| Great Himalaya Trail | |
| Location: | Himalayas |
| Length: | 4500km (2,800miles) |
| Use: | Hiking |
| Highest Name: | Sherpani Col, Nepal |
| Highest M: | 6160 |
| Difficulty: | Strenuous |
| Hazards: | Severe weather, altitude sickness |
| Map Name: | Map overview |
| Map Size: | 265px |
The Great Himalaya Trail is a route across the Himalayas from east to west. The original concept was to establish a single long distance trekking trail from the east end to the west end of Nepal that includes a total of roughly of path. There is a proposed trail of more than stretching the length of the Greater Himalaya range from Nanga Parbat in Pakistan to Namche Barwa in Tibet thus passing through, India, Nepal, Bhutan and Tibet. Although an actual continuous route is currently only a concept, if completed it would be the longest and highest alpine hiking track in the world.
In November 2014, cross-country hikes of Nepal and Bhutan sections have been undertaken by a well-funded international non-governmental organization. It visits some of the most remote communities on earth, passing through the diverse landscapes including valleys and plateaus. Nepal's GHT has 10 sections comprising a network of upper and lower routes. The GHT (so-called upper and lower) can be roughly mapped out through existing routes, but these routes may not provide a continuous and uninterrupted trail.
The proposed trail links together a range of the less explored tourism destinations of Nepal's mountain region.[1]
The trekking route crosses both well-known areas as well as other lesser-known sites that are very poor but have enormous tourism potential. The purpose of developing the trail was to promote socioeconomic benefits to mountain communities. The Great Himalaya Trail covers 16 districts, ranging from Dolpa that connects with the Tibetan plateau, to Darchula, which borders India. Trekking in Nepal is a major attraction for tourists, but popular destinations have been limited to the regions of Solukhumbu, Everest, Annapurna and Langtang.
The route offers diversity in terms of landscapes, flora and fauna, people and culture: from snow leopards to red pandas; from sub-tropical jungle to fragile high-altitude eco-systems; from the famous Sherpas, to Shamanism, to the ancient Bön Buddhist culture in Dolpa.
The formation of a trail along the Greater Himalaya Range was precluded by access restrictions to certain areas in Nepal, Tibet and Bhutan requiring detours into the mid-hills away from the Greater Himalaya Range. These access restrictions were eased or lifted, and in 2002, with further restrictions being lifted in border areas of Nepal, it became feasible for the first time.Many expeditions have walked great distances across the Himalaya including:
Bhutan is organised into different routes that traverse the country. Robin Boustead summarises the route as: "After arriving in Paro, head to Shana and Drugyal Dzong and the beginning of the Jhomolhari Trek. Continue around over the Nyele Pass to join and then follow the Ghasa Hot Springs trail to Thanza and the Snowman Trek. From the high lakes descend to Ungar on the Gankar Punsum route before following the Rhodang La Trek to Trashi Yangtse in the east. This route takes about 40 days depending on fitness."[14]
Robin Boustead, Pema Tsiring Sherpa, Lakpa Sherpa and Karma Sherpa have claimed to have hiked a trail that links each himal from Kanchenjunga to Api. The upper route passes from East to West through established trekking areas of Kanchenjunga to Makalu Barun, Solukhumbu, Rolwaling Himal, Helambu, Langtang, Ganesh Himal, Manaslu, Annapurna, Dolpa, Rara Lake and Humla finishing on the Tibetan border at Hilsa.
Kanchenjunga, at is the world's third highest mountain and lies on the border with Sikkim.Eastern Nepal is generally more developed than western Nepal and more prosperous. This is due in part to the more favourable climate with its higher rainfall, the employment of Rai and Limbu people in the Gorkha regiments and their income. Rugged terrain however means that mountain areas are especially remote.
The region is named after Mt Makalu, which at is the world's fifth highest mountain.It is home to more than 3000 species of flowering plants, including 25 species of rhododendron and hundreds of varieties of orchids.
Everest is also known as Sagarmatha in Nepal and Chomolungma in Tibet; the Everest region is known locally as the Khumbu.Its home to three of the highest peaks in the world: Everest ; Lhotse, fourth highest at ; and Cho Oyu, sixth highest at .
Rolwaling Himal is home to Tamang, Sherpa, eastern Gurung and the indigenous Thami people. It has no formally protected areas as it is rich in wildlife including red panda, black bear and leopard cat.
This trail starts from Jumla Bazar and heads to the Mugu district. It takes 2 days to complete the trail. Jumla Bazar is 2300 m to Nauri-ghat. Daphe Lekh is about 4500 m high. The climb is very treacherous as you can only climb 200 meters because of the very rough terrain. Due to the conditions, it is not suitable for people who have altitude sickness while climbing this. From then it is all downhill up to Nauri Ghat. From Nauri Ghat, it is a 2-hour descend to the Mugu district. Along the way, there is a village called Bhulbhele which is around 7 hours from Nauri Ghat where one can choose to go left to reach Rara lake or walk to Gamgadi which is part of Mugu district. Both take 4 hours to reach.
Trekkers can choose between two routes: the high route (extreme route) and the low route (cultural route).
Nepal's high route starts north of the Kanchenjunga Base Camp and ends in Hilsa at Nepal's Tibetan border in the Western district of Humla. The trail stretches over a distance of about 1,700 km and passes through high altitude mountain landscapes, visiting some of the most remote villages on earth where life remains as it was centuries back.
Trekking along the GHT high route crosses over high altitudes up to 6,146 m and the whole trek takes about 150 days. Proper trekking gear and mountaineering equipment is needed and it should be for the physically fit. For safety, a local mountain guide follows travellers especially in high altitudes.
Running a total of 1,504 km in a bit more than 24 days, the South African trail runners Ryan Sandes and Ryno Griesel set a new fastest known time during March 2018 for the GHT.
This route is shorter than the high route, the GHT low route stretches over a distance of 1,500 km and the whole trek will roughly take around 100 days. The GHT low route goes through the country's mid hills with an average altitude of . However, there are many passes to cross with the highest being the Jang La at between Dhorpatan and Dolpa in West-Nepal.
Trekking along GHT low route means walking through forests, pastures, green rice terraces and fertile agricultural land, providing the basis for Nepal's rich culture and civilization. There are a lot of local settlements of many different cultural groups.
The Great Himalaya Trail on Wheels (GHT on Wheels) is the first successful solo-mountain biking expedition on the upper (high) route of the Great Himalaya Trail (GHT) in Nepal, accomplished by Nepali mountain biker and adventurer, Mangal Krishna Lama, who is also a guide and former National athlete.[11] [15] The upper route of the GHT presents a unique set of physical and mental challenges, with over 90,000 m of elevation gain and loss, over 22 passes above 5000 m, and the highest point reached at 6158 m.
At the end of March 2022, Mangal embarked on this daring journey from the Eastern point of the GHT upper route, Kangchenjunga Base Camp, reaching the Western point of Hilsa in Humla District in a total of 88 riding days to complete the GHT on Wheels challenge, setting several high altitude mountain biking records apart from the major accomplishment of traversing the GHT on a mountain bike solo for the first time. Mangal's journey recorded by Garmin GPS device is available on the official GHT on Wheels website,[10] where a summary of the GPS tracks is also available, as well as on the Garmin website.[16]
The accomplishment was covered in several national media outlets in Nepal including Nepali Times,The Annapurna Express, Online Khabar, and Kantipur Publications,[17] but is yet to gain any international coverage in major outlets.
In addition to being a personal challenge and dream project, the GHT on Wheels project aimed to promote education, raise awareness about lesser-known areas of Nepal for tourism, and raise local incomes.