Lower Dolpo Trek

Lower Dolpo Trek takes you to the remote western part of Nepal and offers some incredible views of natural beauty that you have never explored before. Owning to its own remote charm and unique landscapes, the trek has been getting a lot of attention from those travelers who would love to try something new. This trekking route was opened to the foreigners in 1982 from when the area has been welcoming foreigners though in small quantity. Also, referred as Hidden Treasures of Nepal, Lower Dolpo is indeed a natural and cultural treasure. Lower Dolpo Trek is a remote trekking experiencel that makes you cross three high passes namely Kangmara La, Numa La and Bag La. The trekking route goes through Shey Phoksundo Conservation area which is an opportunity to explore some unique species of plants, birds and animals that shelter there inside the conservation area. Besides, the trail leads you to Phoksundo lake which is a natural paradise; serene and azure lake in between the dense forests in the backdrop of outstanding lush landscape.

Lower Dolpo Trek

 

Lower Dolpo lies in the Karnali region of Nepal which is considered as the most remote area in Nepal. The people living in this area are very traditional and follow a very normal simple life. Untouched by the modernization, they are not aware of the outside world which has gone through such a huge transformation. Though simple, the people in Lower Dolpo region are very humble and cheerful. People follow Tibetan Buddhism religion – Bon Po religion which is unique religion of its own kind. You can explore some traditional monasteries in Lower Dolpo as a reflection of the Buddhism religion

Nepal Intrepid Treks escorts you throughout the journey for this unique trekking journey to Lower Dolpo. Lower Dolpo Trek initiates from the capital city of Kathmandu. A flight from Kathmandu will take you to Nepalgunj which is followed by another flight to Juphal. From Juphal, you will walk through some beautiful villages, pass gorges and many other remote locations in the region. You enter into Shey Phoksundo Conservation Area and walk to Phoksundo lake. The lake lies at the height of 3,611 meters and is considered as the deepest lake of Nepal.  Lower Dolpo Trek is a magnificent journey that lets you explore remote places and interact with the traditional people. It is an opportunity to walk along the beautiful nature to explore the tranquility of Phoksundo lake. So, are you ready?

Outline Itinerary

  • Day 01: Arrival at Kathmandu airport
  • Day 02: Sightseeing in Kathmandu Valley
  • Day 03: Fly to Nepalgunj
  • Day 04: Flight Nepalgunj-Juphal and trek to Dunai
  • Day 05: Trek to Lingdo
  • Day 06: Trekto Laina Odar
  • Day 07: Trek to Nawarpani
  • Day 08: Trek to Sisaul
  • Day 09: Trek to Dho Tarap
  • Day 10: Trek to Numala Base Camp
  • Day 11: Trek to Danigar via Numa La
  • Day 12: Trek to Yak Kharka via Baga La
  • Day 13: Trek to Ringmo/Phoksundo Lake
  • Day 14: Trek to Chhepka via Rechi
  • Day 15: Trek to Juphal
  • Day 16: Flight Juphal-Nepalgunj-Kathmandu
  • Day 17: Leisure day in Kathmandu
  • Day 18: Farewell

Detail ItineraryExpand all

Nepal Intrepid Treks will be your dedicated travel companion until you return to your home country. Once you arrive at Kathmandu airport, we will be there to pick you up and take you to your hotel. Accommodation for our valued customers includes room and breakfast in a three star hotel in Kathmandu.

Take in the impressions of Nepal as we drive you from the airport to your hotel. We will assist you with the check-in and provide you with further information regarding your Everest Base Camp Trek. You may then have a rest or stroll through the bustling, colorful streets and alleys of Kathmandu.

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Prepare for a day of immersion into the Nepalese culture, while visiting the most important landmarks of this fascinating city and its outskirts. Our experienced guide will take you to Kathmandu Durbar Square, a UNESCO heritage site which represents the political and historical values of Nepalese civilization.

We then proceed to Swayambhu Nath Temple, also known as ‘Monkey Temple’ thanks to its adorable colony of monkeys that run free. This temple is the symbol of harmony between Buddhists and Hindus. At the top of the stupa you will have a splendid birds-eye view of Kathmandu Valley and its surroundings.

We continue to the sacred Pashupatinath Temple, a holy place for Hindu devotees. Especially interesting is the holy cremation area where preparations and daily cremation ceremonies take place. From here we return to the hotel.

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Today we fly to a place near the Nepal – India border i.e. Nepalgunj. The place is extremely hot and is one of the hottest city in the Terai region of Nepal. Lying close to border, then city is extremely chaotic with people, crowd, vehicle, cart, etc. Upon our arrival, we check in to the hotel and if possible, we visit a popular Bageshwori temple here. The temple holds a high value amongst the Himdu people. We stay at a hotel in Nepalgunj for the night. (Breakfast, lunch and dinner included)

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We start our day with a flight to Juphal. A flight from Nepalgunj to Juphal is of 35 minutes and you will be pleased with the journey as you can get beautiful views of snow caped mountains from your set inside. Upon arrival, you will be glad to see the drastic change in climate, atmosphere and landscape in just 35 minutes. From a hot plain land you will find yourself amidst the mountainous villages with cool air. We initiate our trekking journey from Juphal with a walk down the fields to Thuli Bheri river. We further continue our walk until we reach Dunai. We stay at tented camps in Dunai for the night. (Breakfast, lunch and dinner included)

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Today, we leave Dunai and walk through a beautiful landscape that resembles the European Alps. We can see the rocky slopes adorned with pine trees with the view ofMt. Kang Tokal on our sight. Our trail winds up and down as it follows Thuli Bheri River. From here, we pass through some houses and cross Byasgar. As we leave Byasghar, our trail turns rough and rocky. We can find a motor road to Dho Tarap but it’s too rocky and bumpy. We further pass the villages inhabited by Magar people until we reach Lingdo. We stay at a tented camp in Lingdo for the night. (Breakfast, lunch and dinner included)

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As we leave Lingdo, our trail climbs up gradually with the views of villages like Sarakot that lies on a top of a cliff. We pass mani walls and chortens which reflects the Tibetan Buddhist culture prevalent in this region. We also pass some shrines and stupas in the backdrop of beautiful Kang Tokal mountain. We will find the landscape of Dolpo very lush and alluring. As our trail moves forward, the lushness in the environment decreases which turns barren after sometime. We pass juniper and pine trees and climb up a slope to Thuli Bheri River. We cross a suspension bridge and walk until we reach Laisicap. From here, we continue with a long and strenuous climb up to Laina Odar. We walk through a forest surrounded by cliff until we reach our camping spot at Laina Odar. (Breakfast, lunch and dinner included)

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From Laina Odar, our trail climbs up until we reach a small pass. We further walk through an easy trail with few ups and downs until when we pass through a perfumed pine forest. After four hours of our walk, we reach Nawarpani. We set our camps at Nawapani today where we stay for overnight halt. (Breakfast, lunch and dinner included)

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As we leave Nawarpani, we can notice a quick change in Landscape which turns more dry and barren. The vegetation starts vanishing gradually. We walk inside the river valley with high rocks on both sides. Here we can spot a snow leopard if lucky. We further continue our walk through an easy trail that climbs up slowly. We reach a three sided tunnel from where our trail climbs up steep to a small pass with beautiful chorten. We cross the pass and walk for around thirty minutes to Sisaul. We stay at a tented camp at Sisaul for the night. (Breakfast, lunch and dinner included)

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Our trail for the day climbs up to another small pass from where the valley starts widening. As we move on the landscape gets more and more barren. Trees are completely out of sight and all we can see is rocks and dry terrain. As we follow the trail along river we can get a glimpse of village called Dho Tarap. As we get close to the village, we can see prayer flags, chortens and mani walls that reflects the prevalence of Buddhist culture. In Dho, we visit a monastery that lies on a hill top and dominates the whole Dho village. We can see the people on Dho dressed up in their traditional dresses. We stay at the tented camps in Dho Tarap for the night. (Breakfast, lunch and dinner included)

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From Dho Tarap, we walk for around three and half hours to Numala Base Camp and explore the beautiful Dho village and its surroundings. As we leave Dho, we pass a beautiful chorten gate and continue walking until we reach Crystal Mountain School. It is a school educating children from Dho and is funded by a French NGO. We can interact with teachers and children in the school if we like. We walk further from the school to Tokyu which is a village with high permanent settlement in the region. We will come across a monastery at the end of the village where we pay a visit. We can see a statue of Maitreya – the Future Buddha here. Leaving gompas, we climb up gradually for around one and half hour to Numala Base Camp. We stay at a tented camp in base camp for the night. (Breakfast, lunch and dinner included)

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Our day ahead is quite tough. We start early as we have to cross the pass before afternoon to avoid winds and storms. We start at around 5 am and walk for around three hours to Numa La pass that lies at an elevation of 5318 metres. As we come close to the pass, we will be blessed with the beautiful view of mountain ranges. The stunning views of snow-capped mountains like Mt. Dhaulagiri, Annapurna and Manaslu Range, Mt. Shey Shikar, Mt. Kanjirowa and many others from the top is outstanding. Leaving pass, we descend down steep to a river. Moving forward, we reach a meadow where we set up our tents for the night. (Breakfast, lunch and dinner included)

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Another beautiful day ahead where we cross another beautiful pass! The walk is tough as we ascend up a slope that goes zig zag from Panklanga khola. We climb for around two hours to high camp from where the Baga La pass is very close. From top, we can get spectacular views of Norbung Kang and the Baga La range. We climb up a cliff and cross the pass from where we will have splendid views of mountains like Kanjirowa and Shey Shikhar. After beholding the beautiful views from the pass, we descend down through a slippery slope with huge rocks. After one and half hours, we will be able to see lushness in the atmosphere which is amazing. We continue walking until we reach yak Kharka which is our destination for the day. On the way, we can find some stunning waterfalls that fall from the mountains.From yak Kharka, you can get beautiful views of snow-capped mountains around. We set up our camps in the kharka where we stay for the night. (Breakfast, lunch and dinner included)

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Today we leave Yak Kharka and climb up high on the slope. As our path goes up and down, we can see the beautiful Maduwa Khola below. We can see the beautifully carved rocks throughout the way until we reach a pass. We further enter a pine forest and pass a stunning waterfall to the edge of the ridge. As we leave the forest, we cross a bridge over a river and climb up until we reach Ringmo . We set up our tents at our campsite in Ringmo where we stay for the night. (Breakfast, lunch and dinner included)

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In the morning, we walk up to the Phoksundo lake and explore around the beautiful scenery around. The azure lake in the pristine environment looks fabulous. We walk for around three and half hours to Rechi and then again for another three and half hours to Chhepka. Our walk for the day is wonderful as we walk through the beautiful forest most of the time amidst the pine and birch forests. We set up our tent in Chhepka for the night. (Breakfast, lunch and dinner included)

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Leaving Chhepka, we descend down in between the forest until we reach the wild flowing river. We will be descending most of the time today. As we walk ahead, we pass the village of Shyata and pass a forest to a dry landscape. Here, we can see the beautiful Dhaulagiri range right in front of us, standing tall and majestic. We further pass Sangta and Kageni to the check post of Shey Phoksundo National Park. We cross a suspension bridge over a river and continue through the trail for around three hours until we reach Juphal. We stay at a guesthouse in Juphal for the night. (Breakfast, lunch and dinner included)

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Today we take an early flight from Juphal to Nepalgunj. This thirty five minutes flight over the clouds is full of wonderful views of Himalayas including Mt. Annapurna and Mt. Dhaulagiri to the north. Upon arrival, we take another flight to Kathmandu as per the availability of tickets and flight schedules. In the evening, we will find ourselves in our hotel in Kathmandu. We stay at our hotel in Kathmandu for the night. (Breakfast included)

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Spend this day at your leisure in or around Kathmandu. You can take one of our optional day trips, relax or roam around Kathmandu city. Perhaps go for a massage – you deserve it – or do some last-minute shopping. Take a leisurely lunch in one of the many tea gardens or dine on one of the rooftop terraces. Overnight stay at the hotel (breakfast included).

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After this wonderful adventure, it’s finally time to bid you a farewell. We will pick you up from the hotel and escort you to the airport for your journey home! We hope with all our hearts that we served you well and look forward to seeing you or your friends again someday.

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Cost Includes

  • Pick up and drop option from and to the airport
  • Accommodation in Kathmandu  will be in a 3 star category hotel which is inclusive of breakfast
  • Transportation cost
  • Flight Cost
  • Three time meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner) with cup of tea during the trek
  • Accommodation in best available guesthouses during the trek
  • First aid kit with basic medicines
  • Necessary documentation and Permit costs to enter into Annapurna Sanctuary and trek
  • Professional guide and porter (1 porter will be available to two persons)
  • Expenses related to our staffs (guide and porter)
  • A duffle bag, t – shirt and travel achievement certificate on the behalf of our company
  • Government taxes and office service charge during travel

Cost Excludes

  • Pick up and drop option from and to the airport
  • Accommodation in Kathmandu  will be in a 3 star category hotel which is inclusive of breakfast
  • Transportation cost
  • Flight Cost
  • Three time meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner) with cup of tea during the trek
  • Accommodation in best available guesthouses during the trek
  • First aid kit with basic medicines
  • Necessary documentation and Permit costs to enter into Annapurna Sanctuary and trek
  • Professional guide and porter (1 porter will be available to two persons)
  • Expenses related to our staffs (guide and porter)
  • A duffle bag, t – shirt and travel achievement certificate on the behalf of our company
  • Government taxes and office service charge during travel
You can choose your dates at the time of booking. Thanks!

Best value and service — Hikes, Paragliding, Helicopter Tours

Best value and Best Service 

We visited Nepal in December and had only 7 days, not long enough for multi-day treks yet, as travelers from the US, we wanted to experience as much as possible within that time frame the comprised of visiting the breath-taking mountain sceneries, sport activities, and history. While Nepal Intrepid Treks was started by trekking guides, they have diligently built their business and tourism relationships over the last few years to cater to different tourist needs. As an active planner, i had reached out to a dozen tour companies as opposed to only settling for the top 2-3 on Tripadvisor ratings. What first impressed me about Nepal Intrepid Treks is their responsiveness, flexibility and transparency about planning constraints. Its really the best value and service. 
 
They also offered the best value by a large margin. At no time during my interactions with them did they push any additional services on me, but rather adapted to whatever changes I wished to make. Given the relationships they made in the industry, they also offered some of the best rates relative to other tour companies for the exact same vendors. We did the heli ride to Everest Base Camp, hikes in Nagarkot, paragliding, city tours in Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Pokhara and of course the sunrise trips to the neighboring hill stations. What really made the difference is their sense of service on the ground. They were always on time and went the extra mile whenever there were unexpected delays. On one day, our morning flight to Pokhara was delayed for several hours and eventually canceled yet our guide went above and beyond to get us on an afternoon flight so we wouldnt miss out on the activities for the rest of the day. That sense of urgency on our behalf extended through the whole trip. Even though we missed an activity for no fault of theirs, they did their part in making up for it by dining us at a cultural center on their own cost, which wasnt needed at all yet we fully appreciated. We are so much happy for this best value and service.
 
In summary, I was thoroughly impressed -- a sense of humility, superior service, flexibility, transparency with unmatched value. We know we will definitely return to Nepal for the treks; we will look no further than Nepal Intrepid Treks. A big thank you Nisan, Santa and Lal! Keep it up!
You guys are best value and service provider team in Nepal. 
Best value and service trekking company
Sami Muneer,
United States

April/May 2019 16-Day Trek to EBC

Had an extraordinary trek with Nepal Intrepid to Everest Base Camp. I got sick from the food in Kathmandu, and by day 4 I was too dehydrated and weak to continue. One of the guides stayed with me as my group continued so that I can rest. We eventually caught up with the group and made it to EBC! Such excellent and professional guides and porters!

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whysoscherious,

You Need This Team To Make It To The Top. 100% Mera Peak Summit Success Rate. Looked After From Day 1.

I owe our success in reaching the Mera Peak summit safely to our amazing guide Lal and his amazing team of porters! We were a team of four women and we had a 100% summit success rate.

Lal went above and beyond from Day 1 when I missed my connecting flight to Kathmandu from Guangzhou due to bad weather in China. I finally arrived in Kathmandu late at night, tired and stressed out about my bags since it did not make my flight. As soon as Lal found out that I made it to Kathmandu, he made it to the airport in a flash, waiting to pick me up and take me to the hotel with a warm smile and a big welcome - and this was really late at night! When my airline failed to get my bag in time for the trek, Lal organised my luggage to arrive in Lukla before I even made it to Lukla! My luggage had all my gear and summit clothing, without this luggage I could not have started the trek. It was a huge relief seeing my luggage and it was all thanks to Lal and his efficiency for getting my luggage in time. There would have been no other way.

This was my first time doing a multi day trek, let alone climbing a mountain, I was nervous but Lal made sure I enjoyed the trek and most importantly I was safe. Lal and his team made sure it was their priority to make sure we were well prepared, safe, looked after and most importantly we all make it to the top. Little things like telling us to slow down while ascending to make sure we don't get altitude sickness, while other groups sped in front of us and did not make the summit because they were sick, making sure we were all well fed so that we had all the energy to endure the full 13 days, giving us water when we ran out of our own and believing in us all added up to our successful summit! His porter team Bupendra and Tula Raj all took turns to lead the party and helped us to carry our gear.

Every morning we would wake up and see their smiley faces ready to start the day trekking, while they were getting ready to carry our 50kg bags in tough terrain. Without hesitation, Lal and his porter team always offered a hand when us ladies weren't comfortable going down a steep hill and believe me the passes were insane! They made the trip much more enjoyable and memorable as we all had our funny and scary moments together.

Summit day was unbelievably the hardest and craziest day of my life! One to remember for the rest of our lives but we couldn't have made it without his team, his positivity and his patience. It took us 6 hours to reach the summit and Lal was with us every step of the way - feeding us snacks, opening our water bottles so that we can drink, carried our back packs to putting our polarised sunglasses on our faces to protect us from the sun. His team absolutely went above and beyond! Making the summit was an epic experience and to do it with a team that we grew closely with, who supported and believed in us made the experience even more special.

Lal and his team were always looking out for us and I could not be more grateful. We were constantly surrounded by positive attitude the whole way up and the whole way down, even after our summit day.

Although, we successfully summited and made it to Lukla, Lal did not stop working. Leaving Lukla was such a mess and super stressful as I had an international flight to make. Lal was always alert, always on call to see if there was an available seat for me on any of the outgoing flights.

Lal is honest and professional and I would definitely choose Nepal Intrepid Treks again. What an incredible ascent. I will never forget this trip. Until then my friend!

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Tina N,
Sydney, Australia

Mera Peak 14 day hike & 100% Success Rate!

This was my first trip to Nepal, and thanks to Lal and his amazing team, climbing Mera Peak was an awesome experience. Our group of 4 had a 100% success rate, when a lot of other travelers we met along the way, did not make it to the top.

Nothing was a problem for Lal, we had lost luggage and bad weather delays – which meant he had to reschedule accommodation/flights several times for us. He was so gracious, professional, and incredibly helpful every step of the way (literally!). Both him and our two incredible porters, really made our trip, going above and beyond on so many occasions.

Summit day was tough, but the support of Lal and his team – helped us all get through and make it to the top!

Lal always made us feel safe, supported and that nothing was a problem – and there was always a smile on his face. I would absolutely recommend trekking with Nepal Intrepid Treks and Expeditions, I’m so grateful for the experience, and can’t wait for my next adventure with Lal and his team.

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Lyn K,
Auckland Central, New Zealand

Patan historic and good adventure

Was such an awesome trip and loved getting to try local cuisine. Our guide Amit was very knowledgeable and showed us many spiritual sites which were really cool. A must do if in the Kathmandu area.

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melissabartonnn,

Gokyo Lakes and Everest Base Camp 19days

Unreal experience! I opted for the longer trek as I wanted to see as much as possible in the time I had. I'm so glad I did.
My wonderful Guide Prem Karki and my assistant guide Lukpa were sensational! We laughed so much on the trek, with these 2 guiding us there was never a dull moment. Our success in reaching the Lakes and Everest Base Camp are purely down to their hard work and dedication. Plus I was lucky enough to meet another 6 legends who also opted for this unreal trek. We are now all the best of mates.
The trekking was hard at times and and some days were super easy. We had rain, snow, sunshine and everything in between. Each day we witnessed another insanely beautiful mountain and watched the landscape change the higher we went.
The Gokyo Lakes were stunning, I'm so glad we opted for this trek. The pictures attached are unfiltered!
Everest Base Camp was great! Such an amazing feeling to finally get there. We just sat and took it all in. Photos don't do it justice.
All the villages and places we stayed along the way were awesome! These tiny lodges and tea houses in the middle of the mountains were so cosy and the food is delicious. We met quite a few Sherpas who had summited Everest and we spoke to them at length about their expedition. Great bed time stories :)
Do yourself a favour and get on board this trek, you wont regret it!

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Jade C,
Orange, Australia

Everest Base Camp & Gokyo 925-1010/2019

Kamal, Tilak and Prince were our guide. They have done an excellent job in ensuring we had everything we needed - water, wifi, food and so on. They explained Nepalese culture and identified the peaks for us as we were asking for the names every day, it is one of the most precious thing about having the locals with us. The tour was a huge success and thank you guys and team for making it happen, it would not be the same without you. I had really enjoyed every moment on the trek. Highly recommend the agent and guides to anyone considering paying a visit to the beautiful Himalayas.

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olivieryiu,

Perfection EBC trekking

Professional risk control on EBC trekking. About airplane change the landing place on lukala or change the trekking schedule, your team also can find good guest house and restaurant.

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Iverroce Tu,

Wonderful experience

It was wonderful experience in my life. Our guide Kamal is professional, patient, and kindly. In this trekking journey still had some situation from uncontrollable mother nature. But this team also can control and change it perfectly. If you will come to Nepal to explore, don't miss Nepal Intrepid Treks and Expeditions!

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Nora H,

Our Visit to Nepal

I dont know where to Start. There are barely any bad points to talk about. The service was exceptional and everbody was so polite and friendly. Everything was well organized. The places we used to rest and eat where always nice and clean. The employees and shepards where dedicated for their jobs and tried to accomplish our goals in the best way possible. I want to send my best wishes Lal, Ram, Tulla and Santos.

Best Regards
Luca & Ludovico

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Bahadir E,
Koenigswinter, Germany

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