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The Himalayas, over the centuries, have attracted
trekkers, mountaineers, pilgrims and ascetics. Since
time immemorial its rugged heights crowned with snow and
draped in vast glaciers has lured man to pit his courage
and ingenuity against its dangerous challenge.
Nepal Visitors affiliated companies are the
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expedition, culture & festival tour are amongst
the most well known routes that they cover. But
they don?t just offer the classic treks; their
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Below the snowline at 18,000 feet, nature appears to
relent and from the austere magnificence of the heights
brings down to a different world of cascading water
falls, lush green forests, flower-bedecked meadows and a
variety of flora and and fauna. Here the rivers flow
clear blue and icy.
Here
nestle small villages and hamlets with their diverse
local customs, dances, folklore and architecture. The
people are as vibrant as their surroundings and in many
cases innocent of the sometimes dubious benefits of
modern civilization.
Since ancient times, ascetics have climbed into these
inhospitable heights in search of peace. In doing so,
they have established places of pilgrimage that have
become more than household names since their fame has
spread to all parts of the world. Names like Kailash
Mansarovar, in Tibet, Thyang Boche in Nepal, and of
course Badrinath, Kedarnath, Yamunotri, Gangotri of
Uttarakhand. Then there is Amarnath in Kashmir and Hemis
in Ladakh.
Those first mountaineers - whether ascetics, pilgrims,
traders, hunters or shepherds - had no special training
or climbing techniques, but acquired a high degree of
skill from necessity and constant practice. Having to
cross the mountain passes at heights ranging from 1500 m
to 5,800 m, they designed ingenious equipment, food and
clothing from indigenous material to help them combat
the intense cold and negotiate the treacherous snow and
ice.
For a vast number of people, the Himalayas appear to be
the Shangri-la, to others, the abode of God.
Trekking in the Himalayas is now quite enjoyable and has
become comparatively easy with the development of
lightweight equipment and clothing with booming tourist
infrastructure. There are difficult treks as well as
easy treks, long and short treks. Vehicles, helicopters
and aircrafts are also available to explore the
Himalayas according to one's resources, taste and
leisure time. But you still find people in remote
mountain villages who maintain the age old traditions(nepalvisitors.com)
and have not changed for generations. There is much that
is new and interesting in the Himalayan villages.
Stan Armington has rightly said that "Trekking is
neither a wilderness experience nor is it a climbing
trip". Even at a height of 12,000 to 14,000 feet in
secluded valleys, there are small village settlements
tending their flocks of sheep and goats or herds of Yaks
of nomadic shepherds and Gujjars. As a result, there are
people on the trail to guide and help you - the
trekkers. Articles of daily necessity are also available
in these small hamlets. Even in the remote areas one can
easily mix with the people and 'live off the land". Most
westerners find it difficult to comprehend this aspect
and visualize their trekking trips to be the same as
those organized in their national parks or in wilderness
area of their respective countries.
Almost all the Himalayan valleys are full of rural
settlements and the population gradually thins out with
the rise in altitude. One always finds people on the
trekking trails and there is no dearth of information as
to trekking routes and directions. Hill people are
traditionally very hospitable and this adds pleasure to
trekking in the Himalayas more than anywhere else. Some
people believe that trekking in the Himalayas is a
climbing trip where they have to negotiate rocky cliffs,
thick jungles and uncharted routes. But this is not so.
In almost all Himalayan regions, the local people have
well developed trails. There are routes from one village
to the other, between adjoining mountain pastures and
across well defined high altitude passes, where people
travel from one valley to other for trade, cultural
exchanges, religious activities and inter - marriages.
These mountain trails and high passes normally do not
require any mountaineering skills or artificial climbing
aids. Of course, at places, they are covered with snow
and may have crevasses. However, these obstacles can
usually be crossed without the aid of mountaineering
equipment like ropes and pitons. There are only a few
difficult treks which need mountaineering techniques or
equipment. An example is the trek to the Nanda Devi
Sanctuary in India or a trek across several high passes
which require special equipment to negotiate the
glaciers.
Trekking is more enjoyable than climbing the peaks and
offers spectacular scenic beauty. The Himalayan region,
till now, has been comparatively less affected by the
modern urban civilization with its industrial pollution.
It provides an opportunity to be in natural surroundings
and to get away from the milling crowds of the cities.
The trekker usually returns home rejuvenated, and with
new enthusiasm to take up the challenges of city life.
The
Himalayas, the "abode of snows", extends from
Assam in eastern India west to Afghanistan. It
is a chain of the highest and youngest mountains
on earth and it encompasses a region of deep
religious and cultural traditions and an amazing
diversity of people. A trek in Nepal is a
special and rewarding mountain holiday.
If you have the time and energy to trek, don't
miss the opportunity to leave Kathmandu and see
the spectacular beauty and the unique culture of
Nepal. Fortunately for the visitor, there are
still only a few roads extending deeply into the
hills, so the only way to truly visit the remote
regions of the kingdom is in the slowest and
most intimate manner - walking. It requires more
time and effort, but the rewards are also
greater.
Instead of zipping down a freeway, racing to the
next "point of interest," each step provides new
and intriguing viewpoints. You will perceive
your day as an entity rather than a few
highlights strung together by a ribbon of
concrete. For the romanticist, each step follows
the footsteps of Hillary, Tenzing, Herzog and
other Himalayan explorers. If you have neither
the patience nor the physical stamina to visit
the hills of Nepal on foot, a helicopter flight
provides an expensive and unsatisfactory
substitute. Trekking in Nepal will take you
through a country that has captured the
imagination of mountaineers and explorers for
more than 100 years. You will meet people in
remote mountain villages whose lifestyle has not
changed in generations. Most people trust
foreigners.
Gokyo Valley Isolation is traditionally a
crucial element of any wilderness experience but
in Nepal it is impossible to get completely away
from people, except for short times or at
extremely high elevations. While trekking you
will see the great diversity of Nepal. Villages
embrace many ethnic groups and cultures. The
terrain changes from tropical jungle to high
glaciated peaks in only 150 km. From the start,
the towering peaks of the Himalaya provide one
of the highlights of a trek. As your plane
approaches Kathmandu these peaks appear to be
small clouds on the horizon. The mountains
become more definable and seem to reach
impossible heights as you get closer and finally
land at Kathmandu's Tribhuvan Airport.
Major Trek Routes of Nepal
There are many criteria that might influence
your choice of a trek. If you have the time and
are in reasonably good condition, the Everest
walk-in trek, which allows you a glimpse of both
lowland villages as well as the high Himalaya,
is the best choice. If time is a constraint,
check the various that are less than a week
long, or if you don't want to trek to a high
elevation, look at the treks listed under low
altitude treks. If you are an experienced
trekker, and want to go to one of the newly
opened regions of Nepal, such as Mustang, look
at the list of restricted area treks.
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