Dolpo trekking, Dolpo region trekking, Dolpo trek, Dolpo treks, Upper Dolpo trek, Lower Dolpo trek

Dolpo Region

The heart of Dolpo is the Shey Phoksumdo National Park, home to the famous Shey gomba and blindingly blue Phoksumdo lake. Isolated from the rest of the country by high passes to the south and Dhaulagiri on the east, Dolpopas (people of Dolpo) continue their centuries-old barter trade with Tibet, and around Tarap, the interior of this alluring and exotic region, most villages are still distinctly Tibetan. The mingling of cultures is fascinating here, for while the Tibetan population is relatively small, much of the practice of Hinduism has taken on a Buddhist mien. It is interesting to see how the pre-Buddhist religion, Bön, is practised here - notice, for example, how unlike in Hinduism and Buddhism, circumambulations are done counter-clockwise, and mani walls and chhorten are passed on the right. The mysterious villages, insular people, the extremely rugged terrain, the religion, the legendary Crystal Mountain, and the shockingly blue lake where no aquatic life lives - all this makes Dolpo one of the most fascinating of all places in Nepal. Peter Matthiesson immortalised it in The Snow Leopard. Wildlife includes the Himalayan tahr, blue sheep, snow leoaprd, and the ubiquituous marmot.

Lower Dolpo Trek (16 days trek / total 20 days)

The restricted area of Upper Mustang looks like Tibet, and its people live like Tibetans. The landscape here has the lunar quality of the trans-Himalaya, with no trees, dramatic ochre cliffs, biting blue skies, and fierce winds that pick up during the day.

Days: 22 Grade: Moderate-Strenuous Max altitude: 4320m Season: March-Dec