Nepal, India and China have agreed to launch a joint conservation strategy and environment monitoring for the Mount Kailash Sacred Landscape under the guidance of the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD). The trans-boundary project titled 'Mount Kailash Sacred Landscape Conservation Initiative: Developing a Transboundary Framework for Conservation and Sustainable Development in the Greater Mt Kailash Region of Nepal, India and China' includes landscape of Kang Rinpoche, Gagrenbogi Feng and Kailash Parvat. The project involves the Nepalese Ministry of Forests, the Forest Department of Uttarakhand, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the United Nations Environment Program, the G.B. Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment and Development, and the Wildlife Institute of India, among others. “This is a first of its kind trans-boundary project in the region. It is hoped that this would set the tone for more trans-boundary collaboration between countries ...

The global travel industry hopes for better times with the starting of worlds largest tourism fair ITB in Berlin on 11th March 2010. The secretary-general of the UN’s World Tourism Organization (WTO), Taleb Rifai said that the worst was over.  “We do think that we are leaving the bad year behind, clearly. The last part of 2009 and the first part of 2010 indicate a bottoming out,” he said. “People are going to continue to want to travel. It’s unstoppable. It’s become engrained in the culture and psyche of people. It has become a human right,” he said speaking to reporters at the ITB opening. According to UN figure, the international tourist arrival was cut down by four per cent and the earnings from international tourism dropped by six per cent in 2009. 11,127 companies from 187 countries have booked stands at the Berlin Fair. “The mother of all tourism fairs”, as ...

As Nepal’s Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal Friday kicks off a campaign to draw 1 million tourists to the country next year, the campaign will receive a boost from the launch of a forgotten epic on the life and teachings of the Buddha, that has been resurrected by a prestigious western publisher. The Oxford University Press, US has brought out an English translation of “Sugata Saurabha” - literally meaning the fragrance of the Buddha, an epic written in Newari, the language used by the indigenous Newar community of Kathmandu valley who claim to have descended from the same Shakya dynasty in which the Buddha was born nearly 2,500 years ago. It is the work of Newar poet Chittadhar Hridaya, regarded as one of the greatest literary figures in Nepal in the 20th century. The epic was said to have been written by Hridaya while he was imprisoned by Nepal’s dictatorial Rana rulers for having written a poem that displeased them. It has been translated ...

An unprecedented cycling venture, on an unmarked route Muktinath to Lo-manthang - David Yonjan Mustang is located in the north-east of Nepal, bordering China (Tibet) on the Central Asian plateau between the Nepalese provinces of Dolpo and Manang. It is roughly 80 km long (north-south) and 45 km at its widest, and is at an elevation of over 2500 m. Lo Manthang! I had never heard the name before and my imagination was running wild trying to put a picture to the place. So I did what any normal person would do in such a situation. I googled ‘Lo Manthang’ and was instantly flooded with information! Lo Manthang – a walled city, is the capital of Mustang, an ancient Himalayan kingdom at an elevation of nearly 3800 ...

The 11th "Nepal Open Paragliding Championship" being organised by TAAN, Pokhara from February 18 concluded on Saturday. The Championship was held with the aim of promoting tourism through adventure sports and proved to be quite successful. Among the 87 pilots from 15 countries, Jamie Messenger from Britain, who was last year's title holder won the title this year also claiming a cash prize of NRs 25,000. Ajay Kumar Sharma from India managed to be second bagging NRs 20,000 while Canadian Claudio Mota got NRs 15,000 as a third prize. In the HDV-1-2 category, Eva of Venice, Nepal´s Sachin Bamjan and Rabin Gurung secured the top three spots respectively. Nepal´s Damodar Parajuli bagged the award for the best acrobatics. Korea´s Moon Sevlin won the best spot landing award. Nepal´s Binod Bamjan secured the title of best boat landing, while Narayan Parajuli received the award for best-of-the-costume. In the separate competition held ...

The Sherpa People of Illam - Utsav Shakya A sizeable community of Sherpa people lives in Illam, Nepal’s tea district that borders on India. They are fine examples of how a community is defined as much by the conditions they live in as by time-tested traditions. A huge tree, unearthed, lay inclined in the middle of the road, a part of its roots still in the ridge that had followed us on our left. Our vehicle, an old Land Rover, slowed down and then stopped a few feet away from the tree. The tree was too heavy to be lifted and there were not enough people to even try such an option. It was decided that we would walk the rest of the way to Khopi. I had been trekking with a photographer friend on assignment in the scenic, mountain villages of Illam in Eastern Nepal and our travels so far had been problem free. But soon, another, graver problem presented itself. The only space the Land Rover had to make an about turn and head back after leaving us was a little ahead of the fallen tree. On our right, a sheer drop of at least fifty feet into a small rocky river added to the tension. There was no way Raju, our driver, could back the huge four wheel drive to another space about a kilometer behind us. But inch by inch Raju turned the vehicle until it lay sideways; covering almost the entire width of the road and then all turned it all the way around. When we finally got to a misty, cold Khopi later that afternoon, a warm Sherpa family awaited us. We would spend our first night in the hills there. In fact, every day for the seven days that we trekked through the hills of Illam, we took refuge in the homes of local Sherpas. How did so many Sherpas, indigenous to Solukhumbu district end up here? What had brought so many of them here and for what purpose? When had they come here? Although my knowledge about Sherpas was not confined to just their fame as trustworthy porters and guides, rather shamefully, I did not know a lot about them either.

President Ram Baran Yadav and the Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh have signed a bilateral agreement and Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) in New Delhi on Tuesday. An agreement on New Air Service was signed between the two countries along with three memorandums of understandings (MoUs) comprising of development of railway infrastructure at five points along India-Nepal border, development of Nepal Bharat Maitri Polytechnic at Hetauda Makwanpur district and establishment of Nepal Bharat Maitri Sabha Griha, Birgunj. These five new railway lines, after completion, would provide better access to the Madhes (Terai) region of the Himalayan country. Ram Baran Yadav is in India on a four-day maiden state visit and is accompanied by a 27-member delegation including Nepal's tourism minister Sharad Singh Bhandari and several senior officials.

Nepal being hopeful awaits to welcome at least two lakh Indian tourists through the campaign “Nepal Tourism Year 2011”.  Public Relations and Publicity Department, Director of Nepal Tourism Board, Mr. Aditya Baral said, “Earlier, Jet Airways, was limited to Delhi-Kathmandu flight but now it has started operations from Mumbai to Nepal. Apart from that Kingfisher has also started flights to Nepal and Spicejet has keen interest to start its services in the same sector.” According to NTB statistics, there is an annual flow of around one lakh Indian tourists in Nepal. This campaign is expecting the increase in arrival by double. Baral said that the tourism board is undertaking major campaigns globally to showcase Nepal as a vital tourist and business destination for corporate meetings and vacations, adding he said, “Apart from global campaigns, we are holding campaigns in major Indian cities to attract all sections of Indian tourists including those wanting to travel for spiritual reasons. Indian nationals have no travel ...