If you have ever been trekking in Nepal’s mountains, you’ll know well how cold it can get at night. For his series ‘Himalayan Nights’, travel photographer Alex Treadway spent many freezing winter evening hours getting the shot with the right combination of starlight, clouds, mountains and tent.
A Himalayan night in Manaslu Conservation Area. © Alex Treadway 2009 - alextreadway.co.uk
This was taken high up on the Manaslu Circuit trek after about 10 days of walking, just before the Larke La pass (5100m). Treadway describes the next day:
“The view from the Larkya La is just astonishing. It looks straight out over four converging glaciers to the huge wall of 7000 m and 8000 m peaks of Himal Chuli and the Annapurnas.”
See all of the Himalayan Nights series here.
Posted:
August 26th, 2010 under
Blog, Photography .
Tags: alex treadway, manaslu conservation area, night-time, Photography
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Flip Byrnes of the Sydney Morning Herald has produced a list of some of the least-known yet most exhilarating hikes in the world and the GHT tops the list.
Well it might not be a definitive list, and not-unbiased: there are some rather strong links with particular travel companies in this article. Still, the result points trekkers in the right direction to the Great Himalaya Trail.
But it is not only World Expeditions who can guide you a long the GHT. For most sections of the trail in Nepal, a large number of professional companies will be able to organise a memorable trek for you.
Read more here: http://www.smh.com.au/travel/leastknown-most-exhilarating-hikes-20100813-1223a.html?rand=1282028858135
Posted:
August 23rd, 2010 under
Blog, In the press .
Tags: Flip Byrnes, ght, nepal, Sydney morning herald, traveller, trek recommendations
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Where to go walking in Nepal? Which trek to do? It is a question many people ask each year after deciding they want to come and experience everything the Himalayas have to offer.
But how to choose? Evidently people manage, but so often go with the crowds to Everest and Annapurna (as you can see from the touristiness map). It is not hard to find lists of different places and different treks, but much harder to visualise where they all are and how they compare.
This brochure from the Dutch company Himalaya Trekking Wandelreizen (walking holidays) perfectly shows many, but by no means all, of the options to trek in Nepal. You’ll need to click to see the larger photo image of this brochure which was folded out and pinned on a wall, it’s not available online.
© Himalaya Trekking - click for enlarged image.
Himalaya Trekking has been going for many years now and have a huge range of itineraries – it seems they are not afraid to explore.
If you follow from Kanchenjunga in the west you can see how the mountain sections of so many of the existing treks connect together, almost, to make a long trail across Nepal (compare to this here). Now, wouldn’t that be a good trek to offer Himalaya Trekking?
ps. The GHT has no affiliation with Himalaya Trekking, it is just that this map was too good to not share.
Posted:
August 20th, 2010 under
Blog .
Tags: himalaya trekking, htwandelreizen.nl, trekking routes in nepal, treks in nepal, walking holidays, walking routes in nepal
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It is not often that you see natural arches in mountains. This is a picture taken by Ed Douglas on a recent trek in remote Mugu, Northwest Nepal. It is perhaps the first picture taken of this phenomenon. While this single arch is not make for an Arches National Park, and perhaps it is not as big as Shipton’s arch near Kashgar, it still looks huge and should be measured!
Ed says:
“This photo is as close as I got, and I’m very proud of myself for spotting it. I thought I was hallucinating because everyone else on our team just walked past. (The peak to its left looks a formidable objective too.)”
“I asked around for any local info but nobody seemed to know or indeed care. It’s easy to find. Just head north a little from Mugu village and then hang a left into the valley it’s in.”
If anybody has been trekking in Mugu and knows more about this arch, please share your knowledge below in the comments box!
Posted:
August 16th, 2010 under
008. Rara, Jumla & Mugu, Blog .
Tags: ed douglas, Mugu, natural arch, west nepal
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If you are going walking or trekking in Nepal you may choose to mingle with other people like you or may decide you want to get away from it all, and get off the beaten trail. But where is busy and where is quiet?
Recently some guys in Estonia came up with a map-overlay which shows where people actually visit in Nepal – well, at least those who use the Panoramio website to upload their trekking photographs. Touristiness is a word that is probably not in the dictionary yet but this is what they have called their map – the Touristiness Index.
On the map below you can see that in Nepal, tourism is focused around Annapurna, Kathmandu, Langtang and Everest. There are some other hotspots around urban centres such as Butwal and Dharan, but this shows you roughly where the beaten trail is! Notice the gaps from left to right, from East to West: Far West; Humla; Jumla, Mugu & Rara; Dolpa. Then there is Manaslu and Ganesh Himal in between Annapurna and Langtang. Towards the far east is Makalu and Kanchenjunga which remain places receiving few explorers.
On the western-most border, you can see a pink line in India – perhaps this reflect the numbers of Indian pilgrims heading to My. Kailash (red dot at the top a few centimetres from the left corner). You can also see the route to Kailash from Simikot in Humla.
Where people go walking and take pictures in Nepal? Click to Enlarge slightly.
Click here for the Google Maps world version.
Posted:
August 10th, 2010 under
Blog .
Tags: far-west, kailash, popular trekking areas, touristiness
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A GPS map route of the lower Dolpa circuit
For most of the established treks in Nepal, GPS can be helpful, but is not really necessary. If you start getting up into wilds, traversing seldom used cols or crossing featureless terrain, then GPS can be a useful back up, but still not replacement for map, compass and having the good navigational skills to be able to use them.
GPS is very useful however to see where others have been, to be able to plot that easily on maps, show all of the trekking options available on a map of Nepal and perhaps for accurate recording of water supplies, camping spots or places of interest.
A short search on the web reveals just a few GPS files available for download of just a few treks, predictably the Everest base camp trek and Annapurna circuit (GPS file here) but there are also GPS way points for the excellent Dolpa circuit, which the GPS informs has around 9000m vertical ascent over 12-14 days!
There are also further resources here on everytrail.com although, again, few treks. If you have any GPS waypoint files that you think would be useful to share here with others, please get in touch now using the form below.
Posted:
June 18th, 2010 under
Blog .
Tags: gps, map of nepal, waypoints
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2
…that you have not already been to?
I have been asking a lot of people where their favourite place in Nepal is as a way of putting some of the less visited places on the map. Many people say somewhere in Solukhumbu, but then that is because that’s the place so many people visit. Chris Bonnington, celebrated British mountaineer loves Khumjung, just above Namche Bazar, because he got wonderfully drunk there in 1961 on Chang and his very dear friend, Pertemba Sherpa comes from there!. Gelinde Kaltenbrunner, loves the Kanchenjunga region because it’s so wild. Kurt Diemberger loves the valleys below Makalu.
I have been asking a number of people where they would most like to visit. Many say Phoksumdo lake, the incredible turquoise jewel among the arid mountains in Dolpa, a few have said the Far West in the undiscovered areas below Mount Api. Another would love to visit Shelmogang, the crystal mountain in Humla and see the Saga Dawa Festival. And yet another would just like to see the rhododendrons Helambu in full bloom.
What about you? Where would you like to go to in Nepal?
Posted:
May 31st, 2010 under
Blog .
Tags: chris bonnington, favourite places in nepal, Gelinde Kaltenbrunner, Kurt Diemberger
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There are some wonderful places to discover in Nepal. Unfortunately, most visitors stick very much to the beaten trail. If you find yourself on the lower part of the trail heading to Everest base camp in peak season and you might find that you are sharing it with 300 others.
The Annapurna area is very much similar and that is where most trekkers head to ‘experience’ Nepal. It’s not that these areas are not beautiful, they are stunning. Robin Boustead, a pioneer of the Great Himalaya Trail has this to say on the matter in a recent interview for the German Alpin Magazine:
For the last five years I have received many emails from people asking me where would I recommend to go trekking. I have not sent a single person to either the Everest or the Annapurna Region because I don’t feel that they are authentic trekking experiences. You come to see the mountains here but you come back because of the people. And if you are trekking along trails where there are hundreds of other westerners and you are staying in teahouses that are run by frantic overworked people, who cannot spend any time with you – how authentic is that? Why would you not just go for a walking holiday in Europe. That is something that I feel that is lost here in Nepal. People don’t come away having had a genuine authentic Nepali experience.
So in an effort to uncover where the true authentic Nepal experience is to be found, we’re asking a number of people have a special relationship with the country and who’ve come back year after year, five simple questions.
- What is your favourite place in Nepal?
- Why was it particularly special?
- What is your favourite thing about Nepal or your favourite memory from time spent here?
- Which place in Nepal would you like to go to that you have not yet been to?
- What advice do you have for visitors coming to trek in the Nepal Himalaya?
Some answers are long, some are short. Here are the people we’ve talked to so far:
Posted:
May 27th, 2010 under
Blog .
Tags: authentic trekking experiences
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The Five Questions blog asks people who are very familiar with Nepal, the Himalaya and trekking some questions about their most favourite places and experiences. Wanda Vivequin has been visiting and trekking in Nepal for over 10 years and has co-authored Lonely Planet Nepal Trekking Guidebook.
1. What is your favourite place that you have visited in Nepal?
My favourite place in Nepal is the village of Sundaridanda located just 15km from Pokhara on the old approach to the Annapurna Circuit (see map of the Royal Trek). This village (name means beautiful hill) is located spectacularly between Begnas Tal and Rupa Tal and affords simply stunning views of the Annapurna Himal, Machapuchare, the two lakes and on a clear day the Ngadi Himal. It also happens to be the place where I have built a community library in honour of my mother. The community is working hard to attract people to visit and stay. There is an organic coffee cafe and guest house, a few small guest houses and if you want to splash out you can stay at Begnas Resort.
My favourite trekking route in Nepal is the Limi Valley trail in the Humla district of Nepal.
Particularly the days trekking between Jang and Hilsa where trails are etched into impossibly steep hillsides and stunning medieval looking villages appear stuck in a time warp.
2. Why was it particularly special?
Many years ago I asked a seasoned sirdar in Nepal his favourite trekking route. He said Limi Valley as he was fortunate enough to have visited the valleys shortly after they opened for trekking. He said he thought it was Shangri-La. In 2005 my father bought me Thomas Kelly’s book Hidden Himalaya. This is Kelly’s account of his time in Humla. I used to look at this book imagining what it would be like to trek there and then finally in 2007 I went there with a group. I went back there again in 2008 and have been fortunate to become connected to some of the
incredible medical work being done there by CITTA, a Health, Education and Economic Development (HEED) organisation: www.citta.org.
Having connections that go deeper than just trekking through an area makes it a whole lot more special. In October 2010 the surgical wing of a hospital in Simikot (the capital of Humla) will open. The surgical wing is the result of a significant donation made by one of my group in 2008.
3. What is your favourite thing about Nepal or your favourite memory from time spent here?
Wanda Vivequin
My favourite thing about Nepal is the pure honesty of the many Nepalis I have been fortunate to meet and spend time with. My friends and family there are a constant reminder that you don’t need a lot to be happy.
The resilience of the Nepali people throughout the democratic crisis that has marked the 10 years I have been travelling there is also incredible.
I love the fact that even though many of my friends and family in Nepal have so little, they still find time and ways of making me feel so special. The country offers me countless reminders of what truly makes the world go around – kindness, compassion, generosity, good humour, family. I have also been reminded on many occasions of how wasteful we are in the west with our resources and our planet.
4. Which place in Nepal would you like to go to that you have not yet been to?
I would like to go back and finish my Api Saipal traverse in western Nepal. In 2008 I trekked to Saipal south base camp in the Bajhang district. I would love to trek west of Chainpur (the capital of Bajhang) district and head to Api basecamp and then head even further west to Darchula and the Indian border.
Western Nepal is simply stunning and the people there have suffered so much. This is an area that is tough to trek but I am sure that the travel here is reminiscent of what it was like to trek in the Annapurna area in the 1970s.
It’s tough going and you have to resourceful and not be afraid of the unknown.
5. What advice do you have for trekkers going to Nepal?
Do not be afraid to get off the beaten path for there are many rewards to be had. Uncrowded trails, cultural interactions like no other, incredible hospitality and a sense of adventure that has been lost in some of the more traditional trekking areas.
No matter where you go in Nepal the country is breathtaking, but if adventure and solitude is what you are after, the more traditional areas like Everest and Annapurna have definitely given some of that away in the name of progress and development.
Posted:
May 25th, 2010 under
Blog, Five questions .
Tags: Bajhang, Begnas, Chainpur, CITTA, Darchula, HEED, limi, Ngadi Himal, Shangri-La, Thomas Kelly, Wanda Vivequin
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Just as you’ll want to get a variety of different subjects, you’ll also want to get a variety of different angles and compositions in your photos. Many photographers who aren’t professionals can benefit a lot from thinking about composition for a few seconds before shooting.
When taking a picture, we tend to follow what I like to call “the path of least resistance”. Meaning, we take the picture in the most easy way we can: Stop, point the camera straight towards whatever it is that have drawn our attention, and then just push the button, click, and move on…
If you recognize yourself in that description, knowing a little bit about composition can probably improve your photos enormously with very little effort. There is really not a lot to remember here, just try out some different things when you take your picture, see what works. Here are some quick, basic suggestions.
Photo tip # 1 : Low Angle
Try kneeling down and hold your camera just over the ground. You get a very low angle, what’s called a “frog’s perspective”. This way you can get a nice out-of-focus effect with the flowers, grass and stones lying just in front of the camera. It’s especially a good way to photograph small children. Sometimes you get a picture with 90% sky in it this way, and some silhouettes of people in front of the sky can look really good.
Photo tip # 2 : Rule of thirds
Nepali girl standing in front of a political poster, Rasuwa District of Nepal © Morten Svenningsen - Click for larger image
Page one in most photo books is about this “rule”. Basically it tells you to put the main subject of the photo, not in the center of the frame, but a third into the frame, either from left, right, top or bottom. For me, the essence of this compositional technique is just to get an interesting ‘play’ between the main subject and the surroundings, and some variety in the composition when you are taking a lot of pictures.
Photo tip # 3 : Horizontal / Vertical
Remember that you can hold your camera both horizontal and vertical. It’s really simple, I know, but many people only hold the camera horizontally, even when doing portraits. Hey, you don’t even have to hold your camera straight, although it’s best to have a reason for tilting it, rather than just to do something different. But by all means, try to hold your camere in different ways and see what works!
Photo tip # 4 : Shoot Through Stuff
“Step in front of any obstacle blocking your perfect view, before taking a picture”… Or not!
It’s a natural thought for many of us, to get a “clear view” when we want to take a picture. But it’s not always the most interesting way to do it! Sometimes a bit of “disturbing elements” in the foreground actually adds to the picture, sort of framing the perfect view! So try and think for a second time before you step out of the tent, over the backpacks, away from some branches or before you open the window to take a picture. Sometimes it works nicely to just shoot through it!
For more trekking photo tips and tips on choosing your subject, read the other articles in this little mountain photo article series.
The author of this article series, Morten Svenningsen, is an award-winning freelance photojournalist and travel photographer who has lived, worked and trekked several years in the Himalayas of Nepal and India.
Posted:
May 25th, 2010 under
Blog, Photography .
Tags: Morten Svenningsen, Photography, rasuwa, tips
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