KATHMANDU, April 12: A tourist information center has been established in Dhorpatan, the country’s only hunting reserve area, to make things easier for visitors.
The center was built at a cost of Rs 7.4 million under a sustainable tourism promotion project run by BYC Baglung.
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According to the Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve Office, the center will provide details about hunting activities, regulations, and information on animals such as blue sheep, Himalayan tahr, and red panda. It will also display items like horns and animal hides.
The building has been constructed within the reserve office premises and is being prepared for operation. BYC Baglung Secretary Bikram Poudel said the center will help provide accurate and reliable information to tourists.
The center aims to educate visitors about wildlife found in Dhorpatan, including species like blue sheep, Himalayan tahr, danphe, and red panda. Poudel noted that foreign hunters usually arrive by chartered helicopters for hunting, while domestic tourists visit the area overland for sightseeing.
The project has requested support to fully equip and operationalize the center. While the building is complete, additional infrastructure work is still ongoing. Once everything is finished, the facility will be handed over to the hunting reserve for operation.
After the handover, materials from the existing museum and information center at the reserve headquarters will be relocated to the new facility. Plans are also underway to install digital information boards displaying activities within the reserve.
Ranger Sagar Subedi said the center will include data on wildlife populations, hunting records, and tourist numbers. It will also feature models of animals like blue sheep and Himalayan tahr, along with digital displays. Information on permitted hunting species and related materials will also be available.
Meanwhile, a contract has already been signed to develop an attractive tourist destination in Dhorpatan Municipality-9. In the first phase, the agreement was made with Shree Doleshwar Mahadev Construction Pvt. Ltd. to build the information center.
According to Conservation Officer Mandip Pangeni, a total of 15,573 domestic and foreign tourists visited Dhorpatan in the fiscal year 2023/24, generating revenue of Rs 1.9 million.
