On the edge of the Tibetan plateau north of the great mountain of Dhaulagiri lies the remote and little-known land of Dolpo, a high, cold, arid region of bare rocky hills, narrow ravines and broad sparsely vegetated valleys. In the rain shadow of the Himalayas, Dolpo is unaffected by the monsoon rains. It is very dry and very hot in summer but, since much of the region is above 4000 meters, it is snowy and bitterly cold in winter.

Charkhabhot village chortens,
Thajeng Khola Valley, Dolpo

Despite its inaccessibility, high altitude and inhospitable climate, Dolpo is not an empty land. Small villages dot the valleys and hillsides. Traders cross the passes with yaks and horses carrying goods between Tibet and lowland Nepal. However, in winter, most of the inhabitants of the high villages head downhill and south, some even travelling as far as Kathmandu. Just a few people overwinter, staying to watch over the flocks of goats and sheep.

A center of Tibetan Buddhism, there are also many gompas (monasteries) in Dolpo, and the passes and trails abound with mani (prayer) walls, chortens (Buddhist monuments) and prayer flags. Walking through this land means walking through an ancient culture, one that has remained the same for thousands of years and which is still almost untouched by the modern world. There are a few places where the mountain trails are the highways of the local people, but there are no motorized vehicles, or indeed machines, of any kind.

Living a marginal existence dependent on grain imports from the south, the few inhabitants of Dolpo cannot feed travellers. Trekkers in the area must therefore be self-sufficient. Access to much of the area is restricted to only a few organized groups, which must be accompanied by a liaison officer. Strict environmental rules apply and everything carried in must be carried out. In this way, the problems of over-use and environmental damage that have arisen in other areas of Nepal will hopefully be avoided.

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