Tea House Trekking in Barun Valley, Eastern Nepal

Tea House Trekking in Barun Valley, Eastern Nepal

-Parveen Kumar Chhetri 

(This article was originally published in 13th issue of the Hokudai Bisauni, which can be download from http://circle.cc.hokudai.ac.jp/nepal/bisauni/archive/issue13/bisauni13.htm)

 

Last October, I got chance to trek up to Yangle Kharka of Barun Valley with two of my friends and a local guide. Barun valley is situated in the north eastern part of the Makalu Barun National Park, Sankhuwasabha district, eastern Nepal. This was my first trek to eastern part of the Nepal, so I was very excited and curious. Thanks to newly introduced teahouse trekking system in the region, which made this trip possible. Teahouse trekking is a relatively cheap way of trekking, and the nights are spent in the Teahouse (Mountain Hut) run by friendly local people, where meals and accommodation are provided. It is a good way to know the local culture and tradition. Generally, Kathmandu based trekking agency organized trekking trip to Barun valley and charged lump sum of money, also known as commercial tourism. There were no lodging and fooding facilities in the upper part of this trekking route two year ago for low budget trekkers like me but now we can find tea houses in various places. 

Fig. 1: Makalu Barun National Park and Barun valley trekking route (red dotted line). Map source: DNPWC

Trekking to Barun valley start from the nearby airstrip Tumlingtar, and Jeeps are available up to Mude.  Tasigaon is the last village of the route and there is a very good facility of lodging and fooding up to here. However, recently local people had build tea houses at Kongma, Dobato, Yangle Kharka, Nangmale and Makalu Base camp. Now we have a tea house at Khongma, Dobato, three tea houses at Yangle Kharka, two in Nagmale and two in Makalu base camp.  After the construction of these tea houses, small groups of trekkers can trek without the help of the commercial trekking company. Just they have to reduce the backpack size and hire a local guide cum porter from Khandbari. This will reduce the trekking cost tremendously and even accessible to low budget foreign and domestic tourists.

The main Attractions of Barun valley trek

Remote and uninhabited Barun valley carries the religious and cultural significance for local people since centuries. Moreover, Barun valley also becomes the main tourist attraction since the establishment of Makalu Barun National Park in 1992.  Barun valley trek has following famous attractions: 

Sano Pokhari

Fig. 2: Sano Pokhari

Sano Pokhari (small lake) is situated at 4000 m elevation and provide sooth to tiresome hours long ascend from Khongma (3500 m). Moreover, short relapse in Sano Pokhari is helpful to pass the soon approaching highest pass (Shipton pass) of the trail comfortably.

Thulo Pokhari

Thulo Pokhari (Big Lake) is situated at about 4050 m elevation along the trail to Barun valley. We need to pass the Shipton pass (4200 m) before reaching the beautiful Thulo Pokhari, accompanied by newly constructed temples. If you have some coins please do not forget to put in the rock for a good will and happy journey here. 

Fig. 3: Thulo Pokhari

Shiva and Parbati Dhara

Every year hundreds of people climb precipitous and dangerous cliff to worship God Shiva and Goddess Parbati, and take a holy bath beneath the waterfall falling from two caves. This secret religious site is situated in Nhe kharka.

Ama Buchung

From centuries local people are visiting Ama Buchung (Mountain of the pregnant mother) for praying for prosperity and to request the gift of Children. I think a visitor will not be amused why local people pray Ama Buchung mountain for blessing of child, when they see the pregnant women womb like bulging mountain. 

Fig. 4:  Ama Buchung

Makalu base camp

Situated at about 5000m and attract hundreds of foreign tourists every season. Many splendors mountains like mount Makalu, Everest and Lhotse, etc. can be seen from the Makalu base camp. 

Pros and Cons of tea house trekking

If we take the example of Langtang, Annapurna circuit, Everest trekking route most of the income of trekking goes to local people because most of the trekkers stay in local people lodge and consume traditionally prepared food items. In the case of Barun valley trekking, most of the income goes to Kathmandu based trekking agencies. In Barun valley, most of the trekkers are from trekking agencies, and they brought most of the food items from Kathmandu. It contributes hardly anything to the local economy. In the case of the tea house trekking most of the income is retained locally.

However, environmentally tea house trekking is less environmental friendly than the commercially arranged expedition. Trekking company use kerosene and LPG gas for cooking purposes but the tea house harvest fuel wood from nearby forest. Heavy destruction of forest near Yangle Kharka for newly constructed tea houses was observed during the visit. However, there is much more benefit of the tea house trekking over commercial trekking if we provide basic training to local people about importance of environmental friendly trekking. 

Fig.　5: Newly constructed tea house at Yangle Kharka

Nepal Tourism Year 2011 and Barun Valley

Nepal government has declared year 2011 as a Nepal Tourism Year to boast the tourism in the country but tourism are centered in some location only. For example, 95 percent of the 120,000 trekkers visiting Nepal annually do not go beyond the Annapurna, Langtang or Everest regions. Only around 6,200 trekkers visit others trekking areas of the Nepal. The reason is lack of good facilities in these areas but newly introduced tea house trekking facility in area like Barun valley is ready to attract more tourists. Local people of Sankhuwasabha have just launched the tea house trekking agency (http://www.makaluaruntreks.com/) based in Khandbari for facilitating the visitors in Nepal Tourism Year 2011.