At the convergence of the Thuli Bheri River you will have to turn north. You will find that the river will continue to follow you at a distance. You continue to track the river and eventually reach Hanke, which is also the entrance to the Phoksundo National Park.You pass through three villages and you can camp near anyone of them.

The trail starts becoming very hectic but once you cross the river twice on well made bridges, you then make a steep ascent on a very narrow path hugging the cliff face. Having descended to the river again the trail takes another steep ascent requiring frequent stops to watch the panorama of the landscapes and also for some rest. You may camp on the side of Suligad River .

From here the initial hours of the trek is fairly easy. But from Sumdo the trail becomes very much like an incline. Here the river is left behind and you follow the path high above the water. Climb up to a ridge, about 12,710ft/3,875m, from where you will have the most staggering views of a 1,000ft/300m waterfall, the highest in Nepal, and your first view of Phoksundo Lake, a study in turquoise. You then descend through birch forests to the upper reaches of the Phoksundo Khola and on to the picturesque settlement of Ringmo with its mud plastered chortens and mani walls. The village now has solar panels helping to improve the quality of life of the villagers. From the settlement it is a short walk to the shores of Phoksundo Lake where you set up camp.

From the lakeside you follow the trail that skirts the edge of the lake itself. This precarious trail is suspended on a gangway of wood supported on pegs driven into crevices in the rocks and signals the remoteness of the area you are about to enter. You go very steeply up, to 13,251ft/4,040m, and then plunge down again to the valley bottom to enter the flood plain of the Phoksundo Khola and trek to your night stop alongside the river, but within the confines of the forest to avoid the worst of the wind which is prevalent in the valley bottom. Camp overnight.

There are quite a few stream crossings today, so you should take sandals or footwear suitable for knee deep crossings. This morning you continue along the level path through a glacial valley that now heads due north. As this becomes narrower and narrower there are impressive vertical cliffs and contorted rock formations. At the confluence of the Phoksundo Khola and another, unnamed, mountain stream there is an old wooden bridge. Here you take the barely discernible path to the north east up a side valley which has a cavernous look. There is no trail as such, so it is necessary to clamber over rocks and boulders and to ford a stream that rushes down the steep valley. A long climb brings you to a sheep meadow where the trail veers up a steep ravine. A hard climb to the top brings you to yet another valley where you can see the Kang La, the pass will lead you to Shey Gompa. You camp just before the pass in a place that Peter Matthiessen christened 'Snowfields Camp'.

After an initial easy stretch going up the flood plain, the trail goes up very steeply. The somewhat indistinct track is physically demanding especially on the loose slate scree. It will take about two and a half to three hours to reach the top of the Kang La. The views from the top however are magnificent and well worth all the hard work. The height of the Kang La is variously given between 5,200 and 5,500 metres depending on the map one uses. On descending steeply to the valley floor, not more than 45 minutes, you make a long meandering trek along the banks of the river, crossing it once. A red chorten heralds your arrival at Shey Gompa where a quaint wooden log bridge leads up to the Shey compound. Camp overnight.

You start by following a pleasant track amidst juniper, which ascends to a grey, stony canyon. This then begins to zig-zag over bare rocks and coarse eroded soil until it eventually brings you to a flat spot suitable for a brew or lunch if the weather is fine. You then continue very steeply up for 20 minutes before traversing to the top of the Saldang La. Here you can enjoy great views towards the arid landscapes of Mustang and the distant snow peaks of Tibet . The subsequent descent towards the north is long and tiring but you finally come upon the welcome sight of pastures of grazing yaks and sheep and nomadic tents made from yak hair. This signals your approach to Namduna Gaon. Like Shey, the Namgung monastery is of the Karma-pa sect. The monastery, a red stone structure, is built against the backdrop of a cliff on the north wall of a gorge. The red and white colours of the gompa and its stupas are the only colour in this stark landscape. The village itself consists of only six stone houses and has terraced fields on both sides of the tributary, which flow down to the Nam Khong valley. The economy of the region is based on agriculture, animal husbandry and trading. In Dolpo only one crop a year can be grown and this is mainly barley. In some villages buckwheat, oilseed, potato and radish are also cultivated. Recently the main cliff temple collapsed and the villagers have now built a beautiful new monastery in the village itself. Camp overnight.

In the morning after packing up the loads you leave the Namgung monastery and start climbing a scree slope. Further on it begins a long thrilling traverse along some dusty barren mountains. Looking down into the valley bottom it is very evident that the people have made best use of the fertile valley as one sees the neat terraced fields showing bright patches of green and ripening crops. You ascend to 15,432ft/4,705m before going down steep slopes to the picturesque village of Salding , situated on a plateau high above the Nam Khong nala and the biggest village of the inner Dolpo area. Though the village lies at about the same altitude as Ringmo it is totally different. Ringmo, a Himalayan village is situated below the tree line while Saldang belongs to the arid zone of the trans-Himalayan Tibetan plateau. The village stretches for two kilometres on an open slope and consists of five villages having eighty well-built houses with nearly six hundred villagers. It is prosperous, not only agriculturally, but also for its strategic location on a trade route to Tibet . After the Chinese occupation of Tibet in 1959, trade with Tibet was virtually stopped. It has been restored to some extent through the barter system by which Tibetan salt reaches mid-Nepal. The Drokpa people from the western plains of Tibet collect salt from the dried lakes north of Tsangpo. Camp overnight.

You bid farewell to Saldang and on the way down to the river bed you pass through terraced fields, stupas, chortens, heaps of mani stones and a Chaiba monastery. Namdo, the next village is also prosperous with sixty houses having nearly four hundred inhabitants. It stretches for more than 5km on the high slopes to the left of Nam Khong Khola. The Namdo monastery is located near the river bed. There is also another monastery on top of a high cliff. You camp near the small settlement of Sibu, right on the river bank.