Overview
Until recently, what little the outside world knew of Dolpa was gathered from artistic and
spiritual accounts of early visitors. Peter Matthiessen’s meditative book ‘The Snow Leopard’ and
Eric Valli’s stunning movie ‘Caravan’ further highlighted the allure of this little known land in
the western parts of Nepal. The region was only opened to foreigners in 1989, and now receives
fair number of the international visitors. With our tailor-made packages to Inner Dolpo –
allowing trekkers access beyond Phoksundo Lake to the 800-year-old Shey Gompa – a truly
remarkable natural and cultural experience is there for the taking (even in the monsoon!). Look
out for views of mighty Dhaulagiri (8167m), once thought to be the highest mountain in the
world.
The Dolpa region is divided into two areas from trekking perspective; Upper Dolpo and Lower
Dolpo. While the Upper Dolpo is one of the restrictive trekking areas that require special permit
for trekking from the Department of Immigration, the Lower Dolpo area is a normal trekking
area.
The greener, southern fringes of Dolpa, the largest district in Nepal, are occupied distinctly by
Hindus. But venture north past the ring of high passes into arid Inner Dolpo, and you will
encounter not only Tibetan Buddhists, but also practitioners of the ancient Bön religion, extant in
just two villages. The spirituality of Dolpa is visible everywhere – legend says Dolpa is a Beyul,
one of the “hidden valleys” created by Guru Rinpoche as a refuge for those of exceptionally pure
mind. Today, its northern reaches are settled by Rokpa farmers and Drokpa nomads of Tibetan
origin, who are cut off from the rest of Nepal by snow for most of the year. They live in some of
the highest inhabited villages on earth, nestling amongst mountains of stark, ascetic beauty.
In such barren terrain, the spectacle of Nepal’s deepest lake, Phoksundo, transcends lexical
description. Locals believe Phoksundo was formed when a spiteful demonness flooded a village
for revealing her whereabouts to the saint Padmasambhava. The surreal sight of the lake, which
hosts no aquatic life and appears to fluctuate between a turquoise and ultramarine hue – appears
to substantiate the legend. If you follow in the footsteps of generations of nomads, look out for
the remains of the ill-fated village below the lake’s surface.
