Baglung, 30 Jul: As tourist numbers rise in Dhorpatan, a scenic destination in Baglung, the income of local herders has seen significant growth.
Some of the tourists visiting Dhorpatan hike up to Buki Patan, where they receive food and lodging support from local herders. This has increased the herders’ earnings. Local products are being consumed around the trekking trail and in Buki Patan, especially for tea and snacks. Tourists staying and eating directly in the herders’ huts are consuming buffalo milk, ghee, and mutton, resulting in direct sales from the pasture itself.
Herders report that their milk, yogurt, and buttermilk are now being consumed locally in Buki Patan, improving their income. They have started serving tourists dishes made from buffalo milk such as rice pudding (kheer), milk tea, buttermilk, and curd, generating revenue directly from their huts.
Dev Bahadur BK, a 72-year-old buffalo herder from Buki Patan who traditionally sold ghee in Dhorpatan, shared that since Buki Patan has become a grazing area and tourist destination, money has started coming directly to the pasture.
“Before, I had to carry ghee to Dhorpatan to sell, and the buttermilk used to be thrown away,” he said. “Now, even during monsoon, Buki Patan is full of tourists, and buttermilk gets sold too. Tourists now come to stay in the huts. We serve them milk pudding, and milk and buttermilk are sold right here—there’s no need to carry them down to Dhorpatan.”
Guman Singh Kumai, who sells tea directly from his hut located at Cheptedhunga on the way to Buki Patan, said he earns a decent income from the tourists. He sells a glass of milk tea for Rs. 100. Due to high milk tea consumption, he doesn’t need to make ghee and curd anymore.
On some days, up to 100 glasses of tea are consumed from his hut. Kumai keeps three buffaloes and 60 goats, and his temporary roadside hut at Cheptedhunga sees high milk and tea demand since the monsoon began.
“Trekkers say the tea made from buffalo milk in Buki is very tasty,” said Kumai. “Now that we’re making tea from milk, there’s no need to produce ghee this season. Thanks to tourists, money is coming directly to the huts. Even buttermilk, which used to go to waste, is now sold at good prices. After walking for hours, trekkers happily drink buttermilk, curd, and tea.”
With over 8,000 tourists visiting Dhorpatan in a year, Buki Patan has become vibrant this season.
Due to promotion of Dhorpatan, improved tourism infrastructure, and trekking trails in Buki and Jaljala, the number of tourists continues to rise every year. Activities like horse safaris, homestays, and hut stays have helped locals increase their income. While foreign tourists once visited Dhorpatan only for hunting, internal tourists now come to observe the hunting reserve, Dhorpatan valley, Nisheldhor, Dhorbaraha Temple, Buki Patan, and Jaljala. Tourists are now reaching altitudes from 2,900 meters in the valley to over 4,000 meters in Buki Patan.
