Attractive Research and Trekking sites in rural parts of Nepal (Dolpa, Langtang, Solukhumbu, Kanchenjunga, Lumbini and Chitawan)

Dolpa

The district lies completely on the trans-Himalayan region of Nepal and borders Mustang on the east, Myagdi, Rukum and Jajarkot in the south and Jumla and Mugu districts on the west, and the Tibet region of China on the north.

The district spans an altitudinal range of over 5,000 meters from a little over 1,500 meters at Tribeni in Kalika VDC to 7,381 meters at the summit of Churen Himal. Kanjiroba (6221m), Mukot (6638m) and Putha Hiunchuli (7246m) are other noted peaks. Physiographically the lesser ranges of the Great Himalayas constitute the southern border of the district. Between these and the border mountain ranges of Gautam Himal and Kanti Himal to the north Dolpa district is a maze of often wide glacial valleys and ridges. Kanjiroba Himal and Kagmara Lekh running north-west to south-east separate the valleys of the Jagdula in the west with the rest of the district.

Area: 7889 sq. km.

District Headquarters: Dunai

Population: 29545

Ethnicity: Hindu 60%, Buddhist 40% (including 5.5% ancient Bonpo Religion)

Altitude: 1525m from sea level upto 7754m variation

Climate: Himalayan; above the snow line, Alpine; found in Bhot region and highmountain in the south; Cold temperature between 7000 and 13000 feet and sub temperate climate below 7000 feet.Religion: Buddhists, Hindu, Bon and Shamanistic

Language: Nepali, Dolpo (Analogous to Tibetan with native dialects), Kaike (indigenous to the Tichurong valley of Dolpa)

Langtang

Langtang, at 3,307m above sea level, extends from north of Helambu to all the way up to the Tibetan Border. It is the largest village of the region despite its small size. Its upper valley is a grazing paradise, rich in flowers and grass and dotted with stone huts used in the summer time for butter making. Sewn in skins and exported to Tibet to flavor tea and fuel monastery lamps, butter was once the region's major industry.

It is generally a thirteen day trip, counting transportation time and a day above Kyangjin and Gosaikunda, the sacred lake devoted to Lord Shiva.Langtang has over 70 glaciers; the Langtang and Ganesh Himal mountain ranges and high altitude lakes including Gosaikunda, Parvatikunda, Bhairavkunda, Dudhkunda etc., this region also comprises rich Tamang art and culture at Gatlang and Goljung, ancient Buddhist monasteries such as Kyangin and Singgompa, Tatopani and the historic fort of Rasuwagadhi in the Sino-Nepal border.

Statistics

District Area: 1544 sq km

Highest Peak: Langtang Lirung, 7245m Population: 44731 (in 2001)

Ethnic groups: 64% Tamang (both Tamang and Tibetan speaking). Others include Brahmin, Gurung, Sherpa and Newars

Literacy: only 34% (female-24.5%; male-42.5%)

Weather: warm temperature climate up to 2000m; higher valleys north and north-east of Syabrubesi are in the rain shadow and comparatively dry. 2-3000m – cool temperature climate. Above 3000m – alpine humid climate; temperatures fall to sub-zero in winter months.

Economic occupations: 83% Agriculture Less than 5% in service sector

Access: By bus from KTM to Dhunche (8 hours) or Syabrubesi (9.5 hrs). Jeeps can also be hired for the journey.

Solukhumbu
Trekking in the eastern region of Nepal provides a wide range of wilderness and cultural encounters - especially in the Everest region. There are those who wish to reach the highest point on earth. While there are those who choose to live out their dreams by standing at the foot of Mt. Everest (8,848 m). Still others prefer a middle ground south of the Khumbu such as Solu. Walking through the middle hills of Solu and trekking in the higher altitudes of the Khumbu to the base of Sagarmatha, or Mt. Everest, the world's highest peak, is an opportunity to observe and participate in the daily life of the legendary Sherpa people. The Sherpa people who rank among the hardiest and most egalitarian people in the world are as great an attraction as the mountains.

Solu, or Sho Rung as the Sherpas know it extendsfrom Jiri to Dudh Kosi River in the east. The climate is temperate, forests and pasturelands are well watered, the farmlands cultivated with maize, wheat, barley and apples.

Buddhist lamas, monks and nuns led by Rinpoches (reincarnate lamas) serve the predominantly Sherpa communities from gompas (monasteries). Solu has two separate destinations, Pikey and the Dudhkunda Cultural Trail. While it is also a path to the high country of Khumbu, Solu invites a leisurely pace. Spring rhododendron and magnolia blooms are more profuse here than almost anywhere in Nepal. Solu used to be part of the traditional route used by early Everest expeditions., but nowadays treks begin from Jiri (1,905 m, 6,250 ft.) cutting several days off the old trail that began from Lamosangu. Frequent lodges and wholesome meals allow the independent trekker to travel light. Campers have more flexibility to get off the beaten track.

Beyond Solu and recognized as a World Heritage Site, the Sagarmatha National Park in the Khumbu is one of the few places on earth that has a unique bio-diversity and the highest and youngest mountain system in the world. For those with sufficient time, a 10-12 day trek through Solu to the Khumbu and the Sagarmatha National Park is an excellent itinerary both in terms of acclimatization and to experience the changing customs, traditions, and lifestyles as you pass through lower altitude settlements to those in the higher altitudes.

A part of the Himalayan ecological zone, the Park was added to the list of World Heritage Sites in 1979 and is spread over 1,148 sq. km. in the Khumbu region. The Park contains three of the world's seven highest mountains Sagarmatha or Mt. Everest, Lhotse, and Cho Oyu and is also home to several other prominent peaks most of which are above 6,000 meters. Climbers and trekkers continue to trek to Everest Base Camp and not surprisingly the "Roof of the World" continues to be the scene of some of mountaineering's most significant accomplishments and a favored haven for alpine enthusiasts.

Mt. Everest is the prime attraction of Solukhumbu. New trekking trails: Dudhkunda-Khaling Rai-Pikey Trail, offer additional choices and a peek at the Himalayan lifestyle, culture and a wide range of nature experience.

Kanchenjunga

The Kanchenjunga region is one of the most beautiful areas in the country with spectacular landscape, Himalayan peaks rising above 7,000 m and lush flora and fauna. Mt. Kanchenjunga (8,586 m), the third highest peak of the world, lies in this region. Kanchenjunga in far-eastern Nepal borders with India in the east and the Tibetan Autonomous Region of China in the north. Alpine grasslands, rocky outcrops, dense temperate, sub-tropical forests, and low river valleys make up the area.

Staying at local tea houses, mountaineering, and trekking along pilgrimage trails are the main attractions while traveling to this region. Nearby is the Tinjure Milke Jaljale ridge that forms border between Taplejung, Tehrathum and Sankhuwasabha districts. This is an area well known for its bio-diversity including the world's largest natural rhododendron forest with the highest number of rhododendron species in the world.

Kanchenjunga is the prime attraction of this region. New trekking trails: Pathibhara and Limbu Cultural Trail, offer additional choices and a peek at the Himalayan lifestyle and culture.

Lumbini

The Brithplace of Lord Buddha

Lumbini is the place where the newly born Prince Siddhartha (simply known as Buddha) took his first seven steps and uttered an epoch-making message to the suffering humanity. This happened exactly in a beautiful sal grove, which is now a focal point of the Lumbini Garden area. Maya Devi, the queen of Sakya King Suddhodana of Kapilavastu, while passing through the Lumbini Garden, on the day of ‘Vaisakha Poornima’ (the Full Moon-Day of May 623 BC), took a bath in the Pushkarni (the Sacred Pond) and soon after she took support of a tree branch, then gave birth to the Crown Prince Siddhartha, who became Buddha. The Lumbini Garden covers an area of 1x3 sq. miles (2.56 sq. km) and compasses three zones each covering one square mile connected with walkways and a canal. The area has a sub-tropical monsoon climate with a warm wet season.

Rural tourism development in Lumbini
Lumbini is a pilgrimage attraction for more than 30 million Buddhists around the world, and more than 50,000 Buddhist pilgrims visit Lumbini every year. It is also equally popular among non-Buddhist visitors. This attraction of Lumbini can also be developed into rural tourism which can make significant contribution to the local economy, thereby reducing poverty in the rural areas. Taking this into consideration, since 2001, the Tourism for Rural Poverty Alleviation Programme (TRPAP) has been launched to develop rural tourism in Lumbini and other areas of Nepal. It is a joint initiative of Government of Nepal, the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development, the Netherlands Development Organization and the United Nations Development Programme. The District Development Committee has been involved in implementing the programme. The TRPAP is implemented in and around seven Village Development Committees around Lumbini, namely.

The TRPAP aims to reduce poverty and conserve the natural and cultural heritage of Lumbini. It helps the poor communities to enhance capacity for sustainable rural tourism through various supports, such as training, skill development, establishment of village tourism development fund, improvement of infrastructure, and by building institutional mechanisms and developing policies. The programme has adopted ‘bottom-up’ and community participatory approaches.

You can actively participate in rural tourism development by using the local products and services, such as food, handicrafts, hotels, lodges, guides and rickshaws.Lumbini re-discovered
The history of Lumbini was re-established with the visit of the Mauryan Emperor Asoka, who made a pilgrimage in 249 BC and erected a stone pillar bearing an inscription stating ‘Hida Budhe Jate Sakyamuniti’ which means that Sakyamuni Budha was borned here. After his visit structural activities started to mark the birthplace of the Lord Buddha. He worshipped the nativity tree, the bathing tank and also visited the other surrounding historical sites such as Kapilavastu, Ramgrama and Niglihawa.

Later on, three famous Chinese pilgrims - Tseng Tsai (4th century A.D.), Fa-Hsien (5th century A.D.) and Hiuen-Tsang (7th century A.D.) visited Lumbini. Hiuen Tsang’s travel account gives a detailed description of the area, including the Ahsokan Pillar with a horse carved on the top of it. King Ripu Malla (1312 A.D.) of Karnali, marked his visit by an engraving on the Asokan Pillar after 14 century A.D. the site were forgotten, neglected and shrouded in bushes. The association of Lumbini with the Buddha went slowly to oblivion (for almost 600 years), and the name Lumbini gradually changed to Rummindei and then to Rupandehi, the present name of the district.

In the process of an archaeological survey in 1896, General Khadga Shamsher Rana and Dr. Fuhrer discovered the Asokan Pillar in Lumbini, and the birth history has been established from the Lost Horizons. In the 1930s, General Keshar SJB Rana carried out a large-scale excavation at Lumbini and covered up the archaeological site with a view to strengthen the Maya Devi Temple. The most important archeological discoveries in Lumbini are Buddha’s nativity, the gold casket, charred human bones, the terracotta sculpture of a Bodhisattva, human heads Marker stone.

For decades the sacred place remained neglected. In 1956, on the occasion of the fourth world Buddhist conference, late King Mahendra personally visited Lumbini and wanted to improve it. Further, the pilgrimage of the UN Secretary General (U.Thant) proved a milestone of the modern history of Lumbini. Deeply influenced by Lumbini’s sanctity, U.Thant wanted the government of Nepal to develop Lumbini as an international pilgrimage and a tourist center in 1970, Prof. Kenzo Tange of Japan was assigned to create the Lumbini Master Plan, which was approved by the government in 1978. Now, the Lumbini Development Trust, (formed in 1985) is responsible for the overall development of Lumbini.

Chitawan

A visit to Nepal remains incomplete without seeing the beauty of the Terai. One of the most traditional and conservative indigenous nationalities of Nepal, the Chepangs live in Chitwan. They have their own distinct language, which belongs to one of the Tibeto-Burman strains. Chepangs are mostly hunters and gatherers. They are animists and their clan priests are called Pandes. It is felt that their religion and culture are influenced by the Tamangs.

One of Asia’s finest national parks, renowned for its dense concentration of wildlife. Seas of elephant grass ripple beneath a magnificent sunset & pervasive sense of relaxation soaks in deeper the longer you stay. For a country known for its beautiful mountains, the Gangetic flat lands of the Terai that stretches through out the southern part of Nepal provide a whole different experience.Chitwan is only 150m above the sea level. The place gets steamy from March-June, with peak temperatures reaching 43°C in the shade. Short grass makes Feb-May the best game-viewing season, but the autumn months are gorgeous, with Himalayan views,and in winter (December-January),Chitwan is pleasantly warm compared to Kathmandu. The monsoon season (July-August) is intense, with pounding rain, swollen rivers, and vegetation. While the rain is not constant, the humidity is all pervasive

STATISTICS :

District Area:2238.39 sq km

Highest Hill: -Siraichuli-1946m

Population: 468695 (in 2001)

Literacy: only 65.08% (female-51.94%; male-70.62%)

Weather: warm temperature climate, hot temperature on lower plains during April to August. Economic occupations: 62.6% Agriculture, 0.11%Forest, 1.91%Business, 1.91%

Access: 46kms drive east to west (Mahendra Highway), 36kms drive Mugling Narayanghat High way, 17kms Mugling to Mahakhola (Prithivi Highway). Flights to Bharatpur and Meghauli.