The only reserve in Nepal where licensed hunting is permitted, at 3,000 metres in Baglung.
Overview
Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve was established in 1987 and covers about 1,325 square kilometres across Baglung, Myagdi and Rukum, on the southern flank of the Dhaulagiri massif. It is the only reserve of its kind in Nepal.
Licensed hunting is managed on a quota system by the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, principally for blue sheep and Himalayan tahr, in designated blocks and defined seasons. Permits, licences and quotas are issued by the department, not by an operator, and the process needs to be started well in advance.
The reserve is equally open to visitors with no interest in hunting: it holds snow leopard, musk deer, red panda and wolf, and the trek in over the meadows is one of the emptiest in the country. Talk to us early – the paperwork, not the travel, sets the timetable.
Itinerary
Day 1 :
Arrive in Kathmandu
You are met at the airport and transferred to your hotel in Kathmandu. The real business of this day is the meeting with the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, which administers the reserve and issues every licence and quota - no operator can do this on your behalf without you. We go through what has already been filed, what remains outstanding, and the documentation you need to have with you. The rest of the afternoon covers the trek itself: the route, the camping arrangements and the kit.
Day 2 :
Kathmandu: permits and licences
A full day in Kathmandu for licensing. Quota allocation and block assignment are decided by the department on a seasonal basis, and firearm permits, where applicable, involve customs and the police as well. None of it can be hurried, which is why it has a day of its own rather than being squeezed around a departure. If the paperwork clears early there is time to see something of the city. We also confirm the reserve entry permits and the crew arrangements for the walk in.
Day 3 :
Kathmandu to Pokhara
We travel to Pokhara, either on the twenty-five minute flight or by road in six to seven hours along the Trishuli and Marsyangdi. Pokhara is at 800m on Phewa Lake with the Annapurnas above it, and the afternoon is free. This is also the last opportunity to buy or replace anything, since there is nothing beyond Beni. An early night before the long drive west.
Day 4 :
Pokhara to Darbang via Beni
By road west along the Kali Gandaki to Beni, a market town at the confluence with the Myagdi Khola, and then onto a rough road that follows the Myagdi upstream to Darbang at about 1,110m. The second half is slow going on a track cut into the hillside above the river, and the whole journey takes most of the day. Darbang is the road head. The crew sorts and weighs loads here, and we camp on the flat ground by the river.
Day 5 :
Darbang to Dharapani
The walking begins, following the Myagdi Khola and then climbing away from it through Magar villages and terraced hillside. This is the Magar heartland - stone houses with slate roofs, and terracing on slopes that look impossible to work. Five to six hours with a steady gain in height and a stop for lunch on the way. Camp at Dharapani at around 1,500m, on a terrace with the valley falling away below.
Day 6 :
Dharapani to Muna
A steady climb through oak and rhododendron forest, which in March and April flowers red and pink across the whole hillside. As the trees thin, Dhaulagiri appears to the north - at 8,167m the seventh-highest mountain in the world, and from here it dominates the skyline completely. Six hours or so with a good deal of ascent, so the pace is deliberate. Muna is a Magar village at about 1,900m with a school and a handful of houses; camp just beyond it.
Day 7 :
Muna to Lumsum
A shorter and gentler day up to around 2,200m, through summer grazing settlements and the last of the permanent farmland. The trail passes goths - temporary stone shelters used by herders bringing buffalo and goats up for the season - and the forest opens out. Four to five hours leaves the afternoon free, which matters because tomorrow is the crossing. Lumsum is little more than a clearing with water, and the evening is cold enough for a fire.
Day 8 :
Lumsum to Moreni over the Jaljala pass
The Jaljala pass at 3,414m, and the day the walk in is built around. It is a long steady climb all morning to a broad open saddle of alpine meadow rather than a narrow col, hung with prayer flags, with the entire Dhaulagiri massif standing to the north. Six to seven hours including the descent on the far side. The character of the country changes completely at the top: no more forest and no more villages, just meadow, rock and sky. Camp at Moreni.
Day 9 :
Moreni to Dhorpatan
A short day down into the Dhorpatan valley, a broad flat-bottomed basin at about 2,900m with the river braiding across the middle and the mountains standing well back on either side. The reserve covers about 1,325 square kilometres across Baglung, Myagdi and Rukum on the southern flank of Dhaulagiri and is the only one of its kind in Nepal. There is a Tibetan settlement here, established after 1959, with a small monastery and a carpet-weaving tradition. Three to four hours of easy walking; camp on the valley floor.
Day 10 :
Dhorpatan: blocks and orientation
A day for orientation and formalities on the ground. We meet the reserve staff, confirm the block that has been assigned, and are joined by the reserve-appointed game scout who will be with the party throughout - this is a requirement, not an option. The afternoon is spent on the slopes above the valley getting a feel for the ground, the wind and the animals' movement, which is time well spent before anything else happens. Blue sheep are usually visible on the higher slopes from camp.
Day 11 :
Days in the assigned block
The first of four days working the assigned block. Hunting in Dhorpatan is managed by the department on a strict quota system, principally for blue sheep and Himalayan tahr, in designated blocks and defined seasons, with the scout present and the quota logged. Days start before light and the ground is steep and high - most of the work happens between 3,500m and 4,500m, and fitness matters more than anything else here.
Day 12 :
Days in the assigned block
A second day in the block. It is worth saying that the reserve is equally rewarding for anyone in the party with no interest in hunting: snow leopard, musk deer, red panda and Himalayan wolf all live here, there are over a hundred and thirty recorded bird species, and the meadows and ridges are among the emptiest walking country in Nepal. Non-hunting members of a group are welcome and are looked after separately if they prefer.
Day 13 :
Days in the assigned block
A third day in the block. Weather and conditions dictate the pace entirely - snow, cloud and wind all change what is possible, and nothing here runs to a fixed schedule. The camp moves within the block as required rather than staying in one place. Evenings are early and cold, and the crew keeps a fire going.
Day 14 :
Dhorpatan to Lumsum
The last day available in the block before the walk out, used or held in reserve depending on how the previous three have gone - weather can take out a day at this altitude without warning, and building in the margin is the only sensible way to plan. Any trophy handling, tagging and departmental paperwork is completed here in the presence of the reserve scout, who signs off the quota record that goes back to the department in Kathmandu. The camp is packed down and the loads redistributed for the return. From this point the itinerary is the walk out, and the evening is the last one on the valley floor.
Day 15 :
Lumsum to Darbang
The walk out begins, back up out of the valley and over the Jaljala pass to Lumsum - six to seven hours, and the reascent to 3,414m is harder with fully loaded porters. From the top there is a last long look north at Dhaulagiri before dropping into the forest on the southern side. The vegetation, the warmth and the birdsong all return within a couple of hours of the pass. Camp at Lumsum.
Day 16 :
Drive to Pokhara and fly to Kathmandu
Down through Muna and Dharapani to the road head at Darbang, then by road to Beni and on to Pokhara - a long combined day of walking and driving that ends with a hot shower for the first time in a fortnight. From Pokhara we continue to Kathmandu by air or road, where the closing departmental paperwork, any export documentation and the trophy arrangements are completed before you fly home.
Cost
The Cost Includes
- 2 nights twin-sharing hotel accommodation in Kathmandu with breakfast
- Full camping support for 13 days - two-person tents, dining and toilet tents, mattresses and all kitchen equipment
- All meals on trek - 13 breakfasts, lunches and dinners, with tea or coffee
- Government-licensed trekking guide, and one porter between two trekkers
- Guide and porter wages, insurance, equipment, food and accommodation
- All trekking permits, TIMS card and national park or conservation area fees
- Ground transport to and from the trailhead
- Purified drinking water on trek, by filter or purification tablets
- Basic first-aid kit and a pulse oximeter carried by the guide
- Farewell dinner in Kathmandu
- Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve entry permit and block fee
- Assistance with the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation licensing process
- Reserve-appointed game scout and local trackers
The Cost Excludes
- Hunting licence and trophy fees, which are set and collected by the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation
- Firearm import permits, ammunition and any customs charges
- Trophy preparation, veterinary certification and export documentation
- Domestic flights where the itinerary uses them, quoted separately
- Lunches and dinners in Kathmandu
- Hot showers, battery charging and Wi-Fi at teahouses
- Bottled or boiled water, and all other drinks
- Personal trekking equipment and clothing
- Extra nights in Kathmandu caused by an early return or a flight delay
- International flights to and from Nepal
- Nepal entry visa (USD 30 for 15 days, USD 50 for 30 days, USD 125 for 90 days, on arrival at Kathmandu airport)
- Travel and medical insurance, including emergency evacuation cover
- Personal expenses - laundry, phone calls, bar bills and shopping
- Tips for your guide and driver
- Anything not listed under "The Cost Includes"