Ang Tshering writes from Nepal- January 2012

2012-01-26

Dear Friends,
Namaste and warm greetings from Nepal!
Once again it is almost time for pre-preparation of the Spring Climbing and Trekking Season. We at Asian Trekking are very busy preparing for this Spring Season, as all our expeditions and trekkings will be in the Nepal, Tibet, Sikkim and Bhutan.

The Great Himalayan Trail – Climate Smart Celebrity Trek Begins:

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The 1700km long trek well known to all as the Great Himalayan Trail began on 15th January and will end on 13th May 2012 passing through hundreds of villages across 20 different districts of Nepal over four months period. The event has been endorsed by Climate Change Council, the apex body of Government of Nepal headed by Rt. Hon. Prime Minister. The team of Apa Sherpa; 21 times Everest Summiteer, Dawa Steven Sherpa; 2 times Everest Summiteer and Managing Director of Asian Trekking, Saurav Dhakal, Samir Jung Thapa and guides, cooks, camp staffs and support staffs from Asian Trekking has started the trip from Khangla Pass( East Nepal border with India) of Taplejung and will be concluded after reaching Darchula (West Nepal border with India). The teams are getting special attention at all the places along the trail by the civil society, government officials, representative of political parties, journalists, students, tourism entrepreneurs and local residents are organizing welcome receptions and bade farewell to them which is very encouraging and inspiring to the GHT-CSCT team.
Besides, the team is also getting international support. Please check the video of British Minister for International Development, H.E Andrew Mitchell; what he has to say about the GHT-CSCT. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WECRAun5rE&context=C30a3124ADOEgsToPDskIjEQZxlhXS0XAdDSkATCj8 and the World Bank President Robert Zoellick has also written his best wishes.

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The Great Himalayan Trail (GHT) is a newly launched Tourism product of Nepal by the Ministry of Tourism. It is a long distance walking trail along the length of the Himalayas in Nepal envisaged under GHT Development Program led by Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation. GHT is likely to help in channeling tourists and pro-poor tourism investments to less visited and under developed districts of Nepal. The Climate Smart Celebrity Trek (CSCT) is being organized to raise global awareness on the impacts of Climate Change in the Himalayas and showcase how sustainable tourism can be used as a tool for poverty reduction and to build climate-resilience among impoverished mountain communities.
The Great Himalayan Trail also described as “One trail to rule them all” traverses Nepal’s entire mid-hills and the lower mountains. The Trail offers trekkers to experience extremely rich cultures, breathtaking landscapes and diverse range of flora and fauna.
GHT-CSCT is organized by the Himalayan Climate Initiative (HCI) in coordination with Government of Nepal, particularly Ministry of Environment, and Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation, with the support of DFID, British Council, SNV, GHTDP Partners. The event has already received support of Corporate partners Geo-Eye, Asian Trekking (P) Ltd, The North Face and expects to earn the support of several Corporate Partners in the days to come.

Some Of The Major Highlights Of The GHT-CSCT Are:

The Great Himalaya Trail-Climate Smart Celebrity Trek (GHT-CSCT) will traverse some of the most rugged and breathtaking mountain landscapes on earth and will pass beneath eight of the world’s highest peaks.
The GHT-CSCT will cut through 20 districts in the mid-hills and low mountains of Nepal, many of which have been reported as vulnerable to Climate Change impacts according to the National Adaptation Programme of Action (NAPA) report.
GHT-CSCT will invite global celebrities such as Hollywood and Bollywood stars, celebrities from the world of entertainment, television and sports, famous mountaineers, politicians, environmental activists, researchers, local and global media to join Apa Sherpa and Dawa Steven Sherpa on GHT-CSCT. Besides promoting GHT as a great tourism product, their participation will raise global awareness about Climate Change in the Himalayas and promote pro-poor tourism as a potential Climate Adaptation strategy and poverty reduction tool in Nepal’s Himalayas.
GHT-CSCT will raise awareness among government representatives, politicians, civil society leaders, private sector, and development partners in Nepal for the vulnerability of impoverished people against the effects of climate change.
GHT-CSCT will establish GHT, nationally and internationally, as a sustainable tourism product. It will promote the GHT as the world’s highest long-distance walking trail and Nepal’s newest tourism product among travelers and tourism professionals worldwide and highlight its pro-poor, sustainable and “climate smart” approach.
GHT-CSCT will establish mountain tourism as a “climate friendly” activity, and promote trekking as an eco-friendly and “low-carbon” tourism activity. The GHT-CSCT will be a zero carbon emission activity.

His Excellency, Rt. Honorable Dr. Ram Baran Yadav, President, of the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal handed over the national flag to Apa Sherpa, Dawa Steven Sherpa and their team in a program organized on 12th January 2012, at his office in Sheetal Niwas.

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For the latest news and updates on this trek please visit our website: https://www.asian-trekking.com/blog/item/254-the-great-himalaya-trail-climate-smart-celebrity-trek.html I hope you will enjoy reading it.
Diplomats, Celebrities, Mountaineers, INGO officials and EXPATS , friends and supporters have all shown their interest in joining/trek sections of the GHT-CSCT to encourage and motivate Apa Sherpa, Dawa Steven Sherpa and the team.
If you are interested to join them, please contact Himalayan Climate Initiative ( HCI ) : www.himalayanclimate.org or www.asian-trekking.com

Launching Of Visit Lumbini Year 2012 And Tourism Vision 2020:

Visit Lumbini Year 2012 (VLY-2012) was formally launched along with announcing a formal closure of Nepal Tourism Year 2011 (NTY-2011) in Lumbini; the birthplace of Lord Gautam Buddha amidst a special ceremony on Saturday. President Dr Ram Baran Yadav formally launched Visit Lumbini Year (VLY) 2012 lighting the peace flame. He also announced completion of Nepal Tourism Year (NTY) 2011 and launched Tourism Vision 2020.
Inaugurating the ceremony, Yadav said that this campaign would help boost tourism in the country, creating peace along with disseminating the message of peace. Tourism Minister Lokendra Bista Magar said that NTY 2011 saw a rise of 22% in tourist arrivals and revealed the goal of attracting 500,000 tourists to Lumbini during the Visit Lumbini Year 2012. He further said that tourism festivals would be held in more than 13 historical places from 2013 during Tourism Vision 2020. On the occasion, President Yadav also launched the book of Tourism Vision 2020. The Visit Lumbini Year campaign was a major linkage between NTY-2011 and Tourism Vision 2020 as it serves to sustain the achievement of NTY-2011 and improve livelihoods of the people through tourism as envisioned in Vision 2020.
I hope that VLY 2012 will help spread the message of peace across the world and will add a new chapter in the development of Lumbini.

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Nepal Tibet Delegation:

The Fifth Meeting of the Joint Tourism Co-ordination Committee between Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal and Tibet Autonomous Region of People’s Republic of China was held in Kathmandu, Nepal on 24th – 31st December, 2011 in a cordial and friendly atmosphere. Bilateral agreement on various issues including tourism promotion was signed between the visiting delegation led by Deputy Secretary of the Government of Tibet Autonomous Region of China, Liang Jiyangping and the Nepali delegation led by Mr. Balkrishna Ghimire, Joint Secretary of Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation, Government of Nepal. The agreement includes support for promotion of the Visit Lumbini Year 2012, immediate resumption of Kathmandu-Lhasa Bus service, increasing air services to Lhasa, Tibet to Kathmandu and supporting mountaineering related activities. It was agreed on the occasion to hold the next meeting of the Committee in Lhasa of Tibet in September 2012.

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Asian Trekking’s “Cash For Trash” Program:

Since 2008, the Eco Everest Expeditions have collected and brought off the mountain over 13,500 kgs of previous expedition garbage and over 450 kgs of human waste produced by Eco Everest Expedition. Also five died bodies recovered and brought down from the mountain for a dignified burial.

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Asian Trekking’s Mt.Everest Expedition Autumn 2011 found many garbages in between Everest Base Camp(5350m) and Camp 3(7500m) due to rapid melting of ice and glaciers during summer and Autumn season. The garbages has been collected, stored and protected at the same place by Asian Trekking’s Mt. Everest Expedition Autumn 2011 team; which the team of Asian Trekking’s Eco Everest Expedition Spring 2012 will try to bring down from the mountain like the previous Eco Everest Expedition on the basis of “Cash for Trash” program from the mountain.

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Asian Trekking’s Nepal Expeditions 2012:

Asian Trekking is organizing the following expeditions in Nepal and Tibet for the year 2012. The dates for the departures have already been fixed and are listed below. Please do get in touch with us if you or your friends are planning to visit Nepal in 2012:
Mt. Everest 2012
Spring: Eco Everest Expedition 03 Apr to 30 May
Autumn: Dream Everest Expedition 22- Aug to 18-Oct
Mt. Lhotse Expedition 2012
Spring: 03 Apr to 28 May 2012 / autumn: 22-Aug to 14 Oct
Mt. Makalu Expedition 2012
Spring: 09-Apr to 05 June / autumn: 02 Sep to 29 Oct
Mt. Dhaulagiri Expedition 2012
Spring: 10- April to 28- May / autumn: 05 Sept to 23 Oct
Mt. Manaslu Expedition 2012
Spring: 09 April to 27 May / autumn: 02 Sep to 20 Oct
Mt. Pumori Expedition 2012
Spring: 15 April to 19 May / 25 April to 29 May
Autumn: 20 Sep to 24 Oct / 30 Sep to 03 Nov
Mt. Himlung Expedition 2012
Spring: 15 April to 19 May / autumn: 29 Sep to 02 Nov
Mt. Ama Dablam Expedition 2012
Spring: 15 April to 14 May / 25 April to 24 May / 01 May to 30 May
Autumn: 03 Oct to 01 Nov / 15 Oct to 13 Nov / 25 Oct to 23 Nov
Mt. Baruntse Expedition 2012
Spring: 15 April to 19 May
Autumn: 28 Sep to 01 Nov
Radek Jaros; a reputed Czech climber is also looking forward to climbing Mt.Annapurna 8091 m , his last of the 14 eight thousander meter peaks. On accomplishing the feat, he will be the first climber from the Czech Republic to achieve this remarkable record. Interested climbes wishing to join his expedition can contact Asian Trekking.

Asian Trekking’s Tibet Expeditions 2012:

International Joining Mt. Everest Expedition Tibet

Asian Trekking’s Nepal Expeditions 2012:

Asian Trekking’s Tibet Expeditions 2012:

International Joining Mt. Everest Expedition Tibet

Spring: 07 Apr to 03 June
Int. Joining Mt. Cho-Oyu Expedition:
Spring: 08 April to 17 May / Autumn: 01 Sep to 12Oct
International Joining Mt. Shishapangma Expedition:
Spring: 11 April to 22 May / Autumn: 01 Sep to 12 Oct
Int. Mt. Shishapangma South Face Expedition 2011-2012
Spring: 11 April to 22 May / Autumn: 03 Sep to 14 Oct
Trekking Peaks in Nepal:
Chulu West (6419m):
20 March to 05 April / 06 April to 22 April / 20 April to 06 May / 07 May to 23 May / 18 Sep to 04 Oct / 09 Oct to 25 Oct / 25 Oct to 10 Nov
Kyajo Ri (6186m):
15 March to 28 March / 04 April to 17 April / 20 April to 03 May / 04 May to 17 May / 18 May to 31 May
Island Peak (Imja Tse) (6183m):
05 March to 20 March / 19 March to 03 April / 02 April to 17 April / 09 April to 24 April / 16 April to 01 May / 07 May to 22 May
Nirekha Peak (6159m):
15 March to 30 March / 04 April to 19 April / 20 April to 05 May / 08 May to 23 May / 18 Sept to 03 Oct / 05 Oct to 20 Oct / 22 Oct to 06 Nov / 01 Nov to 16 Nov
Lobhuche East (6119m):
12 March to 27 March / 26 March to 10 April / 09 April to 24 April / 23 April to 08 May / 14 May to 29 May
Abi Peak (6097m):
15 March to 29 March / 06 April to 20 April / 23 April to 07 May / 10 May to 24 May / 20 September to 4 October
Pisang Peak (6091m):
13 March to 02 April / 28 March to 17 April / 04 April to 24 April / 18 April to 08 May / 02 May to 22 May / 20 Sept to 10 Oct / 08 Oct to 28 Oct / 22 Oct to 11 Nov / 08 Nov to 28 Nov
Paldor Peak (5896m):
12 March to 24 March / 02 April to 14 April / 19 April to 01 May / 10 May to 22 May / 10 Sep to 22 Sep / 24 Sep to 06 Oct / 08 Oct to 20 Oct / 22 Oct to 03 Nov / 12 Nov to 24 Nov / 26 Nov to 08 Dec / 10 Dec to 22 Dec / 24 Dec to 05 Jan
Nayakanga Peak (5844m):
14 March to 27 March / 02 April to 15 April / 17 April to 30 April / 10 May to 23 May / 14 Sep to 27 Sep / 02 Oct / 15 Oct / 22 Oct to 04 Nov / 08 Nov to 21 Nov / 20 Nov to 03 Dec
We are also happy to inform that we have added two new destinations in Nepal which are:
1. Mustang Valley Trek with Peak Climbing Optional Entry Jomsom-Exit Beshishar
2. Mt. Pokharkhan 6348m via Narphu Valley and Kangla Pass.Entry Beshishar-Exit Jomsom.
Please feel free to contact us if you are interested.

Lastly, it is my pleasure to keep you all up to date as to our activities here in the Himalaya. If you have any questions please let me know. I thank you for your support in the past and look forward to our cooperation in the future.
Best Wishes,
Ang Tshering Sherpa
Chairman
Asian Trekking

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