Namche Bazar: Hotel Namche

Namche Bazar - Hotel Namche is the long red roofed building in the lower right of the photo

One of the nicest places to stay in Namche Bazar on the trail to Everest is Hotel Namche run by the efficient and friendly Maya Sherpa. The hotel is located in the heart of the town and has comfortable rooms, many with attached baths and electric mattresses!   Maya can be contacted at hotelnamche@gmail.com or 00977 38 540004/540068 or +98412 11918.

Entrance of Hotel Namche

Maya Sherpa at the billing counter of the hotel

The long and comfortable dining room of the hotel

The Spiti Left Bank Trek: Outlook Traveller May 2012

This is the page wise photo essay on the Spiti Left Bank trek published in Outlook Traveller in May 2012. For the full essay please do visit http://travel.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?280841 or my web site The Spiti Left Bank Trek 

Tsedam Sherpa: International Mountain Equipment, Namche Bazar, Nepal

Tsedam Sherpa (right) with Sujoy Das at his store in Namche Bazar

Tsedam Sherpa ran  a lodge in Namche Bazar catering to trekkers and climbers before he decided to set up a high end store with the state of the art trekking and mountaineering equipment. The Sherpa capital of Namche Bazar sees as many as forty thousand trekkers and climbers a year from all over the world. International Mountain Equipment gives them the opportunity to buy top of the line international gear.  Tsedam has equipment from La Sportiva, Patagonia, Rab, Smartwool, Osprey, Ice Breaker, Western Mountaineering and other reputed brands.

Osprey packs for sale at International Mountain Equipment

Tsedam can be contacted at tsedam2002@yahoo.com and  +977 9842867506, 0097738540366.

Restrictions for Around Manaslu to be lifted

With the restrictions for the around Manaslu trek to the lifted we can look forward to a South Col trek in the Manaslu region!

REPUBLICA KATHMANDU, April 29: The government is doing the necessary groundwork to lift restrictions for foreigners in Upper Manaslu area in Gorkha district. Prime Minister Dr Baburam Bhattarai had instructed officials to lift the restriction about a fortnight ago, following repeated requests by locals and tourism entrepreneurs. Following the PM´s instructions, the Ministry of Home Affairs last week sought opinions from stakeholders, including the Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation (MoTCA) and Ministry of Forests and Soil Conservation, on opening Upper Manaslu area for foreign trekkers. After the restriction is lifted, foreigners can travel in the area by acquiring Trekkers´ Information Management System Card (TIMS) distributed by Trekking Agencies´ Association of Nepal (TAAN) or Nepal Tourism Board. Foreigners traveling in groups can get the card for $10 per person, while those traveling independently will need to pay $20 per person for the card. As of now, trekkers need to take a special permit by paying $90 per person per week after completing lengthy administrative formalities. They, however, must travel in groups. Due to restrictions, only 600-700 foreign trekkers visit the area annually. “It´s the lengthy administrative formalities, and not the permit fee, that was creating problem for trekkers,” TAAN President Mahendra Singh Thapa said. Responding to the home ministry, MoTCA had suggested that restrictions could be lifted by deputing Armed Police Force (APF) personnel at checkpoints. According to officials, the government had imposed restrictions on the area in line with Nepal´s One China policy as the area borders Tibet. “The restriction can be lifted. But the trekking activities should be limited within a certain distance from Nepal-China border,” an official at MoTCA said. The cabinet will lift the restrictions based on the suggestions of the stakeholders, the official said. Upper Manaslu region is popular among trekkers for its unique environment and rich bio diversity, featuring Himalayan ranges, glacial lakes, monasteries and fascinating flora and fauna. According to entrepreneurs, the area can receive 25,000-30,000 trekkers annually once the restriction is lifted.