Phoksundo Lake: The Turquoise Heart of Dolpo

Photographs of Phoksundo Lake look retouched. The water is an opaque, saturated turquoise, enclosed by pale cliffs and dark conifers, without a ripple or a boat. It lies at about 3,600 metres in Dolpo, in the far north-west of Nepal, inside the country's largest national park. Getting there takes commitment, which is why the shore is still nearly empty.

The lake

Phoksundo is considered the deepest lake in Nepal, plunging to around 145 metres. It was formed long ago when a landslide dammed the valley, and the stream that escapes over that natural barrier drops in a tall, multi-stepped waterfall, among the highest in the country, which you pass on the walk in.

No fishing or swimming takes place. The water is sacred to local people, and its colour, which shifts between blue and green with the light, comes from its depth and mineral content.

Ringmo and the Bon tradition

On the southern shore stands Ringmo, a village of flat-roofed stone houses stacked with firewood, where people grow barley and potatoes and keep yaks. Its residents follow Bon, the religion that existed in Tibet before Buddhism arrived and that survives in a few Himalayan valleys.

Bon resembles Tibetan Buddhism in outward form, with monasteries, chortens and prayer flags, but differs in detail. Most visibly, its followers walk around sacred objects anticlockwise. A small Bon monastery sits on a promontory at the lake's edge, a ten-minute walk from the village, and a caretaker lama will usually open it for visitors.

How to get there

1. Take a flight from Kathmandu to Nepalgunj, the gateway town of the south-west.

2. Fly from Nepalgunj to Juphal, a mountain airstrip at about 2,500 metres, on a small aircraft early the next morning. Flights depend on the weather and are often delayed.

3. Trek for two to three days up the valley of the Phoksundo river, through pine forest, past the hamlets of Chhepka and Rechi, to Ringmo. The last day includes a steep climb to a viewpoint over the waterfall and the first sight of the lake.

Return the same way. From Kathmandu and back, allow nine to eleven days including spare days for flights. A rough road has been pushing into lower Dolpo from the south and offers a long overland alternative to the second flight.

Permits

The lake lies in Lower Dolpo, a restricted area. You need a restricted area permit, charged per week, and an entry permit for Shey Phoksundo National Park. Both must be arranged through a registered agency, and a licensed guide is required. Going beyond the lake into Upper Dolpo requires a far more expensive permit.

Where to stay

Simple lodges and homestays operate in Ringmo and at the stops along the trail. Rooms are basic, with shared toilets and meals of rice, lentils, potatoes and noodles. Some groups still bring tents. Supplies are limited, so carry snacks, and do not expect hot showers or reliable charging.

What to do at the lake

• Walk to the monastery and sit on the rocks above the water.

• Climb the trail on the western shore. A narrow path cut into the cliff, used by yak caravans heading north, rises high above the lake. An hour's walk gives the classic overhead view. It is exposed in places.

• Spend a day in the village, watching weaving, threshing or the return of the herds.

• Look for wildlife. Blue sheep graze the slopes. Snow leopards live in the park, though seeing one is very unlikely.

Two nights at Ringmo is the minimum to do the place justice.

When to go

Dolpo is partly sheltered from the monsoon, and the trekking season is the reverse of most of Nepal.

• May to October: when nearly everyone visits. Summer is green in the fields, with some rain on the approach.

• September and October: the clearest skies and autumn colour.

• November to April: very cold, with snow closing passes and many residents moving to lower villages.

Travelling with care

Dolpo is one of the most isolated inhabited regions of the Himalaya, and its culture and environment are fragile. Carry out all rubbish, do not wash in the lake or streams feeding it, ask before photographing people and religious sites, and respect the anticlockwise custom at Bon shrines.

Why go

Many travellers first hear of Dolpo through a celebrated book about a search for the snow leopard, or a film about its yak caravans. The lake is the most accessible part of that world: a short trek, by Dolpo standards, to a body of water whose colour has to be seen to be believed, beside a village still living by one of Asia's oldest faiths.