| Shey Phoksundo National Park | |||||
| Alt Name: | शे-फोकसुण्डो | ||||
| Iucn Category: | II | ||||
| Map: | Nepal | ||||
| Label: | Shey Phoksundo National Park | ||||
| Label Position: | top | ||||
| Relief: | 1 | ||||
| Location: | Nepal | ||||
| Coordinates: | 29.3581°N 82.8456°W | ||||
| Area: | 3555km2 | ||||
| Established: | 1984 | ||||
| Embedded: |
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Shey Phoksundo National Park is the largest and only trans-Himalayan national park in Nepal. It was established in 1984 and covers an area of in the districts of Dolpa and Mugu in the Mid-Western Region, Nepal. The protected area ranges in elevation from .[1] [2] Phoksundo Lake is the park's prominent feature, located at an elevation of .[1]
The park's headquarters are in Palam, Dolpa District.
The park's elevation varies from in the southeast near Ankhe to at the summit of Kanjiroba Himal at the southern edge of the Tibetan plateau. Phoksundo Lake at an elevation of in the upper reaches of the Suligad river is surrounded by glaciers and is known for its turquoise color.
Phoksundo Lake has a water surface of, and was declared a Ramsar site in September 2007.[3] The lake is up to deep, measured using echo-sounding technology.[4]
The Langu river drains the high Dolpo plateau located in the north-east of the park. The Suligad and Jugdual rivers form the southern catchment flowing south into the Thuli Bheri River.[5]
90 snow leopards, with a density of 2.21 snow leopards per 100 km, were found during the study conducted from 2019 to 2022 by Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, supported by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).[6] Other endangered species found in the park include grey wolf, musk deer, blue sheep, goral, great Tibetan sheep, Himalayan tahr, leopard and Himalayan black bear.
Several gompas are within the park including Shey Gompa, which was established in the 11th century.[1]