Responsible Adventure Trail in Nepal

For the trekking enthusiasts and adventure seekers, The Great Himalayan Trail (GHT) is set to unveil trekking routes which promise rare walks into the remote regions of the Himalayas. The launch of GHT is being planned for January – February 2011, targeting Nepal Tourism Year. The Great Himalayan Trail is an extreme trekking trail for over 162 days with more than 1, 50,000 meters of climbing and descending, a proportion sure to tempt adventurous trekkers. Australian trekker Robin Boustead completed this trek after years of research. Starting in September 2008 in Kanchenjunga and ending in July in 2009, Boustead crossed the entire length of the Nepal Himalaya.

The Great Himalayan Trail is being developed with two different routes, the High GHT and the mid GHT. Higher GHT will be above 5000 meters with more than 21 different trails for tourists willing to experience this extreme adventure while the mid hill GHT will be for all types of trekkers.

According to travel trade entrepreneurs, Nepal has tremendous potential in adventure tourism which has been identified as one of the fastest growing segments in global tourism. There has been a significant rise in young adventure tourists coming to Nepal. The rise in young tourist supplements the fact that more people are coming to Nepal for adventure tourism.

The GHT trekking route developed from the eastern border to western border of Nepal will not only provide adventure thrills for the tourist but also aims to help the local communities in this remote region. Trekking groups can make a real difference to the lives of the people that are barely above subsistence. Trekking in these regions would also mean being responsible tourist and contributing to pro-poor sustainable Tourism initiatives in the Himalayas.