The Rolwaling Valley, nestled in the lap of Mount Jomo Tseringma (Gaurishankar) and Dolma Kang, the long-life divinities, sacred mountains for Buddhists and Hindus, is a Beyul and holy place visited and blessed by Guru Rinpoche, also called Padmasambhava. Rolwaling Valley is a remote mountain valley in northeast Nepal, which lies at an altitude of 4000 metres, bordering the Everest Region on one side and Tibet on the other. Rolwaling Valley is not only rich in natural resources, but it has Mount Jomo Tseringma (Gaurishankar), several high mountains, including Melungtse (7,181m), unclimbed virgin Peaks and two enormous lakes, the Tso Rolpa and Omi Tso. Fed by the lakes, snow and ice, the valley is crisscrossed by beautiful streams and waterfalls flowing down over steep Rocky Mountains into the Tamakoshi River. The visitors to the Rolwaling are greeted by tall trees draped in hanging moss and a forest of bamboo and rhododendrons along the southern slope and beautiful valleys, lakes and high Himalayan Peaks rimming its horizons. Rolwaling is spectacular and unique; rivers flowing by us and high mountains soaring above us in all directions create a sacred and heavenly landscape and give us a strong spiritual feeling and peace of mind and body. Rolwaling is also the home to some of Nepal’s best Sherpa climbing guides, a small paradise on earth, the land of vast deities of Mount Jomo Tseringma and Dolma Kang and a Beyul, a sacred treasure concealed by Guru Rinpoche.
Beyul
Guru Rinpoche, or the Padmasambhava, the founder of Tantric Buddhism in Tibet, is said to have passed through this valley as he journeyed toward Tibet around the beginning of the 8th century; it is still a matter of research. Rolwaling is among the holy sites where Guru Rinpoche meditated on Vajra Kilaya and concealed the sacred texts called Khando-Dhakyik and the uninhabited area. It is stated in Guru Rinpoche’s book, the ‘Pema Kathak’, that Rolwaling is a Beyul. During the visit of Guru Rinpoche, he consecrated many natural sites and monuments that are still scattered throughout the valley, and you can visit and see the sacred places such as Tseku-Nasa, Urgyen Jyusa, Urgyen Dupkhang and Tsebum. Therefore, Rolwaling is considered a significant Beyuls, the hidden treasure. Guru Rinpoche established them to preserve the sites to get refuge in the hardest of the cycle or the most unfortunate time. The visitors can visit the sacred cave site while taking a rest/acclimatising day at Na village, the summer village of the Rolwaling People.
Access to and from Rolwaling
It is a day’s drive from Kathmandu to Gongar Khola and a beautiful three-day walk to Beding. The trekking part is impressive because there are a lot of valleys and high mountains. The third day to Beding and above opens the valley broadly, providing a movie-like luring landscape. It is an exceptionally ideal place for hiking if you are looking for something different and getting lost in nature for several days. If you don’t want to take the same path as everyone else, there are several trails to enter Rolwaling and exit; a three-day walk from Na reach Thame, in the Khumbu valley. And a 3 to 4 days walk via Phik-Phire to reach Thupten Chholing, at Solu. Then another trail is through the Yarlung-Ri pass, and reach Jiri in 4 days walk. So there are plenty of choices.
Fauna and Flora
Despite the high altitude, the fauna and flora of the Rolwaling Valley are surprisingly varied. Among the 300 species listed, about 80 species are edible plants, medicinal plants, and other remarkable species, such as the incense plants of rhododendron species. The entire region is protected under Gaurishankar National Park. The Park is home to some endangered plant and wildlife species.
Rolwaling, a paradise of mountaineers
At Rolwaling, there are many challenging mountaineering peaks. The trekkers, arriving in this Rolwaling region, climb Ramdung Peak and Phapchhermo Peak on their way to Khumbu. But for those willing to enjoy only climbing, there are various options if one station in Na Village or at Beding Village itself. The mountain of Rolwaling provides quality ice and beautiful cliffs for Ice and Rock Climbing. The altitude and the mountain formation of the region give the ice an exceptional quality. The Rolwaling ice is even among the best in the world for mountaineers. Rolwaling has the ideal characteristics to meet the needs of mountaineers or mountaineering students. During the dry season, one can reach the ice climbing area just 45 minutes from Na or Beding village. Then, in 35 minutes, one can arrive at the rock-climbing site. If the weather is not suitable for rock climbing, for example, if there is snow, then one can go on ice climbing and return to Na the same evening. Elsewhere, it often takes 2-3 days of walking to reach the climbing area, and there can be either Only Ice or Only Rock.
The Sherpas of Rolwaling
By nature and by the religion they practice, Buddhism, the Sherpas have great respect for nature. Usually, the Sherpa villages forbid cutting trees, killing animals and hunting, and Rolwaling is the one that forbids in the whole valley.No animal has been killed for generations at Rolwaling. Even the Dalai Lama sent “Freed” 108 sheep here, promised not to slaughter them. And Lama Zopa Rinpoche of Kapan monastery in Kathmandu freed 108 yaks in the surroundings of the Rolwaling Himalayas.
History says Rolwaling got populated only after 1870. The Sherpas came from Tibet to the Khumbu region and Rolwaling and settled there. The Sherpas of Rolwaling first settled in caves; later, other families joined and built permanent houses. The Sherpas of the Rolwaling still lead a nomadic life moving between winter places, intermediate places and summer places in the higher lands. They live at Na village and above until August, and afterwards, they descend with herds further down in the jungle.
In winter, they reside in several small villages near the Jomo Tseringma (Gauri Shankar) mountain. The winter villages are Ngimare, Ramding, Syapluk, Chhumigolcho, Changmi Kha and Dongang. The temperatures in these winter villages are better, with less snow and full vegetation for their herds. Beding village is the main village of Rolwaling and is the intermediate or central village bridging their summer and winter villages for movement and supplies. The village of Na is the summer residence and is located on a gently sloping plateau surrounded by mountains on three sides. The pleasant and mild climate of Rolwaling allows the Sherpas to stay at Na and above for about six months during the summer and autumn.
Livelihood
In the past, the Sherpas of Rolwaling weaved and knitted their traditional dress, blankets, mats, clothes, made leather shoes, or everything needed for the life cycle. Until recently, they were weaving bamboo baskets, one of the main occupations, sold or exchanged with grains or other needs in the lower valleys, which has now disappeared. Today’s major cyclic activities are mainly potato cultivation, yak breeding, fodder harvesting, and collecting dry leaves and wood. Potatoes are the primary cash crop; people from the lower valley come with grains to Rolwaling to exchange or buy.
Tourism
Besides traditional pastoral and agricultural activities, tourism has become the new and primary source of income. Several teahouses and lodges are already in service in Beding and Na villages, which has also created work opportunities for the inhabitants of their villages. In addition, the younger generations are involved in trekking and mountaineering activities as climbing guides. Some even own trekking agencies and organise trekking and alpine expeditions throughout Nepal, Tibet, India and Pakistan. The growing tourism movement in the region has helped the financial security of the villagers and modernised the local people. However, with the attraction of modernisation and the lack of essential infrastructural development for health and education, most young stars are migrated and settled in major cities such as Kathmandu.
Climate
The climate of Rolwaling Valley is not as harsh as in other Himalayan valleys or on the neighbouring Tibetan plateau, just a few kilometres behind Rolwaling. It’s probably thanks to the proximity to the Tamakoshi River, which brings milder air, and the valley is oriented east-west, resulting in a weaker monsoon. As a result, the weather is relatively sunny in the winter, from November to March, the best season for Rolwaling. Between winter and the monsoon period, the mornings are generally sunny and cheerful, but the afternoons are humid due to the persistent fog coming up from the Tamakoshi River.
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