In fact, many people in the world know about Dolpo, though not all of those who know know what they know that it is Dolpo. This place is captured in the film “The Himalayas” and in Peter Mathiessen’s book “The Snow Leopard”. For foreigners, the district was opened only in 1989, but it is still not often visited by tourists due to relative inaccessibility.
The main attractions of the place: the Shey Gompa monastery (it is believed that it is 800 years old), the deepest lake in Nepal - Phoksundo, ancient monasteries in the Do valley. Not far from Dolpo is one of the eight-thousanders - Dhaulagiri.
Upper Dolpo is visited by pilgrims who make here a sacred kora around the Crystal Mountain. If the schedule allows, I try make it as well. It is believed that Dolpo is one of the "hidden valleys" created by Guru Rinpoche so that people with a exeptionally pure mind can take refuge in them. But here you can find not only ancient Buddhist monasteries. Many locals practice the ancient Bon-Po religion.
Poksundo Lake is a must see. The unusual turquoise color of the water, the incredible cliffs along the banks leave a feeling of the incredible depth of the lake. According to legend, the lake appeared on the site of the village, which was flooded by a demoness who was running away from Padmasabhava.
From the lake, my route goes towards the Mustang through the Do Valley. There are also many ancient monasteries in this valley, the most interesting of which is in Do Tarap village. They say that in this monastery there is a stupa, in which Padmasambhava himself sealed the demon he defeated.
According to the calculations, this section of the route will take 21 days. If possible, I plan to make bent on the way to the French pass near Dhaulagiri and make a small ascent to Dhampus peak (6000m). The estimated completion time for this section is the beginning of August.
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