Humla trek to villages around Simikot in west Nepal organised by Great Himalaya Trail Development Program

In March I received an invitation from the Great Himalaya Trail Development Program (“GHTDP”) based in Kathmandu to join a familiarisation (i.e free, yay!) trek in Nepal, as I was already in the country I replied quickly asking to join the trek to far west Nepal as this is an area I had not been to before and was very interested to visit.

Photo: map of The Great Himalaya Trail in Nepal

Most people these days have heard of The Great Himalaya Trail (“GHT”) , this is a trekking route that crosses Nepal starting near Kanchenjunga in the East and continuing to Humla on the Tibetan border in the West. In fact there are two main trails along GHT, the Upper trail takes the highest feasible route along the spine of the Himalaya and involves very challenging trekking as well as several mountaineering sections over technical passes (eg Sherpani Col near Makalu). Whereas the Lower trail traverses the country of Nepal further to the south at a lower elevation and unlike Upper trail involves no mountaineering and one can stay in teahouse lodges for most of the way apart from the section through Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve.

GHTDP is a project supported by the Dutch Aid organisation SNV and also UKAid to help develop GHT as a new tourism product for Nepal . GHTDP sees the long term advantages of encouraging trekkers to visit more remote regions of Nepal other than main destinations of Annapurna, Everest and Langtang. By getting more trekkers away from the busier trails this will of course bring income and opportunities to more isolated communities.

The reason for GHTDP hosting a free trek to Humla for international trek operators and journalists was to promote this region and especially the homestays set up by GHTDP in conjunction with the Simikot based NGO called Nepal Trust. In our group there were representatives from tour operators based in Holland and Switzerland plus two Nepali journalists. We were also accompanied by Linda Bezemer who works as a Tourism Product Development Advisor for GHTDP.

Photo: Twin Otter plane at Simikot airport

Humla is located in far west Nepal and receives very few trekkers due to its remote location. Our group flew from Kathmandu to Nepalganj and then early next morning by Twin Otter to the mountain airstrip at Simikot. On arrival we had breakfast at the Nepal Trust office and guesthouse before starting our walk to the village of Buraunse. Our trekking guide, Janga Lama, is from this village so we were privileged to visit his house and meet his family who gave our group a wonderful traditional welcome. 

A custom in this region is to greet guests by smearing butter on their head and then followed by the offer of some tea or more often locally brewed chang made from barley.  After lunch we continued our walk down to the main part of Buraunse village where we were again welcomed by the locals dressed up in their traditional clothes with the men banging drums and offering kata scarves to us while the women smeared more butter on our heads. We followed the crowd to a flat roof top on one of the houses where both the men and women performed traditional Humli dances for us.

Photo: traditional Humli welcome at our guide Janga Lama parents' house

Photo:  welcome at Buraunse village

Photo: dancing at Buraunse village

One of the objectives of GHTDP is to build tourism capacity in more remote areas of Nepal where there has been only a small number of tourists visiting before. One of the reasons our trek visited Buraunse village was because GHTDP, working in conjunction with Nepal Trust, had already provided training, support and advice to develop a homestay program. So far five houses had been approved as homestays in Buraunse and we stayed in one of these during our visit, this is a wonderful opportunity to learn more about the Humlis way of life, customs and traditions.

All of the homestays provide bedrooms with clean bedding, newly constructed toilets and an endless supply of local food and of course chang! We ate with the host families so the food was traditional local fare and was all delicious, healthy and of course organic- for our meals we had dishes such as buckwheat pancakes with honey, tsampa (roasted barley), thukpa and momos. I certainly think that homestays are an effective way of local families earning extra income and benefiting from tourism while the guests receive a really special experience in return.

Photo: Buranse village

Photo: our hosts at Buranse homestay

Photo: comfortable and clean room at homestay

A highlight of the trek was a night camping near Raling gompa, this monastery is the most important in the area and is located at 4,000m under Crystal mountain.  The important Saga Dawa festival is held at Raling gompa each year on the full moon of the fourth lunar month of the Tibetan calendar (in late May or early June).

Photo: Raling gompa

Photo: Raling gompa

After Raling gompa we stayed a night at Bargaon village and next day walked through the Hindu village of Tehe before spending our second night camping near Karpunath village at confluence of Karnali river. On the sixth day we walked back to Simikot for our flight back early next morning to Nepalganj and onto Kathmandu.

Photo:Thakuri woman

Photo: Shaman Hindu priest

Photo: beautiful wedding headdress

Overall I would highly recommend trekking in this area for a unique cultural experience, the short circuit we walked over six days is an easy trek where you have lots of time to learn about the Humli people and their way of life. If you are looking for a longer or more challenging trek then there are many options from Simikot such as to Mount Saipal Base Camp, Limi Valley or Mount Kailash however it would be also be worth spending a few days in the homestays around Buraunse village at the start of your trek especially if coinciding with Saga Dawa festival.

I would like to thank Linda at GHTDP for organising this trek as well as our excellent guide Janga Lama from Buraunse village who did a superb job explaining to us about the local culture and customs as well as his many entertaining stories along the way! For more information about this trek please take a look on The Great Himalaya trail website.

At the moment The Mountain Company organises the trek from Simikot to Mount Kailash every year in May however we plan to develop more treks in Humla in the near future, please get in touch with us if you would like more information about trekking in west Nepal.

Roland Hunter

www.themountaincompany.co.uk 

Inspection visit to Bardia National Park in Nepal

Photo: Royal Bengal tiger in Bardia National Park in Nepal

Last week I spent three days in Bardia National Park in Nepal, as usual on an inspection tour one of my aims was to inspect the lodges in order to be in a position to recommend the best ones to our clients. However I also was interested to find out more about Bardia National Park in particular to discover how Bardia compares to Chitwan National Park and whether it was worth travelling further in order to increase ones chances of seeing tiger...

Photo: entrance gates to Bardia National Park

Chitwan National Park is a popular place to visit on a tour of Nepal and also as an extension after a trek in the Himalaya. There is certainly tiger in Chitwan National Park with recent surveys indicating a population of 125 however in practice it seems the chances of seeing a tiger are relatively low. One of the main advantages of Chitwan National Park is its proximity to the main places of Kathmandu, Pokhara and Lumbini whereas Bardia National Park is located in far west of Nepal so it is much further distance to travel. There is a daily flight from Kathmandu to Nepalganj with Yeti Airlines or Buddha Air taking about an hour and then it is a further two hour drive to Bardia National Park.

The current cost of a return flight to and from Kathmandu and Nepalganj is US$330 plus a car for the transfer both ways from airport to Bardia and back to airport is US$130. Therefore the cost to travel to Bardia could be up to US$460 although would be less expensive if there was more than one person to share the cost of the airport transfer. Or the other option is to take a bus from Kathmandu and this journey takes 14 hours however costs only about US$20. The question several of our clients have been asking us recently is whether it is worth the expense (or discomfort of a long bus journey) to travel to Bardia National Park?

Bardia National Park was first set up as Royal Karnali Reserve in 1976 and then upgraded to National Park status in 1988. Bardia is the largest National Park in the Terai with a size of 968 km2 and when including neighbouring Banke National Park (established in 2010) together they form Tiger Conservation Unit (TCU) Bardia-Banke covering a total area of 1,518 km2. In comparison the size of Chitwan National Park is 932 km2.

Of course one of the main reasons people like to visit Bardia and Chitwan National Park is to have an opportunity to see the Royal Bengal tiger. According to the World Wildlife Fund in 2011 there were 37 tigers identified in Bardia which showed a significant increase from two years earlier when only 18 were recorded in this National Park. Whereas in Chitwan National Park recent surveys indicate there are in fact more tiger with a population of 125 however due to more riverine forest it is less likely for tourists to view tiger. Personally I have visited Chitwan National Park on three separate occasions and have never seen a tiger, also over the years many of our guests have visited Chitwan and very few of them saw a tiger during their visits.

During the afternoon on my day of arrival we drove through Bardia National Park in a jeep where we saw several animals such as rhesus macaque monkey, swamp deer, spotted deer and single-horned Asiatic rhinoceros. At 5pm we parked up at a place called Tinkune and walked for 5 minute or so to the viewing spot overlooking the river. First we saw two swamp deer cross the river followed by a rhinoceros and her calf then one of the safari guides spotted a tiger in the grass…a little later this majestic cat walked down to the river. The tiger was about 400m away although looked clear through binoculars, after about 10 minutes the tiger slinked off into the grass and disappeared into the forest.

Photo: rhesus macaque monkey

Photo: single horned Asiatic rhinoceros

Photo: swamp deer

From speaking to other guests at the lodge where I was staying everyone had seen a tiger and some were very lucky seeing two or more on each day of their visit to Bardia. I also visited several other lodges and gather most of their guests had also seen tiger most days so it seems this year there is a very high chance of spotting the King of the Jungle in Bardia. From discussing this further with the naturalist guides it seems that the number of tigers seen by their guests varies year to year however for last two years Tinkune has been a reliable place as the tigers like to cool down here in the evenings especially when the temperatures warm up in the month of April. It also seems with the recent closure of a tented camp inside the National Park this has minimised the disturbance experienced by the wild animals so overall improved the chance of viewings.

Photo: Tinkune in Bardia National Park

Overall I gather the best months for seeing tiger are March and April as the grass is short after cutting and burning in January. In fact grass management in the Park is important for the ecosystem and these days the Park rangers organise controlled burns in January and also local villagers are allowed into the Park for three days in January to cut the grass for use in constructing and repairing the walls of their houses. As a result the grass regrows with juicy green shoots so there is more food for the deer therefore in turn encouraging healthy growth in the tiger population.

About 70% of Bardia National Park is covered in sal forest and the rest made up of grassland and riverine forest. As mentioned above one of the reasons why it is generally easier to see tiger in Bardia is due to the more open areas of sal forest and grassland and less coverage of riverine forest. It is far more difficult to see tiger in the densely vegetated riverine forest more prevalent in Chiwan National Park.

During my visit to Bardia I saw several gharial and marsh mugger crocodiles during an enjoyable day spent rafting down Karnali river from Chisapani. There are also Gangetic dolphin on this stretch of river however unfortunately we did not see any of these from the raft. In the Park there are also wild elephants and from recent surveys their population is healthy at around 65. Bardia also has the world's only surviving wild population of a type of deer known as the blackbuck.

Photo: wild elephant

Photo: gharial crocodile

Photo: marsh mugger crocodile

The other advantage of Bardia over Chitwan is visitor numbers are still relatively low so it feels less crowded however of course as it is now well known that Tinkune is a reliable place to see tiger so there will certainly be several others waiting patiently in the mornings and evenings for the tiger to make an appearance. The environment around Bardia is less developed with almost all the buildings constructed using local techniques with clay and grass and luckily at present very few concrete hotels and guesthouses.

Overall I had a thoroughly enjoyable time in Bardia National Park and of course it was a special experience to finally see a tiger in the wild. If you have the budget and the time I would certainly recommend you make the effort to visit Bardia National Park however there is no doubt Chitwan National Park is also a good place too so it really depends on what type of experience you are looking for. 

Please get in touch with us at The Mountain Company if you would like any further information about Bardia and Chitwan National Parks in Nepal, we can then help you organise a trip and choose the lodges that have all been reviewed by us.

Roland Hunter

www.themountaincompany.co.uk 

Scenic mountain flight to Mount Everest on 80th anniversary of first flight over the highest mountain in the world

This morning I took the mountain flight from Kathmandu airport in Nepal over Mount Everest the highest mountain of the world. In fact by pure chance today is the 80th anniversary of the first flight over Everest. On April 3rd 1933, two Westland PV-3 biplanes one of them piloted by Douglas Douglas-Hamilton 14th Duke of Hamilton took off from Purnea in Bihar and flew to the Himalaya mountains and managed to get 50 metres above the 8,848m mountain.

Photo: first flight over Mount Everest on April 3rd 1933

The scenic mountain flight to Mount Everest is organised for tourists coming to Nepal and currently two airlines Buddha Air and Yeti Airlines operate this route. The Everest mountain flight always takes off early in the morning to maximise your chances of getting clear views of the mountains before cloud build up later in the day. This normally means a pick up from your hotel around 5.30am and once through the busy domestic terminal you should be airborne by 6.30am.

Photo: boarding Buddha Air's ATR42

I flew with Buddha Air on one of their ATR 42 planes and for their Everest mountain flight everyone has a window seat so aisle seat is left empty. The air hostesses will hand out a leaflet with a sketch map of the mountain ranges with their names so it should be possible on a clear day to identify the peaks you see out of the window.

Photo: inside ATR42 for Everest mountain flight

Photo: map of the peaks

Shortly after taking off Langtang Lirung comes into view and just to the right in the distance is Shishapangma which at 8,013m the fourteenth highest mountain in the world. The next easily distinguishable peak is Gauri-Shankar followed by the flat topped mountain called Melungtse. The huge pyramid of Cho Oyu comes soon after at 8,201m is the sixth highest mountain. Of course the peak everyone is looking for is Mount Everest and this appears flanked by Lhotse and Nuptse, the highest peak in the world is often seen with the characteristic white plume of cloud streaming from the summit.

Photo: mountain view from the window

At this point in the flight everyone is invited up to the cockpit to view Everest and surrounding mountains from the pilot’s view point. The plane flies close by Everest and then turns for the return flight back to Kathmandu. If you sit on the left side of the plane you will see the mountain view on approach to Everest and if on right you will see the view on the return back to Kathmandu airport however you can also sit on aisle seats so in practice one gets a pretty good view for both directions.

Photo: in cockpit of Buddha Air's ATR42

In total from take-off to landing the mountain flight takes about 45 minutes and Mount Everest appears after about 20 minutes. On getting back to the airport after the flight you will be picked up for the drive back to your hotel where you can have your breakfast and view your photos of this spectacular flight high into the Himalayas.

Photo: Mountain Everest in centre with summit plume

Photo: view from the window

This scenic mountain flight is popular with people who may not get the opportunity to see Mount Everest while on trek, I suggest it would be worth considering taking this flight if you are on a tour of Nepal. The Mountain Company includes Everest flight in our Luxury Tour of Nepal itinerary although we can also organise for you as an extra if you join our Highlights Tour of Nepal, Classic Tour of Nepal or for any of our trekking holidays in Nepal.

Roland Hunter

www.themountaincompany.co.uk

Walking up Shivapuri Peak in the Kathmandu valley during Holi festival

Photo: park gates of Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park at Budhanilkantha

Yesterday the Holi festival was celebrated in Nepal and as this is a national holiday I decided to take a day off work and walk up Shivapuri peak (2,732m) the second highest peak in the hills around Kathmandu valley. This is a really good hike and would certainly be worth considering if you have a spare day in Kathmandu. Shivapuri peak is located in Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park, this place is popular among Nepalis and expats as a place to escape from the busy and polluted Kathmandu valley.

Photo: view from trail to Kathmandu valley

I took the number five tuk-tuk out of Kathmandu down along Lazimpat and across the Ring road then walked the rest of the way to Buddhanilkanta. Being Holi festival there was much excitement and celebrations with water bombs (in Nepali “lola”) and coloured powder being thrown around, by the time I arrived to the Shivapuri Nagarjun park gates I had been well and truled Holi’ed!

Photo: Holi'ed!!

I have visited Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park only once before when I walked from Sundarijal to Langtang however this trail is further to the east so this was my first time through the Park gates near Budhanilkantha. I had spoken to several people who frequently visit this area of the Park and they recommended I take the more direct and steep trail up to Shivapuri summit and then descend on the longer path back down via Nagi gompa. Take the trail to the left just after passing through the Army check post signposted to Bishnudwara and Tokha. This means one can do a circuit up to Shivapuri summit and then ending up back at the Park gates near Budhanilkantha.

As I started up the stone steps I could hear the sound of Holi festivities echoing across the Kathmandu valley below with lots of shouting and laughter then later on as I gained height the hubbub from the valley was replaced by the quiet of the forest. Being March this is the season for rhodendrons to flower and I soon came across the red, white and pinks flowers of laliguras which is the national flower of Nepal.

Photo: rhododendrons (laliguras) in flower in Shivapuri

Walking up the stone steps is certainly a good work out as the trail continues relentlessly up through the forest and then after a few hours walking the path steepens for the final ascent to Shivapuri peak. The summit is a flat grassy area and being Spring there was no view as it is often hazy at this time of year however on a clear day it would be possible to see Himalayan peaks such as Ganesh Himal, Langtang-Lirung and Dorji Lhakpa. I met several others groups on the summit, there were some Nepali friends who had also taken advantage of their day off work for Holi holiday and also several Saddhus (holymen) laying down in the sun.

Photo:stone steps to Shivapuri peak

Photo: summit of Shivapuri Peak at 2,732m

From the summit the path descends on more stone steps down through the forest then after half an hour or so I arrived to Baghdwar, this is a very important place as it is where the holy Bagmati river originates. The temple of Pashupatinath is located further downstream on Bagmati river. From Baghdar the trail is lovely as it passes through a forest with oak, bamboo and more flowering laliguras. After another hour I got to Nagi Gompa, a nunnery and retreat centre, where I stopped for a water break and I could hear the chanting of prayers from the main temple complex.

Photo: Nagi gompa

From Nagi Gompa the trail descends further and then joins a dusty road for the walk back down to the Park gates. On the road I passed several family groups who were out enjoying their Holi festival carrying big bunches of red rhodendron flowers, they were all singing and having a good time together. 

Photo: locals celebrating Holi festival

On getting back to Kathmandu I had a look online for more information on Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park. They key facts are this park was established as wildlife reserve in 1976 and was upgraded to National Park status in 2002. The Park covers an area of 159 km2 from Kakani in the west to Sundarijal in the east. There is a wide range of animals including leopard, Himalayan black bear, wild boar, rhesus monkey (I saw some of these near Shivapuri peak) and Himalayan pika. There are also lots of birds with ornithologists recording 318 species.

Photo: map of Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park

Please get in touch with us at The Mountain Company if you would like any further information about trekking and expeditions in Nepal and cultural tours of Nepal. 

Happy Holi!!

Roland Hunter

www.themountaincompany.co.uk

Hindu festival of Holi celebrated in Nepal and India

Photo: enjoying Holi festival on Annapurna Circuit trek

Following my earlier post about Shivaratri festival in Kathmandu the next important one is Holi or commonly known as Festival of Colours. Holi is celebrated by Hindus in Nepal and India to mark the end of winter and to celebrate the start of of Spring. This festival is held on the last full moon of the lunar month of Phalguna and this year in the western calendar it is on March 26th.

Holi is celebrated with fun and joy where revellers normally hold a bonfire, throw coloured powder at each other and celebrate wildly. The reason for using coloured powder is to take away sorrow and sadness and literally bring colour into everyone’s lives. People sometimes throw water balloons from roof tops of buildings so be aware if you are walking in the streets below! It is certainly a good idea to wear old clothes ones you do not mind being covered in coloured powder and getting wet.

It is quite common for revellers to mix bhang (marijuana) in their food and drinks also like at Shivaratri festival held earlier in the year. Marijuana is linked with Lord Shiva as at one point he rested under the shade of a cannabis plant on a hot day and in gratitude he gave this plan to mankind.

In Nepal, Holi is also called "Fagu" and is a national holiday, it is celebrated by everyone irrespective of religion, caste or age. During this day everyone rich and poor will join in to celebrate this joyous festival which is as important as Dashain and Tihar in Autumn season.

If you are planning to visit Nepal in Spring then I recommend you consider making the dates of your trip coincide with the festival of Holi. At The Mountain Company we organise cultural tours throughout Nepal with our Classic, Highlights and Luxury tour itineraries or we can arrange a private bespoke tour designed especially for you. Please get in touch with us if you would like any further information about our Cultural Tours of Nepal.

Roland Hunter

www.themountaincompany.co.uk

Hindu festival of Shivaratri celebrated in Kathmandu

Photo: Saddhu holy man at Shivaratri festival in Kathmandu

I arrived to Kathmandu for our Spring trekking season on March 10th and when being driven out of the airport I noticed the usual road to the centre of Kathmandu was closed and there were many people around. The reason for the large crowds was that I had arrived to Kathmandu during the Shivaratri festival.

The Shivaratri festival is celebrated every year in Kathmandu in reverence of Lord Shiva with offerings of Bel leaves and fasting for the day and night during a long vigil. This festival is centred on the Pashupati Temple complex located on the Bagmati river not far away from the international airport. This area is crowded with pilgrims from Nepal and India as well as many holy men (or saddhus) who walk around naked with their bodies smeared with ash. A ritual among Saddhus is to smoke marijuana in worship of Lord Shiva and certainly lots of this drug is smoked during Shivaratri.

During Shivaratri the area around Pashupati complex has many food stalls and across the river in the forest there are lots of temporary shelters and campfires. At midnight the festival starts when the priests start to make offerings to Lord Shiva and throughout the night the pilgrims and saddhus enter the main temple with milk, flowers, coins and rice placed near the Lingam of Lord Shiva.

Lord Shiva is a Hindu deity known as the “Destroyer “or “Transformer” and is regarded as one of the five primary forms of God. Lord Shiva lived on Mount Kailash in Tibet as well as a householder with his wife Parvati and two sons and daughter. Lord Shiva can be easily identified as he always carries a trident and has five serpents as ornaments.

If you are interested in visiting Shivaratri festival then the timing varies in the western calendar as is celebrated each year on 13th and 14th night of Maagha or Phalguna month of the Hindu calendar. Please get in touch with us we will let you know the dates of this festival for next year and if you like we can organise a visit with one of our sightseeing guides.

Roland Hunter

www.themountaincompany.co.uk

TMC treks guaranteed to run for Summer and Autumn 2013

We already have a number of groups forming for our Summer and Autumn treks in Nepal, Pakistan and Bhutan. Please take a look at these trips listed below, all of these are now guaranteed to run and there is currently availability:

K2 & Gondogoro La in Pakistan (August 3rd to 25th 2013)

K2 Base Camp and Concordia in Pakistan (August 30th to September 22nd 2013)

Lunana Snowman in Bhutan (September 21st to October 26th 2013)

Kanchenjunga to Makalu GHT (October 5th to November 4th 2013)

Kanchenjunga to Tumlingtar GHT (October 5th to November 15th 2013)

Everest High Passes in Nepal (October 4th to 25th 2013)

Luxury Everest Base Camp in Nepal (October 8th to 26th 2013)

Kanchenjunga Circuit in Nepal (October 30th to November 24th 2013)

Mera Peak Expedition in Nepal (November 3rd to 24th 2013)

Everest Base Camp in Nepal (November 3rd to November 21st 2013)

Everest Luxury Lodges in Nepal (November 18th to December 3rd 2013)

We also have several departures that are getting close to becoming guaranteed to run, they are as follows:

Dhaulagiri Circuit in Nepal (October 6th to 25th 2013)
Everest Base Camp in Nepal (November 13th to December 1st 2013)
Upper Dolpo to Jomsom GHT in Nepal (May 3rd to June 1st 2014)
Makalu to Everest GHT in Nepal (April 14th to May 12th 2014)

Please get in touch with us soon if you would like to join any of these groups, by the way there are currently some good deals on flights to Kathmandu in Autumn for latest prices check out SkyScanner

Roland Hunter
www.themountaincompany.co.uk