A remote camping traverse from Juphal up the Tarap valley to Dho Tarap, east over high passes to Chharka Bhot, and over the Sangda La into Mustang to finish at Jomsom.
- Days
- 16 days
- Maximum altitude
- 5,550 m
- Difficulty
- Challenging
Dolpoछार्का
Chharka
A fortified-looking stone village in eastern Dolpo, a key stop on traverses between Dolpo and Mustang.
- Altitude
- 4,320 m*
- Best months
- May-Oct
- Type
- Trek stop
- District
- Dolpa, Karnali
- Permit
- Restricted-area permit
Higher seasonal exposure: other (Jun-Sep), altitude (All year), snow (Nov-Apr), cold (Nov-Mar), other (Jun-Sep).
Why go
Chharka, often called Chharka Bhot, is a compact stone village at about 4,300 m in the Tsharka valley of eastern Dolpo, the heart of Chharka Tangsong Rural Municipality. Its closely packed houses, chortens and fields sit on a shelf above the river, surrounded by bare cliffs and high pasture.
Trekkers reach Chharka on the long traverses between Dolpo and Mustang: from Dho Tarap over passes above 5,000 m, or from Mustang via Sangda and the Sangda La. Most groups take a rest day here, both to acclimatise and to prepare for the remote stretch towards Sangda and Jomsom, which crosses passes up to about 5,500 m with no villages for several days.
History and culture
Chharka is one of the four historic valleys of Dolpo, its name usually translated as good growing place, and its fields lie close to the upper limit of farming in Nepal. Its people follow Tibetan Buddhism and Bon, and trade with Mustang and Tibet has long shaped village life. In the 2001 census almost all residents identified as Buddhist.
Things to do in Chharka
Explore the village
Walk the narrow lanes and visit the local gompas with your guide, asking before entering or photographing.
Rest before the passes to Mustang
Use a rest day to acclimatise and check weather before the multi-day crossing towards Sangda.
Weather and the best time to visit Chharka
Weather in Chharka
Forecast for 4,320 m. Conditions change fast in the mountains.
Weather data: MET Norway, licensed CC BY 4.0. A forecast, not a guarantee.
Best time to visit
May-Oct
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- Good month: May
- Good month: Jun
- Good month: Jul
- Good month: Aug
- Good month: Sep
- Good month: Oct
- Nov
- Dec
- Autumn (Sep-Nov)
- September and October are clear and dry; by November the high passes become cold and snow is likely.
- Winter (Dec-Feb)
- December to February is very cold, the passes are usually snowbound and many people move to lower villages.
- Spring (Mar-May)
- April and May are possible, but snow can linger on the passes until late spring.
- Monsoon (Jun-Aug)
- June to August is a good season in this rain-shadow area, but flights to Juphal are often delayed by cloud and the lower trails can be wet.
Where to stay
CampingHomestays
Groups usually camp; a few homes and a basic camping lodge may take guests.
No partner stays are listed here yet. List a property.
Getting there
Reached only on foot, about five days from Jomsom via Sangda, or three to four days from Dho Tarap.
Nearest hub: Jomsom
- trekFrom Dho Tarap, about three days over high passes such as the Chan La or Jhyarkoi La and Mo La.
- trekFrom Jomsom or Kagbeni via Phalyak, Sangda and the Sangda La, about four to five days.
Getting to Chharka, by mode
Nearest hub: Jomsom. Times are typical ranges, not schedules, and vary with roadworks, weather and the season.
By airfrom Pokharaabout 0.3-0.6 hJomsomoften delayed or cancelled by weather
One approach is to fly Pokhara to Jomsom in about 20 minutes and walk in over the Sangda La; the other is the Nepalgunj-Juphal flight and the Dolpo trails. Both strips are weather-dependent and morning-only.
When to set off: Flights are scheduled in the early morning, when wind speeds in the gorge are lowest; keep a spare day in the plan.
On footfrom Dho TarapAbout three days from Dho Tarap over high passes such as the Chan La, Jhyarkoi La or Mo La; or four to five days from Jomsom or Kagbeni via Phalyak, Sangda and the Sangda La.
Chharka sits at about 4,320 m and is reached only on foot. Every approach crosses passes above 5,000 m, so the practical window is short.
Where people go next
- Dho Tarapon footWest over the Chan La or Mo La, about three days.
- Jomsomon footSouth-east over the Sangda La via Sangda and Phalyak, four to five days.
- Dolpoon footThe wider Dolpo region; Chharka is its south-eastern outpost.
- Upper Mustangon footThe Mustang side of the watershed, linked by the Sangda trails.
Permits and fees
Restricted-area permit
Chharka Tangsong Rural Municipality is listed under the Upper Dolpa restricted-area permit: arrange it through a registered agency. The Mustang side of the route is in the Annapurna Conservation Area. Restricted-area permits are issued only through a government-registered trekking agency, for trekkers with a licensed guide; a minimum group of two has long been required, and changes have been reported, so confirm the current rule.
- Upper Dolpa restricted-area permit: Covers Chharka Tangsong Rural Municipality; issued through a registered agency.
- Annapurna Conservation Area Permit (ACAP): For the Mustang side via Sangda and Phalyak.
- Guide rule: Since April 2023 foreign trekkers in national parks and conservation areas are generally required to go with a licensed guide; check the current rule.
Verify before travel: permit rules and fees change. Checked 2026-10-06 against Department of Immigration, Nepal: Trekking Route and Permit Fee.
On the trail
On the Dho Tarap to Jomsom traverse, Dolpo to Mustang treks.
- Previous stop:
- Camp below the passes from Dho Tarap
- Next stop:
- Molum Sumna camp towards the Sangda La
- A typical day:
- From the camp below the pass, about 5-7 hours of descent and valley walking.
Risks and conditions
Seasonal risks around Chharka
What this place is typically exposed to, and when. These are seasonal patterns, not a report on conditions now.
Otherhigh in a typical yearJun-Sep
Access, not rain, is the monsoon problem: cloud on the Nepalgunj-Juphal leg frequently delays or cancels the flight into Dolpa, and spare days at either end are normal.
Altitudehigh in a typical yearAll year
Chharka sits at about 4,320 m, well above the roughly 2,500 m at which altitude sickness becomes common, and most itineraries go higher still. General information, not medical advice: gain height slowly (a common guideline is no more than about 300 m a day in sleeping altitude once high), learn the symptoms, descend if they get worse, see a doctor before travelling, and carry insurance that covers helicopter evacuation.
Snowhigh in a typical yearNov-Apr
The Upper Dolpo routes cross passes above 5,000 m; these hold snow from late autumn into spring, and in deep winter they are not normally crossed.
Coldhigh in a typical yearNov-Mar
Winter at 3,800-4,200 m in Dolpo is severe and many families move with their animals to lower ground, so shelter and food along the route thin out.
Otherhigh in a typical yearJun-Sep
Walkers coming from the Mustang side depend on the Pokhara-Jomsom flight or the Beni gorge road, both of which are frequently disrupted in the monsoon even though Chharka itself is dry.
Landslideslow in a typical yearJun-Sep
Dolpo is a trans-Himalayan rain-shadow region with under 500 mm of precipitation a year, so monsoon rain and landslide exposure in the upper valleys is low; the lower Suli Gad and Bheri trails are wetter.
Check current conditions before you travel
Roads, trails, passes and flights change with the weather and with roadworks, and nothing on this page describes conditions today. Before you set off, check the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology for weather and flood warnings, the Nepal Disaster Risk Reduction Portal for incidents, and the local authority, police or your licensed operator for road, trail and flight status.
Practical tips
- At about 4,300 m altitude illness is likely without acclimatisation; a rest day is standard. This is general information, not medical advice.
- There is no reliable mobile signal; carry a satellite communicator.
- Walk clockwise around Buddhist chortens and ask before taking photographs.
- Food supplies are limited; your agency should carry them.
Treks through Chharka
Questions about Chharka
Where is Chharka Bhot?
In eastern Dolpo, Dolpa district, between the Tarap valley and the Mustang border.
How high is Chharka?
About 4,300 m.
What permit do I need for Chharka?
The Upper Dolpa restricted-area permit through a registered agency, plus an ACAP permit if you continue into Mustang.
More in Dolpo
All of DolpoLake · 3,612 m
Phoksundo Lake
A deep turquoise alpine lake in Dolpo, dammed by an ancient landslide, with the Bon village of Ringmo on its shore.
Temple, monastery or heritage site · 4,340 m
Shey Gompa
A remote monastery in Upper Dolpo below Crystal Mountain, reached over the Kang La from Phoksundo Lake.
Trek stop · 4,080 m
Dho Tarap
A high farming village in the Tarap valley of Dolpo, a crossroads of treks between Phoksundo, Upper Dolpo and Mustang.
Trek stop · 2,090 m
Dunai
The district headquarters of Dolpa on the Thuli Bheri river, the first night for most treks into Dolpo.
Trek stop · 3,620 m
Saldang
The largest village of Upper Dolpo, scattered high above the Nankhang valley on the old salt-trade route to Tibet.
Nearby
Valley or region
Dolpo
A remote trans-Himalayan region of Bon and Buddhist villages, high passes and turquoise Phoksundo Lake, behind the Dhaulagiri and Kanjiroba ranges.
Town or village · 2,743 m
Jomsom
Mustang's headquarters and airstrip town on the Kali Gandaki, under the walls of Nilgiri and Dhaulagiri.
Valley or region
Upper Mustang
The old Kingdom of Lo: a dry, wind-carved valley of cave cliffs, red monasteries and walled villages north of Kagbeni.
Editorial draft: facts are being checked against the sources below. Last checked 2026-10-06. Sources: Chharka, Wikipedia, Dolpo, Wikipedia, Department of Immigration, Nepal: Trekking Route and Permit Fee, Chharka Bhot, OpenStreetMap