Cover Story
INSIDE HIMALAYAS | NEPAL | TIBET | BHUTAN
INSIDE HIMALAYAS | NEPAL | TIBET | BHUTAN
The People You Meet on the
Tamang Heritage Trail
by Iuliana Marchian
The bus ran along the route between
Kathmandu and Syabru Besi, the starting
point for several treks in the Langtang
region. I could see bottomless ravines
that opened deep down the valley,
while the rudimentary coach we were
traveling in slowly braved the tight bends
of the road. At one point, people from
the bus started to scream and pointed
to something out the window. The coach
stopped right away, and Rishi (my guide-
come-porter) jumped out and scooped
up my small backpack. It had slipped off
the luggage rack due to the repeated
shaking of the coach on the bumpy road,
and rolled fifty metres down a steep
slope. I clutched my retrieved backpack
tightly and the bus carried on.
Traditional houses made of stone, carved wood and slate, in Gotlang. Photo: Iuliana Marchian.
Once we arrived in Syabru Besi, we
started the preparations for the Tamang
Heritage Trail, a trek that lasts five-six
days. Close to the famous Langtang
Valley, this trek is a lesser-travelled one
in Nepal and, as its name suggests,
passes through ethnic Tamang villages
high up in the mountains. The villages
are lively and have distinct lifestyles, and
can only be reached on foot.
The trek was initiated as a way of
improving local lives through tourism.
Most inhabitants of this region are
agriculturalists.
Unfortunately,
the
villages along the trek were severely
affected by the 2015 earthquake. Some
had been rebuilt, while in others the
people still lived in military tents, a year
and a half later. As these villages aren’t
located on a popular trail, few tourists
trek here, meaning the villages have had
a harder time rebuilding.
Woman at work, on the way to the Bamdang Khola Valley. Photo: Iuliana Marchian.
Children from Thuman. Photo: Iuliana Marchian.
“Once we arrived in Syabru Besi, we started the preparations for the Tamang
Heritage Trail, a trek that lasts five-six days. Close to the famous Langtang Valley,
this trek is a lesser travelled one in Nepal and, as its name suggests, passes through
ethnic Tamang villages high up in the mountains.”
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www.insidehimalayas.com | By Royal Mountain Travel
www.insidehimalayas.com | By Royal Mountain Travel
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