Himalayas Nepal

High Road to Lhasa

himalayas — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 17:40:43 +0000

‘High Road from Lhasa’ begins and finishes in Kathmandu travelling through Lhasa, Gyantse, Shigatse, Sakya, Mount Kailash, Everest Base camp and Last Resort.

We begin our journey in Kathmandu; a vibrant metropolis with nearly two thousand years of history, ancient architecture and strong Buddhist and Hindu influences with a fascinating city tour.

When describing Tibet, images that spring to mind are breath-taking scenery, spiritual awareness, spectacular vistas, huge tracts of emptiness and of course cheerful, devout and serene people.

A beautiful trip; this is an absolute once in a lifetime experience that will remain in one’s heart forever! When describing Tibet images that spring to mind are breath-taking scenery, spiritual awareness, spectacular vistas, huge tracts of emptiness and of course cheerful, devout and serene people.

Tibet is a place where sometimes it seems time forgot! Wandering nomads with their ponies, yaks, sheep, goats and dogs… then there are the pilgrims, sometimes prostrating for years at a time. These people living more or less the same way as they have been for centuries. We travel through this pristine and spiritual environment amongst them.

Where accommodation is unavailable or inadequate we have additional crew with their own vehicle setting up our camps in advance and preparing all meals. Camps consist of kitchen, dining, personal and toilet tents.

On this particular trip we take our time and acclimatise slowly. We do it properly! On board BOA’s vehicles we constantly monitor and record all passengers’ oxygen saturation levels with a pulse oxymeter. BOA’s mountaineering experience kicks in here… we know how to manage altitude properly and carefully.

Finish in Kathmandu with an international flight from Lhasa.

Itinerary

Our scheduled drive times include lunch, photo and toilet stops but please remember that this is genuine adventure travel, so while we endeavour to follow the itinerary, it will not always be possible and it should be used as a guide only. You will need to remain open-minded and flexible in order to get the most out of your trip.

Tibetan boys on the Friendship Highway in Tibet

Day 01: Namaste. Arrive in Kathmandu to be greeted by BOA staff at the Tribhuvan Airport from where you will be driven to the beautiful Dwarikas Hotel, a living museum, where you will be made to feel very welcome with the wonderful and friendly service. The food is a treat here and the setting very peaceful and relaxing. Overnight Kathmandu.

Day 02: Members of the group who would like to participate in the optional Mount Everest scenic flight will be picked up around 05:45hrs and whisked off to the airport, returning for a delicious Dwarikas breakfast before taking in the sites of Kathmandu. The city tour which includes visits to Swayambhunath (Monkey Temple), Pashpathinath, Durbar Square (Kathmandu) and Bodhnath. Finish the day with a nine course Nepali meal at the unforgettable Krishnapan Restaurant at Dwarikas. Overnight Kathmandu.

Lalung La Pass on the Friendship Highway in Tibet

Day 03: We travel north towards Tibet on the Arniko Highway and stay at the Last Resort. The Tibetan border is less than 15km from here. Immerse yourself in the ambient atmosphere of the Last Resort and indulge in a soothing massage finishing off with a relaxing sauna. Drive time, four to six hours. Overnight Last Resort.

Day 04: Enter China (Tibet) after all border formalities. Stay at Zhangmu Hotel which is literally only metres away from Chinese immigration. Our crew will shop for perishable foods which cannot be brought in from Nepal. This will be a good time for you to change currency and familiarise yourselves with a new country. The elevation of Zhangmu is just over 2,200m. Today we will begin to record everyone’s oxygen saturation levels with our pulse oxymeter. We will be doing this for the next week or so until everyone is well and truly acclimatised. Drive time (including border formalities) four to six hours. Overnight Zhangmu.

Gyantse in Tibet with the magnificent Kumbum in the foreground and the Gyantse Fort in the background

Day 05: For the next two days we don’t travel very far but concentrate on becoming acclimatised to the altitude! We consider this to be very important. Often Kathmandu to Lhasa trips are done too quickly which can be uncomfortable and unsafe for the passengers and disruptive to the journey. We will also visit Milarepa’s Cave today. Milarepa was a great 11th-century Tibetan magician and poet. Day five is the first of ten bush camps on the journey. The elevation of our first bush camp will be over, 3,800m, we will have risen very quickly but there is no reasonably practical way to avoid this. Drive time, two to four hours. Overnight bush camp (near Nyalam).

Day 06: After a late breakfast, leave the crew to pack up camp and we head to the top of La Lungla Pass. Here we take in the spectacular views while acclimatising. The altitude is around 5,000m. When we are ready, we will head back down the way we have come to our second bush camp where the crew will have already set everything up and food will be on the go. Our bush camp will be higher than the night before. When it comes to altitude, there is a golden rule that we will be implementing… climb high and sleep low! Tonight we sleep at an altitude of over 4,000m. Drive time, three to six hours. Overnight bush camp.

Chortens at the base of Mount Kailash

Day 07: We have finally made it over La Lungla and, until we are in Lhasa, we won’t go below an altitude of 4,000m except for a couple of occasions, and then it’s so close to 4,000m it’s negligible! We stay at the Snow Leopard Guesthouse in Lao Tingri. Make the most of four solid walls because after Lao Tingri, due to the remoteness of our journey, we have no choice but to bush camp for the next eight nights! Drive time, three to five hours. Overnight Lao Tingri.

Day 08: We drive over Pang La Pass (5,050m) which is between Lao Tingri and Everest Base Camp (EBC). On the ascent and descent of this pass there are over eighty switchbacks… we know because we have counted them! As we are still acclimatising we don’t camp at EBC, or even Rongbuk Monastery, as the altitude is still too high for us to camp sensibly at our rate of acclimatisation. We bush camp at a lower altitude of around 4,500m. Drive time six to eight hours. Overnight bush camp.

Barkhor Square in Lhasa - note the Potala Palace in the background

Day 09: Drive to Rongbuk (Rongphu) and EBC. Rongbuk is not only the highest monastery in Tibet (4900m), but the world! Standing within a stone’s throw of Mount Everest rarely fails to bring out ones emotions. Elevation is around 5,150m. After leaving EBC we backtrack to the Friendship Highway travelling along it for some time before deviating to the northwest. We will bush camp at the very remote and beautiful Paiko Tso (lake) very close to Shishapangma, the fourteenth highest mountain in the world. Drive time, six to eight hours. Overnight bush camp.

Day 10 and 11: For the next three days we drive in some of the most remote countryside many of you will have encountered in your lifetime. There are no trees and very little vegetation with only the occasional nomad camp and ruined monasteries scattered along parts of the road. We take our time to explore and take photos. Meanwhile our support crew will be busy looking after all of your needs and at the end of every drive day we will arrive at our camp to a welcoming hot cuppa. Drive times six to eight hours each day. Overnight(s) bush camps.

Day 12: Arriving at Lake Manasarovar will be the culmination of three drive days through breath-taking scenery. You will be rewarded with stunning views of Mount Kailash and we will be camping on the edge of Lake Manasarovar with it’s pristine sapphire blue waters with a beautiful back drop of snow-capped mountains. Take a well-deserved wash in hot springs behind Chui Monastery. Drive time six to eight hours. Overnight bush camp.

Day 13: We drive to Darchen, which is the starting point for the Mount Kailash Kora where we get the chance to mix and mingle with many of the pilgrims who are about to begin, or have just completed this arduous pilgrimage. The Mount Kailash Kora is one of the most important pilgrimages in Asia and to date, no one has climbed this incredibly symmetrical and spiritual mountain. Mount Kailash is one of the most sacred mountains in the world. We bush camp at the same site as the night before at Lake Manasarovar. Drive time two to three hours. Overnight bush camp.

Day 14 and 15: We head back east towards Saga, the same way as we came, giving us more opportunities to appreciate this magnificent and unique countryside. At Saga we turn onto the road to Sakya. These will be our last two nights of bush camping. Drive times six to eight hours each day. Overnight(s) bush camps.

Day 16: Arrive in Sakya. We stay at Sakya Hotel, quite refreshing to have a normal bed and a piping hot shower after eight straight nights of bush camping! Drive time six to eight hours. Overnight Sakya.

Day 17: Before heading east on the Friendship Highway we take time out to explore the imposing fortress-like Sakya Monastery. In the afternoon we arrive in Shigatse and stay at Hotel Manasarovar for two nights. Drive time two to four hours. Overnight Shigatse.

Day 18: A whole day is spent in Shigatse, the capital of Tsang province, giving time for a guided tour through the huge Tashilhunpo Monastery, seat of the Panchen Lama, and to also wander around the Shigatse Dzong. Overnight Shigatse.

Day 19: It’s a relatively short drive to Gyantse. We spend one night here and are accommodated at Gyantse Hotel. In the afternoon there will be plenty of time to explore Gyantse Kumbum which is the largest chorten in Tibet. Time will also be available to explore the magnificent Gyantse Dzong, which dominates Gyantse’s skyline as it majestically perches over the town. Drive time two to three hours. Overnight Gyantse.

Day 20: We arrive in Lhasa in the afternoon after skirting Yamdrok-Tso, one of the four holy lakes of Tibet, and having driven over the last high pass of our trip, Kamba La, 4,700m. We spend four nights in Lhasa (3,650m) staying at the very tasteful Yak Hotel. It’s literally only a few minutes’ walk from Barkhor Square and is home to the mouth-watering Dunya Restaurant. Drive time seven to nine hours. Overnight Lhasa.

Day 21 and 22: Our first two days in Lhasa are spent exploring the city and surrounding areas. Included will be Barkhor Square and the Jokhang, the Potala Palace and Norbulingka (the Summer Palace) and both the Sera and Drepung Monasteries! Sera is famous for monks yelling and gesticulating at each other… they debate very vocally! Overnight(s) Lhasa.

Day 23: Lhasa is a wonderful city to get lost in. it’s so fascinating and spiritual in places, especially the Jokhang. We have left day twenty-three free so one can wander at their leisure, explore the markets and buy a few souvenirs, walk a kora with the pilgrim’s… or just chill out. If you decide to just chill out… you’ve deserved it! Overnight Lhasa.

Day 24: The drive from Lhasa to the Gongkar Airport is approximately 65km. On our flight back to Kathmandu Mount Everest, as well as Lhotse, Makalu and Cho Oyu are on the flight path and can easily be spotted. We will again stay at Dwarikas Hotel. Drive time(s) two hours. Overnight Kathmandu.

Day 25: BOA also offers another tour of Kathmandu. This time we check out Patan and Bhaktapur. Patan used to be a separate city but is now part of Kathmandu. Bhaktapur was also a separate city and still is, but is only a short drive from Kathmandu. On our last night together we have a final group meal at the Kaiser Café Restaurant in the beautiful Garden of Dreams in the centre of Kathmandu. A lovely way to conclude our trip. Overnight Kathmandu.

Day 26: Farewell and end of trip. We personally bid you farewell and arrange transport to get you safely to the airport.

Crew: One permanent western leader/driver plus local guides.

Other options: One may finish this trip in either Beijing with a flight from Lhasa or also in Beijing, arriving by rail from Lhasa.

HRTL0112 High Road to Lhasa

Start date: 5th June 2012 Kathmandu, Nepal

Finish date: 30th June 2012 Kathmandu, Nepal (Fly to Kathmandu from Lhasa)

Trip length: 26 days and 25 nights

Price: US$7,194 per person (double/twin share)

HRTL0312 High Road to Lhasa

Start date: 31st July 2012 Kathmandu, Nepal

Finish date: 25th August 2012 Kathmandu, Nepal (Fly to Kathmandu from Lhasa)

Trip length: 26 days and 25 nights

Price: US$7,194 per person (double/twin share)

HRFL0212 High Road from Lhasa (runs the opposite way to High Road to Lhasa)

Start date: 25th June 2012 Kathmandu, Nepal (Fly to Lhasa from Kathmandu)

Finish date: 19th July 2012 Kathmandu, Nepal

Trip length: 25 days and 24 nights

Price: US$7,091 per person (double/twin share)

HRFL0412 High Road from Lhasa (runs the opposite way to High Road to Lhasa)

Start date: 20th August 2012 Kathmandu, Nepal (Fly to Lhasa from Kathmandu)

Finish date: 13th September 2012 Kathmandu, Nepal

Trip length: 25 days and 24 nights

Price: US$7,091 per person (double/twin share)

We thank you for choosing to travel with us. Best Of Asia Overland, the specialists in ‘Adventure in comfort’, welcome you anytime.

Experience small group adventure travel with BOA Overland in their all-terrain air-conditioned coach-style overland vehicles.

www.boa-overland.com

Exploring Hidden Bhutan

himalayas — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 16:54:30 +0000

A journey that explores some of the hidden gems of Bhutan, bookended with classic highlights
not to be missed. Trek between villages, and stay in the homes of the people of Rukha in a
unique community based tourism initiative. This exciting new trip has been designed for the
more intrepid traveller looking for a different experience in this fascinating country.
A night in Paro will give you time to settle into the Bhutanese pace of life and learn a little about
the culture of this intriguing country. Then head east over the spectacular Dochu Laa pass to the
subtropical valley of Punakha and its spectacular Dzong. Journey south to the Jigme Singye
Wangchuk National Park. A days walk from the road brings you to the beautiful horseshoe valley of
Rukha. This will be a unique and memorable experience, visiting a valley that has had few outside
visitors. Your visit will bring extra income to its 20 households who will host you during your stay.
On your final day in Bhutan, hike to the famous Tigers Nest monastery in Paro and perhaps end the
stay with a well deserved hot stone bath in your characterful boutique hotel.
Day 1: Arrive in Paro, visit the National museum
Day 2: To Punakha and visit fertility temple – homestay in Talo, village of the Queens
Day 3: Riverside walk to Khamsum Yuelley Chorten and rafting to Punkha Dzong
Day 4: Travel south and trek to Samthang, village homestay
Day 5: Trek through temperate forests and along rivers to Rukha – village homestay
Day 6: Relax and enjoy exploring Rukha, meeting the villagers, visiting the school
Day 7: Trek to Lawa, village homestay
Day 8: Trek to suspension bridge and stay in riverside lodge near Wangdue
Day 10: Return to Thimphu and visit weekend market
Day 11: Explore Thimphu and Paro valleys
Day 12: Hike to Tigers Nest monastery
Day 13: Depart

Private journeys from $3,995
Small Group Tours can be found on our website www.panoramicjourneys.com. For Tailor-made
itineraries please call +44 1608 8011183 or email info@panoramicjourneys.com
Panoramic Journeys Ltd | Noah’s Ark | Market Street | Charlbury | Oxon OX7 3PL | UK

Crème de la Crème

himalayas — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 18:59:50 +0000

‘Crème de la Crème’ begins and finishes in Kathmandu travelling through Last Resort (near the Tibetan border), Dhulikhel, Nuwakot, Bandipur, Pokhara and Chitwan National Park.

Our two-week ‘Crème de la Crème’ trip is an amazing trip! One can just relax and be totally immersed in Nepal’s beautiful culture, people and landscapes whilst staying in the best Nepal has to offer.

In Kathmandu, we stay at the world renowned five stars Dwarika’s Hotel, described as a living museum, the only hotel like it in Asia. Surrounded by history hundreds of years old, yet all mod cons and trappings still available. We also utilise the ‘Tiger Mountain’ facilities near Pokhara and in Chitwan National Park; five stars service and five stars facilities and certainly a five stars experience!

This is a trip where one is pampered but at the same time, there is still a huge sense of adventure. We explore parts of Nepal well off the tourist paths; and other paths, even though well-trodden, the essence and splendour of this beautiful little country will delight and fascinate all of those that come and visit!

Leave Nepal on a high and like so many others… vow to return!

Itinerary

Our scheduled drive times include lunch, photo and toilet stops, but please remember that this is genuine adventure travel, so these should be used as a guide only. You will need to remain open-minded and flexible in order to get the most out of your trip.

Day 01: Namaste. Arrive in Kathmandu to be greeted by our staff at the Tribhuvan Airport; from here you will be driven to the beautiful Dwarikas Hotel, a living museum, where you will be made to feel very welcome with the wonderful and friendly service. The food is a treat here and the setting very peaceful and relaxing. Overnight Kathmandu.

Day 02: Members of the group who would like to participate in the optional Mount Everest scenic flight will be picked up at approximately 05:45hrs and whisked off to the airport, returning for a delicious Dwarikas breakfast before taking in the sites of Kathmandu. Our city tour includes a visit to Swayambhunath (Monkey Temple), Pashpathinath, Durbar Square (Kathmandu) and Bodhnath. Finish the day with a nine course Nepali meal at the unforgettable Krishnapan Restaurant at Dwarikas. Overnight Kathmandu.

Day 03: We go north towards Tibet on the Arniko Highway and stay at the Last Resort for two nights; the Tibetan border is less than 15km from here (check out our High Road To/From Lhasa itinerary). We stay in very comfortable and spacious permanent tents. The resort is so well designed; the tents and permanent buildings can’t be seen until one virtually stumbles upon them. There is a delightful bar and dining area here, a great place to have an intimate conversation and dinner; or wine and dine with a group of friends. The Last Resort is a great place for our group to bond. Drive time, three to five hours. Overnight Last Resort.

Day 05: After lunch we drive back towards Kathmandu and overnight in Dhulikhel, about 25kms east of the capital. On a clear day there are magnificent Himalayan views from here. Dhulikhel is a lovely break in the drive between Last Resort and Nuwakot. Drive time two to four hours. Overnight Dhulikhel.

Day 04: The Last Resort is perfect for the adrenalin junky or one seeking peace, relaxation and solitude. If one is so inclined… one can jump off a suspension bridge with some kind of elastic band attached from ones ankles (option)… or one can stand on the side lines, firmly grounded with terra firma and witness this unusual spectacle! For some of us who are less adventurous, there are other activities such as canyoning, cycling or rope walking. Perhaps that is not your scene at all; take an eye opening village/cultural/bird-watching walk; or perhaps an oil massage or sauna would be your slice of heaven… capped off with a Nepali coffee with a dash of the delicious local rum! This magical little place is a slice of heaven. A visit to Nepal isn’t complete unless a stay at the Last Resort is included on your itinerary. Overnight Last Resort.

Day 06: Head northwest to the remote Nuwakot region and take a steep drive up to a little known village called Nuwakot. Here we stay at a typical Nepali Farm House. The accommodation here isn’t five stars, but the service certainly is. Drive time, six to eight hours. Overnight Nuwakot.

Day 08: A bouncy off-road drive out of the Nuwakot Region and on to the charming village of Bandipur. Located up on a high ridge, this village affords beautiful views of the Himalayas, including Manaslu and Macchapucchare. Soak in the easy going and quiet lifestyle of the locals. Drive time six to eight hours. Overnight Bandipur.Day 07: Experience a real cultural experience here at Nuwakot. Take a walk around the abandoned palace and visit eager school children or just relax at the farmhouse and enjoy stunning views of the Nuwakot Valley. Overnight Nuwakot.

Day 09: A short drive takes us to the Tiger Mountain Pokhara Lodge for two nights. This superb lodge is situated on a spectacular hilltop ridge a thousand feet above the Pokhara Valley, it has panoramic mountain views of Macchapucchare, and three of the world’s 8,000m peaks, Dhaulagiri, Annapurna and Manaslu. Drive time, three to five hours. Overnight Pokhara area.

Day 10: Drive into Pokhara for a wander through this laid back city, take a boat ride on beautiful Lake Phewa, soar through the skies in an ultra-light (option) soaking up the mountainous views… or stay put at Tiger Mountain. Relax, hike, swim, enjoy the views or take a fascinating village/cultural/ bird-watching walk. Overnight Pokhara area.

Day 11: From Tiger Mountain we head down south to the Terai to Tiger Tops located in the heart of Chitwan National Park. One of the most respected National Parks in Southern Asia. We have two nights in this sanctuary. Drive time five to seven hours. Overnight inside Chitwan National Park.

Day 12: Can you imagine riding an elephant through the grasslands of Chitwan as it rumbles its suspicions that a tiger is on the prowl in the first light of day? Blend into the surrounding bush and jungle, take a boat ride. Leave Tiger Tops with unforgettable images in your mind and camera that you have only ever imagined. Overnight inside Chitwan National Park.

Day 13: Drive back to Kathmandu and Dwarika’s. Let’s have a final group meal at the Kaiser Café Restaurant in the beautiful Garden of Dreams in the centre of Kathmandu. Drive time, six to eight hours. Overnight Kathmandu.

Day 14: Farewell and end of trip. We personally bid you farewell and arrange transport to get you safely to the airport. We thank you for choosing to travel with us… Best Of Asia Overland, the specialists in ‘Adventure in Comfort’, welcome you anytime.

Crew: One permanent western leader/driver plus local guides.

KCC0112 Crème de la Crème

Start date: 26th April 2012 Kathmandu, Nepal

Finish date: 9th May 2012 Kathmandu, Nepal

Trip length: 14 days and 13 nights

KCC0212 Crème de la Crème

Start date: 12th May 2012 Kathmandu, Nepal

Finish date: 25th May 2012 Kathmandu, Nepal

Trip length: 14 days and 13 nights

KCC0312 Crème de la Crème

Start date: 25th September 2012 Kathmandu, Nepal

Finish date: 07th October 2012 Kathmandu, Nepal

Trip length: 14 days and 13 nights

Price: US$3,512 per person (Double/twin share)

We thank you for choosing to travel with us. Best Of Asia Overland, the specialists in ‘Adventure in comfort’, welcome you anytime.

Experience small group adventure travel with BOA Overland in their all-terrain air-conditioned coach-style overland vehicles.

www.boa-overland.com

Vanishing Tracks

himalayas — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 19:15:54 +0000

Vanishing Tracks

Four Years Among the Snow Leopards of Nepal

By Darla Hillard

Author’s Note

We look back now on our time in Nepal, and it seems so clearly the beginning of two love affairs, one between the two of us and one with the mountain people, for it is they who have pulled us back again and again—almost as much as it is the magical, beautiful snow leopard. They have opened our eyes to the greater world, and taught us so much about how we might live in it, with all its disparities. They have given us refuge; taught us to pare down and let go. They have shown us the ways in which a life can be shaped by community and measured by spiritual wealth. It isn’t sexy or dramatic; this exposure to the principles of non-attachment, but it is perhaps the most valuable input of all. It’s what has enabled us to spend the bulk of our ‘productive’ years on an effort whose profits are counted not in dollars but in the number of snow leopards saved. And we realize, too, that they have given us something else: the capacity to embrace solitude during those times when we have lived half a world apart from each other for long months at a stretch, to reconnect with our own identities and separateness. Each time we meet again our bond is renewed and refreshed. So it suits us, this living with one foot inCaliforniaand the other in the mountains of the snow leopard.

For this E-Book edition we have mostly left the manuscript as it was first published by Arbor House/William Morrow, New York, in 1989, and secondly by our friends at Mandala Book Point, Kathmandu, in 2002. We merged the original and second-edition Forewords into Rodney’s Update, which is a merger of the original Appendix and Epilogue. We have left the original Acknowledgements, and added an appreciation to those who have supported the Snow Leopard Conservancy over the past decade.

Darla Hillard

Sonoma, California, December 1, 2011.

The Snow Leopard Conservancy has community-based conservation and education programs in half the snow leopard’s range countries. Visit: http://snowleopardconservancy.org to find out how you can help, or to order a copy of Vanishing Tracks, available as conventional or e-book.

Dr. Rodney Jackson has twice been honored for his life’s work and conservation leadership by being shortlisted — in 2008 and 2010 —as one of six nominees for the Indianapolis Prize, the world’s leading award for animal conservation. Now for the third time, he has been named as one of 29 finalists picked from across the globe for the 2012 prize.

Jackson is considered one of the world’s foremost authorities on snow leopards.

Read Dr Rodney Jacksons Update.

UPDATE

Preserving the Ghost of the High Mountains

A Twenty-five Year Retrospective 1988–2011

By Rodney Jackson

Founder–Director, Snow Leopard Conservancy

If we were to embark today upon the study described within these pages, we would have an array of hi-tech tools available to us that make the fax machine—still on the drawing boards in 1981—seem like a dinosaur. We could have solar-powered laptops, a satellite phone, email contact with our colleagues and friends, digital cameras with infrared triggers to capture the cats in photographs and video. We’d be putting satellite collars on Ek, Dui, Tin, Char and Panch, and using geographic positioning systems to track their movements. We could even hire a privately owned helicopter to drop our gear and us into theLanguValleyinstead of walking for a week to get there.

But as much as technology has changed, it is equally remarkable how little life has changed in almost thirty years for the people of Dolphu and Wangri. They still have no hospital or clinic, no electricity, no phone service and as far as we know, no clean water supply. They rely on their livestock for meat and dairy products, and they gamble that enough rain will fall—and that hail will not—to bring in a crop of barley. Their small kitchen plots produce a few radishes and squash, and in season they still gather wild rhubarb, the herb jimbu, and the alpine fungus known as yarshgumba (Cordyceps sinesis).

Dolphu and Wangri became part of Shey-PhoksundoNational Parkin 1984. While tourists are now allowed to visit under special permits, we have not had the opportunity to go back. Our venerable friend John Tyson celebrated his 70^th birthday in 1998 with a trek through the park. He sat for some time with the old headman, Thondup, hale and hearty at 72, hearing the news and helping him keep an eye on a much-loved granddaughter. John found that instead of losing heart—as we would surely have done in the shoes of a Dolphu Villager—the people went about their lives with the same exuberance and fortitude that has kept them in our hearts all these years.

Since our time inNepal, the country has endured a devastating civil war. In 2001, nine members of the Royal Family, including King Birendra and Queen Aiswarya, were massacred, allegedly by the Crown Prince. Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah was the last King, until the monarchy was abolished and the interim Federal Republic of Nepal formed in its place. Today’s leaders continue to struggle to define the way forward.

It might also be said thatNepalis mourning the loss of its reputation as a country of peaceful, friendly people. Tourism, the third major source of income after exports and international aid, dropped dramatically during the war, with an enormous ripple-effect that reached not only those in theKathmanduValleywhose jobs are overtly tourism-related, but also shopkeepers and taxi drivers who indirectly depend on tourism. On the rural trekking routes the consequences were equally serious for lodge and restaurant owners, porters, pack-animal providers, guides, and even households earning extra cash by selling chickens.

And it wasn’t just people who were affected by the war. InShey-PhoksundoNational Parkpoaching of wildlife rose because rangers ceased patrolling out of fear of armed Maoist guerillas. We learned about this from a newspaper article sent by one of our young Nepali colleagues. And therein lies some good news: since the peace accord,Nepalhas seen the rise of many local, Nepali-run NGOs—Non-Government Organizations, which are the equivalent of our non-profits. Men and women coming out of colleges and universities, or working their way up through the various aid agencies and international NGOs, have seen the need and the opportunity. These bright young people have the knowledge and passion to work for change in Nepal that reaches beyond twenty-first century Kathmandu, out into the remote valleys, hills, and high Himalayas where the standard of living is stuck in a century long past.

1986-2000

It took almost two years to analyze the data from the Langu and to report our findings, partly because we all had to take other jobs to pay the bills, and inGary’s case, raise a family. Also, we had managed to gather the most detailed scientific information ever on snow leopards and their natural history, a milestone which endured for over 20 years until the recent advent of satellite-tracking technology.

To briefly summarize our findings: we verified that snow leopards exhibit many of the traits of other solitary cats like common leopard or tiger. For example, our collared cats were continually on the move, unless on a kill or when a female was nursing cubs too young to travel. Although not averse to moving about during the middle of the day, snow leopards are basically crepuscular creatures—most active around dawn or dusk. Typically they would spend the heat of the day resting beside a jumbled pile of boulders or a shady cliff ledge. They favored prominent places and well-defined landscape features such as cliffs, sharp ridges and narrow drainages to move about their home ranges. Toward evening they might lie on top of a massive boulder, blending into the speckled sandstone, barely visible from even a few yards away. There they could scan the terrain below for herds of blue sheep, their favorite large prey in much of theHimalaya.

Despite the difficulties of ground-based tracking, our seven hundred-plus telemetry locations clearly documented the snow leopard’s preference for steep, deeply dissected terrain broken by cliffs, ridges, and gullies situated close to the rolling habitat where blue sheep preferred to forage. Such a spatial relationship presumably offers benefits to snow leopards in terms of the detection, stalking, and successful capture of prey. Although our information was limited, we believe that most hunting attempts failed, with those involving an approach above being more effective. The Langu cats made a large kill about once every ten to fifteen days, but as ‘Char’ found out, providing enough for two hungry cubs can be very demanding; her home range increased in size as their appetite for meat grew!

We refuted a number of popular myths. Contrary to the conclusions of some zoo studies, there is no evidence to suggest that snow leopards mate for life or share the raising of their young. They live a lifetime of solitude except for the brief mating season and the nearly two years a female spends raising her cubs. Mating occurs from January through March, a time when eerie “yowls” may echo through the late evening or night darkness, evoking thoughts of mountain demons. Could this be the Yeti that mountaineers and Sherpas made world-famous? Yowling is a long-distance vocalization that helps mating snow leopards locate one another. The young are born just over three months later. As in zoos, a litter size of two or three is probably typical. In zoos, snow leopards may live to be eighteen or more; in the wild, an animal of eight or ten years is considered old. Information on the population dynamics of wild snow leopards is lacking.

It was the high number of resident cats, obviously solitary but sharing a small area, that most intrigued Gary and me. We had expected snow leopards to have large home ranges and that adults would exclude adults of the same sex from their turf. Not only did the radio-tracking indicate that the ranges of all cats—male and female —overlapped almost entirely, but also that at least four leopards shared the same general centers of activity, to which they returned at frequent intervals. They would spend up to sixty percent of their time in an area less than twenty percent of their total home range. Admittedly most of our tagged snow leopards were relatively young and had recently entered the reproductively active phases of their life, but the fact that even preferred use areas overlapped completely puzzled us! We learned that visits were staggered, so that on any given day a particular leopard was more than a mile apart from another individual. In other words, they shared common real estate, but visited it at different times. By avoiding direct physical contact, the potential for fights that could result in serious injury or death is minimized, especially in the case of competing males or males and females outside of the narrow breeding season. And well-spaced, they would improve their chances at hunting wary prey.

But, since they were avoiding contact with one another, how did each know where the others were? One of the clues lay in the elaborate marking behavior of snow leopards. Although they are solitary by nature, they are not asocial. To examine this behavior, we established a “sign transect” that followed a common route used by leopards to move through the core area. Along one 750-yard section we counted over 100 scrapes made by snow leopards, who intensified their marking activity during the mating season, often re-scraping or scenting marks left by other individuals. Snow leopards show a strong tendency to leave sign at the base of cliffs, near large outcrops or promontories overlooking a valley. We found numerous places that appeared to have been marked by several generations, judging from the distinct sculpturing—tufts of bunchgrass growing in pedestal-like clumps and surrounded by as many as 24 scrapes. Gary and I concluded that the Langu snow leopards were able to share their habitat to such a degree because of the relatively dense bharal population, the brokenness of the terrain, and the fact that they visited common areas at different times. The cats’ elaborate scent-marking system probably serves to maintain familiarity and distance between individuals, and to attract pairs during the brief mating season, especially critical for a sparsely-distributed animal.

Although depending heavily upon bharal or ibex across much of their range, snow leopards are essentially opportunistic predators, capable of taking anything from a diminutive musk deer to a fully grown red deeror domestic yak. Supplementary prey includes game birds like the resplendent danphe (Impeyan pheasant), the ever-busy pika, or the social marmot. Snow leopards occur in 12 countries in the heart ofAsia over an area totaling 450,000-618,000 square miles, nearly equivalent to the nations ofFrance,Germany,Italy andSpain combined, as shown on the range map at the end of this update.

Across the range, snow leopards are rare and sparsely distributed, reflecting the fragmented nature of most mountain ranges. Even though human densities are low here, their influence is pervasive, from poaching to overstocking of rangelands by livestock, to road construction, mining, oil exploration and other development. As native prey populations are depleted, snow leopards resort to domestic livestock for their survival, which in turn engenders the wrath of livestock owners who resort to retributive killing if their losses are heavy or persistent. The IUCN Red Data Book lists the global population of wild snow leopards at 4,080-6,590, but this is just a “guestimate.”

At the request of the International Snow Leopard Trust, and given the impossibility of directly counting a cat with such a secretive nature and superb camouflage, we developed a standard methodology to help address the challenging question of how many snow leopards were left in the wild. I worked with Don Hunter, then a team leader at the US Fish & Wildlife Service, to produce a standardized field survey methodology, the Snow Leopard Information Management System (SLIMS). We based the system on transects where the researcher would record snow leopard signs like pugmarks, scrapes, feces, and scent-sprays, and we trained range country biologists in Pakistan, China, Mongolia, Nepal and Bhutan to employ the system.

Also during this time, I worked with the Mountain Institute to establish the Qomolangma Nature Preserve, an extensive area in Tibet centered on Mt. Everest but extending westward almost to Nepal’s Annapurna Conservation Area—Asia’s most extensive transboundary protected area.

As the range map indicates, much of the snow leopard’s habitat lies along or near international borders where access is restricted and surveys are difficult to undertake. As the millennium approached, with far too few status surveys completed, and with the growing threat to snow leopards, I knew we needed to change our overall approach to protecting and conserving the remaining snow leopard and prey populations. Especially alarming was the report of a 60% population decline inKyrgyzstan, which had the largest population of snow leopards, following the dissolution of theSoviet Unionand breakdown of its formerly effective protection system.

Over the years of working directly with the local people who must live with snow leopards, Darla and I were finding that despite the different landscapes and cultural traditions from one country to another, certain conditions remained constant. People are a fact of life in nearly all Himalayan and Central Asian national parks, and furthermore, they occupy or intrude upon nearly all of the snow leopard’s habitat. These mountain people depend upon livestock to supply their family with meat, dairy products and wool. In essence, livestock is their “cash-in-the-bank,” needed to sustain the rural economy, an economy that is shifting from bartering to cash-based and is increasingly tied into the national or even international system.

Reports indicated that snow leopards were increasingly preying upon domestic sheep and goats, in part because livestock is usually more abundant and certainly much easier to kill than their wild cousins. Besides competition with burgeoning herds of livestock, the wild prey species have been severely depleted by poaching. At night, domestic sheep and goats were corralled in poorly constructed stone pens easy for a snow leopard to access. Penned, panicked livestock cannot escape, and the cat’s natural “kill instinct” is repeatedly triggered until every animal is either dead or mortally injured. Even in Buddhist communities, shepherds may have little choice but to retaliate when their livestock is killed. And a snow leopard is surprisingly easy to kill, often cowering in the corner of the corral while it is stoned to death, or returning to a poisoned carcass.

In the millennium year we formed the Snow Leopard Conservancy, to concentrate on a grassroots effort to address the fundamental threat from livestock depredation by snow leopards and other large predators like the wolf.

2000-2011

Our first, and ongoing, program was Corral Predator-proofing to keep snow leopards out of night-time pens. This might sound simple, but communities often lack access to materials to build enclosures that can withstand livestock raiders like wolves and snow leopards. The Snow Leopard Conservancy provides funding for the chain link fencing and hardware used to make the pens secure, along with education to improve animal husbandry—especially guarding practices—and training to boost the villagers’ ability to take advantage of income generating opportunities. The community’s contribution is usually the labor to collect stones and construct the new livestock pen, and each herder signs an agreement to maintain the corral in good condition and to protect the region’s wildlife. Seeing the project as a joint effort rather than a handout also has the benefit of raising or reinforcing self-esteem among the villagers, ensuring ownership of and responsibility for the project.

For every pen made predator-proof, we estimate up to five snow leopards in each of our project areas are now able to live out their lives among the crags, instead of being stoned, poisoned, or shot for preying upon sheep and goats. Here is what one shepherd in Ladakh, northernIndia, had to say about his village’s new pen:

In the late evening, after our sheep and goats had spent the day grazing, we herded them into the new pen, locked the door and walked the two miles to our home. When we returned in the morning, there were tracks of a snow leopard all around the pen. This happened two nights in a row, but we lost none of our animals. As Buddhists, we are very happy, for the sake of our livestock, and for the snow leopard who might now go back to hunting blue sheep. Also we are very happy because now we shepherds no longer have to lie awake on the cold ground next to the pen. We can go home and get a good night’s sleep.

In Ladakh we worked with Rinchen Wangchuk, The Mountain Institute, and the Wildlife Department to establish an award-winning ecotourism program, “Traditional Himalayan Homestays,” that enables rural households to capture tourist income previously going mostly to outside agents. You can find a link to the Homestays on our website. We employed a planning process with the lengthy but accurate name of Appreciative Participatory Planning and Action (APPA). This highly effective process became the foundation of our community-based conservation activities. Managed through the village women’s association, each visitor pays $12-15 for simple accommodation and three meals, and the chance to interact with a Ladakhi family. Currently, the Homestay Program benefits some one-hundred families in twenty settlements. Households along the main trekking routes can earn over a thousand dollars annually with additional income accruing from cold-drinks and food sold at eight trail-side “parachute” cafes. Other villagers rent pack animals, maintain camping sites or guide tourists interested in finding snow leopard sign and viewing wildlife. Homestay visitor satisfaction exceeds eighty-five percent. Ten to fifteen percent of Homestay profits go into a village conservation fund which has supported tree planting, garbage management, and the establishment of a village wildlife reserve for the threatened Tibetan argali sheep. One community constructed predator-proof corrals, another paid a full-time herder to guard livestock in their high summer pastures, and a third insured large-bodied, high-valued livestock like yak through a national livestock insurance program.

In the first edition of Vanishing Tracks I wrote . . .Should I dream that tourists visiting a national park in the high Himalayas may one day be able to view snow leopards over their kill of a Himalayan tahr or blue sheep. . .I am immeasurably gratified that my dream has come true. Every winter, we offer a special Quest for the Snow Leopard, for hardy visitors intent upon seeing one of these beautiful creatures in the wild. Thus far, all of our expeditions have been successful, with sightings lasting for over an hour. In one case from fifty yards away we watched a male snow leopard resting after feeding on his blue sheep kill. This is the legacy that Rinchen has left for his children.

The Snow Leopard Conservancy-India is now independent of our US-based organization. Though still reeling from Rinchen’s untimely death, the staff continues with conservation and education activities in the regions of Ladakh, Zanskar and Nubra.

The Snow Leopard Conservancy is currently working in five of the cat’s twelve range countries (India,Nepal,Pakistan,MongoliaandRussia). Our goal is to ensure that herders view the snow leopard as an asset instead of a pest that kills their livestock. Recent studies show that domestic prey constitutes between twenty and seventy percent of the snow leopard’s diet. Along with corral predator-proofing, our challenge as advocates for wildlife conservation is to help herder-households supplement their income in environmentally sound ways. This can be through developing or refining locally appropriate enterprise activities ranging from ecotourism and handicrafts to other small-scale activities like bee-keeping or vegetable growing. Another strategy is a livestock vaccination program linked to the maintenance of reasonable herd sizes, so as not to further stress the already overstocked pastures. Any program to improve herd productivity must be accompanied by realistic plans for the marketing of excess animals.

We are now working on establishing a Savings and Credit program linked with the stewardship of snow leopards, their prey and habitat, starting with four communities living near the base ofMt.Everest. In 2005, our Regional Conservation Director, Dr. Som Ale, photographed the first snow leopard to be seen inSagarmathaNational Parkin twenty-five years. That might have been a fluke, but no. It is clear that the cats have naturally repopulated the area, as recent research indicates that they are preying heavily upon young Himalayan tahr, a wild mountain goat, and in effect precluding continued recruitment to the ungulate population. Thus, we expect these snow leopards to resort to killing livestock as tahr numbers decline below the minimum threshold to sustain this prey base.

Villagers are making regular savings deposits to a community-managed account, a portion of which is loaned out to grow their business activities with four percent of the returned interest used to support snow leopard and biodiversity conservation. For example, these funds could be used to pay communal shepherds to guard the community’s livestock, remove traps set by outside poachers after musk deer (an important prey species for snow leopard), or to train young people so they can work as nature guides.

I am often asked why not simply reimburse the villagers directly when they lose livestock to snow leopards or other predators. While compensation may be a fitting solution under some circumstances, in general it is too expensive, even for wildlife departments to maintain. Besides, compensation programs treat the symptom (e.g., loss of valuable livestock) rather than directly addressing the root causes (insufficient natural prey or poor livestock guarding). Livestock insurance programs are a better choice, especially if locally managed, and sufficiently funded and imbedded with incentives for best husbandry practices along with stringent wild prey protection measures.

The GPSradio-collar technology that has emerged over the last decade is a boon to biologists, for it allows us to intensively track animal movements, even from the comfort of our office, through the internet and orbiting satellites. In 2008 in Mongoliawe collared a male snow leopard that the team named Togoldor, which means very great, amazing, incredible. Over the following year, the collar recorded and stored more than a thousand locations, providing a detailed chronology of Togoldor’s daily movements. He ranged over a 260 square mile area, never leavingBagaBoydMountain. This isolated massif is an important “stepping stone” habitat betweenMongolia’s highly fragmentedSouth Gobi snow leopard population and the species’ core range in theAltai Mountains which extend westward to the Russian border.

We have a professional responsibility to ensure that our research is as non-invasive as possible and that it does not put animals at any risk. That is why I am so excited about the new field of noninvasive conservation genetics, which does not require the capture or handling of wild animals. A pea-sized sample of fecal material (scat) provides sufficientDNAfor genotyping and the means whereby researchers can identify individuals, their gender and relatedness to other individuals sharing the same space. By collecting multiple samples from the same area over time, we can reliably estimate population size and trend, establish the population’s sex ratio, identify breeding females, and by extending the area surveyed, map the snow leopard’s dispersal patterns. In our first test of sample collection and genetic analysis, in collaboration with Dr. Jan Janécka ofTexasA&MUniversityand our partners inMongoliaandChina, we learned that as much as 60% of the “snow leopard” scats collected—even by seasoned biologists—were actually deposited by red fox, lynx or other carnivore species! While this finding indicates the limitations of the SLIMS survey technique, conservation genetics opens a whole new door to protecting and managing snow leopards at the landscape level. For the first time we are able to identify genetically-related populations reasonably quickly, and use satellite imagery andGIStechnology to map corridors linking each isolated snow leopard population or habitat patch with its nearest neighbor(s). Google Earth is proving immensely useful in evaluating such corridors, especially when linked with computer mapping models that predict habitat suitability for snow leopard or their prey. I eagerly look forward to carrying out surveys across the range, including our former study area inNepal.

By preserving these habitats and their intact corridors, we stand a better chance of preserving the snow leopard’s genetic diversity and ensuring a gene pool that offers the species a better chance to adapt to change, especially vital during this period of rapid climate change.

We know that the snow leopard preceded humans on our planet, even though the cats’ fossil record is sparse. Bones from the late Pleistocene (maybe as little as 12,000 years ago) have been found in caves in Mongolia, but remains discovered more recently in northern Pakistan have been dated to 1.2-1.4 million years ago.

Our species, Homo Sapiens, first represented by the Neanderthals, have been around for some 250,000 years.

Human communities developed with intimate knowledge of the ecology of their habitat. Their worldview held—and still holds—certain species as sacred in both spiritual and earthly form; these sacred plants and animals are viewed as human creators, ancestors, brothers and sisters. Likewise, certain earthly sites are sacred. Knowledge of the ancient ceremonies associated with sacred sites, animals and plants are held by Shamans, or Healers, or Medicine Men and Women—people who possess the ability to serve as intermediaries between the natural and supernatural worlds.

Across the snow leopard’s range there are examples of how the cats in particular are seen in the Indigenous world view. In the high mountains ofSiberia,Kyrgyzstan, andKazakhstan, Snow Leopard is a sacred animal, and in some cases is the spiritual protector of the people.

Darla and I visitedSiberiain the summer of 2010, where we met a community that holds a ceremony every year to honor Snow Leopard and pray for unity.

Until recently, I accepted the Indigenous world view as “other.” Then, during a field session inMongolia, I had an experience that defies my ability, as a Western scientist, to explain. I have written about this incident in an anthology of stories from the field, scheduled for publication by theUniversityofColoradoin 2012.

These experiences have made us look more closely at how the scientific community acknowledges the value of local expertise in conservation planning. Western scientists have noted Indigenous knowledge, and have enlisted the support of local communities in research and conservation efforts, but the idea that Indigenous people can be co-equal partners has yet to be adopted on a significant scale.

I agree with our partner, Dr. Apela Colorado, that it makes sense, in the face of so many challenges, for Western conservationists to engage and take guidance from Indigenous people and their ‘master scientists’ the Shamans and Sacred Site Guardians—people who have lived close to snow leopard for millennia. After all, living as close as they do to both the real and spiritual feline, I can see no better guardian! So together we have begun to work towards a fusion of Indigenous and Western ways into a dynamic force for conservation.

The Conservancy’s conservation education program, coordinated by Darla, is centered on experiential learning in the snow leopard’s range countries. Activities range from school-based environmental education to summer environmental camps and field trips to cultural events featuring performances by kids.

InIndiawe supported the production of a region-specific resource kit for educators, which includes a teachers’ manual and hands-on games and activities. A young, enterprising Ladakhi woman has been trained to coordinate the program. Both His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Chief Minister of Jammu & Kashmir wrote forewords for the manual. We have recently been asked by NGOs inSikkimandNepalto expand the program there.

In 2005, I was invited by the National Geographic Society to join the Dalai Lama in a round table discussion on conservation priorities and opportunities inTibet. We discussed how to curtail the recent upsurge in use of animal skins by wealthy Tibetans, and I spoke about our efforts at reducing livestock losses and promoting community-based stewardship of snow leopards.

Following the meeting, His Holiness gave the important Kalachakra teaching to thousands of pilgrims in south India, where he said he was ashamed to see images of Tibetans decorating themselves with skins and furs. His Holiness appealed to them, “When you go back to your respective places, remember what I had said and never use, sell, or buy wild animals, their products or derivatives.” As a consequence, Tibetans piled their skins of snow leopard, tiger and other wild animals on the streets and burned them.

Please visit our website for photographs and additional information about our programs. There’s an urgent need to expand our community-based conservation initiatives, and we welcome your partnership.

Over the past thirty years the world’s human population has more than doubled. Roads have penetrated even the most remote part of the snow leopard’s core range on the Tibetan Plateau. Mining and oil exploration have intensified, along with new settlements and the construction of fences, all of which have potentially serious consequences for snow leopards and their prey.

At the same time, we know that these animals are remarkably resilient, as we have seen inMt.Everest. What we need is political will and the resources for transforming local people’s perception of predators like the snow leopard so that they are valued more alive than dead.

At the Snow Leopard Survival Summit held inSeattlein 2002, participants created the Snow Leopard Network (SLN), a consortium of researchers, conservationists, interested individuals, and public, private and governmental institutions. In 2011 I began to work with SLN’s Executive Director, Dr. Charudutt Mishra, to revitalize the network and develop it into the driving force for collaboration in the conservation of snow leopards. For this to happen, however, we need the full participation, as originally envisioned, of every organization large and small involved in this work.

As one who has had the great privilege of studying and dedicating my life’s work to protecting this feline, I can have no greater wish than this: Long may these exquisite creatures roam among the cliffs and valleys, gazing across the wide, untrammeled vistas of their high mountain realm.

* * *

Eben Jones with crashed Tara Air twin otter

himalayas — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 18:23:05 +0000

Eben Jones with crashed Tara Air twin otter

Tom and Eben in Humla

Nepal Discovery

himalayas — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 18:09:34 +0000

14 days – price from £990 p/p

This tour offers a great introduction to Nepal’s wildlife, history & people, without any physical strenuous activities. We tour the major sites in the Kathmandu Valley, sample safari activities in Chitwan National Park, visit the birth-place of the Buddha, relax and enjoy some walking around Pokhara, and explore the ancient trading hill-town of Bandipur.

Day 1 Upon arrival at Kathmandu airport we meet & greet and transfer you to your chosen hotel in Kathmandu. The rest of the day is free for you to settle into your hotel and relax, or start exploring the local area.

Day 2 After a morning pre-tour briefing we head out into Kathmandu for a tour of the city. We visit Dubar Square, with its numerous temples and the old royal palace, we take a walk up to the top of Swayambunath Stupa, for a great view over the city, and of course there is plenty of time to enjoy the numerous shops and stalls along the way. The evening is free for you to try out one of the many local restaurants.

Day 3 Today we tour the nearby city of Bhaktapur which offers great opportunities to enjoy the wonderful traditional wooden architecture of Buddhist and Hindu temples. We also include a visit to Tilkot and Kathmandu’s oldest temple – Changu Narayan. The evening is again free for you to sample Kathmandu’s unique nightlife.

Day 4 This morning we travel by road to Chitwan National Park. The drive offers a great chance to see rural Nepal as we wind our way out of the hills and down onto the Terai. The landscape can be breathtaking in places, with snow-capped peaks, roaring rivers and traditional hillside villages. Arriving in Chitwan we check in to our wildlife lodge and the rest of the day is free to relax.

Day 5 We spend the next two full days exploring Chitwan National Park in search of, amongst others, tiger, rhino and wild elephant. We’ll take a safari on the back of an elephant, a river ride by canoe, a jeep safari and a walking safari, and we’ll also enjoy a village tour to see first-hand the traditional day to day life of the locals.

Day 6 Today we have some more free time in Chitwan which includes an Elephant Ride. In the afternoon we drive to the UNESCO World Heritage site of Lumbini.

Day 7 You have plenty of time for sightseeing in Lumbini today. The city is a pilgrimage site for many Buddhist, who come here to visit the birth-place of the Lord Buddha. In the afternoon we drive to Pokhara. This lakeside town is a gateway to the mountains and the views of the Annapurna mountain range are stunning. It’s a great place to unwind and relax and there are plenty of things to do and see in and around the town.

Day 8 We have tours around Pokhara today, we visit the Peace Pagoda, Daryalling Monastery and the Tibetan refugee camp. After lunch we visit the Devi Falls and Caves before returning to Pokhara.

Day 9 Today is free for you to enjoy Pokhara and its surroundings. Optional activities include day walks to Sarangkot, a boat ride on Lake Phewa, and a cycle ride into the hills. There is also plenty to keep you occupied in the evenings with many restaurants and bars on offer.

Day 10 We head back towards Kathmandu today, stopping to visit Gorkha Durba Newari before continuing to the trading town of Bandipur. There is plenty of time to explore this interesting village, with its traditional bazaar and town centre, and take walks into the surrounding countryside. We spend the night in Bandipur at a basic but comfortable hotel.

Day 11 After a morning village walk we continue our drive back towards Kathmandu stopping at the town of Dhulikhel. Perched on the rim of the Kathmandu valley, this small village offers wonderful views of the Himalayan Mountains, including a distant glimpse of Mount Everest.

Day 12 After enjoying sunrise mountain views we have a free day in Dhulikhel. Our guide can help you to organise additional full or half day walks and rafting on the Bhote Khosi river.

Day 13 Winding our way through the countryside is like turning back the clock, as we pass through many small villages seemingly untouched by time. En route we take time to visit Boudhnath Stupa and the Hindu temple of Pashupatinath before driving back into Kathmandu.

Your last day is free for you to catch up on some last minute souvenir shopping before we transfer you to the airport for your flight home.

Included:

- Meals as indicated on the itinerary

- All accommodation

- Sightseeing tours as indicated on the itinerary

- All entrance fees in to sites mentioned in the itinerary

- Registered city and national park guides

- All transport & transfers (including flights where stated)

- All entrance and activity fees at Chitwan national park

Excluded:

- International airfares

- Visa costs

- Meals not indicated on the itinerary

- Drinks, snacks, tips, and other personal expenses

- Travel insurance – please see the policies available on our website- Any other items not mentioned above

- Departure taxes

Trekking – Rafting – Wildlife – Cultural – Families – Bhutan & Tibet

Small group, private and tailor-made Nepal Specialist

Your adventure starts with a call or a click

0845 130 4849

www.nepal-uncovered.com

KarmaQuest Travel

himalayas — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 18:08:50 +0000

Turning a pest into a prize:

Ecotourism values snow leopard conservation in Ladakh

A Ladakhi village homestay in Rumbak. Photo by B. Keating

For the past seven years, KarmaQuest Ecotourism and Adventure Travel has teamed up with the Snow Leopard Conservancy turning tourism revenues into reasons to protect the endangered snow leopardand its highaltitude home in Ladakh.

Led by an expert wildlife spotter, assisted by trained local scouts and ahigh-powered telescope, trip members track the cats as they descend from the mountaintops in search of prey. KarmaQuest’s Wintertime Quest for the Snow Leopard groups have spotted the cats on three out of three trips,an unbeatable odd!

A snow leopard seen in 2011. Photo by Katie Garrod

The 2011 KarmaQuest group observed afemale snow leopard for an entire day: “We watched her through a spotting scope and she looked so close we were able to see her eyes and whiskers… everyone was blown away.” Sibylle Noras, Founderand Publisher www.snowleopardblog.com,Australia

Members spend ten nights at abase camp (3660 m) and overnight with aLadakhi family in aHimalayan Homestay, atraditional home. Families use the income to send their children to better schools; 10-15% goes to avillage conservation fund. In addition each KarmaQuest trip member pays a$500 donation (out of atrip price of US$3,990) to SLC to support snow leopard conservationand the ecotourism development programs that inspire the Ladakhi people to protect it. The Himalayan Homestay Program is one that KarmaQuest Director Wendy Lama helped to developasan Advisor toa sponsoring UNESCO program.

As aresult of the Snow Leopard Conservancy’s programs in Ladakh, villagers whose livestock were once routinely killed by the cats have vowed to protect it and its natural habitat. As SLC-IT’s late Director, Rinchen Wangchuk said: “When we first initiated the Snow Leopard Conservancy in 2000, the villagers could not understand why we had chosen the name of a despised predator for our organization. Today, their sentiments are (changed): “wild animals are like the ornaments of our mountains!” … we know that changing attitudes towards snow leopards will not happen overnight; the communities must see social and economic benefits associated with wildlife protection.”

Ecotourism and Adventure Travel

699 Spindrift Way, Half Moon Bay, California

94019 USA

Tel: 650 560-0101 / Fax: 650 712-8164

KarmaQuest@earthlink.net / www.karmaquest.com

Nepal

himalayas — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 06:30:57 +0000

“The adventurous way or the gentle way?” Roop asked. My kids both yelled “Adventurous!” And seconds later I was utterly soaked.

It was only our second day in Nepal and my family and I were already well and truly into our adventure as we white-water rafted on the Trisuli River. It was great fun and our first afternoon ended with us camping on a riverbank. The next morning we rafted onwards towards Chitwan. Little did I know that another drenching awaited us!

Chitwan is one of Nepal’s wildlife gems. There are about 400 Asian one-horned rhinos in the park, and we were delighted to see just one of them. The elusive tigers sadly remained aloof, but we had come with the view that a tiger-sighting would be a bonus rather than an expectation, so we simply enjoyed everything else that Chitwan offered us. This turned out to be quite a lot: a canoe trip, a nature walk, an ox-cart ride to a Tharu village, birdwatching, and a fabulous elephant-back safari. But the best bit for me (as a major lover of elephants) was taking a bath with an elephant! The eles come to the river to cool off and clean up after the morning’s rides. Sitting on their back, their mahouts encourage the elephants to douse you with trunkful’s of water – excellent fun.

I didn’t really know what to expect of Bandipur but it turned out to be a worthwhile detour. High up in the hills east of Pokhara, this small rural village has kept intact much of its original architecture and charm. A stay here is perfect for chilling out in lovely surroundings, but also for walking to villages nearby to find out about local cultures. Our small hotel, Gaun Ghar, was a wonderful example of one of the fine old houses having been brought back to life.

Having the kids with us, we never intended to do a great deal of trekking on this trip, but it was nice to see something of the iconic town of Pokhara and we managed some short walks around and about.

We did more walking; however, in the Kathmandu Valley. The stunning cities of Kathmandu and Patan did not disappoint, but I have to say that my favourite spot was Bhaktapur. In the midst of ancient town squares we found women drying rice next to shops where master painters toiled over incredibly detailed and beautiful thankas (religious paintings).

Nepal for me completely lived up to and indeed surpassed expectations. Mention Nepal to most people and they will think ‘trekking’ or maybe the wildlife. It is really SO much more than this though. So get out there and soak it up!

Amanda Marks www.tribes.co.uk

Dal Bhat – from Zach’s Travel Musings

himalayas — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 14:47:08 +0000

By Jane Poretsis

Is a delicious staple, from the Himalaya regions of Nepal. I have to admit that I came upon this version from Zach’s Travel Musings and instantly was smitten. This is by his own account adapted from a cooking course at Via Via Café, Kathmandu: “… based on a chef’s interpretation and my loose notes.”

As he said: “If there is one thing I learned in the mountains, everyone’s Dal Bhat is different! The pickle, dal, and curries are all up for experimentation.”

“Dal Bhat is the quintessential Nepali dish and a staple in the rice-cultivating regions. It generally consists of dal (lentils), bhat (rice), a vegetable curry / saag, and chutney. It is eaten (traditionally) by mixing the dal with the rice to form a soupy mixture, making a ball of the mixture with your hands, and adding curry and chutney. For the trekker, a spoon is acceptable too…”

Enjoy!

Bhat (fluffy rice)

1 x cup of rice: to 2 x water (3/4 cup pp.)

Equipment: Pot, Steamer

To make fluffy (read: not sticky) rice, first wash and then boil x cups rice in water for 10-20 minutes, until a rice grain is still slightly hard when squeezed with the fingers. At this point, it is almost cooked; pour the contents of the pot into a drainer, and then steam the rice above a steamer until ready to serve (use more water than less to avoid burning the bhat).

Dal (lentils)

1.5 cups lentil (any kind – for up to 4 people)

3-8 cups water

1/2 – 1 head garlic, finely chopped

1 cup sliced onions, finely chopped

2 chillies (optional), whole if dried or chopped if fresh

Salt, turmeric, cumin seed (about a teaspoon each)

Oil/ghee

Optional:

Recommended: to be added to boiled dal – Jeera (1 x teaspoon), ginger (or replace with Jimbu).

2 x tomatoes, small (for color) and cilantro

Equipment: Pressure cooker or pot, frying pan

1) Wash lentils and let soak; drain. Add fresh water, the salt and turmeric and 1-2 tbsp. ghee/oil (and other optional spices except cumin), and either cook under pressure cooker for 10-20 minutes or in a pot, simmered and covered, for 20-30 min until the lentils look like porridge.

2) In a frying pan on medium heat, fry the oil/ghee with the garlic, onion, ginger, cumin seed, and chillies until golden brown. If using jimbu instead of garlic, fry until dark. Add tomato (optional) and make a gravy-like consistency. Add the pre-cooked dal, salt to taste, and cilantro, water if necessary, and boil. Alternatively, add fried mix + ingredients to pot.

Tarkari (Vegetable Curry)

(Any) vegetables, boiled or steamed*

2-3 onions, finely chopped

2-3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

4-5 tomatoes, small, finely chopped

Chillies chopped (to taste)

Oil/ghee

Garam masala, cumin powder, turmeric powder, curry powder, salt (all about 1 x heaped teaspoon). Chilli powder: (1/2 teaspoon).

Optional: cilantro, ginger, lemon juice. Coriander/cinnamon/cardamom/cloves (pinch)

*Common Nepali choices are: potato (boiled), green beans, cauliflower, cabbage, peas, carrots, but any will do. Steaming or boiling helps to slightly pre-cook the vegetables to lessen frying time. Blanch the vegetables if boiling to ensure they are not fully cooked.

Equipment: frying pan

Directions

In a frying pan under medium heat: fry in oil/ghee the garlic, onion, ginger, and chillies until golden brown. Add the cumin, turmeric, curry, and chilli powder, followed by garam masala, a cup of water, and salt. Add finely diced tomatoes and vegetables. Cook under low heat until the curry has a gravy-like consistency. Add cilantro at end, and lemon juice. Alternatively, one may try to use a blender with the tomatoes/onions/garlic/ginger/chillies to achieve the curry-like consistency before adding vegetables.

Saag (Curried Spinach)

300g spinach leaves (adult/leafy preferred), cut to bite-size pieces

1/2-1 head garlic

Oil/ghee

Cumin seed, curry powder, salt, white pepper (1 x heaped teaspoon each)

Equipment: frying pan

In a frying pan, fry: oil/ghee, garlic, and cumin seed. On browning, add spinach, salt, curry powder and white pepper. Cook until spinach is tender

Golbheda Ko Achar (Tomato Pickle)

This also works as the sauce for momos. Personally, I think this recipe is overkill and a lot can probably be left out. Mint-based chutneys are an alternative, and much easier, also work very well in Dal Bhat.

Blend:

2 cups roasted tomatoes, peeled and finely chopped

3 fresh red chillies, minced

1 tbsp. garlic, minced

1 tbsp. ginger, minced

1 tsp. cumin powder

1 tsp. coriander powder

1 tbsp. cilantro, chopped

1 tbsp. mustard seeds

1 tbsp. mustard oil

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

Salt, to taste

Garnish: 1 tbsp. mustard oil, 1 tsp. fenugreek, 10 cloves garlic, thinly sliced, 1 tbsp. green onion, finely chopped.

Directions

Blend the first set of ingredients to a smooth paste. Transfer to large bowl. Then, in a frying pan heat the mustard oil. Add fenugreek. When it turns dark, add garlic slices until they turn golden brown. Pour the garlic-oil mixture and chopped green onion mixture over the blended paste, mix, and refrigerate at least 2 hours.

Note: An alternate recipe is to blend boiled tomatoes, chilli powder, fresh garlic and salt, and refrigerate.

Journey to the Valley of Snow Leopard

himalayas — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 05:42:04 +0000

1. Arrival Kathmandu
Namaste and welc

ome to Nepal. You will be greeted and welcomed at the airport and will be assisted with your transfer to your hotel in Kathmandu. You will be given time to refresh and take a rest, followed by trip briefing by our office representative. Overnight stay at the Kathmandu Guest House: Thamel a tourist hub of Kathmandu.

Fewa Lake, Pokhara

2. Fly Kathmandu to Pokhara
You will have your morning time free to rest and relax. Around noon time you will be picked up and transferred to the domestic airport for your short but scenic flight to the beautiful lakeside town of Pokhara. On arrival, our hotel representative will receive you and take you to your hotel at the lakeside. The remainder of the day is at your leisure to rest and relax.

Overnight at Park Village Waterfront Hotel

3. Fly Pokhara – Jomsom and trek to Marpha – Alubari
After an early breakfast, you will be transferred to the airport for a morning flight to Jomsom. It is quite a scenic flight of only 20 minutes and Jomsom is the district headquarter of Mustang. It is also a major village on the Kali Gandaki area linking the age old Trans-Himalayan Salt Trade route to Tibet.

Another two hours of easy walk from Jomsom towards the south east brings you to Marpha, which is a little gem, with whitewashed houses, cobblestone streets and numerous well kept lodges. If time permits we can visit Marpha village which has a Monastery, Apple Brandy factory and look around.

From here we start to ascend the steep, zigzagging through narrow mountains side all the way to Alubari with few stone huts. Overnight in tented camp.

4. Trek to Yak Kharka
From Alubari we cross a little stream to go to the left side of the river Kaligandaki and ascend the winding mountain trail all the way up to

the ridge from where we can have good view of Dhaulagiri I and Tukuche Peak. From here we head on steeper, up along the narrow mountain path all the way to Yak Kharkha. Yak Kharka, is the summer pasture of the villages down below the Kaligandaki Valley areas. Dhaulagiri I is hidden by the bulk of Tukuche Peak, but Nilgiri and the western end of the Annapurna massif are visible. Overnight at Tented camp

5. Trek to Dhampus Pass
From Yak Kharka it is a steep uphill walk along the rock covered mountain all the way up to Dhampus Pass 5250m. From top of the ridge at Dhampus Pass, we can have good view of Mukut Himal. Overnight at tented camp.

6. Trek to Hidden Valley
From here we walk down to the scree section where the path becomes narrower, taking about an hour until we reach a gradual path with a further walk of an hour or little bit more to the Hidden Valley. Here we will put our camp base for next few days. Overnight at tented camp.

snow leopard tracks

7. Hidden Valley – Day treks in search of tracks, trails, signs and kills of snow leopard

8. Hidden Valley – Day treks in search of tracks, trails, signs and kills of snow leopard

9. Hidden Valley – Day treks in search of tracks, trails, signs and kills of snow leopard

10. Hidden Valley – Yak Kharka
We retrace our steps to Yak Kharka. Overnight at tented camp.

11 Yak Kharka – Marpha – Jomsom
Retrace our steps to Jomson. Overnight at teahouse lodge.

12. Jomsom – Pokhara – Kathmandu
Early morning after breakfast, we transfer to the Jomsom airport for the scenic sweeping flight of 20 minutes to Pokhara and catch our connecting flight to the capital town of Kathmandu. On arrival at the airport in Kathmandu you will be received and taken to your hotel. Overnight at Kathmandu Guest House.

Baktapur, Kathmandu

13. A day in Kathmandu
Today is at leisure to rest and relax in hotel or perhaps take a day trip extension. This would also act as a backup day in case flight gets cancelled from Jomsom to Pokhara from the previous day. Overnight at Kathmandu Guest House.

14. Final departure

Costs valid till 31^st Dec 2013: US$4695 per person based on 2 pax on twin sharing

Service Includes

- 3 nights deluxe accommodation on bed and breakfast basis in Kathmandu Guest House or similar in Kathmandu

- 01 night accommodation on bed and breakfast basis in Mt. Kailash Resort or Pokhara or similar

- Flight Kathmandu to Pokhara to Jomson and return for guests and 01 accompanying wildlife expert guide

- Domestic Airport departure tax

- 08 nights in tented accommodation on full board meal plan prepared by our cooking team

- 01 night twin share accommodation on full board meal plan in teahouse lodge at Jomsom

- All staff and logistic transfer fees

- 01 expert naturalist guide, 01 asst guide, cooking team and necessary porters; all insured, meals, accommodation and daily wages paid

- All the camping gears eg tents for guest and staff, mess tent, dining tent, toilet and shower tent, sleeping bag and down jacket, kitchen equipments etc

- All airport pick up and drop

Service Excludes

Lunch and dinner in Kathmandu and Pokhara; International flights to and from Kathmandu; Expenses of personal nature like bar and beverage bills, laundry bills, phone bills etc; Insurance of any kinds eg insurance for helicopter rescue, medical and accidental insurances; Person trekking gears; Expenses incurred due to flight delays, cancellation, road blockage, political situation etc or due to any other reason beyond our control; Tipping; Anything not included in Service Includes section

Recommended months March – till December

For details contact:

Rajendra N. Suwal

Nepal Nature dot com Travels Phone/Fax: ++0977 1 4256529,

Chhetrapaty, Kathmandu 17, Nepal

mail@nepalnaturetravels.com

nepalnaturetvl@gmail.com