Dolpo Region Trek

A different Nepal; an unexplored trekker’s real paradise

Featured in very artistic way by the Oscar nominated Eric Valli directed Nepalese movie Himalaya: Caravan in 1999, by the very popular German documentary Dolpo Tulku, and by Peter Matthiessen’s best seller masterpiece Snow Leopard,  Dolpo (Dol-wa in local language) is the upper part of Dolpa district in Nepal. It is a high altitude region in the north of Western Nepal inhabited especially by the people with Tibetan Buddhist culture and pre-Buddhism Bon culture. Encompassed by Nepal’s largest Shey Phoksundo National park, this agro-pastoral high land is really a remote (nearly inaccessible) and a restricted place for wilderness and nature trekking / tourism in Nepal. 

Extending from the northwestern part of Dhaulagiri mountain to the Tibetan plateau, Dolpo is an outstandingly stunning landscape with very high altitude and deep fresh water lake Shey-Phoksundo, Rara Lake in Mugu (not exactly in Dolpo but nearby the region) large pasture lands with valuable medicinal herbs, long preserved trans-Himalayan culture, Buddhist stupas, monasteries and gompas, etc. The monastery of Shey Gompa is one of the oldest monasteries built in eleventh century. Though naturally coloured by the stunning mountains, flower blossoming lands, Himalayan blue sheep, snow leopards, etc., the lives of local people is very difficult because of inaccessibility and difficulty to grow crops. Trekking through the ancient Caravan route of Dolpo offers an exploration / discovery trip. While many other parts of Nepal have undergone an unbelievable change, travelers are amused by the unspoiled nature and authentic culture of the region as it has almost not been changed since many centuries. Richest region in terms of ecological environment, this region has not yet realized the rapid modern development trends. Trekking in this region needs more physical, mental, logistic and group preparation as there is not enough foods, good tea houses and other required logistics.

Unlike many other trips with easy access from Kathmandu, travelers have to fly or drive first to Nepalgunj and then again fly to Jhuphal airport in Dolpa. Then the magical land welcomes you for your once-in-a-lifetime journey. No matter how many trekking or tour trips you have completed in Nepal or this region, this is completely a different area with surprisingly unique and authentic features. In a sense, it is a different Nepal, and thus, trekking in this area allures not only the foreign but also the domestic travelers.