Kathmandu, October 30
Although the risk of coronavirus infection has not decreased across the country, the government has been gradually reopening restricted tourism activities in its bid to revive the shattered industry.
Currently, as many as 10 trekking routes in Nepal are open to tourists, foreign and domestic, according to Trekking Agencies’ Association of Nepal.
The routes which one can trek along are as follows:
- Kanchenjunga
- Everest Base Camp
- Mardi Himal
- Manang
- Mustang
- Dolpa
- Humla
- Manaslu
- Helambu
- Ruby Valley
The organisation’s general secretary Tara Lama says the trekkers, however, are required to follow health protocols to protect themselves and others around them from the infection. The requirements include a PCR negative test for coronavirus, trekking permit from the concerned authority, and hotel quarantine for assigned days.
In addition, there are some additional safety measures required in some regions. For example, Dolpa requires every trekker to have stayed in quarantine for 14 days before beginning the trekking. In the Everest region, on the other hand, you need to submit PCR test reports from any government lab and only three private labs (HAMS, B&B and Star). Reports from other private labs are not valid.
The Annapurna region including Ghandruk is still closed for the tourists.
