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.
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 SAARC Nationals, Rs. 100/-
- For Other Foreign Nationals, Rs. 1,000/-
- (Note: Entrance fee not required for children under
10 years).
Access:
The nearest airstrip is at Juphal, south of the park.
Visitors can also fly to Jumla from where it is a 10
day hike to the Phoksundo and Shey areas. The best time
to visit this park is from April to November.
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