Myagdi's Sovang Dhuri Awaits Infrastructure and Tourism Development

Myagdi. Sovang Dhuri, located in Raghuganga Rural Municipality-7 of Myagdi, is awaiting tourism and infrastructure development. Situated at an altitude of 3,940 meters above sea level, the area lacks a well-managed trekking trail. Tara Garbuja Pun, a resident of Chimkhola, stated that despite its immense potential, Sovang Dhuri remains overlooked due to a lack of infrastructure and promotion.

“It has been difficult to attract tourists because basic infrastructure could not be built on the trekking trail identified two years ago connecting Chimkhola to Sovang Dhuri,” said Garbuja, who has been in the tourism business in Pokhara for a decade. “If government bodies support the efforts made at the community level, Sovang Dhuri could be developed into a major tourist destination.”

Sovang Dhuri, which is part of the Dhaulagiri Icefall trekking route connecting Myagdi and Mustang, offers a unique view of the world's seventh-highest peak, the 8,167-meter Dhaulagiri, from its base to its summit.

Along with sunrise views, visitors can observe the Gurja, Dhaulagiri, Annapurna, Nilgiri, Manapathi, Tukche, Machhapuchhre, and Manaslu mountain ranges. Moti Tilija, president of the Chimkhola Society UK, who visited Sovang on Friday, noted that the location offers panoramic views of Baglung Bazaar, Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve, Poon Hill, Mohare Danda, Mulde, Khopara, Todke, as well as rural settlements and hilly landscapes of Myagdi and Parbat districts.

Led by the society, a 27-member team returned to Chimkhola on Friday after trekking to Sovang Dhuri to promote tourism. The team had departed from Chimkhola on Thursday. A music video was also filmed to promote the destination. Currently, the area around Sovang Dhuri is blanketed in snow.

The forest along the trail is filled with colorful rhododendrons during the spring season. Wildlife such as goral and deer, along with medicinal herbs like Panchaule and Sedak Chini, can be observed.

Two years ago, the Mandali Youth Club of Chimkhola identified a trekking route connecting Chimkhola to Sovang Dhuri via Patlekhet, Jasalang, Sijikhola, Sijikharka, Thamkharka, Kholakharka, Sisarka, Tallo Mela, Uppallo Mela, Alekharka, and Nepane.

From Sovang Dhuri, one can reach Begkhola in Raghuganga Rural Municipality, Doba, Bhurung Tatopani, Dana in Annapurna Rural Municipality, and Lete in Mustang. It takes one day for a fit trekker and two days for a leisurely pace to reach Sovang Dhuri from Chimkhola. Until the previous generation, residents of Chimkhola would take their cattle and sheep to graze at Sovang Dhuri during the monsoon and descend to the lowlands near the village in winter.

A 'viewing center' has been established to promote the newly identified trail and Sovang Dhuri. Tara Garbuja Pun, Lokin Pun, Gopin Pun, and Hire Pun from Chimkhola constructed a shelter using wood and corrugated sheets.

The 20-capacity shelter was built to end the situation where tourists and guests had to spend the night in caves. Under Garbuja's leadership, two 500-liter drums were previously placed near the camping site 200 meters below Sovang Dhuri. The ward office has also added two more drums.

Arrangements have been made to collect melted snow and rainwater in the drums, providing convenience to tourists and herders. On the proposal of the ward office, the Raghuganga Rural Municipality constructed a public toilet at Sovang Dhuri last year. Since there are no hotels or restaurants, visitors must carry their own supplies.

In 2068 BS, the Trekking Agencies Association of Nepal (TAAN) Western Regional Chapter and the then District Development Committee, Myagdi, conducted a study on the Dhaulagiri Icefall trekking route via Galeshwor-Rakhubhagawati in Myagdi.

This trail connects the high mountain ridges of Piple, Bhagawati, Begkhola, Dagnam, Chimkhola, and Kuine Mangale in Raghuganga Rural Municipality, and Doba, Bhurung Tatopani, and Dana in Annapurna Rural Municipality, eventually linking to Lete in Mustang.