by Lorenzo Cremonesi
The 2015 earthquake caused landslides and bridge collapses: today there is often no alternative to flying to reach the great mountains
Plane, bus or taxi? the classic question among mountaineers and trekkers on their way to the great mountains of Nepal. It often happens that the answer is dictated by weather conditions. Wind, low clouds and thunderstorms inevitably require you to travel by road. Local airlines don’t cancel flights to keep customers, so it’s not uncommon to stare at the departure announcement tables long past the departure time, only to be told at check-in that it would be better to show up tomorrow. Taxis are relatively cheap (at least by western standards) and buses run frequently. Because the times are increasing dramatically: often whole days instead of an hour’s flight.
But there are sections that definitely have to be covered by plane. The most classic is the one to Lukla at almost 3,000 meters, where the trek to Everest Base Camp begins. The flight lasts an hour and the landscapes are beautiful. The alternative is a full day by car or bus, followed by four or five days of hard trekking, overcoming two hills nearly 4,000 meters high. A journey from other times between paddy fields and very green valleys where some foreigners who love to trek alone have also been attacked and robbed by local criminals. Shortly after the severe earthquake of April 25, 2015 (killing over 8,000 people), the collapse of several bridges and hundreds of landslides that isolated entire regions, flying became indispensable in many cases. Plane crashes are certainly an unknown factor. Indian media reports 67 of them in the last sixty years. Even the most die-hard traveler can’t help but think about it. And it is enough to see the small twin-engine jets of the Yeti or Himalaya Airlines parked on the Kathmandu runway to wonder how they will cope between the black clouds that often stand at the gates of the valleys stretching in the distance just behind it, the hills covered with vegetation open up around the capital.
The landing and take-off at Lukla is certainly impressive: the runway built on a sloping meadow overlooking a gigantic gorge. The metal remains of the planes that didn’t make it lie on the ground. Pokhara Airport seems much quieter. There are no cliffs and narrow valleys leading to the highest peak on earth. It is used to reach the starting point of the amazing trek around Annapurna. It used to be a nearly three-week adventure, but in the last decade a road has been built and a small airport added to ease access to Mustang’s barren mountains. It is still unclear what caused the accident in the last few hours involving the twin-engine Yeti, which killed 68 passengers and 4 crew members. There were about 15 foreigners, including 5 Indians, 4 Russians, 2 South Koreans and one French. The trekking season ended in mid-December and will resume towards the end of March, otherwise there might have been more westerners. Although Pokhara is easily accessible by bus, those with wooden superstructures covered with garish patterns are still in operation. If you are not in a hurry, an interesting alternative that will become an integral part of the trip.
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January 15, 2023 (change January 15, 2023 | 11:21)
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