalayan peaks. Tiny settlements are found along the lakeshore, occupied by spiritual Buddhists who herd yaks in the mountains. The trek to get here passes through great cedar forests, then onwards past a 1,000-foot waterfall to expressive alpine viewpoints and roving glaciers. You will traverse wild Himalayan valleys, only known to those from this region. Traveling photographers haven’t even documented much of this trekking trail, and it’s only been in the last few years that the Shey Phoksundo National Park has become accessible, even if Tibetans settled the area more than 900 years ago.
Stop in teahouse accommodations along the way and spend many hours with the locals, as cultural connections will be a significant highlight of this trek. Over the course of your journey, it’s unlikely you’ll see more than ten other tourists the whole time. Bardiya National Park will be the other mystical highlight in far western Nepal. Rhinos and elephants have made a home here, along with royal Bengal tigers. The park receives only a tiny fraction of the visitors to Chitwan National Park. So there’s intimacy and exclusivity to this safari that offers an immersion in the jungle after a journey through the mountains. For an off the beaten track adventure, you can’t get more exclusive than far western Nepal.
Begin planning your dream Nepal tour by connecting with one of our luxury Nepal travel agencies.
Starting Price
$2,795 per person (excluding international flights)
Your Zicasso trip is fully customizable, and this sample itinerary is a starting place for your travel plans. Actual costs are dynamic, and your selection of accommodations and activities, your season of travel, and other such variables will bring this budget guideline up or down. Throughout your planning experience with your Zicasso specialist, your itinerary is designed around your budget. You can book your trip when you are satisfied with every detail. Planning your trip with a Zicasso travel specialist is a free service.
What's Included
- Accommodations
- In-country transportation
- Some or all activities and tours
- Expert trip planning
- 24x7 support during your trip
Your final trip cost will vary based on your selected accommodations, activities, meals, and other trip elements that you opt to include.
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