Car/Jeep 13
hours (388 kms)
Bus 6
hours (200 kms to Pokhara)
2 hours (72 kms Pokhara to Baglung)
3 hours (90 kms Baglung to Burtibang)
2 hours (32 kms Burtibang to Dhorpatan by Jeep)
Airplane 25
minutes (to Pokhara)
The village gets its name from the flat meadows above the 4000m high
tree-line which are locally known as patans, and the marshy flat open valley
next to which the village itself sits is called dhor. Hence, the name Dhorpatan. Hunting is allowed
only in Dhorpatan in Nepal. The Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve lies
a day’s drive west of Pokhara in the shadow of Mt. Dhaulagiri. The Reserve is
home to many species of animals. There are 32 species of mammals recorded which
include snow leopard, musk deer, red panda and blue sheep. 164 species of
birds are found inside g reserve among which the Koklass pheasant, Impeyan pheasant, and Cheer pheasant are common. The
reserve is also home to two species of reptiles. The blue sheep is the most popular
species, other include ghoral, serow, rhesus macaque, langur, wild boar, Himalayan Tahrand
mouse hare. The musk deer, wolf, wed panda, cheer pheasant and Danphe are the endangered
species. There are seven hunting blocks within the reserve; four in the
southern part and three in the northern part to make hunting easy and
effective.
The winters are very cold due to low temperature and
strong winds. The higher altitudes are covered by snow all year. Mornings are
cloudy and it usually clears up in the afternoons. Snowfall occurs till early
April. The best time to visit the reserve is between March and April.
The hunting reserve was established in 1987 with the
objective of facilitate the hunting sport and to conserve the balance of
species of the temperate, subalpine and alpine ecosystem of western Nepal. The
reserve covers an area of 1,325 sq km in the Dhaulagiri Himal and extends
to Rukum, Myagdi, and Baglung districts. The
altitude ranges from 2,000 m to 7,246 m. Hunting license is issued by the
Department of the National Park and Wildlife Conservation in Kathmandu.
Dhorpatan is also connected to the Guerrilla Trekking Trail.
The enclosing valley is drained to the west by the Uttar
Ganga, tributary of the Bheri river, which in turn joins the Karnali river. According to
Hindu mythology, bathing in Uttar Ganga is considered scared. Every year there
is a fair organised in Dhor Barah Temple of Uttarg
Ganga during Vaisakhi Purnima and Jani Purnima. The road connectivity is good
till the headquarter of the park.
The best time to visit Dhorpatan is from mid
September to mid December.
How to reach
By road:
Kathmandu - Pokhara 200 km, six hours by bus.
By air: Kathmandu-Pokhara 25 minutes flight. Pokhara-Baglung 72 km, two hours by bus. Baglung-Burtibang 90 km, three hours by bus. Burtibang-Dhorpatan 32 km, two hours by jeep.
ढोरपाटन
जङ्गली जनावर, विशाल पाटन, जङ्गल र हिमाल ढोरपाटनका विशेषता हुन् । नेपालमा ढोरपाटनमा मात्र शिकार खेल्न
पाइन्छ । ढोरपाटन शिकार आरक्षमा झारल र नावरको शिकार खेल्न पाइन्छ । सन् २०१६ को
गणनामा ढोरपाटन क्षेत्रमा २,२०० नावर र ३८० झारल थिए । आरक्ष
प्रशासनले बर्सेनि निश्चित संख्यामा शिकार खेल्न अनुमति दिन्छ ।
वर्षका दुई
सिजन असोज–कात्तिक र फागुनदेखि वैशाखसम्म शिकार गर्न पाइन्छ । आरक्षका ६ ब्लकहरू — सुनदह, सेङ, दोगाडी, बार्से, फागुने र घुस्तुङमा शिकार खेलाइन्छ । शिकारीले जनावरको सिङ आफैंसँग लान
पाउँछन् ।
सरकारले रुकुम, बागलुङ र म्याग्दी जिल्लाका भूभाग समेटेर सन् १९८७ मा आरक्ष बनाएको थियो ।
आरक्षको क्षेत्रफल १,३२५ वर्गकि.मि. छ । त्यहाँ ३२ प्रजातिका स्तनधारी
जनावर पाइन्छन् । प्रमुख जनावर नाउर, झारल, थार र भालु हुन् । आरक्षमा दुर्लभ
एवं संरक्षित पन्छी डाँफे, मुनाल, चिर लगायत १६४ प्रजातिका चरा उड्छन्
।
खासमा ढोर
भनेको खुला र पाटन भनेको चौर हो । त्यसैले ढोरपाटनमा फराकिला चौर छन् । साथै अग्ला
पहाड र जङ्गल छन् । ढोरपाटन गुरिल्ला पदमार्गसँग पनि जोडिएको छ । ढोरपाटन शिकार
आरक्षको मुख्यालय अगाडि कुनामा उत्तरगङ्गा छ । हिन्दू मान्यता अनुसार उत्तरगङ्गामा
नुहाउँदा पवित्र भइन्छ । पाप पखालिन्छ । त्यहाँ पानीको मुहान छ । त्यो पानीमा
नुहाएर उत्तरगङ्गाभन्दा तलको रुद्रतालमा पिण्ड चढाएमा पितृ तर्छन् भन्ने जनविश्वास
छ ।
उत्तरगङ्गामा
ढोर बराह मन्दिर छ । स्थानीय शङ्कर गुरुङका अनुसार त्यहाँ वैशाखे पूर्णिमा र जनै
पूर्णिमामा मेला लाग्छ । निकुञ्जको हेडक्वाटरसम्म सडक सञ्जाल जोडिएको छ ।
ढोरपाटन घुम्ने
उत्तम सिजन असोजदेखि मंसिरसम्म ।
कसरी पुग्नेः
काठमाडौं–पोखरा २०० कि.मि., बसमा ६ घण्टा । पोखरा–बागलुङ ७२ कि.मि., बसमा दुई घण्टा । बागलुङ–बुर्तिवाङ ९० कि.मि., बसमा तीन घण्टा । बुर्तिवाङ–ढोरपाटन ३२ कि.मि., जीपमा दुई घण्टा ।