Who wouldn't want to reach Phoksundo Lake, known as the 'Blue Diamond'? Those who set out on a journey with a firm dream of embracing this destination not only reach Phoksundo, they also get the privilege of enjoying the unique beauty of nature.

Phoksundo Lake is located near Rigmo village in Shey-Phoksundo Rural Municipality-8 of Dolpa. Phoksundo, which is 3,611 meters above sea level, is also known as Rigmo Lake. The 650-meter-deep Phoksundo is also called ‘Chho’ by the locals. ‘Chho’ means lake in the local language, says Ward Chairman Nima Lama. ‘Before the national road network was connected to Dolpa, very few tourists used to visit Phoksundo. When the road reached Dolpa in Mangsir 2075, the number of tourists increased significantly,’ he said.

Even though it has become cold in Dolpa, domestic tourists are coming to visit Phoksundo. The popularity of Phoksundo is supported by the movie ‘Caravan’. The scene where a boat is dropped into the lake in the movie directed by French director Eric Vallée has made Phoksundo famous worldwide. Some destinations around Phoksundo are also discussed here.

Thasung Choling Monastery

Thasung Choling Monastery is a must-see destination after reaching Phoksundo Lake. It is said that the monastery was established about nine hundred years ago. Regular worship is held in the monastery. This monastery is believed to have originated even before the lake, says local ward chairman Nima Lama. ‘Most tourists who reach the lake reach the monastery. From there, you can also view the lake to the north,’ he said.

‘Third View Point’

‘Points’ have been built at various places around the lake to view Phoksundo. After ‘trekking’ to Phoksundo, the pleasure of viewing the beautiful Phoksundo from the ‘view point’ is unique. You can view different views of the lake from the ‘points’. ‘After climbing Phoksundo, the Phoksundo journey is incomplete without reaching the ‘view point’, says Binod Budha, a domestic tourist who came to Dolpa from Surkhet. After reaching Phoksundo, you can reach the ‘Third View Point’ in about three hours.

After walking along the lake’s left side from Rigmo village and climbing for two hours, you can reach the ‘First View Point’. From here, you can also see the Putha Himal. Half of the lake is visible from there. From the ‘First View Point’, the ‘Second View Point’ can be reached in 40 minutes. After walking for an hour, the ‘Third View Point’ can be seen. If you want to see the ‘Y’-shaped lake, you must reach the ‘Third View Point’.

Phoksundo Waterfall

Starting the trek from Suligad, you can reach Phoksundo Waterfall in one morning. Some people also call this waterfall the Suligad Waterfall. The naturally beautiful Suligad Waterfall is found an hour before reaching the lake. Domestic tourists say that the waterfall that you will find after climbing for about three hours will relieve all the fatigue of the climb. It is also known as the highest waterfall in Nepal. Its height is 168 meters.

The fascinating ‘Phoksundo Trail’

The ‘zero point’ for Phoksundo can be reached by car and motorcycle up to the army check point at Suligad. After that, the ‘Phoksundo Trail’ begins on foot. For this, you need to buy an entry ticket at the Shey-Phoksundo National Park office in Suligad. One hundred for Nepalis, 1,500 for citizens of SAARC countries and three thousand for foreigners.

From Suligad to Phoksundo, you have to cross some horse-drawn and some rope-drawn paths. From the beginning of the hike, you reach Phoksundo along the banks of the Suligad River. “The continuous flow of the river, the chirping of wild birds, and the natural beauty found in between make the hike more enjoyable,” said Diksha Shah, who came to Dolpa from Baglung.

The bells of horses, mules, yaks, and carts carrying food in the upper Dolpa region make the ‘Phoksundo Trail’ more resonant. Another interesting sight on the ‘Phoksundo Trail’ are the wooden bridges built to cross the river. The wooden bridges built over the blue Kanchan Suligad River are thrilling for tourists. About a dozen such bridges have to be crossed before reaching Phoksundo.

From Suligad, it takes about an hour and a half to reach Kagni Bazaar. More than half a dozen hotels are in operation here for tourists. Kagni, which falls under Thuliveri Municipality, is located on the banks of the Suligad River. From Kagni, it takes two hours to reach Sangta via Jelas. Chhepka can be reached in about an hour and a half from Sangta. Nima Gyalzen Lama, the owner of Hotel Shubhapa in Chhepka, said that almost all the hotels found on the ‘Phoksundo Trail’ also have camping facilities for foreign tourists.

From Chhepka, it takes four hours to reach Rechi. From there, it takes about two hours to reach Saijal. Hotels with facilities for tourists have also been opened in Chhepka, Rechi and Saijal. After a three-hour climb from Saijal, the lake is reached. In the meantime, a herd of protected wildlife can also be seen.

Locals say that wildlife is more visible when there are fewer tourists. Dozens of hotels with facilities have been opened for tourists after reaching the lake. ‘After reaching Phoksundo, tourists will not have any problem with accommodation, they will get the room they asked for at a discounted rate,’ said Nima Lama, the owner of Hotel Himalaya.

The journey of the 'Phoksundo Trail', which starts from the Tiraitir of Suligad, ends after reaching Phoksundo Lake. The journey of the 'Phoksundo Trail' ends after a journey of about 15 hours.

Easy destination

Phoksundo Lake is an easy and cheap destination for domestic tourists. Dolpa can be reached by public transport from Kathmandu, Nepalgunj, Surkhet and other cities. Many people also reach Dolpa by motorbike. There is a bus facility from Asoj to Baisakh every year. However, from Jestha, direct bus service is disrupted for about 6 months due to the increase in rivers and streams.

Tourist destinations are attractive during the rainy season, but it is difficult to travel, says local businessman Suman Gurung. The best time to visit Phoksundo is from Bhadra to Kartik. 'This time is suitable because there is less rain and greenery remains,' he said.

Tourism businessman Jitendra Jhankri says that Shey-Phoksundo is an attractive and cheap destination for nature lovers. "Phoksundo Lake is truly a paradise on earth," he said.

Increasing tourists

In the past five years alone, 20,796 tourists, both domestic and foreign, have visited Phoksundo, said Kishore Kumar Mahat, information officer of Shey-Phoksundo National Park. He said that about 7.5 million rupees have been collected from the park's entry fee alone from domestic, foreign and SAARC citizens.

The park says that there are more domestic tourists than foreigners visiting Phoksundo Lake. The park says that despite the fact that the road leading to Dolpa is unpaved and there are no regular flights, the number of tourists visiting Phoksundo Lake is increasing every year due to the attraction of the lake. There are regular flights to Dolpa and the road leading to the district headquarters Dunai is blacktopped. The park estimates that fifty thousand domestic and foreign tourists will enter every year if proper publicity is done.

Thinle forgotten in ‘Phoksundo Trail’

Thinle Lundup Lama, the hero of the film Caravan, introduced not only Phoksundo Lake, but also Dolpa and Nepal. This is the first film from Nepal to be nominated for ‘Best Foreign Language Film’ at the Oscars in 2000. On April 12, 2073, the main character of the film, Thinle, died after falling from Sangta to Chhepka on the ‘Phoksundo Trail’. On that day, he was coming from Dunai on horseback. After being pushed by a mule coming from the opposite direction, he and his horse fell about 40 meters into the Suligad river.

As the place where Thinle fell is being investigated, information about Thinle’s life struggle can be kept at various places, said Norbu Lama, a tourism entrepreneur from Chhepka.

In the media, there is a problem with telephone service from Suligad to Sayal on the 'Phoksundo Trail'. Telephone service is not available from Suligad to Sayal within Thuliveri Municipality and She-Phoksundo Rural Municipality. Tourists who come to see Phoksundo Lake, a major tourist destination in Karnali, are facing problems due to the lack of even normal phone service.