Dolpa Region is a high-altitude culturally Tibetan region in the upper part of the Dolpa District of western Nepal, bordered in the north by the Tibet Autonomous Region of China.Part of the region lies in Shey Phoksundo National Park, which is the largest national park of Nepal. Shey Phoksundo Lake” is another prominent factor of this region. The lake is totally free of aqua life, which the crystal waters clearly explain. Surrounded by rock, forests, and snow- capped peaks, the area has been described as one of the World's “Natural Hidden Wonders”.
The sparse, agro-pastoral population, known as Dolpa in standard Tibetan and Dhol-wa in the local dialect, is connected to the rest of Nepal via Jufal airport, which can be reached in three days by horse. There are no precise population numbers for the region, with estimates including less than 5,000 and 18,000.
The Dolpa are generally adherents of Bön, a religion whose origins predate Buddhism but whose modern form is officially accepted as the fifth school of Tibetan Buddhism. The remote region has preserved its Tibetan culture in relatively pure form, making it attractive to Westerners. Dolpa was the location for the 1999 Oscar-nominated film Himalaya, and more recently for the German documentary Dolpo Tulku.
In spite of the near inaccessibility of the region and tourism restrictions for the more remote parts, Dolpa is a popular destination for trekking tourism.
Dolpo is a hidden jewel in alpine western Nepal. Bordering with Tibet and lying west of Kaligandaki valley behind the Dhaulagiri massif, it is a wild, unspoilt and preserved land that offers ancient monasteries, superb alpine beauty and invaluable Buddhist cultural wealth.
Dolpo Region trekking is opened to trekking in 1989, the Dolpo region is hard to match for it’s pristine beauty and rugged charm, where one can still have opportunity to meet the nomadic people and their life style almost untouched and unexplored. The Himalayas offer an endless variety of landscapes, cultures and great people. This unbounded diversity makes it a destination you can visit over and over again. It even becomes more interesting and fascinating with every time you return.
Lying in the rain shadow area of the Himalayas, the landscape resembles that of the Tibetan Plateau instead of the lush, green, monsoon watered hills, elsewhere in Nepal, at comparative altitudes. The people, very pleasant by nature, are of Tibetan descent who follow the pre-Buddhist Bon religion. Their language is closely related to Tibetan. The elevation of the trails is from 1650 meters (5,412ft) to 5136 meters (16,846ft) above sea level.
