Enhancing Access to Shey Phoksundo Lake: A Call for Infrastructure

Domestic and international visitors have called for the development of necessary infrastructure to improve access to Shey Phoksundo Lake. Building the required facilities from Suligad, near Dolpa's headquarters, to the lake has the potential to attract more tourists, they argue. Currently, visitors travel through Jajarkot's district headquarters and the Mid-Hill Highway, spending a night in Dolpa's district headquarters before reaching the lake. The journey to the lake requires crossing the Suligad River via a dozen decaying wooden bridges. Ram Prasad Khatri from Nalgad Municipality-8 says that crossing these unstable bridges poses a threat to life.

Transportation is available up to Dunai of Dolpa, and from Suligad, the lake can be reached in two days by foot. If a stable concrete bridge was built over the Suligad River and a dependable trekking path was established, it would be convenient for both domestic and international tourists to access the lake, according to stakeholders. The lake, situated at an altitude of 3,600 meters above sea level and covering an area of 4.94 square kilometers, lies near Rigmo village in Shey Phoksundo Rural Municipality-8. While its depth is said to be 145 meters; locals claim it to be 650 meters deep. Its color changes with the weather, it resembles an English letter Y in shape, and it looks like a human lung.

To explore Shey Phoksundo Lake, Shey Phoksundo National Park, Phoksundo Waterfall, and Upper Dolpa Suligad, visitors should use footpaths. Local communities have designated various names for areas like Kathepul, Thoso, Lapku, and Sankul. Despite the ongoing construction of suspension bridges throughout Dolpa—making travel easier for residents and tourists alike—wooden bridges still lead from Suligad to Phoksundo. Nima Lama, ward chair of Shey Phoksundo Rural Municipality, believes that while suspension bridges are necessary for day-to-day travel, preserving the traditional wooden bridges can help attract tourists. As the area serves as a trekking route, stakeholders should focus on the maintenance of wooden bridges to boost tourism.