SizzEcoCamp in Dhorpatan, Baglung, surrounded by expansive mountain grasslands, forested hills and the scenic landscapes of western Nepal.
Some journeys change the places we visit. Others change the direction of our lives. For Nepali travel content creator Sirjana Sizzu, years of exploring remote mountain villages, hidden lakes and Himalayan trails have led to something she once might not have imagined: building her own nature-inspired retreat in the beautiful Dhorpatan Valley.
Known for travelling alone through some of Nepal’s most remote destinations, Sirjana has turned her passion for exploration into a new venture called SizzEcoCamp. Surrounded by sweeping grasslands, forest-covered hills and mountain scenery, the eco-focused campsite in Dhorpatan, Baglung, reflects her love for the outdoors and her belief that travel should bring people closer to nature.
For someone who has spent years discovering Nepal’s hidden beauty and sharing it with the world, creating a place where others can experience that beauty marks a meaningful new chapter.
Her story is not simply about opening a campsite. It is about finding a different path in life, following a passion and eventually turning years of experience into something of her own.
When an Unfulfilled Career Dream Led to the Mountains
Long before she became a familiar name among Nepal’s travel enthusiasts, Sirjana had plans for a career in forestry and government service.
Originally from Arma in Sanibheri Rural Municipality, Rukum West, she grew up in the hills of western Nepal. After completing her early education in her village, she moved to Kathmandu to study forestry and earned a three-year diploma.
Her interest in nature was already part of her academic life, but she initially hoped to build a career in the forestry sector.
She later returned to her village and worked with a local non-governmental organisation. During this period, she also prepared for Nepal’s Public Service Commission examinations. She passed the written examinations twice but did not succeed in the interviews.
The setbacks eventually pushed her to reconsider the future she had planned for herself. Rather than continuing to pursue the same career, she began travelling through the remote hills and mountain regions of Nepal.
What initially offered a different direction gradually became a defining part of her life.
Sirjana discovered that travelling was about much more than visiting beautiful destinations. Each journey introduced her to unfamiliar communities, different ways of life and landscapes that remained largely unknown to the wider public.
She travelled through Upper Dolpa, Humla, Jumla, Rara, Shey Phoksundo and other destinations across western Nepal. Her adventures also included climbing Lobuche Peak and exploring difficult Himalayan trails.
Some journeys took her to places with limited roads, accommodation or communication facilities. Reaching them required preparation, patience and help from local communities. Instead of simply collecting travel photographs, she began documenting people’s stories, local traditions and the experiences that made each destination different.
Over time, her videos and photographs attracted a growing audience, establishing Sirjana as a recognised female solo travel creator in Nepal. Her journeys also carried a message for women who dreamed of travelling independently but hesitated because of social expectations or safety concerns.
Through her own experiences, she encouraged people to explore thoughtfully, prepare carefully and discover the world beyond familiar surroundings. What started as a personal escape from an uncertain career had become an unexpected opportunity.
From Discovering Hidden Places to Building SizzEcoCamp
After spending years travelling from one destination to another, Sirjana’s latest journey has taken her to Dhorpatan, where she has begun building something more permanent.
Her project, SizzEcoCamp, brings together two important parts of her life: a love for Nepal’s natural landscapes and a desire to create meaningful travel experiences.
Situated in the scenic Dhorpatan Valley of Gandaki Province, the property follows an eco-conscious concept that emphasises locally sourced construction materials, simple accommodation and harmony with the surrounding environment.
The campsite includes small cottage-style structures, a wooden pavilion and a larger stone-finished building, with the open valley and mountains forming the backdrop. Rather than relying on elaborate decoration, its appeal comes from the natural setting.
Wide grasslands stretch towards the hills, clouds drift across the forested slopes and the changing mountain weather gives the landscape a different character throughout the day.
@sizzecocamp प्रिय मित्रहरु बाग्लुङ जिल्लाको ढोरपाटनमा रहेको हाम्रो SizzEcoCamp Opening भैईसकेको छ । तपाईहरु आउन सक्नुहुन्छ है। बुकिङ्को लागी सम्पर्क नम्बर : 9851341890 9844949811 @Sirjana Sizzu #tiktokvlog #discoverwithtiktok #sizzecocamp ♬ original sound – Sizz Ecocamp
Sirjana has shared glimpses of the camp’s development through social media, giving followers a look at its buildings, garden and surroundings. For people who have followed her solo adventures, watching her develop a tourism property is a different experience.
Earlier, her stories were about reaching places that few people had visited. Now, they are also about creating a place that travellers can make part of their own journeys. Building a tourism venture, however, brings responsibilities that are different from those of a traveller.
It requires an understanding of hospitality, the local environment, visitor expectations and the daily challenges of operating in a remote mountain region. For Sirjana, those challenges are part of an entrepreneurial journey that is still taking shape.
Dhorpatan: A Different Side of Nepal’s Mountain Beauty
The setting of SizzEcoCamp is an important part of its story. Dhorpatan is one of western Nepal’s distinctive highland destinations, known for its expansive meadows, mountain scenery, forests and traditional settlements.
The valley lies within the wider Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve region, a protected landscape covering parts of Baglung, Rukum East and Myagdi. Established in 1987, the reserve is Nepal’s only designated hunting reserve. Yet its natural and cultural attractions offer much more than the activity suggested by its name.
Dhorpatan is home to highland grasslands, diverse wildlife, mountain communities and landscapes that change dramatically with the seasons. During the monsoon, the meadows become lush and green, while wildflowers bring colour to the surrounding highlands. Autumn brings clearer skies and distant mountain views. Winter introduces colder temperatures and, at times, snowfall.
The region also offers opportunities to explore local villages, experience traditional ways of life and discover the highland pastures known as buki. Despite its beauty, reaching Dhorpatan remains an adventure.
Travellers commonly approach through Baglung and Burtibang before continuing along a rough mountain road towards the valley. Improving road access and visitor facilities remains an important issue as tourism grows.
Sirjana has previously spoken about Dhorpatan’s wider potential for tourism, including nature-based activities, cultural experiences, walking and retreats. She has also highlighted the need to protect the valley’s natural character as development increases.
Her decision to establish SizzEcoCamp in this landscape therefore connects closely with the kind of tourism she has spent years encouraging.
A Place to Travel Slowly and Experience More
One of the ideas behind SizzEcoCamp is simple: travellers do not always need a packed itinerary to have a memorable journey. Sometimes, the experience of being somewhere matters more than the number of attractions visited.
In a place like Dhorpatan, slow travel could mean waking up to clouds moving across the mountains, spending time outdoors, walking through the valley or learning about the lives of nearby communities. There is no need to rush from one viewpoint to another.
The beauty of the destination lies in its open spaces, changing weather and the feeling of being surrounded by nature. For people accustomed to city traffic, busy schedules and constant digital distractions, such surroundings offer an opportunity to experience a different pace of life.
This is where the concept behind SizzEcoCamp becomes particularly relevant. It encourages visitors to appreciate the destination itself rather than treating accommodation as merely a place to sleep.
The approach also reflects a growing interest in travel experiences built around nature, local culture and personal well-being. However, the real measure of eco-friendly tourism goes beyond the appearance of wooden cottages or the use of natural materials.
It also depends on responsible waste management, careful use of resources, protection of the surrounding landscape and benefits for local communities. For emerging destinations such as Dhorpatan, these considerations are especially important.
The challenge is to welcome visitors without sacrificing the environment that attracts them.
When a Travel Creator Becomes a Tourism Entrepreneur
Sirjana’s new venture also reflects an interesting change in Nepal’s tourism landscape. Over the years, travel vloggers and digital creators have played a growing role in introducing audiences to destinations beyond the country’s established tourist routes.
Places once known mainly to local communities have gained wider attention through photographs, videos and personal travel stories. Sirjana has been part of that movement. Her journeys through remote western Nepal helped bring attention to landscapes, communities and experiences that rarely receive the same publicity as popular tourism centres.
With SizzEcoCamp, she is taking that involvement in tourism a step further. Instead of only encouraging people to visit a destination, she is developing a place where they can stay and experience it.
The transition from content creator to tourism entrepreneur is significant because it turns personal interest into a business with longer-term responsibilities. A well-managed tourism venture can create demand for local services, food, transport and other products. It can also introduce visitors to communities they might otherwise overlook.
But such benefits depend on how the business operates and how closely it works with the people and environment around it. SizzEcoCamp is still writing that part of its story. For Sirjana, the opportunity is to bring the lessons of her travels into the experience she creates for visitors.
A Dream That Found Its Home in Dhorpatan
There is something meaningful about the path that brought Sirjana Sizzu to this point. She began with a plan to build a career in forestry. When that plan did not work out as expected, she chose a different direction.
She travelled alone, explored unfamiliar landscapes, learned from people along the way and gradually built a name for herself through the stories she shared.
Years later, that passion has grown into a venture connected to the very landscapes that inspired her. SizzEcoCamp represents a new chapter, one that brings together travel, entrepreneurship and an interest in nature-focused tourism.
Its long-term success will depend on the experiences it provides, its relationship with the local community and how responsibly it develops within Dhorpatan’s sensitive mountain environment.
For now, the project stands as an encouraging example of how a personal passion can evolve into an opportunity. Sirjana once travelled across Nepal searching for places worth discovering.
Now, in Dhorpatan, she is building a place of her own, giving others another reason to discover the beauty she has spent years exploring.
