Dolpo Region

Dolpo trekking is the name given to treks to the Dolpo region in western Nepal bordering with Tibet. This area is a remote but still a less explored zone in Nepal. It locates in the Shey Phoksundo national park west of Kali gandaki valley, behind the Dhaulagiri massif.

Dolpo is divided in Lower and Upper region. The main attractions of Dolpo trekking lie in upper region. Upper Dolpo is one of the few special trekking regions in Nepal, restricted for mass tourism to preserve its unique cultural and natural heritage. It was opened to foreigners only since 1989.

The highlights of the Dolpo trekking include ancient villages, high passes, beautiful Lakes, isolated Buddhist monasteries and diverse wildlife inhabiting the region, including Blue sheep, Mountain Goat, Jackal, Wolf and the legendary Snow Leopard. Apart from them serene turquoise lake of Phoksundo and the 11th century Shey monastery are striking places to all trekkers.

Dolpo is still isolated from rest of the country. Therefore the lifestyle of inhabitants has not been changed now. Al most the locals are the followers of Tibetan Buddhism and ancient Bon Po religion. They depend on farming, yak and sheep keeping and locally collected medical herbs. The best time to trek here is towards the end of the monsoon i.e. Sept to November. However this area lies in rain shadow zone trekking is possible even in Summer time.