HIMALAYA: DOLPO

The first 21 images in this gallery were taken on my first trip to Dolpo, back in 1993. On that occasion I trekked from Jumla to Juphal via the Kagmara La, Phoksundo Tal ,the Num and Baga La's and Dho Tarap. In October 2012 I fulfilled a long cherished dream of making it back to the region and trekking through Upper Dolpo. The remainder of the images here were taken during this trek, from Juphal to Phoksundo and then north to Shey Gompa, and Saldang before swinging south again to Dho Tarap and back to Juphal.  

"Certain regions along the Tibetan border, such as Mustang and Dolpo, are considered politically sensitive. Not long after the Chinese invaded Tibet in 1950, the Khampas, the people of Kham in the eastern part of the country, revolted against them. Long known as warriors and bandits who continually harassed the Tibetan governments, the Khampas now began a guerilla war against the Chinese which continued even after the Dalai Lama fled from Tibet into India in 1959. Finally the Chinese crushed the rebels - except for those who had sought refuge in northern Nepal. From there the Khampas not only continued their raids against the Chinese, but also, in a regression to their robber past, stole from and bullied their reluctant Nepalese hosts. Careful not to irritate its powerful neighbor, the Nepal government denied the presence of Khampas in Nepal, and to avoid incidents, it banned most visits by foreigners to the border regions. The Khampas caused so many problems in Dolpo that the Nepalese government finally sent troops there in 1974...and for over three years after that the Dolpo area was closed to outsiders." 

George Schaller - Stones of Silence 1980