Over 23,000 tourists visit Dhorpatan in FY 2024/25

GALKOT, BAGLUNG: The number of tourists visiting Dhorpatan, Nepal’s only hunting reserve area, has increased annually, with domestic visitor numbers up by 8,000 over the past year.

Ranger Sagar Subedi of the Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve Office said 23,692 tourists visited the reserve in fiscal year 2024/25, compared with 15,573 in 2023/24.

Of these visitors, 12 were citizens of SAARC member states and 213 were nationals of other countries; the remainder were domestic tourists.

Ranger Subedi said the rise in numbers was due to increased promotion of Dhorpatan and improved tourism infrastructure, which has also boosted revenue.

Nepali tourists pay an entry fee of Rs 100, and more than Rs 2 million was collected from entrance fees in the last fiscal year.

The growth in visitor numbers was also driven by popular trekking routes, Subedi added.

While foreign tourists come mainly for hunting, domestic visitors explore the hunting reserve itself as well as Dhorpatan Valley, Niseldhor, Dhorbarah Temple, Bukipatan, Jaljala and other sites.

Ram Bahadur Gharti, operator of Dhorpatan Community Homestay, said about two dozen hotels and homestays now serve visitors in the valley, and tourists can conveniently reach the area by purchasing tour packages.

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