Nepal to allow unrestricted entry to vaccinated tourists

Nepal to allow unrestricted entry to vaccinated tourists

Nepal is considering allowing unrestricted entry to vaccinated tourists in a bid to boost the morale of the moribund tourism industry ahead of the upcoming spring peak season, Tourism Minister Bhanu Bhakta Dhakal said on Friday.

There will be no quarantine and coronavirus insurance requirements, and all visitors will need to produce is proof of having had the shot. Many countries have started issuing a vaccine certificate or vaccine passport to international travellers.

“In order to ease restrictions on travel, we are allowing tourists to travel freely if they produce a certificate that proves they have been vaccinated,” Dhakal told a media briefing here on Friday. He said the ministry had also recommended resuming issuing on-arrival visas to all tourists at Kathmandu's Tribhuvan International Airport.

The Seychelles became the first country in the world to welcome vaccinated tourists without quarantine requirements.

Dhakal said the government was also preparing to extend the 72-hour validity of negative Covid-19 test reports for those who have not been vaccinated.

Currently, all visitors to Nepal above age five must have a negative PCR test obtained not more than 72 hours before departure, according to the Department of Immigration.

A mandatory seven-day hotel quarantine, with a second negative PCR test on the fifth day after arrival, is required. Trekkers and mountaineers must also have insurance coverage worth $5,000.

The government still has not resumed granting on-arrival visas at Kathmandu airport, except to officials of diplomatic missions and non-resident Nepalis.

“We are taking a few proposals which we have discussed with the Covid-19 Crisis Management Centre to the cabinet for its approval,” said Dhakal. “We expect that these measures will permit tourists to come to Nepal without hassles.”

Nepal imposed a complete lockdown in March last year that kept out all foreign sightseers during the second peak tourist season.

Travel trade entrepreneurs said that excepting mountaineering expeditions, advance booking for the spring season still had not picked up due to travel-related restrictions.

Nepal launched a nationwide Covid-19 vaccination drive on Wednesday, and plans to immunise 72 percent of its 30 million population in three months.

A day after starting the inoculation campaign, the government decided to re-open 16 border points with India and China, allowing citizens of the respective countries to travel to Nepal. Earlier, the government re-opened 14 border crossings.

Minister Dhakal said that the re-opening of the land points would facilitate Indian tourist movement into Nepal, especially during the upcoming Maha Shivaratri festival on March 11 when thousands of Indian pilgrims visit the Pashupatinath temple in Kathmandu.

According to the Health Ministry, the country reported 157 new coronavirus infections among 3,221 PCR tests done in the past 24 hours, pushing the overall infection tally to 270,745. As of Friday, the active case count stood at 3,022.

On January 23, the local administration in Nepal's Everest region threw the door wide open to tourists by removing all Covid-related restrictions in a fresh attempt to woo back trekkers to its popular trails.

Sightseers visiting the Everest region are no longer required to submit a negative Covid-19 RT-PCR test report or go into quarantine.

Last March, the government stopped issuing on-arrival tourist visas to nationals of all countries besides cancelling spring mountaineering expeditions including those to Everest.

The decision came a day after the World Health Organisation declared the Covid-19 outbreak a pandemic, and urged countries to take precautionary measures.

In October, Nepal opened the door a crack for trekkers and mountaineers, nearly seven months after the country imposed a complete lockdown.

In light of the Covid-19 pandemic, the hospitality industry continued to be significantly and adversely impacted even after the government lifted the lockdown; and things are unlikely to improve in the next few months, said hotel owners.

The coronavirus crisis resulted in an 80.78 percent drop in tourist arrivals from the previous year, making it the worst year-on-year fall in tourist numbers since Nepal opened the door to foreign visitors in the 1950s.

According to the statistics of the Department of Immigration, Nepal received 230,085 foreign tourists last year, which is about equal to the number of visitors that came to the country in 1986.

THE IMPOSSIBLE IS MADE POSSIBLE ! K2winter - History made for mankind, History made for Nepal !🇳🇵🙏🏼🙌🏼

#HUGE #CONGRULATIONS !!! THE IMPOSSIBLE IS MADE POSSIBLE ! #K2winter - History made for mankind, History made for Nepal !🇳🇵🙏🏼🙌🏼

Today At 17:00 hrs local time nimsdai and team summited Mount K2 8611M, teaming up with Mingma G and team and a member from SST, Sona Sherpa. Everest Expeditions Nepal A very special moment. The whole team waited 10m below the summit to form a group then stepped onto the summit together whilst singing our Nepalese National Anthem 🙏🏼. We are proud to have been a part of history for humankind and to show that collaboration, teamwork and a positive mental attitude can push limits to what we feel might be possible. Summiting team members include: 1. Nimsdai Purja 2. Mingma David Sherpa (Team Nimsdai) 3. Mingma Tenzi Sherpa (Team Nimsdai) 4. Geljen Sherpa (Team Nimsdai) 5. Pem Chiri Sherpa (Team Nimsdai) 6. Dawa Temba Sherpa (Team Nimsdai) 7. Mingma G 8. Dawa Tenjin Sherpa (Team Mingma G) 9. Kilu Pemba Sherpa (Team Mingma G) 10. Sona Sherpa (SST)

#nimsdai #K2winter #nimsstyle #beyondpossible #porters #achieveyournewpossible #extremeshit #savagemountain #K2 #secondtonone #lastgreatclimb #8000ers #nimsstyle #sherpas #nepal #pakistan #deathzone #redbull #ospreyeurope #scarpaspa #noplacetoofar #thrudark #beatthecold #extreme #club8000ers #eliteexped #climatechange #Everestexpeditionsnepal

K2 Winter Madness: Could This Be The Year?

K2 Winter Madness: Could This Be The Year?

The winter season has just begun and in the Karakoram a large group of Sherpas, clients and professional mountaineers are descending on K2 Base Camp (or are already there), determined to solve the last great problem of mountaineering on the world’s 8,000-meter peaks: the first winter ascent of K2, the 8,611-meter Pakistani giant.

While the largest expedition is still yet to arrive, two small teams are already in action on the Abruzzi Route, the “normal” route used during the historic first ascent of K2, by an Italian team in 1954.

The players, the risks, the likelihood of success—read on for a preview of what is to come on K2 this season.

The Teams

The first team—Icelandic climber John Snorri, and Pakistani climbers Ali Sadpara and Sajid Sadpara—arrived on the mountain and began climbing  on December 1. (According to the meteorological calendar, winter begins on December 1, whereas according to the astronomical calendar—the one generally accepted by the climbing community for winter ascents— winter begins on December 21.) This team has already reached up to 6,000 meters, Camp 1, fixing ropes along the initial labyrinthine glacier and the first slopes on the southeast Abruzzi Spur. Ali Sadpara is the most experienced winter climber of the bunch, having bagged the first no-O2 winter ascent of Nanga Parbat in 2016, with Simone Moro and Alex Txikon, and having attempted Everest in winter. He has also climbed the other four Karakorum 8,000ers in various seasons. Sajid, Ali’s son, is the youngest Pakistani to have climbed K2.

On December 23, just after arriving in Base Camp, another trio of strong Nepalese climbers—Mingma Gyale Sherpa, Dawa Tenzin Sherpa and Kili Pemba Sherpa—took advantage of the favorable weather and, in a flash, equipped over 600 meters of the route, up to Camp 2, to the altitude of about 6,700 meters. This quick early progress shows the formidable strength and skill of this Sherpa team.

As mentioned, the largest expedition has still yet to arrive in Base Camp. Organized by Seven Summit Treks, the expedition will include nearly 60 people: a team of 28 Sherpa experts, plus an additional 30 clients and professional mountaineers, including the Spanish climber Sergi Mingote, co-leader of the Sherpas together with Chhang Dawa Sherpa; Spanish climber Juan Pablo Mohr; the duo of Romanian Alex Gavan (who has already climbed seven 8,000rs) and the Italian Tamara Lunger (who participated in the first winter ascent of Nanga Parbat, but stopped 70 meters short of the summit; she was also the second Italian woman to climb K2 without oxygen, and has partnered with Simone Moro on many other winter expeditions); the controversial polar explorer Colin O’ Brady; and Polish climber Magdalena Gorzowska, a former Olympic sprinter, with mountaineering experience including Aconcagua, Everest with O2, and Manaslu without O2.

Finally, rounding out the expeditions will be Nirmal “Nims” Purja and his Himalayan Elite team. Nims is a former Nepalese gurkha who last year completed all 14 8,000-meter peaks in just six months, with a mix of military-style strategy (like using helicopters for fast transfers between Base Camps), supplementary oxygen, Sherpas to fix ropes, and, of course, incredible strength and character. Notably, while setting his 14er speed record, Nims played a fundamental role in aiding and organizing the rescues of other climbers in danger at high altitude, often in the death zone above 8,000 meters.

The Challenges

Overcrowding at K2 Base Camp this winter and on the climbing route itself, the differences in the technical ability and experience of this large group of climbers, and the commercial aspect of some of the expeditions—all against the backdrop of the enormous difficulties and objective dangers of a winter climb of the hardest 8,000er—add up to a precarious situation.

NIms (left) and his team. Photo: Courtesy of Nirmal Purja.

Winter experts and other media have already raised concerns. Simone Moro, who has made the first winter ascent of four 8,000ers and who will attempt Manaslu this winter with Alex Txikon, raised doubts about the lack of experience of so many of the participants and the traffic along the Abruzzi Spur.

Adam Bielecki, the Polish climber who has done two first winter ascents of 8,000ers, said that he believes “conquering K2 with oxygen is neither ethical nor honorable”—how most of the climbers will be attempting it. Climbers who have confirmed they will be climbing without supplemental oxygen include Snorri and the Sadparas, Gavan and Lunger, Nims Purja, and Mingma Gyale Sherpa, Dawa Tenzin Sherpa and Kili Pemba Sherpa.

Asghar Ali Porik, owner of Jasmine Tours Agency, who is in charge for the Snorri-Sadpara expedition, shared his concerns on the number of support staff and amount of equipment required by a team as large as the Seven Summit Treks expedition: “One porter can carry no more than 20Kg of weight during winter, but I have seen that many climbers of the team arrived in Skardu with 4-5 bags each; so you can imagine how many of [porters] are required to carry all the equipments; then they’ll have to carry oxygen bottles, heating [equipment], tents and kitchen stuff. At BC, one kitchen tent needs 1 cook, 1 assistant cook, 2 cook helpers to serve about 10 people. I’m worried about how they will manage all this at Base Camp, since they have not carried food and supplies in advance. Also, I’m concerned about the amount of oxygen bottles—they’ll provide 7 bottles for each client—left on the mountain. We will see how many of their clients [can deal with] the winter temperatures and lack of comforts there.”

Once on the route itself, where temperatures will routinely be -30 to -60 degrees Celsius, with extremely high winds, the dangers become even greater. The technical stretches after C2 at 6,700 meters, including House’s Chimney and the rocky area of ​​the Black Pyramid before C3, are frequent sites of rockfall.

All that being said, if the weather cooperates and the wisdom of the team leaders prevails, and if the rotation by the teams in the various technical sections is carried out carefully, the chances that someone will succeed this year could be higher than ever before.

How Much Does It Cost To Climb Mount Everest?

How Much Does It Cost To Climb Mount Everest?

Yaks carry climbing gear to Everest Base Camp Yaks carrying climbing gear to Everest Base Camp

As of 2020, the average cost for a place on a commercial Everest team, from either Tibet or Nepal, is US$44,500. A minimalist attempt to climb Everest could be organized for about US$20,000. At the very upper level, the private climb option on VIP expedition” comes with the hefty price tag of US$200,000.

The minimalist option would suit high-altitude mountaineers who possess extensive experience above 8,000m, and are used to solo-climbing, expedition planning, and operating in the area known as the death-zone.

At the more expensive price point, the Everest Expeditions Nepal team which climbs from Tibet charges US$60,900. A place on the US Alpenglow team costs US$85,000. IMG’s “private climb option,” which includes a personal western guide for each climber, has an all-in-cost of US$118,000. The private climb option with the RMI team tops out at US$135,000. Everest Expeditions Nepal expedition” with private guide, extremely experienced Sherpa's, pre-acclimatization, unlimited oxygen tanks, nutrition and training plans, and other services takes the most expensive slot at $200,000.

As a general rule, the higher the cost, the more services are supplied, but such a fact should not be blindly relied on. These additional services would contain items such as: 

Higher ratio of western guides with experience 

Extra support from the Sherpa 

Extra bottles of oxygen that can be used at a larger flow rate 

Specific requests for diets 

Larger tents for Base Camp 

More communication facilities 

Provision of tents for pre-acclimatization to be used 6 weeks before travel. 

The table below provides a breakdown of typical expenses for an Everest expedition, so that you can better understand where the headline dollar figure comes from.

Cost to Climb Mount Everest in 2021 – Full Breakdown:

ITEAMS	COST PER CLIMBER	NOTES
Everest climbing permit from the Nepalese government	$11,000	Non-refundable
Application Fee for Permits	$400	This is a $2,500 government fee for the team, Therefore split between all climbers. Our average team size used throughout these calculations is six.
Nepalese Liaison Officer	$500	A mandatory government fee to the team of $3,000.
Nepal Tourist Visa	$100	This is the more expensive visa and allows you to stay longer than a month (which you will need to)
Refundable Rubbish Fee	$650	This is sometimes refunded in part or full if the team has left zero waste on the mountain, especially at base camp.
Personal Climbing Gear	$6,000	Down suit, sleeping bags, boots, crampons and all the rest. This is an estimate: you could spend less, or far more!
Airfare to Nepal	$2,000	This is an estimate and can depend on where you live.
Kathmandu Hotel	$500	A couple of nights at the beginning and end of the expedition. Estimate
Airfare to & from Lukla	$350	Don't even consider trekking this, unless you have an extra two weeks!
Equipment transport: Lukla to Base camp	$600	This is all the expedition's equipment. Transported by porters and yaks.
Tea House Food & Lodgings on Trek to Base camp	$350	Usually an 8 day trek.
Food & fuel (for water & cooking) above Base camp	$750	Estimate
Personal Tent at Base camp	$400	These tents are comfortable and important.
Food at Base camp for four weeks	$2,500	You will be in and out of Base camp, but will spend around 4 weeks there in total. All food has to be carried up the valleys from lowland villages, or flown in on helicopters. Then Sherpa staffs have to prepare it.
Everest ER Fee	$100	This covers unlimited visits to the base camp doctors and supports their work.
Rope Fixing Fee	$750	This pays for the rope (3,000m) and the Sherpa staff to carry and fix it all. All teams pitch in.
Oxygen Tanks	$5,000	10 tanks @ $500 each. 6 for the climber and 4 for their climbing Sherpa.
Oxygen Mask & Regulator	$2,000	One set for the climber and one set for the climbing Sherpa. These are rented.
Transport of Oxygen	$1,000	Transport of the oxygen tanks to Camp 4, the Balcony and the South Summit
Mountain Tents	$3,000	Tents at Camps 1, 2, 3 & 4. Mess tent & cooking tent at Camp 2. Toilet tents at Camp 2. Many tents are destroyed each expedition by wind and storms.
Load Sherpa	$3,000	These Sherpa assist in carrying supplies up and down the mountain. Stocking the camps, setting up tents and building camp
Sherpa Cooks	$2,000	Our top Sherpa chef will run the base camp kitchen, assisted by two kitchen assistants. Additionally, we will have a second Sherpa cook at Camp 2 to provide food and water at this advanced base camp.
Climbing Sherpa	$5,000	Your Sherpa climber will climb with you as you ascend from camp to camp and will plan to summit with you.
Guide/Team Leader	$6,000	The Team Leader makes everything happen. This covers their $11,000 permit, oxygen tanks, food, transportation, and equipment costs (for a team of 6)
Mountain Clean-up	$500	Remove all tents, bottles, equipment and rubbish from the high camps.
Summit Bonuses	$1,200	These bonuses are earned incrementally as the climber reaches milestones (Camp 1, Camp 3, etc.). Bonuses go to cooks, porters and load-carrying Sherpa's, not just the climbing Sherpa who accompanies you to the summit.
Optional Costs
Trip Insurance	$600	Estimate. This covers you in case the expedition is cancelled late or you need to cancel. Very little, if any payment, is refundable less than 60 days out.
Medical Insurance	$400	Estimate. Includes evacuation insurance from Base camp
Spending Money	$1,000	Throughout the trekking and when at Base camp there are opportunities to buy gifts or snacks or drinks. Plan on bringing this, but you may not spend it all.

You can check out the latest details for our Mount Everest 2021 Expedition here.

The height of Mt Everest has increased by 86 centimeters.

The height of Mount Everest has increased by 86 centimeters. Government of Nepal and China jointly announced the increase of height of Mt Everest Tuesday. With this, the height of Mt Everest is now 8848.86 meters. Nepal for the first time measured the height of Mt Everest Challengewith its own means and resources.

Nepal measured the height of Mt Everest taking around two years. During the Nepal visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping last year, Nepal and China had made agreement to announce the height of Mt Everest jointly.

With the joint declaration today by China and Nepal, Everest’s new official elevation is now set at 8848.86 Meters (29,031 feet, 8.315 inches to be rather exact).

With the top of the world first measured at 29,000 in the 1850’s, it was then publicized as 29,002 feet high. The 2 feet were reportedly added, as the exact 29,000 was thought to be too perfect to be believed. The defined height of Everest has been controversial and has continued to go up and down ever since.

There was also a point in 1987, when an American expedition measured K2, the world’s second tallest peak, and found that by their calculations, as reported in the Washington Post, K2 could perhaps be a bit taller than Everest. That would have caused a great conundrum in the climbing world, and rumors circulated for a few years that Everest might actually be.

While being a few meters taller or shorter is of little consequence to climbers, with the top of Everest defining the border between Nepal and China, having bragging rights over defining the exact height has recently increased in importance. Mountain ranges involving borders have long created geopolitical challenges, and certainly no more so than in the Himalaya.

How Nepal did the first time measurement on Mt. Everest height

How Nepal did the first time measurement on Mt. Everest height

Introduction of Mt. Everest 

Among the Himalaya mountain range, Mount Everest is a Highest peak in the world. Everest is located between two countries Nepal and Tibet (China). 

Everest makes an elevation of 8,850  meters (29,035 feet) and which is the world’s tallest mountain. 

In the 19 century, a former Surveyor General of India named mountain George Everest. 

Now it is named Mount Everest but its Tibetan name is Chomolungma, which means the “Mother Goddess of the World”. 

And the Nepali name is Sagarmatha on which “Sagar” means sky and “Matha” means head.

Nepal has been trying to measure the height of Everest from first when it was recognized as the tallest peak of the world. 

The height of Everest has been changing with advances in survey technology. For two years Nepal has been working to measure the height of the mountain. 

After the completion of the survey, China will also be joining for the announcement of height. 

Mount Everest 8848m High, which is famous for Everest Expedition. More than 1000 people climbed Mt. Everest every year. 

Every climber dreams to reach the top of the world.

How was Mt. Everest first measured?

The First Mount Everest height was measured by the team of India. The survey of India had determined the height of Mount Everest in 1847 and 

declared the height as 8778m above from sea level and identified Everest as the world’s tallest peak.

Ways of measuring height

There are many different ways to calculate the height of different Mountains. As Mt. Everest is the tallest mountain on the earth, 

different ways are used to calculate the elevation of Mt Everest. Height can be measured from mean sea level, from the depth of the ocean, 

or even the distance from the center of the Earth. As the planet is not perfectly round so some Andean peaks would actually be taller.

How much did Nepal spend to measure Mt. Everest’s height?

Nepal has started its survey for the measurement of Everest. The survey was started using sophisticated methodology including readings 

from ground-penetrating radar and a Global Navigation Satellite System from the top of the mountain which requires a lot of money. The Department of Nepal has spent $1.3 million dollars on this survey.

Many scientific instruments and technology worth 80 million have been donated by the Seiss company.

The organization which helped to measure height?

This ongoing measurement height of Mount Everest is measured by Nepal itself. While now Nepal has been doing a survey on its own. 

From Nepal, different departments are helping for this project like the Ministry of Land reform, the Survey Department, and the Foreign Ministry.

Although Nepal is doing a survey on its own, as the survey completes China will also join in announcing the height of Mount Everest.

Surveys

1847 AD The first survey was done by India which declared the height of Mt. Everest 8,778m and mentioned it as the highest peak of the world.

1849-1950 AD Again the survey group from India has re-measured the height of Everest from the Nepal side and declared the height as 8,840m.

1954 AD  BL Gulati Are-measures the height of Mt. Everest who was from the Survey group of India and declared as 8,848m, which is the authentic height adopted till now.

1975 AD  Now the height was measured from different sides and by different countries. China measured the height from its side and declared the height as 8,848.13m.

1999 AD  Brad Washburn who was from the Boston Museum of science measured the Height of Everest from a different way. Bread Washburn uses GPS and Radar detects the height and declares the height as 8,850m.

2005 AD Again China has re-measured the height of Everest. But this time China has measured the rock-height. And the rock-height was declared as 8,844.43m.

2015 AD Research by the Chinese government has said that Everest has moved 3cm to the south-west due to the earthquake of 2015.

2017 AD Nepal first declared the height of Mount Everest. And started the survey of measuring the height of Everest. Nepal has started measuring.

2020 AD Nepal tried to declare the height of Mount Everest and aimed to end the 2-century long controversy.

Conclusion

However, Everyone needs to know the height of the tallest mountain on Earth. Many surveys are conducted in the 19th century. 

But now Nepal is doing a survey on its own and Nepal has the aim to end the 2-century long controversy of the world. And while announcing the height of 

Mt. Everest china will also be joining for the announcement.

Has the height of Mount Everest increased?

Has the height of Mount Everest increased?

KATHMANDU : Government of Nepal is soon planning to announce the new height of Mount Everest. The cabinet meeting of Ministers agreed to the proposal of Ministry of Land Management about revealing the new height of world's tallest mountain.

In May 2019, two government surveyors from Nepal and China successfully scaled Mount Everest collecting data for the measurement of height.The government of Nepal decided to measure height of Everest amid debates that the height may have been changed due to various reasons including devastating earthquake of 2015. The current height of Everest is 8848m.

According to the sources, the height of Everest may have been increased.

Nepal and China will jointly announce the new height of Everest soon. 

The trail to Everest repaired during lockdown

The trail to Everest repaired during lockdown

SOLUKHUMBU  : The communities of Khumbu has been using nine months of pandemic in tourism to clean and upgrade the trail to the world's tallest mountain. The mountain guides, porters and hotel entrepreneurs who did not got any clients on 2020 were engaged on cleaning, repairing and upgrading trails and bridges. 

Complains of visitors last year about poor state of trails, waste management, lack of signage etc were addressed.

The youths of Khunde, Khumjung, Thame and Namche was self motivated to conserve and maintain cultural heritage. The mani walls and chaitya along with the trail are painted and repaired.

The women's group of Khumjung utilized their lockdown to cleanup neighbourhood and put a place in waste management that has set example for other communities.

A new helipad has been constructed in Namche during pandemic.

Mountain flights resumed after 8 months

Mountain flights resumed after 8 months

KATHMANDU : Mountain flights are famous for the spectacular sighseeing of popular mountain ranges including the world's highest mountain Everest. Mountain flight is among the first choice of tourists visiting Nepal.

The autumn season is considered as the best season for Mountain flight. Mountain flights is resumed for this autumn season after eight months of closure due to Covid-19 pandemic. The last mountain flight was conducted by Buddha Airlines on 17 March 2020 before the nationwide lockdown imposed by Nepal Government.

According to the Marketing Manager of Buddha Airlines Rupesh Joshi, Mountain flights has been resumed by Buddha Airlines with attractive packages and discount. 

Mountain Flights will be conducted every Saturday. 'Buy one get one free' scheme is provided to costumers in which costumer will get one mountain flight free ticket on purchasing a ticket. The duration of mountain flight is usually one hours starting from Tribhuwan International Airport. The flight flies through Ganesh Himal, Sagarmatha range, 

Kanchenjunga range and flies back to the airport. The fair for mountain flight is NRs. 8,825 for Nepali nationals and 117 USD for foreigners. Buddha Airlines, Simrik Air and Yeti Airlines are conducting mountain flights in Nepal.

Road to Everest: Tourists can breakfast in Kathmandu and drive to Khumbu for dinner

Road to Everest: Tourists can breakfast in Kathmandu and drive to Khumbu for dinner

With a new bridge, Khumbu region has become accessible by land, an alternative to flying to the precarious Lukla airport.

Road to Everest: Tourists can breakfast in Kathmandu and drive to Khumbu for dinner

    The newly constructed bridge over Dudh Koshi river at Orlang Ghat, Solukhumbu. 

                    Photo Courtesy: Khumbu Pasang lhamu Rural Municipality

Pasang Tshering Sherpa of the village of Khumjung in the Everest region was thrilled to hear that a motorable bridge over Dudh Koshi river to complete a road link to the Everest region was inaugurated on Saturday.

“Friends, if you are buying cars, please consider buying one that can roll on the roads of Solukhumbu. The time when we will be able to have breakfast in Kathmandu and dine in the Everest region is not far,” Sherpa posted on his Facebook page.

Khumbu, also known as Everest region, the dream destination for many over the world, will soon become more accessible. As of now, the popular way to get to the top of the world is to take a 25-minute flight to Lukla’s Tenzing-Hillary airport and then trek towards Everest.

But the construction of the bridge over the Dudh Koshi river at Orlang Ghat of Solukhumbu is a landmark for connectivity.

With access only by air, the Everest region is perhaps one of the most expensive places in the world to visit because all supplies have to be flown in or carried on people’s backs, deterring potential tourists, especially domestic ones.

A single cooking gas cylinder costs around Rs15,000, as it is ferried by porters and mules. A trekker has to shell out around Rs300 for a cup of tea. Air freight charges from Kathmandu to Lukla stand at around $1.50 or about Rs180 per kg.

Locals from the region had long been calling on the government to construct the road, citing high costs of commodities, flight service unpredictability and dangerous flights to Lukla Airport, which is considered one of the most dangerous airports in the world.

“Now, vehicles can roll up to Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality ward number 1,” said Binod Bhattarai, chief administrative officer of Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality.

Although Lukla, 2,860 metres, lies at ward 2, motorcars will not go directly up to the airport.

“We have planned to extend the road up to ward number 2 by the end of this fiscal year, and up to Chaurikharka in the next fiscal year,” said Bhattarai.

The road will end in Chaurikharka, at about 2,800 metres after going as high as 3,000 metres.

Chaurikharka is about a day’s walk from Lukla and a day away from Chaurikharka lies Namche Bazaar, the largest town in the Khumbu region. From Namche it’s five days’ walk to Everest Base Camp.

The government had first decided to open a track to the Everest region after more than 3,000 tourists were stranded in Lukla in November 2011 after adverse weather conditions halted flights from Kathmandu for six consecutive days.

Flight cancellation due to adverse weather is a recurring problem and in the monsoon season, there are no flights to Lukla.

During the tourist season in spring and autumn, hundreds of tourists are often stranded at Lukla airport as no flights can land due to bad weather and high winds. Tourists are forced to return to Kathmandu by helicopter paying up to $500 per person, again weather permitting, as against $180 for an aircraft ticket.

In case of bad weather, the other option for trekkers now is to walk up to Jiri, retracing the footsteps of Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay Sherpa during their historic ascent to the top of the world on May 29, 1953. Jiri to Surkhe, an hour’s walk from Lukla, is a nine-day walk.

It was the Himalayan Trust, the charity Hillary set up, that built the airport in Lukla in 1964.

Dubbed the Highway to Everest, the project started in 2014, but it hit a roadblock after the 2015 earthquakes.

After the 2017 elections that installed local governments under a federal dispensation, Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality took the initiative to take the road project forward.

According to Dip Kumar Basnet, the municipal overseer for the road project, of the 77-km Salleri-Surkhe-Chaurikharka two-lane asphalt road, track opening works of 58 km have been completed so far.

Salleri is the headquarters of Solukhumbu district. The Kathmandu-Khurkot-Ghurmi-Salleri road section is around 270 km.

If things go as planned, people will be able to drive to the Everest region, crossing highlands and in view of panoramic mountain ranges within a day from Kathmandu, according to Basnet.

“If there is no shortage of budget, the project can be completed within one and a half years,” he told the Post. “The black-topping works will also begin soon.”

Chief administrative officer Bhattarai said they would require another around Rs100 million for the remaining track opening works.

Once the road is completed, said Basnet, the region is likely to receive domestic tourists and trekkers in droves, as the road facility will make commodities and travel cheaper.

“The road will bring tens of thousands of people to the Everest region,” said Basnet.

At present, annually over 57,000 foreign trekkers and mountaineers visit the region, and tourism entrepreneurs believe the road access could take that number close to 500,000, including domestic and international tourists.

The numbers, however, could be damaging for the fragile environment of the Khumbu region.

But Bhattarai said they are conscious about the degradation of the Khumbu environment.

“As part of the local government initiative, petrol and diesel vehicles will be allowed only up to Khari Khola,” said Bhattarai.

Khari Khola, at an altitude of 2,140 metres, is two days’ walk before Lukla.

“From there, only electric vehicles will be allowed to Chaurikharka,” he said. “It’s part of the government’s initiative to keep the Everest region emission-free.”