TREKKING IN NEPAL
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TREKKING IN NEPAL
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GEOGRAPHY, CLIMATE & ECOLOGY
Draped along the greatest heights of the Himalayas, the kingdom of Nepal is a land of sublime scenery, time-worn temples and some of the best walking trails on earth. It's a poor country, but it is rich in scenic splendour and cultural treasures. The kingdom has long exerted a pull on the western imagination and it's a difficult place to dislodge from your memory once you have been there. This is why so many travellers are drawn back to Nepal, armed the second time around with a greater appreciation of its natural and cultural complexity, a stout pair of walking boots and a desire for improved leg-muscle definition.
Nepal is a land-locked country with a total land area of 147,181 sq. km. (56,136 sq. mi.). The country is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the north and the Republic of India to the south, east and west. Its topography varies from the high snow-clad peaks and the mid-mountain region with fertile valleys to the southern plains known as the terai. The climate is also varied, ranging from alpine in the north to hot and humid in the southern plains. The world's highest peak, Mount Sagarmatha (Mount Everest) (8,848 metres, 29,028 ft.), lies in Nepal, its summit forming the border with Tibet. The capital, Kathmandu, lies in a valley with a pleasant climate. The main rainy season is during the monsoon period (June to September), and rainfall is over 56 inches (1422 mm.) a year. Nepal is blessed with a number of rivers, both large and small. There are three main river systems, the Koshi, Gandaki, and Karnali, all of which originate in the Himalayas, flow southward into India and empty into the Ganges. 83% of Ganges water comes from Nepal.
Nepal is the habitat of many different rare species of flora and fauna, and in order to protect the fragile eco-system, thirteen national park and wildlife reserves have been set up in different parts of the country. THE HIMALAYAS IN NEPALThe Himalayas are the highest mountains in the world, and the Nepali Himalayas are sometimes referred to as the rooftop of the world. Their scenery is legendary. These mountains have had an air of mystery until very recently. Even today, vast areas of the Himalaya are untouched. These mountains have always been a source of fascination and inspiration for people from all walks of life and from all over the world. The Himalayas, the land of snow and "abode of the gods", extend for about 2,500 km. (1560 miles) from east to west. The Brahmaputra River (in Assam) in the east and Indus River in the west demarcate the length of the Himalayan range. The range is 300 kms. (187 miles) wide from north to south and rises almost nine km. (5.625 miles) above sea level.
The Nepali Himalayas are in the centre of the Himalayan range, and include eight peaks that exceed 8000 metres (26,000 ft.), including the world's highest peak, Mt. Everest, which is known in Nepali as Sagarmatha ("Goddess of the Sky"). There are no less than 1310 magnificent peaks over 6,000 metres (20,000 ft.). Nepal has become famous throughout the world due to these mountains. At one time there was a sea (the Tethys sea) between the continent of Gondwana (which included what is now the Indian sub-continent) and the Eurasian continent. Around 70 or 80 million years ago, the Himalayas began to come into existence when the Gondwana and Eurasian continental plates collided. The mountains reached roughly their present form only about 10 to 20 million years ago, so in geological terms they are extremly young and active. According to geologists, the mountains are continuing to grow at a rate of 15 cm. (6 inches) a year, as the Indian continental plate is still moving northward and forcing itself under the Eurasian plate. This process (plate tectonics) causes the earthquakes in this region, and has also squeezed up sedimentary rocks that were once below the sea. Nepal opened its mountains to mountaineers around the world in 1949. It was only then that mountaineers started coming to climb the mountains of Nepal. At first, the 8000 metre (26,000 ft.) peaks attracted most of the climbers, and afterwards climbers attempted the various untried routes without oxygen. Today the Nepali Himalayas are recognised all over the world as a great theatre of mountaineering activity. Why are the mountaineers, adventurers, pilgrims, philosophers and scientific researchers of the world attracted towards the Nepali Himalayas? It is not just the height that gives the Himalayas their grandeur, but it is also the tremendous contrasts. There are deep river valleys that wind between the peaks, and within these deep valleys, one can see the flow of the glacier-fed rivers that are swift, white and exciting. The Nepali Himalayas can be divided into nine mountain regions, as follows:
Before 1951, Nepal was inaccessible to foreign tourists, and until 1964 travel to this wonderful and mystical land was exclusively an attraction for the hardy climber and explorer of the unknown. In recent years, with the advent of tourist programmes and the establishment of air links with the outside world, travel to this land of adventure has become the desire of all kinds of people. Its immensely diverse and undulating topography, varied climate and mix of ethnic groups combine to produce a magical attraction for visitors. Many of these foreign visitors come again and again to trek more of the many beautiful trekking regions now open to them. To trek one does not have to be a fitness fanatic, neither a mountaineer nor an athlete. Anyone with a pair of strong legs and the spirit for adventure will enjoy the thrill of the hills of Nepal. Walking in the interior of the country you follow ancient foot trails which meander along the scenic river banks, terraced fields and forested ridges connecting picturesque hamlets and mountain villages. PEOPLENotwithstanding the altitude and the difficulty of the terrain, virtually the whole of Nepali territory is inhabited. The majority of the population live not in the cities, but in tiny villages. Even in the high mountains, small settlements, with stone houses and some pasture for yaks, dot every possible flat space. Much of the fascination of a trek is derived from the opportunity to observe life in these villages, where people truly live off the land, using only a few manufactured items such as soap, kerosene, paper, and matches, all of which are imported in bamboo baskets carried by bare-foot porters. Trekkers pass through picturesque villages inhabited by Sherpa, Rai, Magar, Gurung and Tamang in the highlands and Brahman, Chhetry and Newar in the lower altitudes. These are among the many ethnic groups which lend Nepal its extraordinary cultural diversity. Trekkers are always impressed by the friendliness of the people they meet along the local trails, by their traditional hospitality and by their fascinating culture. These things make a trek in Nepal a special kind of mountain holiday unlike anything you will find in any other part of world.
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