Good to be back in Kathmandu!

Photo: Thamel in Kathmandu

As usual it is good to be back in Kathmandu, the weather is sunny and warm so it is looking like a good start to the Spring trekking and mountaineering season. Climbers on Annapurna are taking advantage of these good conditions and are making good progress on the mountain currently fixing ropes between Camp Two and Three.

There have been several changes announced recently over the trekking permits for Nepal (called Trekkers Information Management System or TIMS). There are now two types: firstly organised group trekkers will be issued a blue TIMS card costing US$10 and secondly independent trekkers will be issued a green TIMS card costing US$20. TIMS cards will be checked while on trek so it is important you have these otherwise you might be returned to Kathmandu! The new TIMS rules are effective from April 1st 2010.

I read an interesting article this morning from the New York Times, the piece discusses the Annapurna Circuit and the impact of the new road on this classic trail. At The Mountain Company we have been aware for a long time of this issue, we have been working hard developing our portfolio of treks to visit remote regions to avoid the ever increasing road construction in the hills of Nepal.

If you are looking for a trek with similar landscape and characteristics of the Annapurna Circuit you could consider the Manaslu Circuit to the east of the Annapurna Circuit. This trek starts at Arughat and finishes at Besishar the starting point of the Annapurna Circuit. Or for a more challenging alternative you could trek the Dhaulagiri Circuit that joins the Annapurna Circuit at Marpha however we then fly out from Jomsom so avoiding most of the road.

If you are looking to get away from the roads and busy trails then you should think about walking along the new Great Himalaya Trail ("GHT"), we are organising two sections of GHT firstly Upper Dolpo to Jomsom in April 2010 and Makalu BC to Khumbu in April 2011. Please get in touch with The Mountain Company if you are interested in joining one of these groups.

Roland Hunter

www.themountaincompany.co.uk

Our Upper (Inner) Dolpo to Jomsom trek in April/ May 2010

Photo: Upper (Inner) Dolpo

Is anybody interested in joining an adventurous reconnaisance trek exploring a remote region near the Nepal and Tibet border starting in late April this year? If so, please read on....

As mentioned in our New Year newsletter we are organising a trek to Upper Dolpo in Nepal from April 25th to May 22nd 2010. I am leading this trek along with several of our Sherpa guides.

Upper Dolpo is a remote region in northern Nepal where few other groups have visited, I have no doubt this trek will be a superb journey. The trail crosses a number of high passes as well as exploring unspoilt Tibetan Buddhist villages and monasteries along the way.

Most other trekking companies run the relatively easier Upper Dolpo Circuit whereas we plan to walk out on the remote and challenging trail to Jomsom along a section of The Great Himalaya Trail.

Upper Dolpo has near mythical status among travellers and was first written about by David Snelgrove in his book titled "Himalayan Pilgrimmage" and more recently by Peter Matthiessen in "The Snow Leopard".

Please get in touch soon if you would like to join our group, for more information on the Upper Dolpo to Jomsom trek

Roland Hunter

www.themountaincompany.co.uk

The Great Himalaya Trail

Photo: Mount Makalu seen from GHT

The latest trekking news from the Himalaya is the exciting development 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. The future plan is to extend the route across other countries in Himalaya going from Bhutan to Pakistan!

GHT takes the highest feasible route along the spine of the Himalaya, this involves very challenging trekking as well as several mountaineering sections over technical passes (eg Sherpani Col near Makalu). Completing the Nepal section of GHT would take over 5 months of non stop trekking. As far as I am aware no-one has yet completed GHT in one push instead trekkers like Robin Bousted (author of the excellent The Great Himalaya Trail- A Pictorial Guide) have completed the route in a number of sections.

The development of GHT has been encouraged by a several NGOs operating in Nepal such as ICIMOD (International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development) and SNV (Dutch Development Organisation. They see the long term advantages of encouraging trekkers to visit regions of Nepal other than Annapurna, Everest and Langtang. By getting away from the busier trails trekkers following The Great Himalaya Trail will bring income to remote and poor communities.

For further information on GHT I suggest taking a look at this website:

www.greathimalayatrail.com

You might be interested to hear that The Mountain Company has several treks that explore sections of GHT such as our Upper Dolpo to Jomsom trek in May 2010 and our Makalu BC to Everest in April 2011. We also have plans in the future to explore other areas along GHT so please get in touch if interested in joining one of our groups.

Roland Hunter

www.themountaincompany.co.uk

Best of Kendal Mountain Film Festival in London on March 16th

The Best of Kendal Mountain Film Festival will be shown at Royal Geographical Society in London on March 16th, I already have my ticket so hopefully see you there! The details are as follows:

Date: Tuesday 16 March 2010

Time: 7 – 10 pm (Exhibition Road Doors and pay bar in the Map Room open at 6 pm)

Venue: Royal Geographical Society, 1 Kensington Gore, London SW7 2AR (nearest tube South Kensington)

Tickets: £10 each / telephone 020 8545 9030

Films include: First Ascent: Alone on the wall (winner The Grand Prize and Best Climbing Film), Afghanistan – A small flame of hope (winner Best Short Film), Samsara (winner Best Mountain Adventure Film) and The Asgard Project (winner The People’s Choice Award).

All proceeds from this evening go to Porters Progress UK, a charity which supports projects to improve the safety and welfare of mountain porters in the Himalayas and other mountain ranges.

Roland Hunter

www.themountaincompany.co.uk

A visit to the birthplace of Lord Buddha at Lumbini, Nepal

Back in December last year I enjoyed visiting the UNESCO World Heritage site at Lumbini in Nepal, the birthplace of Lord Buddha. At the time I did not write anything on our blog however it is worth describing to you as this is an interesting place and well worth incorporating into a tour of Nepal especially if you entering Nepal from India through Sonauli.

Photo: marker stone showing birthplace of Buddha

Siddhartha Gautama, the Lord Buddha, was born in Lumbini in 623 B.C. This holy site is surrounded by a monastic zone where commercial enterprises such as shops or restaurants are not allowed. The zone is separated into two areas, the eastern side having Theravadin monasteries and the western side with Mahayana and Vajrayana monasteries. The Mayadevi Temple at the centre is the actual birthplace of Buddha.

It is well worth wandering around the monastic zone and visiting the monasteries from various Buddhist countries and soaking up the peaceful atmosphere. Lumbini is a sacred spot and attracts many pilgrims so you will see monks and nuns as well as other devotees from all over the world.

Photo: inside Mayadevi Temple

Photo: Maya Devi temple complex

Photo: eternal flame in monastic zone

There are a number of good hotels near Lumbini, I stayed at the Buddha Maya Garden part of the Kathmandu Guest House group, I also visited Lumbini Hokke and Lumbini Garden hotels to take a look at their facilities and rooms. Please get in touch with The Mountain Company if you would like any further information.

Roland Hunter

www.themountaincompany.co.uk

Our August '10 K2 & Gondogoro La trek is now guaranteed to run

Photo: K2 as seen from Concordia

I am looking forward to travelling to Pakistan this summer to lead our K2 & Gondogoro La trek, we now have sufficient numbers booked on this trip to guarantee to run the departure. Please get in touch soon if you would like to join the group.

Roland Hunter

www.themountaincompany.co.uk

Photos of Kilimanjaro trek on the Rongai route in January 2010

As mentioned in my earlier post from today I have uploaded some photos of The Mountain Company's recent expedition to climb Mount Kilimanjaro via the Rongai route.

Photo: Mount Kilimanjaro seen from Rongai route

Photo: Simbha Camp with Mawenzi behind

Photo: Mawenzi Tarn Camp

Photo: sunset from Mawenzi Tarn Camp

Photo: high altitude desert on the Saddle

Photo: crashed plane on the Saddle

Photo: a cup of tea at Gillman's Point

Photo: sunrise over Mawenzi

Photo: dawn near Stella Point

Photo: sunrise near Uhuru Peak

Photo: Roland at Uhuru Peak 5,895m

Photo: glacier seen from Uhuru Peak

Photo: Uhuru Peak

Photo: Western breach and crater seen from Uhuru

Photo: Kilimanjaro crater rim

Roland Hunter

www.themountaincompany.co.uk