Reminiscences of Ghandruk 

Ruprama Rai

Mom had to accompany the students of a prestigious National College of Business Studies on their annual field visit to Pokhara. She wanted me to go as company for the Ghandruk trek, a place, which I had heard so much about but had not been able to visit till now.

The journey to Pokhara started on Wednesday morning at 11 a.m. We got there around 6 pm. Our rooms were booked at Snowland Hotel by the lakeside. The lakeside area in that evening hour seemed so enchanting. The environment was festive and musical with mostly tourists strolling around. This was my fifth time to Pokhara but I never felt bored despite the monotony of the similar stone built houses, vast expanses of land and greenery. Perhaps, this attraction has more to do with its mountains, caves, waterfalls, lakes, and gorges with their mystifying quietness and unique charm.

On the second day, we started for Ghandruk after breakfast. We passed Lumle on the way. The bus stopped at Nayapul. We walked for almost half an hour down the slope towards Birethanti. It was a neatly settled hamlet, which at a distance looks charming with skylines of traditional houses in white and wrapped in lush greenery and bougainvillea. It was a picturesque small town with restaurants, lodges, bank, bakery, shops and neatly paved slab-stone paths. After taking lunch at Birethanti, we started our trek by 2 p.m. The group had split, like the game of the Survival of the Fittest. The first group consisted of robust boys who had the share of the heavier backpack.

It was an uphill trek along the neat slab-stone trail. The climb was tedious eating into our stamina. Despite this challenging trail, the surrounding nature was exhilarating. The imposing mountains stood in front of us with Modi khola flowing swiftly below. According to local people, they do not dare to swim there. However, dipping our feet in the water after the arduous trek for a few seconds provided instant relief. Mom was disappointed to find the trek to be a sheer upward trail. I did my best to help her along. Nevertheless, seeing her condition because of her age and her weight, I was afraid. After a few minutes rest at a wayside inn we were revitalized. The lodge-keeper bid us a happy journey. The simple and good-natured hospitality of these Gurung people impressed me deeply.

Upon nearing Ghandruk, it seemed wonderful to experience those rocky mountains within my reach. It was heavenly to sit on the cliff and to gaze at the river below and the surroundings in the foreground. It was getting darker and we lost contact with the porters who were also going there. We nearly headed for Ghorepani, as we could not read the sign due to the gathering darkness. Then, we began to trace our way to the hotel at Ghandruk. We reached our hotel and the previous group who had reached an hour earlier had started a bonfire. We sat around the fire and continued having fun. After supper, around the fire, games of songs and dances and jokes flew by. It was very chilly at night.

The next day was remarkable. We saw the sights of the majestic Himalayas- Macchapuchre and the Annapurna South early in the morning. We could now see the fish-tail shape of Macchapuchre which was so close and so beautiful. Everyone was busy capturing those wonderful scenes through cameras. The lovely mountains were breathtakingly beautiful. We were like an audience witnessing nature dressing up in gorgeously resplendent grayish hues of early morning to glorious reddish tints at sunrise and the sparkling icing white of the late morning.

Ghandruk is indeed a model Gurung village endowed with unsurpassed natural beauty. It is remarkable to see neatly settled hamlets with all the facilities that economic development can bring: free education, health-services, electricity, water supply, sanitation etc. There is also another ambitious plan undergoing to supply water and electricity to villages further into the mountains. The locals are mainly Gurungs who had served either in the British or Indian army, and now engage themselves in agriculture, cottage industries and tourism as their main occupations. We talked to some pensioners who lament the fact that there are no more young people to follow their footsteps. They have done their best for their children’s future but rather than stay in such remote beautiful hamlets, they prefer the slick city life abroad or in Kathmandu/ Pokhara.

There are other places to be seen like Chhomrong, Landruk and many more, but due to a tight schedule, we had to leave that day. After a hearty breakfast of Tibetan breads, egg omelets and tea, we started our return journey at 10.00 am. I enjoyed lying flat on the bench of rest houses, listening to the sound of the river and the whisper of the wind through the forest leaves. I wished time and everything in life to stop still at that instant as I wanted to capture those sights, smell and sound forever in my mind.

I enjoyed playing under the waterfall. It was falling from the very high mountains and had a larger basin at the bottom. It reminded me of a similar waterfall on the way to Rani Mahal, Palpa where I and our campus friends had enjoyed running under the waterfall. However, that was risky as the trail was narrow and slippery along the winding mountain trail. We passed through, running bare feet, twice-thrice under it, taking care that we did not slip. We were wet but on walking our clothes soon became dry. Mum panicked that I would be wet, but I refused to heed her because this time I had the experience of walking under the waterfall in Palpa.

Lunch was taken at Birethanti after a four-hour journey. The bus was waiting for us at Nayapul. The hot showers and warm beds in Pokhara seemed heavenly. The next day Sunday was the final day of our tour. The sights of mountains around, as observed from the windscreen of the bus, like icing sugar toppling on us from everywhere, was mesmerizing. Boys played guitars and sang good songs, especially the one ‘pani muni dhunga ma leu lagyo’. The bus stopped at Begnas Taal for boating. It was a serene place.

Every good or bad thing has to come to an end. So, inevitably this happy and memorable tour ended. The aching hands reminded me of the pleasant boating at Begnas Tal, the joys of the peaceful expanse of lakes and greenery. It is true that "Heaven is on Earth itself" especially in Pokhara’s countrysides. To savour such glories and simplicities of life, hidden, yet when unearthed, is a wonderful feast for our soul which we do really need to sustain us through a hectic life, besides the charms of the materialistic world.

Koshi Tappu Tourism Untapped potential

Gopal Tiwari

As it true that Nepal is deficient in having the best destination in the World ? Certainly not. Here is Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve, located on the flood plains of Sapta-Koshi river in Saptari and Sunsari districts of eastern Nepal - one of the best wetlands of Asia. Anybody can trace out the spot that takes about 35 minutes by air from Kathmandu to Biratnagar, and then a one and half hour drive to reach the Reserve.

Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve spread over an area of 175 square kilometres and fingering three districts of the country - Sunsari, Udayapur and Saptari - has not been exploited in terms of tourism potentials.

Though the reserve was included in the Gazette in 1976 by the government aiming at preserving the habitat for the remaining population of wild buffalo in the country, much still remains to be done to expand the activities and make it more attractive in a sustainable way.

The government has been voicing various slogans for years to promote the country’s tourism. However, it has not eyed the potentials of Koshi Tappu tourism considered as one of the best destinations of the world for bird watching and wild buffaloes.

Out of the 847 bird species recorded in the country, 420 alone are found in the Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve. For years, foreign tourists have considered Nepal to be a wonderful paradise for birds. It is reportedly said that there are about 9000 bird species in the world. However, the number of birds is decreasing day by day because of the increasing human population, deforestation, over grazing, fire, floods, erosion, etc. As these types of birds prefer better environment for shelter and food, maintaining the environment is crucial. The government had categorised Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve as only wetlands in 1987.

Having established Koshi Tappu Wildlife Camp eight years back, Bharat Basnet, emerging tourism entrepreneur, has a different style of promoting the Reserve by maintaining its surroundings. He says, "Being Koshi Tappu and the only wetland of the country, it has to be protected and advanced for the well being of the local communities and the national economy as well." He urges to kick-start income generating activities of the locals by infusing money into their society as per their need. He says that the government should introduce a special package to upgrade the area in time after a thorough study of its potentials. However, Basnet’s serious concern is poaching and improper management of the Reserve. "Koshi Tappu could be the best example for eco-tourism development."

Koshi has been a heaven for nature lovers. It is enriched with millions of birds migrating from Siberia who enjoy Nepal’s breathtaking environment. With vast expanses of water occupying the area, it has emerged as one of the best and finest bird watching sanctuaries in Asia.

Koshi Tappu, mainly visited by British and Americans, received more than 500 tourists as per the recent data supplied by the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation.

Infrastructure, according to Saroj Karki, Manager of an eight year old Camp, has been a major bottleneck when it comes to promoting the area. Since the area is already much loved by global tourists, lagging behind in exploring the region could be a bane for tourism promotion not a boon, Karki opines.

Ranger at the Reserve, Basu Dev Aryal, takes Koshi Tappu Wildlife as the best Reserve in the world for bird watching. His concept is that the Reserve be protected first, thereby gradually promoting tourism in the region. As the Reserve is located within 13 village development committees, Aryal suggests, income generation by the local community is crucial. He informs that the total income of the Reserve goes into community development.

Aryal demands that the central government adopt even more stern policies to protect the Reserve which is the only location in Nepal to have Wild buffaloes. According to him, a total of 146 wild buffalo and 420 variety of birds have been identified as of November this year. In the wild buffalo category, 131 are mixed out of 146. Of them, 57 and 53, male and female buffaloes are identified, respectively. And there are 17 baby wild buffaloes and 19 between the age of one and two. According to him, birds like duck, ibis, stork, egrets, heroine, bengal florican, among others, are found in the Reserve.

Narayan Prasad Poudel, Ecologist at the National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, opines that Koshi Tappu is Nepal’s only one Ramsar Site (Wetlands site) for which the government is seriously thinking of promoting. Poudel informs that the government is bringing out a master plan to promote the Reserve in a long-term basis.

According to him, Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve is the most visited area by tourists out of the four Reserves of the Country. Koshi Tappu alone during the fiscal year 1999/2000 got a total of 2536 tourists including domestic and foreign.

Local as well as foreign tourists make a point in visiting this fabulous wildlife reserve which is more enjoyable from October to March at a time when much of the migratory and local birds can be sighted by the barrage and many of the river channels.

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