Trekking in the Dolpo/Dolpa region of the Nepal Himalayas is a dream for many mountain enthusiasts. If you’ve seen Eric Valli’s Oscar nominated movie, “Himalayan Caravan”, you’ll know why! The attractions are the typical arid trans-Himalayan landscape, with the turquoise-blue Phoksundo Lake as an out-of-this-world pearl in the middle. It’s the survival against the odds of the tough mountain folks living there, at the mercy of Gods and nature. And it’s just the general remoteness of the Dolpo region, hidden behind one of the world's 14 8000+ meter peaks: Dhaulagiri.
Obviously, it’s neither easy nor cheap getting to Dolpo. Which is probably another attraction to many: It’s an accomplishment! Far away from hordes of tourists chatting away over their banana pancakes. The image of “an untouched culture” is somewhat overplayed in Valli’s movie, but Dolpo is a rare and remote place that can be the experience of a lifetime.
| The un-developed nature of the Dolpo/Dolpa Region (the two names are used interchangeably), makes trekking here much more exploration type trekking. Trekking expeditions needs to be fully self-sufficient, with food and cooking gear, tents, sleeping bags etc. The upper part of Dolpo is very remote and the landscape resembles that of the Tibetan Plateau: Arid, barren and moon-like. Dolpo Weather Being part of the trans-Himalayas (North side of Himalaya), the Upper Dolpo only sees little rain – even during the monsoon period. This makes it a specially interesting trekking option in July/August. The lower part of Dolpo, somewhat south of Phoksundo Lake (3,627 meters) and the Kagmara La Pass (5,115 meters) are easier to reach. But in the winter period (November to February), snow can make high passes un-crossable as early as October. Good snow trekking techniques can help though. The local Dolpo population (Dhol-wa’s) are largely subsistence farmers and traders, and northern valley inhabitants migrate to lower lying areas, or even to Pokhara or Kathmandu, during the winter months. |  |
Dolpo is a “restricted area” in Nepal, meaning that you’ll need a trekking permit. The bad news is that permit fees are quite high – But the good news is that it just got cheaper!
The Upper Dolpo trekking permit fee now, mid 2009, stands at USD 700 for 10 days plus an additional 10$ fee per day after that. And that’s per person! The Lower Dolpo region is much more reasonable, just 10$ per week. There’s also a small fee for entering the Shey-Phoksundo National Park, currently 1000 rupees (~13 USD)
Other options for visiting the Nepalese trans-Himalayas are Mustang and Manang, the latter one being the upper part of the Annapurna Circuit.
Map and Routes of Dolpo Region
The easiest and shortest route to get into Dolpo-land is to fly to Juphal airstrip (~2300 meters) from Nepalgunj or Pokhara. Or, more strenuously, begin in Beni (road-connected) or Dhorpatan (~3200 meters) and cross several high passes before reaching Dunai (~2200 meters), close to Juphal.
Alternate routes are via Jumla (~2400 meters), by a short flight or a long and rough 4WD drive, and from Jumla trek about 10 days to the Phoksundo and Shey areas. It’s also possible to walk in from Jomsom via Phoksundo to the airstrip in Juphal.
| Read more about trekking in Dolpo Peter Mattiessen's book, The Snow Leopard, is a classic account of his 250 mile journey into Dolpo-land. In the thin air, his search for the fabled snow leopard becomes a spiritual search for meaning and truth! Comes in a handy paperback, perfect for throwing into the backpack if you're going there. For a more factual when-where-who-how-what, the ever-present Lonely Planet's Nepal Trekking Guidebook will answer more of your questions about Dolpo and all the other trekking options in Nepal. |
View Larger Map
Map of the trekking area around Phoksundo Lake, Dolpo. Click and drag to scroll around!
Although it’s hard getting to Dolpo, it’s not impossible either. There’s basically three things you need to do.
• Get yourself in physical shape for 2 to 4 weeks high altitude trekking (3-5000 meters).
• Get yourself prepared: Set time aside, find the funds, research and set goals and find some trekking partners to share the costs.
• Book a trekking tour through one of Nepal’s many trekking agencies. They can organize all the practicalities and contingencies for you. Take it off your shoulders. You might want to consult them now to get more info, price etc.
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