Dolpa becoming ‘hub’ for motorcycle ‘trek’

• Ram Chandra Neupane

Dolpa. The mountainous district of Dolpa is becoming a major destination for motorcycle treks.  This district has also become a hub for motorcycle trek as it is overflowing with tourists from different parts of the country.

According to Shey-Phoksundo National Park, 2,500 tourists have visited the lake this year alone.  Most of the visitors come to see the lake.

This year, more tourists have come by motorcycle than by plane or car. Once the road network is connected, one can reach the district headquarters Dunai directly from any district of the country on a smooth motorcycle.

Phoksundo Lake can be reached without being a tourist by taking a two-day trek from Dunai via Suligad. This lake is one of the major tourist destinations of the district. Along with this, the famous Tripurasundari Temple, Se-Gumba, Dho Tarap Valley, the district headquarters Dunai Dolpa are more attractive tourist destinations.

Dolpa has become the choice of domestic tourists for observing such natural, religious, cultural, and historical sites. According to the park officials, the pressure of domestic tourists to visit the lake has increased since August due to the onset of suitable seasons for tourism.

Although there was no place to park the motorcycles, the tourists had walked for two days to see Shey-Phoksundo. Until a year ago, more than 50 tourists used to reach Dolpa on motorcycles daily. According to Nirajan Shahi, a resident of Thulivheri Municipality, this year the tourists have come on motorcycles on the road to enjoy the beauty of Foksundo Lake.

According to the park office, many tourists have entered Dolpa since the establishment of the park. According to Gopal Khanal, the conservation officer for the park, 2,500 tourists visited Foksundo Lake from August to November 15 despite various difficulties.

As Dolpa has become a once-in-a-lifetime destination for those who want to get lost in nature and enjoy heavenly bliss, it is possible to get advance information on the cost of reaching Phoksundo, the condition of the road, and other issues by calling the park number.

Crowded Hotels

With the increasing pressure of domestic tourists, the hotels here are overcrowded. Hotels along the tourist route from Khadang, Tripurakot, Dunai, Jufal, and Suligad to Phoksundo are packed.

According to the hotelier, it has been difficult to feed the guests due to the pressure of tourists this year. The number of domestic tourists has doubled this year as compared to the previous year, says Nima Lama, Ward Chairman of Shey-Phoksundo Rural Municipality.

Tourists, who want to reach Dolpa by car and motorbike after facing various difficulties, leave the process due to the hassle of air tickets and choose the destination directly by road.

According to a tourism entrepreneur, the number of tourists visiting Dolpa will further increase if only air tickets are arranged at Nepalgunj and Jufal airports.