Upper Dolpo is a remarkable high altitude region with rich cultural and spiritual aura. Located between the Tibetan plateau and Dhaulagiri ranges, Dolpo region was restricted to trekkers until southern part of Dolpo opened to organized trekking groups from 1989.

Upper Dolpo lies in an upper part of Dolpo district in western part of Nepal, bordered by China in north. It is a sparsely populated with mostly agro-pastoral population known as Dolpo in standard Tibetan and Dhol-wa in the local dialect, is connected to rest part of Nepal through Jufal airport. Also, part of the Upper Dolpo region lies in Shey Phoksundo National Park, where you will encounter the mesmerizing Shey Phoksundo lake and get an opportunity to witness the endangered wildlife and rare faunas.

You might take this as quite a bewildering fact, but Dolpo was the location of 1999 Oscar-nominated film Himalaya and more recently for a German documentary Dolpo Tulku. It is obviously the enchanting beauty of this place which has lured oversees director to come and shoot here. Well, there are a lot more than one expects in Dolpo and here are some major attractions of Dolpo.

Bon Religion

Dolpo is dominant of Bon religion which is a Tibetan Buddhism religion. Bon followers consider Bon as separate religion than Buddhism. As per the traditional Bon belief and legends, the religion predates the arrival of Buddhism in Tibet, but in reality, it was introduced in the 11th century alongside the revival of Buddhism.

As Dolpo is bordered with Tibet, the religion and lifestyle are very much influenced by it. Dolpo is a remote area very far from a touch of city life, and it has helped to preserve Tibetan culture in indigenous form making it more attractive to tourists.

Phoksundo Lake

Phoksundo Lake is literally the gem of Nepal. The captivating beauty of this bewitching turquoise blue lake is just too intense. So, undoubtedly, Phoksundo lake is one major attraction of Upper Dolpo trekking. The lake is situated at an elevation of 3,612 meters and has a depth of 145 meters. Apart from the beauty of lake, there are also several stupas and gompas which might get your attention. In the eastern side of lake, there is one gompa, and in southern there are more than 20 stupas, where annual prayers and worship are held. The delightful forest in surrounding area, religious aura and the snow-capped mountain just above the lake are absolutely overwhelming.

Shey Phoksundo Lake

Wildlife and Vegetation

As mentioned above, some part of Upper Dolpo trekking lies within the Shey Phoksundo National Park; there are many flora and fauna you can pass by. The park consists of hundreds of different species of flora including rhododendron, white Himalayan birch, blue pine, cedar, hemlock, juniper, and spruce. Now, about the wildlife, there are many endangered species in the park which includes blue sheep, snow leopard, grey wolf, and musk deer. Other wildlife is yellow-throated marten, Himalayan tahr, leopard, jackal, and Himalayan black beer. Also, there are over 200 species of birds, 29 species of butterfly and six species of reptile.

Dho Tarap village

Dho Tarap village is one of the highest settlement on earth. Dho village and its neighboring village Lang and Tokyou are collectively known as Dho-Tarap. Situated at an elevation from 3,900 meters to 4,200 meters above sea level, it used to be the capital of Dolpo before Gorkhali king Prithivi Narayan Shah annexed it in the 17th century. This remote valley follows Bon culture, and there are eight different monasteries including a Bon monastery. Dho Tarap is located in a very strategic center and can be reached in a travel distance of one day from nine different villages of Dolpo.  Also, this remote valley has a school established by Action Dolpo France which provides free education.

The people of Dho Tarap are subsistence farmers growing potatoes, mustard, beans, barley, and buckwheat. They also keep livestock for food as well as wool. For trade, they bargain with Tibetans for salt and wool.

Suligad Waterfall

Suligad Waterfall is another thing to look for during the Upper Dolpo trek. In southern end of Phuksundo Lake lies a village named Ringmo on 30,000 to 40,000-year-old landslide dam because of which the lake was formed and past the dam, you will witness the spectacular view of Suligad waterfall. The waterfall is the highest waterfall in Nepal with over a 167-meter height.