Nepal Trekking | Open and Closed regions Autumn 2020

 

Important information for all those who plan to trek in Nepal this autumn - please see below what is open and closed.

Please note that this information is collected from October 5th to 10th 2020 and can change at any time. Nepal rules can also change - there is a proposal as on date to allow tourists only from mid November 2020 and not October 17th 2020 - it is yet to be confirmed by the Government.

Other rules like PCR negative test 24 hours before any other restrictions like rapid antigen test on arrival is to be followed.

1. Tsho Rolpa -> No trekking and outsiders are allowed

contact -> Naa view point hotel 9843813119 / 9840531500

2. Everest Region -> Allowed, required PCR Negative result report required of no longer than 72 hours

3. Manang / Tilicho -> not allowed

Contact -> Hotel Yak and Resturant (Manang)9841461082, Khangsarkang hotel 9843172015

4. Gosaikunda -> Allowed

Contact -> Deurali Hotel 9849434107, Hotel yak n nak In chandanbari : 9741203099

5. Mustang -> Not Allowed

Majestic mustang "hotel north pole" 981-3727397

6. Timbung Pokhari Trek-> Allowed

facebook page "Timbung Pokhari -Trek Divine" for more informatio

7. Sikles Trek-> Trekking and outsiders are not Allowed

Contact -> Namaste Guest House

8. Annapurna Base Camp Trek -> Not Allowed

Contact -> Real Chhomrong: 9846359659

9. Mardi Himal Trek -> Allowed

Contact -> Hotel Fishtail And Restaurant (High Camp) 9856014765, Hotel Green View And Restaurant 98065369

10. Dolpo Phoksundo Trek -> Trekking is Allowed with PCR Negative Report, documents from ward office and permit from NP

Contact -> Tashi Homestay, 9848304204 Tashi Lama, Ringmo

11. Mundhum Trail Trek -> Allowed

12. Panchpokhari Trek -> Allowed

Contact -> Resham Tamang 9741337147 Ngima chhiring Tamang 9843497149

13. Poonhill Trek -> Not Allowed

Contact -> Hotel Old Village Inn 9856047031, Kamala Lodge and Restaurant – 977-9846646349

14. Helambu, Ama Yangri -> Not Allowed from Tarkhegyang side

15. Langtang -> Allowed, required pcr report

Kathmandu TIA Airport | Partial Closure 10 pm - 8 am

As per the information received from the TIA authorities Kathmandu airport will be closed for repairs from 10 pm to 8 am daily from 1 April 2019 to 30th June 2019.

The logic of closing the airport during the busy spring tourist season baffles me - this could have been done in the winter off season but who is to argue with the Nepal authorities?

The result of this closure will have several ramifications this spring:

• International flights which were landing at night will all have to be rescheduled during the day thereby adding to further airport congestion and delays. Baggage handing will also have significant delays. 
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• Domestic flights will possibly also get affected with more international flights coming in during the day, they will not get priority.
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• The early morning flights to Lukla from Kathmandu starting at 6 am will be affected as they will only be allowed to fly after 8 am and that too if they get a departure slot. At this point we are not sure if Lukla flights will operate out of TIA airport.

These two circulars below from Tara Air and Summit Air indicate that Lukla flights  will be flown from an airport called Ramechhap  150 km from Kathmandu and a four hour drive. So in order to get a Ramechhap Lukla flight at 6 am it will be necessary to leave Kathmandu around 1 am in the morning - not a very enjoyable journey on bad Nepal roads! I understand that the  accommodation in Ramechhap is extremely basic so staying a night there is not a very palatable option!

I expect the Everest passenger traffic will be down this spring and those who can afford it will charter helicopters from Kathmandu.  After the current helicopter scams, charter costs Kathmandu- Lukla have been hovering around $2800 for a helicopter - five persons.

I will post further updates as and when I receive further information.

South Col Expeditions treks every season in Nepal and Everest. For more details do visit www.southcol.com

Farewell Elizabeth Hawley

Elizabeth Hawley ,94,  passed away in a Kathmandu hospital early this morning. For those who knew her the loss is irreplaceable. A chronicler of the Himalaya for more than four decades her contribution to Himalayan  mountaineering is immense.

A brief account of her life below from Wikipaedia -

"Elizabeth Hawley (born November 9, 1923, in Chicago, Illinois) is an American former journalist and chronicler of Himalayan expeditions. She travelled to Nepal in September 1960 and never left.

She was educated at the University of Michigan. She moved to Nepal after giving up her job as a researcher for Fortune magazine in New York and visiting Kathmandu on a round-the-world trip. Working briefly as a reporter, Hawley went back to San Francisco, returning to Nepal a few years later as journalist for Time.

She found work with the Reuters news agency covering mountaineering news, including the 1963 American expedition that was the first from the United States to traverse Mount Everest.

While she has never climbed a mountain herself, Hawley has been the best-known chronicler of Himalayan expeditions for over four decades. She is respected by the international mountaineering community because of her complete and accurate records, despite their unofficial status. Her records are summarized in a database  used in several analyses of success and death rates for climbers in the Nepal Himalaya

French ice climber François Damilano (fr) named a peak in Nepal after Elizabeth Hawley. Damilano made a solo first ascent of Peak Hawley (6,182 meters) in the Dhaulagiri Group on 9 May 2008, after climbing 7,242-meter Putha Hiunchuli."

Today's obituary from The Himalayan Trust
http://himalayantrust.org/about-us/elizabeth-hawley-nov-9-1923-jan-26-2018/

Some links from interviews and press reports on Miss Hawley:

https://www.outsideonline.com/1825881/high-priestess-posterity

http://adventureblog.nationalgeographic.com/2016/03/11/i-frighten-a-lot-of-people-everest-chronicler-elizabeth-hawley-92-tells-it-like-it-is/

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-india-nepal-everest/elizabeth-hawley-worlds-everest-expert-idUSTRE7480XP20110509

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-south-asia-10268549

Nepal Earthquake | One Year After

Kaule village,  Nuwakot district,  May 2015

On 25^th April 2015 at around 11- 56 am, I was standing inside a “tankha” painter’s studio in Lo Manthang, the capital of Mustang district in the rain shadow of the Himalayas.  All of a sudden, I noticed that the bowls of paint in little cups were vibrating and this began to increase rapidly.  As I watched in amazement the colours began to spill onto the floor which was also shaking and we then realized it was an earthquake. We ran out onto the street and looking up I found the walls of a nearby building shaking dangerously. Each time I thought it was going to collapse it miraculously straightened up again. At that time I had no idea of the enormity of the disaster which was unfolding in Nepal.

We cut short our trek and started our long journey back to Pokhara. The story of that journey has been told in http://sujoyrdas.blogspot.com/2015/09/mustang-and-lo-manthang-itinerary-part.html 

The earthquake of 25th April 2015 was followed by a second major earthquake on 12^th May 2015 which further crippled Nepal. 

Since the two earthquakes and the numerous aftershocks which have rocked this mountain kingdom, Nepal has been on the world map for the last one year.

 The images  and videos are by  now all too familiar – rubble and shattered homes and buildings, cars smashed by rocks, large chunks of the hillside falling away into dust and ashes  in a video, avalanches the size of large tidal waves sweeping up a camp, those familiar orange and blue shelters adorning the hillside shot by cameramen in  helicopters,  women trying to find their  belongings in the rocks and bricks which were once their homes, and police and  soldiers on their constant patrol trying to keep order in the world heritage monuments many of which are now lying in ruins.

Durbar Square Kathmandu soon after the earthquake

It is now the first anniversary of this calamity. What has happened in Nepal since then?

Very little really.

The earthquake in Nepal was followed an agitation by the Madhesi parties against the new constitution which resulted in a border blockade with India for six months and brought the country to its feet.

Fuel and cooking gas were being black marketed, costs of all essential commodities spiralled out of control, flights were not refuelled at Kathmandu airport, long lines of buses, cars and motor bikes stood daily outside fuel pumps which were dry and foreign countries like USA, UK, Australia issued advisory warnings against travelling to Nepal.

Haze and pollution over Kathmandu as seen from Swayambhunath, April 2016

 Further, Kathmandu the capital is in a shambles. Very high pollution levels accompanied by a haze which sits over the valley has affected the health of many. Wearing a face mask while walking on the street is now the norm rather than the exception.  The Nepal capital has been rated as the third most polluted city in the world. Along with this, electricity shortages to the tune of 12 to 14 hours per day have brought the city to its feet. And it does not look like the situation will improve in a hurry and neither does the Government have a plan in place to tackle these issues.

Roland Hunter of The Mountain Company at Everest Base Camp, September 2015 on a recce visit to assess the earthquake damage on the trekking trails to Everest

Tourists and trekkers who had planned to come for the autumn 2015 season put their plans on hold and Nepal tourism received another setback with virtually no business for two consecutive seasons.

The blockade was lifted in early 2016 but by then the damage was already done. However the trek agencies and hoteliers are optimistic that autumn 2016 will bring back the tourists if there is stability on the political front and not further agitation by the Madhesis.

But what of the reconstruction process?

One year later the Nepal Reconstruction Authority (NRA) is sitting with $4 billion dollars of aid to distribute to the people but due to the lack of proper infrastructure and systems for distribution these funds remain locked. In fact, after the Government announced relief schemes,  the number of those claiming to have lost their homes shot up from about 5.70 lac houses to around 7.70 lac houses and the NRA was called upon to  verify the data once more, further setting back the recovery timeline.

The villagers had also been promised Rs 2 lacs each to rebuild their homes in earthquake proof designs – none of this money has reached them either as no design has been approved by the Government. But in actual fact the cost of an earthquake proof house would be to the tune of Rs 5 lac at least so where will the rest of the money come from?

The prototype at Kaule almost completed

Various aid agencies have been rebuilding earthquake proof prototypes in different villages and have been applying to the DUDBC (Department of Urban Development and Building) for approval of the designs.

Building the roof of the prototype at Kaule

 As a part of South Col Nepal Earthquake Support we have supported the building of one such prototype (www.thekauleprototype.blogspot.com) with indigenous materials in Kaule village, Nuwakot district and have also submitted the design for approval.

Detailed drawings submitted to DUDBC for approval

As typical for most of the people in Nepal, the villagers wait in hope for their Rs 2 lacs each for re-building their homes. 

Until then as they say in Nepal, ke garne?

Butter lamps, Bodhnath, March 2016

Kathmandu Durbar Square: After The Earthquake

In September 2012, I spend a couple of weeks in Kathmandu researching and photographing for the Indian edition of the Lonely Planet book on Nepal. It was the end of the monsoon so I was treated to spectacular evening skies, rolling clouds, crisp evening light and views of the monuments of the heritage sites of Kathmandu  in that grey-blue light of dusk.

My hotel in Thamel was close to the Kathmandu Durbar Square and very often I used to walk down in the early evening and spend some time on the steps of one of the temples soaking in the atmosphere and also taking some photographs.  The Maju Deval which is a Shiva temple and across the square from Kastamandap was one of my favourite locations. From here you could see life in Kathmandu unfold - the trinket sellers, the hawkers, the couples out for a date, the tourists visiting the square and rickshaws waiting for rides.

I had taken a South Col team to Mustang on a trek and on the day of the earthquake, Saturday 25th April 2015,  we were in the capital Lo Manthang.

On May 1st 2015, I finally reached Kathmandu after a long and difficult journey from Upper Mustang. That afternoon I walked through Thamel and reached the Durbar Square.

This is what I saw:

Near the entrance of the square I spotted this  house supported by wooden beams to prevent it from toppling over into the narrow Thamel street:

Next to this house further down the road was this beautiful wall painting. The house behind it had sustained cracks, but the wall was not damaged in the quake.

I entered the square from the western end and immediately saw that the great temple of Kastamandap was no more. The platform on which the temple stood had been taken over by soldiers and police supervising relief operations. Luckily the smaller statue of Garuda was not damaged.

I walked further and saw to my dismay that the Maju Deval temple on whose steps I had spent many an evening was razed to the ground. The platform remained and as I walked up those steps to the platform this was the view that greeted me:

The Gaddhi Baithak- the white building above was still standing but had sustained structural damage in many places. The Kumari Bahal on the right was miraculously spared but the Narayan temple next to it had vanished with only the platform left.

I came down and headed towards the Kumari Bahal and looked back west towards the square. A large vehicle was busy picking up the rubble and tossing it into a lorry to be taken out of the square. To me it suddenly  seemed that  the vehicle was attacking the lions of the  Kumari Bahal!

The presence of soldiers and police were everywhere and they were preventing people from getting into the square. Photographers and news persons were allowed and a film crew were shooting near this location below.

Two of the soldiers were resting at the entrance of the Bhagwati temple which had escaped the wrath of the quake.

A little further down walking towards the Hanuman Dhoka, the ticket counter had been damaged and the rear of the famous Shiva-Parvati temple was being again supported with wooden beams.

Next to the ticket counter,  this stone inscription was on the ground:

Thankfully, the group of temples near  the Hanuman Dhoka, the Jaganath temple, the Vishnu temple and the Kala Bhairab were intact though King Pratap Malla's column was damaged. The Hanuman statue had also escaped damage.

As I left the Durbar Square from the eastern end and entered the narrow streets of Thamel, I spotted this small temple - people were praying as they were passing by. I looked at the flickering flames and hoped that somehow Nepal would make it through this catastrophic disaster and rise once again.

Nepal Earthquake Relief Fund

Santaman Tamang is a partner and friend of South Col Expeditions in Nepal for many years now. His village in Nuwakot district comprising of around 200 houses has been totally destroyed.  To provide temporary shelter using tarpaulin sheets and blankets and basic food essentials like rice,  South Col Expeditions has decided to set up a Relief Fund to help the villagers of Sundara Devi VDC- Kaaule Bhangeri. Nuwakot. 

Most of the sherpas and porters who have been part of our previous treks and expeditions come from this village including Santaman, Rame, Shyam. Bhakta etc.

I give below Santaman’s account on reaching Kathmandu on 30^th April 2015 from his village:

Yes, arrived in  Kathmandu  with empty tears in my eyes, struggling from broken roads, landslides, don't know what to do, no internet, no electricity, Phones are not working properly even in Kathmandu, met my lovely kids and wife sleeping in open field. They cried when they saw me but I had no tears left. Kathmandu where we live is o.k. Mind is not working properly too.

Tired of taking out the dead bodies from the broken houses, managing dead bodies, rescuing  the injured by helicopter and providing the roof plastic toppling as we have, Lost everything in my region, 95 % of all the remote poor area's houses made of mud and stone plus wood have  collapsed. No water, No electricity no food no roof, it is very hard to save the survived one and treat injured, 10 to 15% of population from my area must have been lost. Don't know how to rebuild the villages; I also lost my beloved father who brought me to this stage of life from among 2000 people in the recent period. Lost many relatives, friends, well wishers.  

The biggest natural disaster that has been seen by my generation occurred 25th April 2025 12 noon Nepal time is one of the worst days for me in my life. Luckily for me and two of my other friends survived in 3 seconds, were just about to participate in school program in the area. I had no camera to post some terrible scenes.

I really thank you for all my national and international friends, well wishers, helpers, my respected personalities and who knows me for your kind concern about my life and my people, I have no words how to say thank you in this time of my life, I devote myself to you all. For sure we will meet and see each other if we can live and do not receive another disaster.

Santaman Tamang

Your friend in Nepal Himalaya.

 In a meeting in Kathmandu on Friday 1^st May 2015 Santaman gave me the immediate cost for relief materials for his village. It is summarized below. It does not include any costs for rebuilding the village houses only the immediate survival costs.

Place: Sundara Devi VDC- Kaaule Bhangeri. Nuwakot.

1. The number of houses is 200.

2. Approximate member of the family is 5 to 7 persons.

3. One family requires 3 bags of rice for one month.

4. Immediate requirements Rice 600 Bags for 1 month.

5. 60 Top linings.

6. 700 Pieces of Blankets.

Costing:

7. 1 Bag of rice cost NPR 1500/-

Total cost for Rice is 600 bags X NPR 1500 = 9'00'000 NPR.

8. Cost of 1 Top lings NPR 3500/-.

Total cost for Top Lings is 60 X NPR 3500 = NPR 2'10'000/-

9. Cost of 1 Blanket cost: NPR 1000/-

Total cost for Blankets is 500 X1000 = NPR 5'00'000/-

So approximate relief fund requires sum of NPR 16'10'000/-

 Transportation Cost NPR 75'000/-

 So Total estimation is: NPR 16'85'000/- which is USD 16,850 OR INR 10.53 LACS.

I would request all my South Col trekkers, my friends, well wishers of Nepal to contribute whatever is possible to this fund.   As time is of essence, cheques or bank transfers should be made to my own account until we can set up a dedicated account for this purpose. The account details are below:

Please email /sms / or FB messenger/ me for bank account number

AXIS BANK, 2/1A SARAT BOSE ROAD KOLKATA 700020

SWIFT CODE FOR FOREIN REMITTANCES:  AXISINBB005

NAME OF ACCOUNT HOLDER:  SUJOY DAS

 ADDRESS: 8 SHORT STREET KOLKATA 700017

IFSC CODE: UTIB0000411 (FOR NEFT transfers)

PHONE: 9831054569

E-MAIL: SUJOYRDAS@GMAIL.COM

Thanks for your patience and support and some photos of the village are below:

Sujoy

Spicejet introduces Bagdogra-Kathmandu flight

On August 13th 2014, Spicejet introduced an international flight linking Bagdogra to Kathmandu. For those of you who are not familiar, Bagdogra is the airstrip in the Darjeeling foothills and serves as a major hub for Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Dooars, Sikkim and the Bhutan foothills.

This thrice a week flight which will originate from Kolkata and fly to Kathmandu with one stop at Bagdogra will go a long way to fulfilling the needs of both tourists and local travellers in the region who earlier had to drive to Bhadrapur airport in Nepal and then fly to Kathmandu or make the long fifteen hour drive from Siliguri to Kathmandu.

This flight will operate three times a week — on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. “This is our first international flight from the state of West Bengal to Kathmandu. We believe this flight will not only facilitate tourism, but also be important for the growth of trade between the two neighbouring nations,” Kaneswaran Avili, chief commercial officer of SpiceJet Ltd, said.

With the introduction of this flight, SpiceJet will become first Indian airline to operate international flights between Kathmandu and Bagdogra. This new service will help the people in Kathmandu have comfortable connectivity with Bagdogra and Kolkata.

Spicejet has started with an introductory fare of Rs 99 plus taxes on the Bagdogra- Kathmandu sector.

With this connection, Kolkata also gets linked to Kathmandu  six days a week (excluding Sundays) as Air India is flying to Kathmandu from Kolkata four times as week.

One can also expect rationalisation of fares on the Kolkata-Kathmandu sector.

Kathmandu Bookshops

One of the reasons why I enjoy going to Kathmandu is to visit the bookshops. The city has some fine stores with an excellent collection of Himalayan literature, maps and guide books. Here are three of my favourite bookshops.

Pilgrims Book House
The original Pilgrims which was a Kathmandu institution was burned down  in 2013 and this is a  new bookshop not far from the old one, opposite to the famous Helenas Restaurant. The bookshop has possibly the best collection of books on the Himalayas including some old and rare titles. Tel: +977 1 4221546;  +977 9803926019; pilgrims1985@gmail.com

Tibet Book Store

As the name suggests, this bookshop is for  all books on Tibet and Buddhism! Located on Tridevi Marg next to the high end trekking stores like North Face and Mountain Hardwear, it is also covers other regions of the Himalaya. Tel: 977 1 4415788; tibetbookstorektm@gmail.com.

Himalayan Map House 
An expert on maps and guide books in the Himalaya, the Himalayan Map House is located across the road from the Hot Breads bakery in Thamel. The collection is vast and includes the laminated Great Himalayan Trail maps as well.  Tel: 977 14231220; 977 1 4244965; maphouse@wlink.com.np; www.himalayan-maphouse.com

Happy browsing!

Bhaktapur Photos

Situated an hour's drive from Kathmandu, the World Heritage Site of Bhaktapur is possibly the jewel in Nepal's crown. It has three squares - The Durbar Square, Tachupal Tole and Taumidhi Tole studded with temples, palaces, frescoes and statues! Most tourists visit Bhaktapur for the day and leave in the evening but a night stay is well worth it at the charming Bhadgaon Guest House! Here are some photographs of Bhaktapur:

Durbar Square, Bhaktapur 

Potters Square 

Window of the wood carving museum, Tachupal Tole

King Bhupendra Malla's column

Siddha Lakshmi Temple

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Images of Patan Durbar Square, Nepal

The oft neglected neighbour of Kathmandu, the city of Lalitpur, popularly known as Patan is a World Heritage Site and the Durbar Square is studded with temples of rare beauty. Though most visitors usually breeze through Patan, it is well worth while to spend a day here. Some photographs from the Patan Durbar Square:

Early morning at the Durbar Square 

The imposing Krishna Mandir

The Vishwanath Temple

A marigold seller at the Square

Entrance of the Golden Temple