BENI, September 24: Mobility of tourists and climbers at the Base Camp of Mt Dhaulagiri is gradually increasing after the government resumed issuing climbing permits that was halted over fears of COVID-19 since August.
Most of the tourists and climbers reaching the base camp have reached there by air. Lately, tourists or climbers have preferred expensive airway services to reach the base camp as a long journey would often cause them to face a lot of hardship along the trail.
The mountain with 8,167 meters altitude based in the Dhaulagiri mountain range is the seventh highest peak in the world.
Trekking route to Dhaulagiri base camp repaired, widened
"Most climbers, guides, porters and tourists have reached the base camp on helicopters. Only six Sherpa guides have taken the trail to the camp," said a local resident Suk Bahadur Sunar. Around 80 climbers, guides and porters have reached the base camp through helicopters, he said.
But there are concerns among locals that this could bring negative effects to the economy. Hotel entrepreneurs and mule transportation services have been marred as they have faced a double whammy of the infection and tourists reaching the base camp preferring airway in many cases.
To address the problems faced by trekkers, local, provincial and federal governments have jointly worked to make the trekking routes accessible. The Dhaulagiri trekking route is considered adventurous as it cuts through rocky and stark cliffs, dense forests and rivers.
A team of 46 climbers through Seven Summit Treks have reached the base camp, said manager of the Treks, Thaneshwor Guragain. Most climbers have preferred airway to the base camp due to reasons such as heavy rainfall and the requirement to produce a PCR test report taken within 72 hours, he said.
(With Inputs from RSS)
