The Dolpa, a remote region of Nepal is located in the north-western part & in the sixth province of the country. Dolpa is one of the ten districts of the province. Despite being rich in natural heritage it is most undeveloped district of Nepal among 75 districts. The tough and challenging geography pushed this area backward. On the basis of area Dolpa is the largest district of the country. It covers the area of 7,889 square kilometer.
Dunai is the district headquarters of Dolpa. It borders Tibet, an Autonomous Region of China, on north. Similarly, Jumla and Mugu districts border from west, Myagdi, Jajarkot and Rukum on south and Mustang districts shares border with Dolpa on east.
The world’s deepest Lake Shey-Phokshundo lies here (706 square km) at an altitude of 3600m and many more famous lakes. Shey Phoksundo National Park protects this district. This name is derived from a monastery called Shey. It was built in 12th century. The name of the lake Phoksundo which is one of the popular and largest lakes of Nepal is also named after this monastery. Both, lake and monastery lie in this district.
Dolpa Region is popular habitat for endangered species of animals like snow leopard, musk deer and the Tibetan wolf. The other fact about Dolpa is that it is regarded as trans-Himalaya which means a district lying beyond the Himalaya.
The Government of Nepal opened Trekking in Dolpo in 1989. To protect the cultural diversity of this area government took this step as the site is probably the only place in the world where Bon Po religion is still practiced. It is one of the oldest religions also known as old Tibetan Buddhism but is bit different from existing Buddhism.
The Cultural Revolution of China destroyed all the then existing religions in China and Tibet. Dolpa bordering Tibet also has the influence of Bon Po as large number of group practiced it in Dolpa. Due to this reason Dolpa is the only place to practice Bon Po in the world and this makes this place unique and rich with peculiar identity.
The wonderful landscapes of this area have been luring many tourists of all over the world after 1989. The snow-capped peaks, forbidden lands, bio-diversity and beautiful and old monasteries make Dolpa a center for tourist attraction. Trekking around the Dolpo region is memorable journey of lifetime in every visitor's life, lying in the rain shadow area of the Himalayas with stunning mountain views, wild flowers, Himalayan blue sheep, snow leopards and huge birds Himalayan griffon. Dolpo region trek offers an unexceptional experience of trekking in the remote region of north-western part of Nepal.
It is a mysterious place for researchers where there is lot of things to explore regarding human civilization. Trekking in this area requires special permit from the Government of Nepal.Legends say that Dolpo is one of the hidden valleys where Guru Rinpoche meditated and killed evil spirits then.
Upper Dolpo Trekking, Lower Dolpo Trekking, Shey Phoksundo Lake Trekking are some of the treks operated in Dolpo region. There are several routes to trek Dolpo - Dolpo trek via Rara, Dolpa trekking via Jomsom, trekking in Dolpo via Mustang, especially from Pokhara and Jumla are most preferable by the travellers. The trek to Dolpa begins with flight from Nepalgunj to Juphal.