The beautiful landscapes from Eric Valli's Oscar nominated film "Caravan" caught the imagination of audiences the world over. This is the region of Dolpo sometimes written as Dolpa. The people of this remote outpost seem more Tibetan than Nepali. They are followers of the pre-Buddhist Bon Po religion although in the south, Hindu influences can be perceived. They are mostly traders who barter sheep, yak and salt between Tibet and Nepal for food grains and other essentials.

Dolpo lies north of the Dhaulagiri range and falls within the Shey Phuksumdo National Park. This region was opened to trekking in 1988. It is a six- day trek from Jumla or eleven days from Jomsom. These places can be reached by a short flight from Nepalgunj and Pokhara respectively.

Dunai is the headquarters of Dolpo, but the most captivating region here is the Phuksumdo lake and its pristine surroundings. Travelers say the turquoise blue water of this lake is so pure that if you drop a stone, you can watch it for a long time as it descends to the bottom. A part of the Himalayas can be seen from here and a shrine to visit is the Shey Gompa made famous by Peter Mattheissen's book "The Snow Leopard". The entry fee for upper Dolpo is US $ 700/- per person for 10days and an additional US$ 70/- per day per person thereafter.