Overview
The visit to Damodar Kunda trek is a unique religious excursion of the Damodar lake. The Domaodar Kunda is a sacred lake lying in the Tibetan borders of Nepal. The lake lies in the Upper Mustang area of Nepal in the Northern Annapurna range. The mountain is around 4980 meters tall and is a very sacred place for Hindu pilgrims. The pilgrims believe that taking a holy bath once in a lifetime is essential. It allows them to wash away all sins of their present and past lifetimes.
The lake lying in the foothills of the Annapurna range also neighbors the Tibetan plateaus. The remote Nepali trails on the Tibetan border make up for the Upper Mustang trek. Naturally, the Damodar Kunda also encompasses such a location. It falls under the restricted Upper Mustang area of the Nepal government. You will need a special area permit to enter the area.
We at Nebira holidays offer the nine days long Damodar Kunda tour package. It allows you to have a religious trip to the lake, vistas around various hamlets of Mustang, and a Pokhara tour. The trip will be particularly exciting due to its modes of transport. You can choose to travel to the sacred lake by riding on horseback or on a trek. Both options will be quite adventurous and you may choose as you wish.
Our journey begins from Kathmandu and ends with your departure back home. We will first gather in Kathmandu after you arrive at the Tribhuvan International airport. The next day we will take a flight to Pokhara and have a little sightseeing. Then we fly to Jomsom from Pokhara. Then we move from Jomsom to Charang or Yara or through a jeep. Then we make a trip to our main destination, Damodar Kunda. Halfway through the trip, we stop at Ghumi Thanti and either make the rest of the journey on foot or on horseback.
After our religious tour of the side is done, we return to Jomsom from the same route. Then we again retrace our steps back to Pokhara and eventually to Kathmandu.
Our trip will be full of road trips, treks, and sightseeing around Nepal. It will be a religious excursion with several side ventures. Stick with us to get more info on this adventurous trip.
Highlights of the trip
- Get a chance to bathe in the holy lake of Damodar Kunda.
- Visit the restricted region of the Upper Mustang region.
- Observe mesmerizing views of mountains like Dhaulagiri and Annapurna.
- Have a short getaway sightseeing trip at Pokhara.
- Get an opportunity to travel via horseback riding in remote areas of Nepal.
- Pass through several beautiful hamlets, including Jomsom, Kagbeni, and Lo – Manthang
Itinerary
Cost Includes
- Roundtrip airport transfers in Kathmandu
- Guided sightseeing tour of UNESCO World Heritage sites in Kathmandu
- Necessary permits for trekking in restricted areas
- All necessary paperwork and permits (National park fee, TIMS)
- Flight tickets from Kathmandu to Pokhara and back
- Private transportation to and from the trailhead
- All meals during the trek (breakfast, lunch, and dinner)
- Accommodation in teahouses and tents during the trek
- Experienced trekking guide and porter services
- Insurance for guide and porter
- All applicable taxes and service charges
Cost Excludes
- Personal travel insurance
- Nepalese visa fees
- Extra accommodation and meals in Kathmandu in case of early arrival or late departure
- Lunch and dinner in Kathmandu
- Emergency rescue and evacuation services
- Personal expenses such as phone calls, laundry, bar bills, etc.
- Tips for guide and porter
- Any additional costs due to unforeseen circumstances or events beyond control (e.g. flight delays, cancellation, illness)
It will take a total of 9 days to finish the Damodar Kunda visit. This includes your day of arrival at Kathmandu and departure from Nepal.
You’ll be staying at the city’s hotels during your journey. There will be extra accommodations at the hotels in Pokhara and Kathmandu. You will, however, spend the night at nearby lodges and tea houses in the Upper Mustang region. The lodges are nonetheless extremely pleasant despite not being like the hotels in Pokhara or Kathmandu.
After passing Ghumi Thanti, we will arrive at the remote point at the high pass. It is situated at a height of 5100 meters.
You will be able to eat typical Nepali meals while traveling. Meals consisting of pickles, lentils, vegetable curries, and rice or rotis are included. Both vegetarian and non-vegetarian meals will be available. However, if you have any special dietary needs, please let us know in advance.
For the journey, you will require both a Restricted Area Permit for the Upper Mustang region and the Annapurna Conservation Area Permit.
Best time to visit Damodar Kunda trek
People visit Damodar Kunda mostly from April to September. Most Nepali trekking trails are open for treks during autumn and spring. This is because these months bring stable weather conditions with minimal rainfall or snowfall. Problems of road blockages, difficulty due to rainfall and snowfall, muddy trails, etc., do not occur in these months. But this does not apply to the Upper Mustang trail trekking. The area lies within the rain shadow area and does not experience monsoons. So people comfortably trek the region from mid-spring till mid-autumn. However, the trails get very cold during winter and bring snowfall. So winter is very less chosen for Damodar Kunda’s visit.
Why do the Damodar Kunda trek?
Damodar Kunda and its significance.
The Damodar Kunda lake is a famous site for Hindu pilgrims. People regard it to be the head among the “liberation areas.” Purans imply that Kubera’s sons washed away their sins by taking a bath in this lake. So, pilgrims often visit this place as they believe it is sacred. The holy site gains a lot of pilgrim visitors during festivals like Janai Purnima and Chaite Dashain.
People also believe that the water of the lake comes from Mansarovar, another popular Hindu pilgrimage. Pilgrims doing religious tours around places like Kailash, Muktinath, and many religious sites around Nepal and Tibet visit Damodar Kunda.
People worship and take holy baths in one of the reservoirs among the three that the lake houses. The reservoirs of the lake are named Chakra Kunda, Dudh Kunda, and Tama Kunda. Chakra Kunda is a special site of worship and holy bath among these three. The pool reflects eye-shaped rainbow images in a mesmerizing way.
We highly recommend you visit a place with such great religious and cultural significance.
A sightseeing tour of Pokhara
Pokhara is one of the most well-liked tourist destinations in Nepal. The city is energetic, stunning by nature, and a lot of fun. You can never get tired of visiting the area because it has so many tourist attractions. You are welcomed by the city’s lovely view of the mountains and lakes. Plus, the site of those mountains reflecting on the lakes is ethereal. During your stay, you will be spoiled with such views of the mountains because you are staying near a lake.
The city also offers numerous religious attractions in addition to the natural scenery. There is reverence for the Gupteshwor cave, the Tal Barahi temple, the Bindabashini temple, the world peace pagoda, etc.
Pass through some regions of the Upper Mustang trek
The Upper Mustang trek is a hike in Nepal’s northwest Tibetan borders. Most parts of the Upper Mustang treks are among the forbidden kingdom of Tibet and very fresh trails. On our trip to Domodar Kunda, we will visit some of the Upper Mustang trek destinations. The lake of Damodar Kunda itself lies within the upper mustang region. Along with that, we will also pass through places like Charang, Yara, and Jomsom.
The trails are pretty unique as they lie in the monsoon shadow area. The upper mustang region does not receive rainfall and is convenient for treks even in monsoon. Along with that, the region also has a unique nature and culture. You can see a blend of the Hindu lifestyle with Tibetan Buddhism culture. It is a very interesting place to visit among the various trekking trails of Nepal. On our Damodar Kunda trip, you will get an opportunity to visit such a place.
Adventurous horse riding and trekking through Nepal’s mountains
This package we propose for the Damodar Kunda has many exciting aspects. The major one is that it offers an option for a horseback riding trip. The other option is to travel to these destinations on foot.
Trekking is a commonly practiced way of traveling the Upper Mustang region. A trekking group with guides and porters will travel through various hamlets. We will take the jeep from Jomsom to Ghuma Thanti. Although much of the Upper Mustang geography is rugged, there are convenient, smooth roads for jeep travel. The jeep will be a convenient mode of travel, especially through roads past Kagbeni that are well-pitched. After that smooth jeep ride, you will trek to Damodar Kunda.
Our package provides another option for you to ride horseback throughout this journey. You can take a local guide to take you through Ghuma Thanti to Damodar Kunda on a horse. The guides will make your commute comfortable. You need not worry about having prior horse riding training as such. The horse will be a medium to help transport you and your luggage to your destination.
Permits needed for the Damodar Kunda visit
The Upper Mustang region lies within the protected region of the Annapurna circuit. This, in turn, means Damodar Kunda also lies in this protected area. So, you will need special permits to enter the area. The permit you require to enter the Annapurna circuit area is called ACAP. It is an abbreviation for Annapurna Conservation Area Permit.
Along with ACAP, you need one more permit for this trip. Your journey from and back to Kagbeni lies within the restricted area of the Upper Mustang. You will need a Restricted Area Permit to enter this area.
Food and Accommodation
You’ll have a respectable supply of food and lodging during your travels. Depending on how far you are driving, you will receive amenities. You will be fed satiating enough food in all of the locations for your daily travel. There are vegetarian and non-vegetarian options available to you.
There are various lodging options for your overnight stay based on location. You will book a room in a respectable hotel in cities like Pokhara and Kathmandu. Lodges and guest homes are available in secluded areas of the Upper Mustang region. Although they don’t have the same amenities as hotels, they are still comfortable for your stay.
Guides and Porters for the trip
The Damodar Kunda trip we propose does not require guides as a compulsion. If it were a trek, then taking guides would be mandatory. However, we will provide you with guides as per your necessity for the trip. We will have guides taking you sightseeing around Pokhara as well as trips through Upper Mustang. Our highest priority for guides, however, goes to people choosing horse riding. If you choose to travel via horseback riding, we will appoint a guide per head for you. The guides will make your journey very easy and adventurous.
Although guides will definitely be involved in this trip, porters might be necessary based on your choice of travel. If you choose to horseback riding, you will not need a porter. Since you will be either traveling via plane or jeep, or horseback, you need not carry luggage. Your modes of transportation will do the job for you. There will be no need for someone else to carry your luggage throughout the day.
However, if you choose to trek from Ghuma Thanti to Damodar Kunda and back you might need a porter. We will make such arrangements as per your choice and need.