Dolpa is the most remote and least developed district in Nepal. Although a few
anthropologists and geographers had explored the region, the entire district was
closed to trekkers until 1989 when the southern part of Dolpo was opened to organized
trekking groups. Peter Matheson's The Snow Leopard and Snell grove's Himalayan
Pilgrimage have contributed to the mystique and attraction of Dolpo.
This region lies between the Tibetan Plateau and the Dhaulagiri Himal range
is one of the highest inhabited land of Dolpo regions. Geographically a southern
extension of Tibet, it lies within the borders of the kingdom of Nepal, since
1984 has been the country's largest national park and conservation, the park
sustains an abundance of wild life including Musk Deer, Himalayan Blue Sheep
and the legendary elusive Snow Leopard, as well as being home to a fascinating
race of Tibetan speaking people. The hardy highlanders of Dolpo are traders,
exchanging barley for Tibetan rock salt and they take their yaks onto the Tibetan
plateau during the summer for grazing. This region made famous by Peter Matthiessen's
book the Snow Leopard, the boundaries of the park include within 3,500 square
kilometers of land, mostly above 4,000 meters. Before 1989, when the southern
regions were opened to trekking groups, very few explorers had visited the area.
Two notable visits were the first mountaineering expedition by Dr. Herbert Tichy
in 1953 based in Kaigon and the other visit by John Tyson in the early sixties.
Dolpo, is one of the most beautiful treks in the remote far corners of Nepal,
very rarely visited by outsider. Dolpo was first explored by David Snelgrove
in 1956, this area was also visited by Peter Mathiessen in 1970, and account
of his journey is well described in his classic novel "The Snow Leopard".
From Jhupal village, we begin this wonderful adventure, encountering interesting
places, people, villages, valleys and serene forest of pines, oaks and rhododendron,
the trek passes many gigantic mountain ranges and over the Numala pass at 5,400m
till we reach the Phoksundo lake at Ringmo village in the "Phoksundo National
Park". At Ringmo, the highlight of our trip we will have two nights here
to enjoy the beauty of the deep blue waters of the Phoksundo lake and the surrounding
snow peaks of Kanjibrowa Himal, with time to visit the nearby isolated village
of Ringmo and its Monastery. This trek is one of the wildest and far a way from
modern technologies can bee wilder in the western part of Nepal.
At 6 am your Sherpa will come to your tent with a chirpy good morning, followed shortly by a basin of hot water to wash in. Then it's time to order breakfast, pack up your kit and head off to trek for the next three hours through forests, hills, mountains and local villages. You'll stop for an hour at a particularly pleasant spot along the way for a well-earned hot lunch. Then you'll then walk another three hours or so, before you stop for the night. Then you can have tea or coffee and some light snacks, before exploring the area with trek leader or just relaxing until dinner is served in a tented dining hall. The evenings are spent reading or chatting with your fellow trekkers and crew about the trip so far(s). A pack of cards is an asset on these nights; the crew love teaching various Nepali card games and learning new Western games. Finally, it's off to bed for a well deserved night's rest before you start it all again.
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