Dolpa: Dunai, Juphal airport and Phoksundo Lake

Dolpa is the largest district in Nepal¹. Juphal airport, the road from Rukum and Jajarkot, and Shey Phoksundo National Park, which protects a large part of the district, are covered below^2,1. This page covers the district; the neighbouring ones are in the districts hub, and the walks have their own pages, starting with the Phoksundo Lake trek.

Where it is

Dolpa is the largest district of Nepal, covering 5.36% of the total landmass of the country¹. Dunai is the district headquarters, and the district covers 7,889 km2¹. It lies between latitudes 28°43’N and 29°43’N and longitudes 82°23’E and 83°41’E¹.

The district borders Tibet on the north and northeast, and Jumla and Mugu on the west¹. Elevation ranges from 1,525 m to 7,625 m¹. Kanjiroba at 6,221 m, Mukot at 6,638 m and Putha Hiunchuli at 7,246 m are among its renowned peaks¹.

The 2021 census counted 42,774 people¹. The district has 8 municipalities, 2 urban and 6 rural¹. Its cultural traditions are basically linked with Tibetan culture¹.

Getting there

By air

Dolpa (Juphal) Airport is the gateway to Shey Phoksundo National Park, where Phoksundo Lake is the major attraction, and it also connects to the Upper Dolpa trek². The airport is a three-hour walk from the district headquarters, Dunai². It stands at 2,503 m², and has an asphalt runway². It began operating in 1975².

The Civil Aviation Authority’s 2020 airport profile listed Tara Air, Sita Air, Nepal Airlines and Summit Air as the scheduled airlines, with connections to Nepalgunj and Surkhet². The aircraft types are the DHC6, L410 and Y12, flying under visual flight rules². Juphal is a village that is now part of Thuli Bheri Municipality³. See flights to Juphal for the operators.

In July 2016 flights to and from Jufal airport were affected for a week by bad weather, flights from Nepalgunj stopped because of incessant rainfall, and passengers were stranded by the closure of the airport⁴.

By road

In November 2012 Dolpa, despite being the largest district in area, had only 1 vehicle and no road links to other districts¹. A 118 km road linking Dunai with Rukum and Jajarkot was completed in 2018, which connected the district with the national road network¹.

Shey Phoksundo National Park

A large portion of the district is protected by Shey Phoksundo National Park¹. The district’s name is derived from the 12th-century Shey Monastery and the deepest lake in Nepal, Phoksundo Lake, both of which lie in it¹. The park protects endangered animals including the snow leopard, musk deer and Tibetan wolf¹.

Permits

Dolpa is split into a Lower and an Upper area for permits. In October 2026 the Department of Immigration’s fee table listed these⁵:

Lower Dolpa covers Thulibheri and Tripurasundari municipalities (wards 1 to 11), Dolpo Buddha RM (wards 1 to 3), Shey Phoksundo RM (wards 8 and 9), Jagdulla RM (wards 1 to 6), Mudkechula RM (wards 1 to 9) and Kaike RM (wards 1 to 7)⁵. Upper Dolpa covers Dolpo Buddha RM (wards 4 to 6), Shey Phoksundo RM (wards 1 to 7) and Charka Tangsong RM (wards 1 to 6)⁵. For Upper Dolpa, if the royalty paid for a mountain expedition is less than the trekking permit fee, the difference must be paid separately⁵.

Shey Phoksundo National Park also charges an entry fee. In October 2026 the Nepal Tourism Board’s table listed the following per person per entry, with children under 10 free⁶:

Rules for every permit area are collected in restricted-area permits, and park charges in national park fees.

Where to go next

Walking routes: Lower Dolpo trek, Upper Dolpo trek and the Phoksundo Lake trek. Jumla and Mugu, on the district’s western border¹, are covered in Jumla and Mugu.