Roads in Nepal
Gradually roads are creeping into the more remote hills and valleys of Nepal. The ‘creep’ tends to happen from November to May, then the monsoon comes...two steps forward one step back! All trekkers need to be aware of the increasing road network. Sometimes this can be a help in getting from A to B, or traveling to start, or get back from, a trek.The highest profile road is that leading up the beautiful Kali Gandaki river valley. Starting from Pokhara and heading west to Kusma, it joins the river valley, then north past Baglung and Beni to Tatopani (hot springs). This is about 90 km from Pokhara and here it meets the main trek route coming down from Ghorepani and Pun Hill. From then on north to Jomosom, the fate of the trekker is rather closely linked with that of the road! However, a photo some weeks ago in the local press showed a large section of the road past Beni that had just fallen into the river-passable for motor cycles and pedestrians, not for cars, trucks and buses. |
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| There are other landslides as well which have cut the road. In between, vehicles get ‘stuck’ and they use these to ferry goods and people from one break to the next. This has provided a brief respite for those trekking down the Kali Ghandaki; however, we do not recommend this element of the “Around Annapurna” trek any more. |
Great Himalaya Trail – a new trekking “master-route”
The Great Himalaya Trail (GHT) is a new and challenging, long distance route through some of the most breathtaking mountain landscapes on earth. It is made up of a network of existing trails, footpaths and trade routes connecting often neglected valleys and ridges between the already popular trekking areas. The Great Himalaya Trail Development Programme harnesses tourism to improve livelihoods, create employment and bring sustainable development opportunities to remote mountain communities through the creation of this globally significant new tourism product for Nepal. |
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The upper route, of about 1,700km, offers high-altitude adventure visitors unparalleled trekking, mixing high passes and alpine valleys. There is also a lower, green route, for less extreme hill walkers that feature an unrivalled diversity of scenery, peoples, and cultures. This lower route is the major focus of the development programme, where most mountain settlements are located and with the greatest appeal to nature and culture visitors.The GHT spans the length of the country from Darchula in the West to Kanchenjunga in the East. Few hardy souls will tackle the full length of the Trail in Nepal in one go, taking some 150 days. Divided into ten sections, each has its own atmosphere and character, be it rich verdant valleys, wildlife and fauna of lakes and protected areas, or ancient Buddhist and Hindu cultures. Most visitors have only a few weeks for a holiday, and a trek along a trail section is designed to be a perfect fit. Mountain Travel Nepal already offers treks on several sections of GHT, and will be happy to discuss plans with those interested for any section of this exciting new “master-route” be it the upper or lower routes. Mountain Travel’s proven record of providing the best services in remote areas of the Nepal Himalaya makes us your natural partner to explore the GHT.
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