Walking miles will still take to the place where you may not find a sign of human

The wild west of Nepal, Dolpo is a challenging destination to trek but it is the most enchanting territory of Nepal. Few trekkers who have trekked along the time forgotten trails of Dolpo have admired this place as the most beautiful corner of the planet Earth. The region beautifully revealed in Eric Valli’s movie Himalaya, the Wild West Dolpo highlights the Crystal Mountain and the 11^th century Monastery Shey Gompa at its base. The alpine freshwater oligotrophic Lake Shey Phukshundo 3612m is also the major reward during the trek. Besides the people living in the far-flung villages of Dolpo are the believers of Bon, Buddhism prior to Buddha. Peter Matthiessen and George Schaller explored the region in 1973, to research on the rare Himalayan blue sheep and the rarer snow leopard. Matthiessen describes this trek a classic of its genre in his book “The Snow Leopard”. The duo also discovered the elusive Snow Leopard are more likely to be seen in the region compared to other highlands of the world. Very rarely trodden Himalayan landscapes with the people practicing the ancient religion makes Dolpo the most fascinating holiday destination to those travelers daring to scale the elevated and wild yet the beautiful nature.

Here we have a photo gallery of Upper Doplo and Shey Phuksundo Trek. Have a look.

Crossing a raging river over a narrow bridge-Adventurous

Camps that would be lifelong memories

Far-flung hamlets, untouched by modernity

Heaven isn’t elsewhere, its at Shey Phuksondo

Shadows of even giant white Himalayas are black

Culture is everywhere

Freezing cold outside, camps are warm enough

The trail that pursues spirituality

Trek that defines real adventure

Open fields are good camping sites

The journey at times could be exhausting

Following the snowy trail

A glimpse of inside Shey Gompa

The sun is bright, let us rest for a while

Where will the trail lead us to?

Camps all set, let us walk uphill and see whats there?

The barren landscapes- a glimpse

The most beautiful thing in the world- Raw Nature

Cameras capture amazing tranquil landscapes

What a beautiful combination of colors!

Trek to Upper Dolpo

Shey Pilgrimage Fair will be held in Saldang VDC, Dolpo this August. The fair is held every 12 years (in the Year of the Dragon) in Inner Dolpo – a mountainous region so remote and nearly inaccessible that it remained hidden from the outside world for quite a long time. The fair is celebrated by locals who follow Bon Po (an animistic religion predating Buddhism) and Tibetan Buddhism. Most westerners got to know about the hidden region of Dolpo after the publication of the hugely popular book “Snow Leopard” (set in Dolpo) by Peter Mattheissen.  Eric Valli further popularised this region by showcasing the stunning natural beauty of this hidden land in his cinematic venture 'Caravan'.

Shey Phoksumdo Lake- Dolpo (Pic: Explore Himalaya Archive)

Trek to Dolpo