ALL ABOUT NEPAL AND MANY MORE: About Shey Phoksundo National Park

Trek to Shey Phoksundo Lake and Shey Phoksundo National Park (Dolpa District)

Shey Phoksundo is Nepal's largest national park and covers 3,555 sq. km. Sitting astride the Dolpa and Mugu districts of western Nepal, the park was established to protect the trans-Himalayan ecosystem found only in few areas of the Kingdom. The unique park includes the Kanjiroba Himal, with many peaks of over 6,000 meters, as well as the famous Shey Monastery, the Phoksundo Lake and the Langu Gorge.

Shey-Phoksumdo lake is crystal-clear blue water lake. There is also no raod to it so far away from any man-made artifical looks. The surroundings mountain shapes, blue stable water makes it an unforgettable scene for life. It falls towards east from Rara lake. There is a small village named 'Rigmo' near lake making the view more beautiful as colourful religious flags on homes are waving with the breeze.

The flora of the area include pine, walnut, willow, oak, poplar and cypress in the lower southern parts. In the higher reaches, pine, spruce, juniper and birch pre-dominate. The alpine areas are vegetated by berberries, wild rose and caragana. The and trans-Himalayan mountains and grassy alpine meadows to the north are almost devoid of trees but have caragana and dwarf juniper. The wildlife of Shey Phoksundo include a good popula-tion of blue sheep and ghoral, musk deer, leopard, wild dog, wolf, marmot, weasel, mouse hare, rhesus and langur monkeys. The higher reaches and the haunt of the elusive snow leopard. The adjoining Tibetan region is home to such rare animals as the great Tibetan sheep, Tibetan wild ass, Tibetan gazelle and antelope, and wild yak. Bird species of the park include the Impeyan and cheer Pheasant, chough, raven, Tibetan snow cock, Tibetan twit, brown dipper, Himalayan griffon and lammergeier.

The park is inhabited by people of Tibetan descent who follow the pre-Buddist Bon religion and some of the main villages are Ringmo, Pugmo, Salclang, Kugun, and Tatgaun. On the august full moon all Dolpa villagers converge on the Shey (Crystal) Mountain in a festival to walk around the holy peak three times in as many days.

Entry Fee Per Person Per Entry

For Nepalese Nationals, Free
For Indians and other SAARC Nationals, Rs. 100/-
For Other Foreign Nationals, Rs. 1,000/-

How To Reach

One can fly from Nepalgunj to nearest STOL air-strip 'Jufal' in 'Dolpo' or 'Dolpa' south of the park. From Airport you have to walk 2 to 2.5 hrs to reach Dunai, the District headquarter of Dolpa District. You can take a hotel and rest for air travel tiredness.From Dunai it takes about 2 days trek to reach Shey-Phoksumdo lake. In one day you can reack 'Chhepka' village. You can camp there if you have with you or take rest in local hotels. Next day you can continue trek and reach to Shey-Phoksumdo lake.Visitors can also fly to Jumla from where it is a 10 day hike to the Phoksundo and Shey areas.

Alternatively, you can fly nepalgunj to Jumla and from Jumla, you can start trekking of about one week to the park. You will find an adventurous trek from Dhorpatan crossing several high passes to reach Dunai, the District Head Quarter of Dolpa district.

Best Time to Visit

The best time to visit this park is from April to November. The park area is little affected by monsoon rains due to its geographical location and so weather is clear usually. The high passes and peaks still remain covered with the winter snow. The alpine flowers are at their best color during the months.

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