Royal Mountain Travel Magazine Royal Mountain Travel Magazine Issue 1 | Page 20

Dolpa

Dolpa – one of the highest inhabited places on earth, with
scatteredfortress-likevillagesandmonasteriesnestlingamongst
mountains of stark, ascetic beauty.With the beautiful azure of
Phoksundo Lake, authentic culture and few visitors, it makes
for an extraordinary trekking experience.
While Tibetan Buddhism is prevalent, the Dolpo-pa, the
people of Dolpo, still practice both the Bön religions of Tibet,
which pre-dates Buddhism. This mix of spirituality is visible
everywhere—from the pilgrims on the trail to the sacred
Crystal Mountain, to the many monasteries where monks
carefully depict stories in intricate Thangka paintings, to the
woodendolls(dokpas)placedonbridgesandroofstaskedwith
keeping evil spirits at bay.The Dolpa district’s southern fringes
lie among green hills, but the further north you travel, into the
rain shadow of the 8,000m high Dhaulagiri and Annapurna
peaks, the more barren the landscape becomes. Here, in Inner
Dolpo, lie Shey Gompa and Dho Tarap, some of the highest

permanentlyinhabitedvillagesonearth,reachedonlyoverhigh
passeswhich,whensnow-covered,leaveInnerDolpoisolated
for many months of the year.
The inhabitants are semi-nomadic, and trade with Tibet
forms a necessary part of their existence, as depicted in Eric
Valli’s beautiful film Himalaya. The stunning combination of
arid slopes backed by endless snowy peaks requires a certain
amount of quiet contemplation. After such arid countryside,
the stunning Phoksundo Lake seems like a miracle. Unusually
clear, turquoise waters are bound by rocky cliffs traversed by
frightening trails. From the right viewpoint, this picture is
perfectly framed by snow-capped peaks. This is a must-see
place—pictures can’t do it justice. The GHT section that
crosses Dolpa mixes unique culture and an amazing diversity
of nature with tough terrain that has challenged generations
of nomads before you. It’s certainly one of the more difficult
sections, but perhaps the most rewarding.

Fast Facts
r Dolpa is a northern district of Nepal. Dolpo is the
isolated, culturally Tibetan region to the north of it.
r People from ancient Juphal speak a language spoken
only in two other villages.
r Wonderfully depicted in the film Himalaya by Eric Valli
and The Snow Leopard written by Peter Matthiesen.
r Overlooking the Phoksundo Lake is the Pal Sentan
ThasoonChholingGompa,aBönpoGompasaidtohavebeen
built60generationsago.InnerDolpoisoneofthelastvestiges
of authentic Tibetan culture. It’s a land of ancient trading
routes, monasteries and medieval fortresses set in a timeless
landscape that is very distant from the modern world.

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January 2012 - Issue 1