Upper Dolpo Traverse

Tonight we’ll stay at one of Kathmandu’s nicest hotels and share a group welcome dinner.

Nepalgunj Hotel

Fast-packing just means we’ll be carrying minimal supplies and covering bigger distances than you might on a normal backpacking expedition. We’re aiming to have packs down to 20 pounds or less and cover around 10 miles per day. Some days we may cover up to 15 miles. Some days we’ll rest or cover under 5.

You don’t need to be an ultra-marathoner, or even a marathoner to do this trip, but you do need to be in excellent shape.

We’ll cover anywhere from 5 to 15 miles in a day all on decent trail with light packs. That’s actually pretty reasonable over eight hours of hiking, but is a big day for most people, especially when you consider the altitude.

If you’re considering the trip, but unsure about fitness, give us a call — we’re happy to talk through it with you.

Upon booking you’ll receive training suggestions to prepare. Even if you’re not in shape for the trio now, you could be in a few months with a bit fo work.

• Professional American Mountain Guide with over 17 years climbing and skiing experience around the world & advanced wilderness medical training. Your American guide also speaks ok Nepali.

• Professional Nepali Mountain Guide who speaks fluent english.

• Porters or pack animals to take some fo the weight.

• All accommodations for the duration of the trip. Some five star hotels, some cozy but rustic tea houses, some wilderness camping.

• All meals except where noted in the itinerary. We can accommodate most dietary needs.

• All flights and transportation in Nepal.

• All permit costs and fees ($1000 value per person due to the restricted areas we’ll travel through.

• Comprehensive pre-departure information package

• All group gear: Tents, group shelters, cooking gear, first aid kits, emergency communication devices.

• Airfares to or from your home city, whether on scheduled or charter flights.

• Passport and visa expenses. Tourist entry fees may apply depending on your nationality.

• Any government arrival and departure airport taxes.

• Personal trekking gear: clothes, backpack, sleeping bag, sleeping pad, headlamp, etc.

• Meals not included in the itinerary where noted.

• Alcohol and specialty beverages.

• Baggage, cancellation and travel insurance (emergency medical and evacuation insurance is mandatory. We can help you to arrange this insurance if you need assistance.)

• Excess baggage charges.

• Laundry, bar, beverage and other personal charges while at the hotel.

• Tips for guides and porters.

We limit all our trips to 8 clients to keep it small and personal!

While in Kathmandu, Nepalgunj, and Pokhara we’ll be eating excellent food from around the world. In small towns we’ll be eating delicious and hearty home cooked Nepali food, usually Dhal Bhaat (rice and lentils) with curried vegetables and meat where available. When camping we’ll be eating lightweight backpacker meals.

You will not go hungry!

Someone will be there to pick you up from the airport on Day 1. Please plan to arrive in Kathmandu before 4 pm on Day 1. We will meet in Kathmandu in the hotel restaurant for a welcome dinner at 6:30. The exact hotel and room info will be sent to you after booking. Most people will want to arrive a few days early to see the area and travel around. At minimum we recommend arriving the day prior to settle in and rest off some let lag.

Please plan all homebound flights no earlier than 7pm on day 18.

Our mac altitude on this trip is around 17,000 feet /5,500 meters. That’s pretty high for most people, but we don’t get there on day one, we work up to it slowly.

If you have a history of altitude sickness, let us know.

We have people come on our trips by themselves all the time! There’s nothing like travel through remote wilderness to build community. Our prices are based on double occupancy of rooms. If you’re traveling alone we’ll ask you to pay a one time solo travel supplement to cover the extra cost of the room. Please inquire for updated pricing.

Indigo Alpine Guide trips are most often run by the owner Jack Bynum and his closest and most trusted friends. All the people who work for IAG have over a decade of experience guiding trips in the most remote places on earth, have wilderness medical training and advanced guiding certifications.

In addition to your American guide, you’ll also be joined by excellent and friendly Nepali guides personally vetted by IAG’s owner.

Your American guide will speak some Nepali and your Nepali guide will speak fluent English — together they can help you navigate the language and culture.

Deposit (non-refundable)

• $1,000–$2,000 per person, depending on the trip.

• Required to confirm your booking.

• The deposit is refundable if you cancel within 72 hours of booking. After that, they are non-refundable.

Final payment due:

• 90 days prior to trip start date.

Cancellation by client:

• >90 days before trip: Refund of all payments minus deposit.

• 61–90 days before trip: 50% refund of total trip cost.

• 60 days or fewer before trip: No refund.

• Replacement option: If you are able to fill your spot by finding a new guest, 100% refund (minus deposit).

Cancellation by Indigo Alpine Guides:

• Full refund of all payments including deposit, but we are not responsible for any additional expenses incurred (flights, hotels, etc.). We recommend booking refundable airfare when possible.

Trip delays / itinerary changes:

• No refunds for weather delays, itinerary changes, or other factors outside our control.

Travel insurance:

• Strongly recommended to protect your trip investment.

We always encourage folks to purchase trip cancelation insurance in addition to the mandatory medical evacuation insurance. We require that you have at least $200,000 in medical evacuation insurance. Your insurance policy should cover hazardous sports and we recommend that your policy cover search and rescue. Since we cannot confirm each client’s policy individually, it is your responsibility to make sure your policy will cover you while you participate in your activities of choice on the expedition.

For US citizens, we recommend Global Rescue. You will have a choice of purchasing it with or without the cancellation coverage–so make sure to select the one that gives you the coverage that you need. Other commonly used companies include World Nomads and Squaremouth.

You are welcome to seek out other insurance options, as these are only recommendations. When selecting a policy, please make sure they insure all the activities you’ll be participating in (many don’t include roped climbing, skiing, mountaineering, etc).