Kedarkantha Trek

Sagarmatha National Park (SNP) is home of scenic mountains, snow covered peaks, gorges and glaciers, beautiful Sherpa cultures and dominated by the highest mountain on Earth Mount Everest / Sagarmatha. The park is home to three 8,000 meters and above mountains in the world “Everest”, Lhotse” and “Cho Oyu”, five 7,000 meters and above mountains “Gyachung Kang”, “Nuptse”, “Pumori”, “Baruntse” and “Nangpai Gosum” and more than twenty 6000 meters and above mountains. There are many small and big rivers flowing in this zone but the most famous are Bhote Kosi, Dudh Kosi and Imja Khola rivers. And there are many glaciers like Nangpa Glacier, Ngozumpa Glacier, Khumbu Glacier, Imja Glacier and more.

Sagarmatha national park declared in 1976 is situated in north-east Nepal and covers 1148 square kilometers of the Himalayan zone in the Khumbu region. The park declared as natural world heritage site by UNESCO in 1979. Gokyo and Associated Lakes in Sagarmatha National Park designated a Wetland of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention in 2007. The altitude in SNP ranges from 2,845m at Monjo to 8,848m (Mount Everest / Sagarmatha).

Climate in Sagarmatha National Park

SNP started with Temperate zone and goes up to Nival Zone (Covered in snow throughout most of the year). Between Monjo and Namche the climate is Temperate, Namche, Khumjung, Thamo, Thame, Tengboche, Pangboche and few other villages in this zone comes under Alpine zone, Shomare, Dingboche, Pheriche comes under Sub-Nival and Lobuche and above comes under Nival zone and same as in Gokyo.

Flora and Fauna in Sagarmatha National Park

69 percent of the Park is barren land above 5,000 meters. The vegetation found at the lower altitude of the park includes the Himalayan blue pine, sliver fir, Juniper, Birch, Rhododendron, Scrub and other alpine plant species which are common in higher altitude.

The SNP has a comparatively low number of mammals as compared to other parts of the Nepal Himalaya. The park is home to Red Panda, Snow Leopard, Musk Deer, Himalayan Tahr, Marten, Wolf, Himalyan black Bear, Himalayan mouse hare and few others. The park is also home of few species of reptiles, amphibians and butterflies. There’s also significant number of bird species found in the park like Himalayan Monal, Snow Cock, Blood Pheasant, Red-billed Chough, Yellow-Billed Chough, Griffin and more.

People in Sagarmatha National Park

Major caste groups in this area are Sherpa, Tamang and Rai, and mostly dominated by Sherpa’s. The Sherpa people are Tibetan decent and practice Buddhism. The famous Tengboche, Thame, Khumjung, Pangboche and other monasteries are common gathering place where people celebrate festivals such as Dumje and Mani Rimdu.

Major Attractions in Sagarmatha National Park

Three of world’s highest mountain peak including number 1, 4 and 6 the Mt. Everest (8, 848 meters), Mt. Lhotse (8,516 meters) and Cho Oyu (8,201 meters).
Most beautiful mountains like Pumory and Ama Dablam.
Mount Everest Base Camp and Kala Patthar.
Gokyo Lakes.
Khumbu and other Glaciers.
Mountain passes like Renjo la, Cho La and Kongma la.
Chukung and Thame valley.
Sherpa villages and beautiful monasteries.

How to get in to Sagarmatha National Park

Fly to Lukla and 1 day trek to Monjo.
Bus to Jiri and 6 days trek.
Flight to Tumlingtar and 10 days trek.
Flight to Phaplu and 5 days trek.

Safety, during your stay in Sagaramatha National Park

High altitude sickness(AMS- Acute Mountain Sickness ) can affect you if elevation is gained too rapidly and without proper acclimatization. The major symptoms are headache, difficulty in sleeping, breathlessness, loss of appetite and general fatigue. If someone develops these symptoms stop ascending immediately. If symptoms persist, the only cure is to descend to a lower altitude.

Medical facilities can find in Kunde Hospital Khumjung or Pheriche health post. Telephone network almost available everywhere in the zone and Helicopter rescue services are really punctual in this zone.

Conserve forest and Stop pollution

Don’t use firewood as it is prohibited, don’t light campfire, choose tea houses or lodges, carry out what you carried in, drink water after purifying it and always avoid packaged water bottles, minimize use of polythene and plastic materials, for normal garbage always use dustbins, use toilets wherever possible and in the wild stay at least 150 meters away from the water source and bury the waste.

Entry Fee of Sagarmatha National Park

An entry fee of Nepali rupees 3, 000 (non SAARC nationals) and Rs. 1, 500(SAARC) plus tax, must be paid at the designated ticket counter per person. The entry permit is non refundable, non transferable and valid for single entry only. Entering to park without a permit is illegal you need to show it to several check posts inside the national park.

REFERENCES
Few sources for the above information taken from
http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/120
http://www.unep.org/

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Langtang Valley Trek

Trekking on any destination can be a fascinating experience but if you chose a destination that has all you crave for in terms of adventure and thrill, then your journey is surely going to be joy ride. One of the most exciting ways of enjoying the raw magnificence of nature in its true form, trekking allows a person to get totally lost in the journey and then rediscover a new soul. My treks have been so fun that I keep on going back to attempt more exciting trails. The travel bug did bit me hard and since the first trekking journey, I have never looked back and though twice, I just do it. Now wherever you belong, you certainly cannot deny fact that Nepal has the truest trekking trails lined all over the country. No matter which route you chose, the alluring views will never be compromised and each time you get to witness something unique and extremely bewildering. My latest journey in the Langtang Valley towards Gosaikunda Lake in Nepal was certainly a very enjoyable one. Though I have covered some other trekking destinations in Nepal, but this one of the best moderately difficult rated trek in the country. The journey was crafted with sheer brilliance glimpses of the distant peaks, thrilling trails, forests, and some pretty local villages. Langtang can never be ignored and the monasteries I visited along the journey were captivating in every aspect. A ride of a lifetime, the Langtang Valley takes you to the most serene and highly religious Gosaikunda Lake through some small and pretty villages and a daunting trail. The experience was a savoring one that I cherish till date .

Being the third most traveled trekking region in Nepal, Langtang qualifies into the most enchanting runaway to walk through in case you wish to see the best of water bodies as well as the pious Himalayas. Langtang was badly destroyed due to the earthquake which hit Nepal in the year 2015. You can still find Debris but that has nothing to do with the trekking. The fighting spirit of people and the government had kept alive the trekking spirit of this valley. Here is how I traveled to this beautiful valley and what all I saw on the trip which enchants me even after two years of when I trekked there.

The Itinerary includes:

As and when you will step on the land of Kathmandu, your trip will start from there. By bus, you will be taken to the oldest debrial village of Syabru. In Syabru, you may find people who can ask for your traveling documents especially at the checkpoint on Dunche. After reaching Syabru, you may proceed on to Kangzum, which is nearly 2228m via Sherpogan.

It took me nearly 7 hours to reach my destination at Sherpogan. On the next day you may proceed on the trip to Rimche and from there after sightseeing Lima and hotel woodland (rather the debris) of the same we proceeded further. From there we moved for nearly 12 hours and traveled Mundu, Kyanjin Gompa and then returned back after sight-seeing the serene looking Tibetan Stupa.
Since Nepal share its borders with India and Tibet, you will find a lot of glimpse of both the country’s culture in Nepal. The only guest house which you will love to say while trekking on this route is the Tibetan Guesthouse which had been properly kept well and the guests enjoy the coziness of the owners. From there we reached back to Syabru village and wrapped our journey in a beautiful time. Though we were not lucky enough to see some wonderful sites thoroughly, we managed to make the most of it which could be seen on the treks which are full of debris and not that maintained.

What else can you expect on the Trek?

•You can definitely find the only ATM while on the trek in Syabrubesi. If you missed this chance, then you have to wait for either when you return back or when you travel back to Kathmandu.

•Don’t expect your internet or WI-FI to be in working condition as the life is affected even today… by the aftereffects of the earthquake which happened in the year 2015.

•You need to buy the TIMs for Langtang at the nominal cost of 2000 rupiah: this is an additional cost apart from the trip which many not be paid by your trek organizer .

•There is only one bus which travels to and fro from Kathmandu to Syapru and vice-versa
You can enjoy the best of life at the Langtang valley. You can see the national park and even the sacred Gosaikunda Lake on the route which will also give a chance to click some perfect pictures for memories.