Now the district has become even more accessible for tourists as they can reach the villages of upper Manang that are above 3,530m by vehicles for the first time on Monday.
Although the road tracks had already been built long ago, vehicles had not been able to go beyond Chame, the district headquarters, as two bridges over the Marshyangdi River were undergoing construction. “Finally we have finished constructing the bridges,” said engineer Daya Ram Adhikari of Manang District Technical Office, adding that vehicles were allowed to pass on Monday after the completion of the bridges. “The roads have linked the district headquarters with the villages of Upper Manang. Traveling to Chame will now be much easier for the villagers,” he said.
According to Adhikari, the bridges were constructed nearby Chame and Bhratang under Rural Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Sector Development Project (RRRSDP) at a cost of around 58.8 million rupees. “Around 20.7 million rupees were spent on the first bridge and Rs 30.11 million on the second one,” he said.
Upper Manang now has a total of 90km dirt roads. Two years earlier, Chame was linked by road to Besisahar, the district headquarters of Lamjung.
New track under-construction to connect Chame to Upper Manang
Around two dozen vehicles on Monday left for the Upper Manang after the two bridges were inaugurated. Local entrepreneurs are hopeful that road access to the upper areas will attract more tourists to the Annapurna Circuit, which will boost their business. Locals in the region depend heavily on tourists for income. Heavy snowfall in Upper Manang some weeks ago had severely affected their business.
“The flow of domestic tourists to Upper Manang has gone up considerably,” according to Adhikari. Locals say that tourists interested in a short vacation in Upper Manang can now travel by road.
Till now, tourists did not consider Upper Manang for short trips and traveled to the area only for long vacations. But that is likely to change as it now takes only 10 hours to travel from Besisahar, Lamjung, to the Upper Manang, which is a 10-day walk.
Just like locals, Adhikari, too, is hopeful that the number of tourists will increase following better road access. “Increase in the tourist flow will rejuvenate businesses in the area,” he said.
The upper area of Manang falls under Annapurna Circuit, which is one of the most famous trekking routes in the world. As Manang is especially popular among those seeking adventures, road access might dissuade adventurous tourists. “There is no way tourist seeking adventurous trek are going to like the road access,” said Adhikari.
