Valley or region
Dolakha
A hill district east of Kathmandu between the Tamakoshi gorges and the Gaurishankar range, with snow pilgrimages, an old Newar town and high trekking valleys.
Bagmati Provinceदोलखा
Dolakha District
A mountain district east of Kathmandu, known for the Bhimsen temple at Dolakha, the winter snows of Kalinchowk and the remote Rolwaling Valley.
- Province
- Bagmati
- Headquarters
- Charikot
- Area
- about 2,155 km²
- Places on Firfirey
- 5
About Dolakha
Dolakha lies north-east of Kathmandu, rising from the Tamakoshi and Sunkoshi river valleys in the south to the Rolwaling Himal and Gaurishankar on the Tibetan border. Sindhupalchok lies to the west, Ramechhap to the south and Solukhumbu to the east. The Tamakoshi cuts through the district from north to south, and much of the north falls within the Gaurishankar Conservation Area.
Tamang, Sherpa, Thami, Jirel, Newar, Brahmin and Chhetri communities live here, and farming dominates the hill economy. The old Newar bazaar of Dolakha, beside the headquarters at Charikot, is home to the revered Dolakha Bhimsen Temple. Travellers come for pilgrimage and snow at Kalinchowk Bhagwati, for the Sailung hills, for treks into the Rolwaling Valley, and for the historic walking route to Everest that once began at Jiri.
Places in Dolakha
Temple, monastery or heritage site
Dolakha Bhimsen Temple
An open-roofed temple in the old Newar town of Dolakha, where a triangular stone image of Bhimsen is worshipped as a god of trade and fortune.
Temple, monastery or heritage site · 3,842 m
Kalinchowk Bhagwati
A Hindu shrine on a 3,842 m ridge in Dolakha, reached from Kuri on foot or by cable car, known for winter snow and mountain views.
Valley or region
Rolwaling Valley
A remote Sherpa valley under Gaurishankar in Dolakha, trekked to the glacial lake Tsho Rolpa, with a technical pass to the Everest region.
Viewpoint · 3,146 m
Sailung
A high ridge of grassy domes on the Dolakha-Ramechhap border, with a wide Himalayan view and a hilltop Shiva shrine.
Getting there
Charikot is reached by road from Kathmandu along the Araniko Highway and then the Lamosangu to Jiri road, usually a long half-day to a full day's drive. Kalinchowk and Jiri are further on by local roads. Kathmandu has the nearest airport with regular international connections.
Best time to visit
Autumn and spring offer the clearest views and the best trekking; winter brings snow to Kalinchowk and the high ground, and the monsoon months are wet with frequent road disruption.
Treks in Dolakha
A network of high and mid-hill routes about 1,700 km long that crosses Nepal from Kanchenjunga in the east to Humla and the far west, usually walked in sections, or as a through-trek of about four to five months.
- Days
- 160 days
- Maximum altitude
- 6,160 m
- Difficulty
- Challenging
Editorial draft: the district overview is being checked. Headquarters and Nepali names: nepal-places dataset (MIT). Area and map position computed from the district boundaries of the Government of Nepal, Survey Department, via OCHA.