Great Himalayan Trail a remarkable trail which takes to you along the glorious Himalayas, stunning landscapes, delightful green forests, remote hidden valleys, and exciting terrains. Trekking in Great Himalayan Trail will undoubtedly give you the ultimate experience, also trekking in this route will contribute to the locals residing in that region.
“Great Himalayan Trail” is a new title replacing the old and original one “The Great Himalaya Trail.” The original trail was a route across the country from east to west, and the new trail adds a collection of various trail in the upper and middle district of Nepal to the original route. The aim behind introducing a new brand was to open up new trekking products and support inclusive rural development in these regions.
As the Himalayan range is vast and many parts of it are yet to be explored, the trail is always changing, so it is impossible to mark the exact route of trekking. However, no matter which route you choose while trekking in Great Himalayan Trail, it will give you the best experience. It is a once in a lifetime opportunity as Great Himalayan Trail is one of the longest and highest trekking trails in the world.
The trek is perfect for those who are looking are a cutting edge of adventure travel. Great Himalayan Trail has a most dramatic trail, and it traverses entire Nepal from east to west in the shadows of world’s highest peaks. Along with tallest mountains of the world, there are many high passes above the height of 5,000 meters too.
Great Himalayan Trail is composed of ten varying sections from Kanchenjunga on eastern border to Humla on the western border with Tibet. The trail passes from subtropical jungles to high altitude alpine ecosystems through quaint villages of Buddhists, Sherpas, Hindus, Tibetan refugees, Lhomis, Shamans and many other ethnic groups; these are not exactly the trekking path but the result to the lack of infrastructure development. It is the existing network of primitive trade and pilgrimage trail that have been in use by locals for over centuries.
History of Great Himalayan Trail
In order to explore and understand more of the Great Himalayan Trail, an official expedition took place in 1950 when Nepal opened its borders to the other countries for the first time. For this expedition, early climbing pioneers mostly from western countries came to Kathmandu for the opportunity to face off against the tallest mountains of world. In that year, Annapurna I was the first 8,000 meters mountains to climb, and in May 1953 the history was written when Tenzing Norgay Sherpa and Edmund Hillary successfully climbed the Everest and returned safely. During that time, many things were yet to discovered and known. Edmund Hillary and his group spent several months hiking in Kathmandu through jungles and faced many obstacles to reach Solukhumbu region and Everest Base Camp. Sherpas of mountain region are known to the world as a fearless and daring mountain climber, and the starting point of it was when they got convinced to help on the expeditions. And even the famous Annapurna Circuit trek was not a circuit trek; it was just a basic path of commerce for local villagers.
By the year 1960, a general idea came regarding Nepal could be one of the trekking havens in the world. Then gradually, the flow of tourist increased every passing year,and soon Nepal established itself as a hub of adventure tourism. Trekking destination like Everest Base Camp and Annapurna Circuit ruled the trekking business of Nepal. But, very soon the roads in Annapurna Circuit slowly led to the deterioration of trail and trekkers started looking for other options realizing the great Himalayas of Nepal has much more to offer. And, it proved to be correct, as there is thousands kilometer of trails through remote and hidden valleys and villages which has the same ambiance as famous treks.
Then in 2009, the Great Himalaya Trail was introduced to the world. The trail is still a rough patchwork of local footpaths, but after spending five years on research, documentation,and mapping, the Great Himalaya Trail was walked in 2008 and 2009 by a team in 162 days led by Robin Boustead. And, the first commercial took place in 2011 from February through August and was accomplished in 157 days.
As the length of the Great Himalayan Trail is prolonged compared to others, the trail is less visited. But despite your trekking in Great Himalayan Trail in full length, it offers you the best route of the world,and it will change your perspective about trekking in Nepal.