INSIDE HIMALAYAS | NEPAL | TIBET | BHUTAN
INSIDE HIMALAYAS | NEPAL | TIBET | BHUTAN
The waterfalls at the entrance to Chokati, Sindhupalchok District. Photo: Michael D. Smith.
trails, northeast to Chokati. Locating
Chokati on a map can be difficult, as
many maps of the Rolwaling Trek don’t
extend far enough eastward to include
it, and until recently the village did not
even have a gravel road.
In monsoon and early autumn, the
ranges above Chokati ascend into
a misty sky like a Chinese scroll
painting, inviting the wandering mind
into their heights. Water continuously
flows down the valley sides to the Sun
Koshi River below, providing plenty
of irrigation for farming. Like many
Himalayan hillsides that are blessed
with ample water, where the forests
have not been gambled away through
over-forestation or reforested with
non-native species that reduce the
water table, the people and animals
are able to enjoy and rely upon
abundant natural resources of ningla
(small bamboo), baas (bamboo),
sisnu (stinging nettles), hardwoods,
wildflowers, wild mushrooms, herbal
medicines and plenty of fodder.
Slightly off the traditional tourist route,
the Chokati Gau Paulika (Village
Municipality) consists of over 800
families, yet has no guesthouse
catering to travelers, despite the holy
Lateshwor (“Lord of Dreadlocks”) Shiva
Temple situated an hour up the valley in
Latu, a destination for domestic tourists
and Hindu pilgrims. The enchanting
temple has large water taps and an
enormous tree growing out of the
shrine. It is said to have been built by
a cowherd who, having discovered his
cow giving away its milk to a stone in
the forest, struck the stone with his axe,
splitting it and causing it to spill water,
blood and milk. He realised the stone
was an incarnation of Lord Shiva and
built the temple as an atonement.
In rural areas, staying with a family is
the best way to directly understand
how people make their living off the
rugged land. For the first few days,
our hosts insisted on offering us their
every hospitality, not even allowing us
to wash our own dishes! However, after
repeatedly requesting to join them in
their work, our new friends provided us
opportunities to experience household
chores and agricultural life, though they
were shy at first. Ram Bahadur taught
us how to prepare fields with organic
compost, spreading the mixture of
manure, dry leaves, and decomposed
weeds around, breaking dirt clods, and
casting tori (mustard) seeds to harvest
to make oil. Afterwards, he led us up
a small jungle path to see where he
captures honey bees in a trap made
from a log.
We often found ourselves challenged
in the homestay situation: how to
efficiently milk Santa Bahadur Bhika’s
cows, how to weave simple bamboo
mats with Man Bahadur Thami,
The walled approach to Na, uninhabited in winter, in the Rolwaling Valley. Photo: Herman Thapa.
and most of all, how to refuse the
extreme hospitality of third helpings
at meal time! At least harvesting and
preparing cardamom for sun drying
is easy enough for the novice, taught
by fourteen-year-old Rajan Thami and
eleven-year-old Gautam Nagarkoti. A
few of our group stayed in the homes
of the local blacksmiths, who were
happy to let us try to pound a red-
hot iron bar into the curved shape
of the kukuri, the ubiquitous knife of
the Nepali woodsman. Ishwari Thami,
a local tailor, did a splendid job of
measuring and stitching beautiful and
practical cholo, the traditional women’s
winter shirt, for some of our female
students. Our group also spent two
days helping a local family deconstruct
an earthquake-damaged stone house,
and use earthen plaster to render the
walls and floors of a newly built house,
which was incredibly fun and excellent
full-body exercise!
Like most of Sindhupalchowk, Chokati
was heavily affected by the earthquakes
of 2015. Every building in the village
was destroyed, and most people still
reside in temporary wooden or tin
shelters provided by a hodgepodge
of NGOs. Many families are slowly
building permanent housing, now
that Nepali Government funds have
become available for reconstruction,
but progress is slow as stone is
excavated by hand from the hillside,
and other construction materials such
as bricks, steel and cement must be
delivered up a the difficult gravel road
from Bahrabise, adding to building
time and cost.
The Rolwaling Valley Trek
The Rolwaling Valley Trek, which
transverses
the
Gaurishankar
Conservation Area from east to west, is
an unexcelled yet strenuous journey for
travellers who wish to explore traditional
Sherpa culture in a remote setting little
affected by tourism. It’s an expedition-
style tent trek, rather than one that
stays in lodges or tea houses. Most
approach the trek by traveling east out
of the Kathmandu Valley on the Araniko
Highway, turning east on Feeder Road
32 to Ramechhap, and again turning
north at Charikot. The mountain road
passes the Bhimeshwor Temple, meets
the Tama Koshi River, reaches Dolakha
and eventually beyond the Upper Tama
Koshi Hydropower Project. This route
to Dolakha District from Kathmandu
can take eight or more hours along
rough upper stretches. The trail starts
at Dolakha, or nowadays farther up in
Shigati or all the way to Gonggar. Popular
routes in the remote high Rolwaling
Valley often visit Tso Rolpa Lake (4540
metres), and cross the Tashi Lapcha Pass
into the Sagarmatha National Park in the
Solukhumbu District. From there, the
trail descends to Thangme (Thame), the
eastern gateway to the Everest region of
the Khumbu Valley.
Some choose to begin the Rolwaling
Trek in Bahrabise, which reduces
arduous road travel time and allows
one to experience more of Nepal’s
incredible geographical, biological and
cultural diversity. From Chokati, the trail
to Rolwaling wraps around the valley
to the east, by the Lateshwor Temple,
descends to cross the river, and turns
northwest, ascending through villages
and descending to cross streams on the
opposite side of the valley. Trekkers often
stop in Dolanga for the first or second
night from Bahrabise or Chokati. One
must pay the Rs 2000 fee to enter the
Gaurishankar Conservation Area if this
hasn’t already been paid in Kathmandu.
The following morning walk ascends
the top of the Kalinchowk Bagmati
Danda (Ridge), and crosses Tingsang
La (Pass) at 3378 metres, where the trail
turns north and descends east into the
neighboring valley to Bigu Gompa. In
this valley, the Thami and other lower-
altitude Nepali hill groups give way to
Sherpa cultural influence.
From Bigu Gompa, the trail drops
down to the Singati Khola (River), past
Alampo, and turns southeast toward
Singati. The high route of the Great
Himalayan Trail splits off to the east and
crosses the river past Sarwa, climbs up
to Loting, and skirts the villages along
the upper reach of the valley south-
eastward to Laduk, and along the
Gyalsung Danda for excellent sunset
and sunrise views. The following day
may be used to connect with the more
popular Rolwaling Trek route at Jagat.
The low route continues to follow the
Singati Khola down to its namesake
to meet the Rolwaling Trek route at
Singati, where one can also return to
Kathmandu.
From there, the Rolwaling Trek can be
done in ten to fifteen days, or much
longer, with optional high pass and
peak ascents. You can also connect to
other high Himalayan treks throughout
the Everest region. Depending on time,
one may return back to Kathmandu via
domestic flight from Lukla, or continue
walking to make a return via the airport
at Phaplu, catching road transportation
from Salleri, or even completing an
extra week walking the loop down
to Jiri through the charming town of
Junbesi.
Due to the heavy monsoon in the
area, a stay in Chokati combined with
trekking in Rolwaling is best done after
September and before June, and will
certainly make for an unforgettable
and unique mountain adventure.
Working with the water buffalo. Photo: Herman Thapa.
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www.insidehimalayas.com | By Royal Mountain Travel
www.insidehimalayas.com | By Royal Mountain Travel
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