While travelers in Nepal were previously allowed to hike alone in the country, a decision was made about 8 months ago banning unguided travel to six protected areas, including Nepal’s 12 national parks, Everest Base Camp, and the areas around Annapurna and Manaslu.
According to CNN, mountaineering can be done with a state-licensed guide or in a group. While early travelers could now hike the country alone 12 national parks of nepal, everest base camp, annapurna and manaslu surroundings It is prohibited to visit six protected areas without a guide. The Trekker Information Management System (TIMS) card required for trekking in these areas will only be issued to those who arrange a guide through a government-approved trekking agency. So why did the rules change?
Mani R Lamichhane, Director, Nepal Tourism Board, “There is no one to help people traveling alone in emergency situations. There is no problem in the cities, but the infrastructure is not enough in the mountains in remote areas.” He said.
Lamichhane, “When tourists disappear or are found dead, it becomes difficult for the state to trace them because they use remote roads.” He said.
Lamikhan noted that the associations asked them to stop unauthorized hiking activities, and explained that the tourism associations have been making the same request for a long time.
The ban on mountaineering alone applies from April 1. In 2018, Nepal banned solo climbing of Mount Everest, considered the summit of the world, in order to reduce the number of accidents.
More than 200 people have died on Everest, at an altitude of 8,848 metres, since 1920.
It attracted reactions from demonstrators
Ram Chandra Sidday, CEO, Nepal Travel Agencies Association, said: “The first goal is to ensure the safety of visitors hiking in mountainous areas,” he says. The second goal is to create local job opportunities and provide better working conditions for guides. Nepalese guides welcomed the decision. After all, guides take care of travelers’ health, know the mountains and trails, understand local languages, and can introduce trekkers to Himalayan culture and cuisine. However, experienced hikers are a bit far from the necessity of a guide. Opponents argue that encouraging hikers to hire a guide by training better-trained guides would be a better approach than forcing all hikers to hire a guide, regardless of their experience. However, there are still many roads in the country that can be walked without a guide. “Hundreds of kilometers of low-altitude hiking trails remain available to solo hikers.”
(tags for translation) Nepal