. ..Lake Phoksundo, Phoksumdo........ “The Jewel Of Dolpo” ....

A brief information about Dolpo and Phoksundo....before starting our journey towards "The Jewel Of Dolpo"...........

Kagbeni, where I got the idea of this route a year before I got the idea on last year's trek to Mustang (2008) when I saw the small trail branching off near Kagbeni, leading up a mountain flank and soon disappearing. My curiosity grew even more by answers to my questions - 'it goes to Dolpo; very difficult and far away; no tourists'...........

The quest for distinctively unique single destination with unbounded diversity is accomplished with the extremely exceptional trip to DOLPA, the divine Mountain Kingdom at the foot of the Mighty Himalayas runs parallel to the image of the Shangri-la of Nepal in many aspects. It lures adventurers with promises of untouched natural splendour with immense fantasies. At the edge of the Tibetan Plateau in the Himalayan rain shadow lies Dolpo - the legendary hidden land closed for years to trekkers. Dolpo remains a truly isolated corner of Nepal: time has stood still here for centuries as the inhabitants of Tibetan stock continue to live, cultivate and trade the way they have done since time immemorial.

Lake Phoksundo is at such an high altitude and the water is so cold that no aquatic life is seen.Phoksundo Lake, the deepest lake in Nepal, offers stunning beauty. Considered sacrosanct by the Dopla locals, it is praised for its aquamarine greenish blue color.

Lake Phoksundo, Phoksumdo, or “the Jewel of Dolpo” as locals refer to it, is a high altitude lake famous for its aqua marine color. The lake is too high to support plant or animal life and retains a pristine and crystalline appearance. Formed by a landslade over 30,000 years ago, lake Phoksundo is over 150 km deep and has a 167m waterfall at its southern end. Surrounding the lake are pristine forest full of some of the world’s rarest wildlife, including the Tibetan Snow Leopard. Villages that sit near the lake are also home to an ancient blend of Tibetan.

Beautiful view of the Turquoise Phoksundo Lake.

Dolpo is known for it’s pristine beauty and rugged charm, where one can still have opportunity to meet the wonderful nomadic people with their amazing life style almost untouched and unexplored. The stunning Himalayas offer an endless variety of fascinating landscapes, incredible cultures of great people who are of Tibetan descent, follow the pre-Buddhist Bon religion. The thrilling views, the breathtaking harsh environment and mystical traditions of mythical Dolpo is well captured and immortalized in “Caravan-The Himalayas”, a feature film by Eric Valli ”.....Some Posters from Caravan....The Himalayas...to know more about the region itself..

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At an altitude of 5,000 meters in the Himalayas in the remote village of Dolpo, the elder leader Tinlé has just lost his oldest son who mysteriously died in the mountains. Accusing the young Karma for the death of his son, Tinlé refuses to let Karma lead the yak caravan with the salt loads. In this arid land, salt is sacred and a precious commodity to be exchanged for essential grains grown in the valley.

High Altitude Traverse in Nepal's North

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. After trekking in central Nepal a few times I am now eager to explore its west, a relatively untouched area north of the Dhaulagiri massif between Dolpo and Mustang.

Map Of Dolpo Region....

According to legends the hidden land Be-yül was discovered by Padmasambhava, a famous Indian scholar who travelled through the Himalayas to spread Buddha?s teachings. It is assumed that people of Tibetan origin settled down in the area two thousand years ago. They had cultural and economical ties with Tibet and the Lo kingdom in the east. The kings of Lo governed it until the end of the 18th century. When the Gorkhas took control over Nepal, Dolpo gained larger autonomy because the influence of Mustang was reduced. But due to the isolation it suffered culturally and most likely also economically. When modern Nepal was founded, only little changed in Dolpo because the government in Kathmandu was far away and not very interested in the region.

Terrace Fields in Juphal.starting point is Juphal, a small village with an even smaller airstrip.

China's occupation of Tibet in the late 1950s made life even more difficult. All of sudden the winter grazing grounds were closed off, husbandry became very difficult because the meadows in the valleys in the south were not as good. The Khampas, armed Tibetan resistance fighters, settled down on the Nepali side of the border and launched skirmishes on the Chinese invaders from there. There was was not enough fertile land to supply all the people and their animals which were suddenly living in the area.

By Phoksundo Khola

We started at the end of August and had some expected post-monsoon rain, but this was rewarded by green fields and lush vegetation. Since it takes about 23 walking days (6-8 hours a day), make sure you are in good shape. You will spend most of the time above 3'500 metres and cross six passes above 5'000 m, but technically the hiking is easy.Upper Dolpo is difficult to reach and very arid. Few people live in the harsh climate. They are farmers, traders and shepherds - often all in one because this is the only way to survive. Agriculture on a large scale is impossible because fertile land is scarce. In the southern parts of Dolpo one finds a varied vegetation, farmers can plant a large variety of fruit, vegetables and grain. This contrast will probably have an effect on the culture and the people themselves, and the different landscapes will make our trip even more interesting.

This trek is divided in 5 segments in terms of writing...........

* Part 1: Nepalganj to Ringmo
* Part 2: Ringmo to Shey
* Part 3: Shey to Do Tarap
* Part 4: Do Tarap to Charkha
* Part 5: Charkha to Sangda
* Part 6: Sangda to Jomosom

Kids @ Ringmo......

Please note: I tried to make the description of the following three weeks as accurate and correct as possible. I received the information from locals, our guides or out of books. Undoubtedly, there will still be some mistakes for which I apologize.

Thanks to Jamie McGuinness , who helped preparations and found an experienced and relieable trekking agency.

Also many thanks to Dawa, Pasang, Meena, Sonam and the rest of the crew from Sherpa Society for running the whole trek perfectly.

WE STARTED FROM NEPALGANJ TOWARDS RINGMO AND THE JEWEL OF DOLPO......