October 29: Considering the risk of precarious journey to Phoksundo Lake, one of the major attractions of Dolpa, the visitors have urged the authorities concerned to construct the required infrastructures to facilitate their journey to the scenic lake.

Better bridges and trails will most likely attract even more tourists, say the international and domestic tourists who visited Phoksundo Lake.

Currently, tourists visiting the lake have to travel through the district headquarters of Jajarkot along the Mid-Hill Highway and spend a night at the district headquarters of Dolpa before reaching the lake. To reach the lake, the visitors have to cross a dozen of dilapidated wooden bridges built over the Suligad River.

Life is at risk while crossing the river through the dilapidated wooden bridges, says Ram Prasad Khatri of Nalgad Municipality-8. One can reach Dunai, the headquarters of Dolpa, by any means of transport. The lake is within a two-day walk from Suligad.

It would be convenient for domestic and foreign tourists to reach the lake if there had been concrete bridges over the Suligad River and a reliable trekking route, according to stakeholders.    
At an elevation of 3,600 metres above the sea level, the lake spanning 4.94 square kilometres in area lies near the Rigmo village of Shey Phoksundo Rural Municipality-8. Although the depth of the lake is said to be 145 metres, the locals claim that it is 650 metres deep.

The lake, which changes its colour from time to time according to the weather, is shaped like the English alphabet Y, and it also looks like a human lung from another angle.    
Visitors have to use a foot trail to reach the Phoksundo Lake from Suligad via Kathepul, Thoso, Lapku and Sankul.    
Although the government has been building suspension bridges over most of rivers in Dolpa, the trail leading to Phoksundo Lake from Suligad still has wooden bridges which are in dilapidated condition.

Nima Lama, ward chair of Shey Phoksundo Rural Municipality, argues that the wooden bridges need to be preserved along with the construction of suspension bridges.

“As the area is a trekking route, the stakeholders should stress the need for the preservation of wooden bridges to attract tourists,” he said. -- RSS