Thursday, May 1, 2014

tamang heritage trail, nepal - part 1:







We landed in Kathmandu in the afternoon, and left first thing the next morning bound for the Himalayas and the start of our trek.

I'll admit that it was quite hard deciding what trek we wanted to complete. There are so many options and incredible areas of Nepal to explore. However, we did have a slight criteria and that is why we ended up deciding to combine both the Tamang Heritage Trail and the Langtang Valley trek. Andrew and I both not only wanted to experience the Himalayan mountains, but also the culture of the local people. 

The Tamang Heritage trail is a relatively new (and quiet) trek, and was where we began our 11 day adventure. Starting from Syabrubesi, we would spend five days trekking from village to village, experiencing the vibrant Tamang culture, before linking on to the more popular Langtang Valley route for our mountain fix. 

The Tamang people are a minority group who originally come from Tibet (we were also only a couple of kilometres away from the border). The culture is rich, colourful and warm, and it made for a beautiful start to our time in Nepal. It was incredibly peaceful and quiet, and as we were also off the grid, we felt worlds away from home.

Below are some photos from the first couple of days on the heritage trail. I'll be sure to share a bit more about the Tamang people and this part of the trek in my upcoming posts. 



the bus to syabrubesi



beautiful gatlang village








looking towards langtang












getting higher







13 comments:

  1. oh you've whet my appetite! looks like a stunning start.

    are you going to talk about the logistics - how much you walked each day? how physically demanding it was? etc. it seems like it would be so rad but i'm not sure if i would be physically up to it!

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    1. thanks Janis! yes, I'll definitely be going into more detail about the trek and logistics etc. I plan to go into more detail about that my next few posts, and I'll do a big wrap up at the end with tips and the like. but you could totally do it! x

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    2. sweet! ever since you posted those instagrams i haven't been able to get nepal out of my head!!

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  2. The portraits are absolutely stunning. Especially the girl looking out the ornate window

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  3. This is such an amazing trail! and it's even better because it's a lot less touristy than other trails in the country. And oh that window... the intricate carvings are so beautiful! After the deadly avalanche at Mt.Everest not long ago, this kind of hiking trails might be growing in popularity in the near future.

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    1. yes, so amazing! we just loved it and are so glad we were able to experience the trail before it gains more popularity.

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  4. I can't wait to show this to Yuriy!! He's been talking about going! Nepal looks incredible. I absolutely love the photos of the people. Do they all look so beautiful and colorful?!

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    1. Nepal is incredible! and yes, the majority of the Tamang people are colourful and so, so lovely.

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  5. Langtang:
    Tamang Heritage Trail Trek

    Tamang Heritage Trail is an exciting new trekking route located between Langtang and the Ganesh Himal. A culturally rich region steeped in Tibetan tradition, the local Tamang people are some of the warmest and most welcoming people in Nepal. Within easy access of Kathmandu we ascend the road north towards the Tibetan borderlands and enjoy a relatively gentle circuit trek through picturesque villages, terraced fields, and peaceful valleys where only the most discerning trekkers go. En route, we enjoy panoramic mountain views of the nearby peaks and soak in the natural hot springs at Tatopani. Continuing north towards Tibet we soak up the heritage and appreciate a local fort, monastery and exquisite local architecture of the Tamang homes. As we near the end of the trek we enjoy a homestay experience in Briddim and have a full day to relax and discover more about the local traditions of this wonderful region.

    PROGRAM ITINERARY

    Day 01: Arrive in Kathmandu, welcome at International airport and Transfer to hotel.
    Day 02: Sightseeing in Kathmandu visiting historic World heritage side.
    Day 03: Drive to Shyabrubeshi over night at lodge.
    Day 04: Trek to Ghatlang 5-6 hrs overnight at lode.
    Day 05: Trek to Chilime or Tatopani 5-6 hrs overnight at lodge.
    Day 06: Trek to Nagathali 5-6 hrs overnight at lodge.
    Day 07: Rest at Nagathali have beautifull view of Ganesh himal, and Langtang lirung.
    Day 08: Trek to Bridim 4-5 hrs overnight at lodge.
    Day 09: Trek to Shyabrubeshi overnight at lodge.
    Day 10: Drive back to Kathmandu overnight at hotel.
    Day 11: Free day in Kathmandu for shopping or visiting places.
    Day 12: Transfer to Internatinal airport and departure to home.

    http://www.nepalguideinfo.com/testimonial/
    http://www.nepalplanettreks.com

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  7. WOW! Very interesting post. Your blog is very informative. Thanks for sharing this with us.
    Tamang Heritage Treks

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