Shey Phoksundo National Park is the largest and only trans- Himalayan
national park
A national park is a nature park designated for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes because of unparalleled national natural, historic, or cultural significance. It is an area of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that is protecte ...
in
Nepal
Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China Ch ...
. It was established in 1984 and covers an area of in the districts of Dolpa and Mugu in the Mid-Western Region, Nepal. The protected area ranges in elevation from .
Phoksundo Lake
Phoksundo Lake is an alpine fresh water oligotrophic lake in Nepal's Shey Phoksundo National Park at an elevation of in the Dolpa District. Phoksundo Lake is in size with a water volume of and a discharge of . In 2004, a survey by the Departm ...
is the park's prominent feature, located at an elevation of .
The park's headquarters are in Palam, Dolpa District.
Geography
The park's elevation varies from in the southeast near Ankhe to at the summit of Kanjiroba Himal at the southern edge of the
Tibetan plateau
The Tibetan Plateau, also known as the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau or Qingzang Plateau, is a vast elevated plateau located at the intersection of Central Asia, Central, South Asia, South, and East Asia. Geographically, it is located to the north of H ...
. Phoksundo Lake at an elevation of in the upper reaches of the Suligad river is surrounded by
glacier
A glacier (; or ) is a persistent body of dense ice, a form of rock, that is constantly moving downhill under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires ...
s and is known for its turquoise color.
Phoksundo Lake has a water surface of , and was declared a
Ramsar site
A Ramsar site is a wetland site designated to be of international importance under the Ramsar Convention,8 ha (O)
*** Permanent 8 ha (P)
*** Seasonal Intermittent < 8 ha(Ts)
**
echo-sounding technology.
The Langu river drains the high Dolpo plateau located in the north-east of the park. The Suligad and Jugdual rivers form the southern catchment flowing south into the Thuli
Bheri River
The Bheri River is a major tributary of the ''Karnali River'' draining the western Dhaulagiri range in western Nepal. It has three important upper tributaries. Sani Bheri River drains southern slopes of this range while Thuli Bheri River drai ...
.
Ecology
Fauna
90 snow leopards, with a density of 2.21 snow leopards per 100 km, were found during the study conducted from 2019 to 2022 by Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, supported by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). Other endangered species found in the park include grey wolf, musk deer, blue sheep, goral, great Tibetan sheep, Himalayan tahr, leopard and Himalayan black bear.
Culture
Several
gompa
A Gompa or Gönpa or Gumba ("Five Breathtaking Gumbas Around Kathmandu", ''OMG Nepal'', https://omgnepal.com/five-breathtaking-gumbas-around-kathmandu/ "remote place", Sanskrit ''araṇya''), also known as ling (, "island"), is a sacred Buddhist ...
s are within the park including Shey Gompa, which was established in the 11th century.