Olangchung Gola
Olangchung Gola may be a new term for the travelers and might not have earned its name like other famous destinations of Nepal. However, if we look at Olangchung Gola it carries different tradition, culture and a completely different vibes than other destinations. Located at an altitude of 3200m in Taplejung, Olangchung is a home of people from Walung community. People of this community is believed to have migrated from Tibet and it has been more than 500 years of them living there.
The origin of their settlement has completely different story. As per the locals, Once the Tibetan pilgrims lost their route the area and a Himalayan Fox (Wa) guided them through the settlement Land (Lung), the travelers followed a fox’s tracks in the snow and eventually made it to the settlement. This is how the place was named Olangchung Gola. It is believed that the settlement of Olangchung Gola to be 500 years older however there is not any actual scientific theories to support this statement.
What Olanchung Gola Used to be?
Long before anyone has heard and thought about Olangchung as a tourist destination, it was one of the most important trade junctions between Tibet and Nepal. Olanchung Gola used to connect Tibet, Darjeeling and Nepal lowlands for trade via the Tiptala La Pass. The Tibetan people were able to discover this place as a shortest and easiest way to trade to Nepal and soon, they started to settle there. As they migrate to Olangchung, they brought Tibetan Nyingma Buddhism with them, and build the monastery, Diki Chhyoling, which is believed to be at least 450 to 500 years old and even today it sits at the top of the village and watch over the people of that village. For generations, the people of Olanchung traded wool, salt, and Tibetan goods in exchange for lowland produce. It was a perfect home for the people to survive and to live. But as the time changes, the economy of Olanchung didn’t survive the 20th century. After the change in trade patterns of Tibet, many citizens migrated to cities like Darjeeling and Kathmandu in search of better opportunities. Then came COVID-19. China sealed the Tiptala crossing in 2020. This changed everything.
How the Village Looks Today?
If you walk through the Olangchung Gola today, you will find few settlements where the houses are made up of stone walls, wooden shingle roofs, and carved lattice windows, a completely different style than the rest of the destinations of Nepal. Take some time to talk to the local citizens, you ‘ll enjoy their hospitality. Their hospitality has its own customs as well. Visitors are typically invited to sit and drink tea. Once a central hub for the trade, now the majority of the total population of Olangchung Gola are elders and childrens, as most working age residents have left for more developed cities or abroad. Olangchung Gola has largely opted out of the political friction that is found everywhere else in Nepal. In the year 2017, people of Olangchung Gola choose their ward chairperson Chheten Sherpa, by consensus rather than a contested vote. It is because to save their community to split into small groups because of the politics.
What’s Actually Changing Right Now?
The Olangchung Gola is changing, it is developing and now its not just a random another remote village. Now there is a reason to visit Olangchung Gola, there is accessibility and there is connectivity.
The Road has Arrived:
While it used to be a remote place with very limited mode to access it. Now, the North-South Highway, part of a broader corridor project linking Rani near Biratnagar all the way to the Tiptala border, now reaches Olangchung Gola. Now it has been easier than ever to go to Olangchung Gola.
Mobile connectivity followed
Today it is difficult to live without mobile, technology and network. Where ever we go, we first search for a connectivity and now, the Olangchung Gola has mobile connectivity. Nepal Telecom rolled out 4G service to the area in recent months. This is the large shift in Olangchung Gola and can contribute more effectively to gain more tourists in that area.
The Reason to Dive to Olangchung Gola.
Despite all these developments there wouldn’t be a single person to travel if there is nothing to explore or nothing to attract the tourists. But, Olangchung Gola has a reason. Above the village, two high altitude lakes, Singjema and the twin Samdo lakes have started drawing attention from trekkers. A perfect spot for someone looking beyond the well-worn trails. The route climbs from Olangchung Gola into Chhyer Valley, a natural camping ground where yak and chauri graze freely across green pasture. Then, you ‘ll reach the Singjema Lake at an altitude of approximately 4,700 meters. And this is just a short warm up. From this point you’ll have to walk further to finally make it to Samdo Lake, situation approximately at an elevation of 5,100 meters. This is one of the newly discovered trekking destinations, best if you are looking something beyond Everest and Annapurna.
This is the perfect start for the development of tourism in this area as the accessibility is there, connectivity is there and local houses are there for accommodation. The only thing is missing is the proper marketing and exposure of this place. Olanchung Gola holds a huge possibility of attracting huge numbers of travelers in the near future. For years, the barrier to visiting wasn’t a lack of things to see, it was the difficulties to reach there. Now the barrier is lowering. This is the great opportunity for the area to grow and develop. This is Olangchung Gola, the emerging trekking destination of Nepal.
