Phoksundo lake, located in ward 8 of Shey-Phoksundo Rural Municipality in Dolpa district, has been drawing an increasing number of visitors in recent years.

According to Kishor Kumar Mahat, information officer at Shey-Phoksundo National Park, a total of 19,537 tourists have visited the iconic turquoise lake over the past five years.

Among them, 17,712 were domestic tourists, while 1,825 were foreigners, including 92 from SAARC countries, Mahat said. During this period, the park collected Rs7.38 million in revenue from entry fees alone. “We earned Rs1.77 million from Nepali tourists and Rs5.61 million from foreigners,” he added.

The park charges Rs100 for Nepali visitors, Rs1,500 for SAARC nationals, and Rs3,000 for other foreigners.

Situated at an altitude of 3,611 metres above sea level, the lake—locally called Rigmoh lake—has become one of the most photographed and visited natural sites in the western part of the country. Despite limited road connectivity and irregular air services to Dolpa, the number of visitors has been rising steadily.

“If regular flights are ensured and the road up to the district headquarters Dunai is blacktopped, along with better promotion, the lake could attract tens of thousands of visitors annually,” Mahat estimated.

Tourism entrepreneur Jitendra Jhakri said Phoksundo has become an increasingly popular destination among domestic travellers. “Since Dolpa can now be reached from Kathmandu, Pokhara and Nepalgunj by motorcycles, public buses and jeeps, the number of Nepali visitors has surged,” he said.

Many tourists prefer overland routes—travelling from Nepalgunj through Surkhet, Jajarkot and Rukum to reach Dunai—before trekking on foot via Suligad, Kagni, Chhepka, and Tapriza to the lake, which can be reached within a day’s hike.