Dolakha दोलखा

Dolakha covers a wide sweep of the Bhote Koshi and Tamakoshi river valleys, rising from the mid-hills around Charikot (133 km from Kathmandu) to the glaciated massif of Gauri Shankar at 7,134 metres. Jiri, the district's best-known town to outside visitors, sits at about 1,900 metres in a green valley that closely resembles Swiss hill country — it was the starting point of the original foot route to Everest before Lukla's airstrip opened, and it still marks the beginning of the classic long approach. High in the Rolwaling Valley, Tsho Rolpa glacier lake lies at 4,580 metres, one of Nepal's largest and most closely monitored glacial lakes.

The Dolakha Bhimsen Temple, about 4 km east of Charikot, is an unusual roofless shrine housing a triangular stone idol venerated by merchants as the deity of commerce. The district's Newar communities maintain a distinct eastern Newar tradition separate from the valley cities. Dolakha was one of the worst-hit districts in the April 2015 earthquake and has largely rebuilt, though heritage structures around Charikot are still being restored. Trekking permits for the Rolwaling Valley are required.