Starting from Beni in Myagdi, past Lamsung, Jaljala and Gurjaghat into Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve and villages of Rukum and Rolpa, the 12-day long trek is a walk through the history of the Maoists’ People’s Movement. The moderately difficult trek is characterized by steep uphill and downhill terrains that retrace the steps of the Maoist trail used during the armed conflict.
Remains of ruined homes, the site of the first weaponry training and the place where the Maoists planned the unforgettable Beni Attack in 2004. Despite all these, the region hasn’t lost its cultural practices, religious rituals and rich heritage. With infrastructural development, tourism in the area can not only create employment to villagers, but also provide adventurers an exciting new route with cultural as well as historical significance.
As Nepal Tourism Year 2011 kicks off, Jitendra Bhattarai, officer at Nepal Tourism Board shares his experience in a travelogue of the Guerilla Trek.
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On the first day of our journey from Kathmandu, we arrived at Beni, the district headquarters of Myagdi, where we spent the night. Beni, also known as a Bazaar flushed with remittances, is where trekkers, before beginning their walk to Annapurna, Dhaulagiri and Dolpa, do their shopping.
Since the trek was to begin from Darbang, we took a jeep to that point. Darbang is the entry point to both the Dhaulagiri trek and the Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve. Therefore, food and lodging are not a problem here. We bought glucose, biscuits, chocolates and dry fruits.
Our walk started at midday.
Three hours after crossing the suspension bridge over the Myagdi River, we reached the village of Dharapani. From there, we could see the Dhaulagiri and Gurja Himal peaks.
Our destination for the day was Takam, at 1,665 meters above sea level (masl). So we had our afternoon snack at Dharapani and headed on a moderate uphill walk of another three hours. Upon cash payment, Takam villagers will serve you meals in their homes. Dal-bhat and kukhurako masu (chicken curry) for an empty stomach is indeed a wonderful meal!
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We woke up on a cold morning warmed by the sun. With the Dhaulagiri Range in front of us, we immediately took pictures. Our journey progressed as we played hide and seek with the green terraces of the hills, tall mountains and thick forests. We picked wild raspberries on the way to Lamsung, which we reached after an eight-hour uphill hike. Most Lamsung villagers are Magars and Bishwakarmas.
The next morning, we tasted delectable peaches growing along the way. Munching on, we braced ourselves for a three-hour uphill walk, which led us to Mareni – a village with only three households. We stopped for lunch and filled our bottles with water for the next hike, through rhododendron forests, to Myagdi’s Jaljala, located at 3,420 masl.
Jaljala is a green moor, from where one can see the Dhaulagiri, Churen and Gurja Ranges. Here, we rested and ate. Ahead was the rest of the day’s journey of six more hours.
Sadly, we had to make this journey through a forest destroyed by wildfire. Despaired at the sight, we reached Gurjaghat in the evening. There was only one hotel there. To get over the cold and our exhaustion, we had some “jhwainkhatte” (local liquor laced with hot roasted barley). I didn’t know the brew would be so bracing.
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On our fourth day, we reached Chyantung, perched at 2,875 meters. It was a fun-filled experience to walk through tall hills, listening to chirping birds. We took photographs of a group of students at the village. They looked pleased when they saw their pictures on the camera display.
The taste of Chyantung’s lamb sukuti (dried meat) refused to leave our taste buds. Next to the hotel were white blooming flowers on apple trees. A two-hour conversation with the owner, and we were ready to move on through the Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve for the next seven hours, to arrive at Maasgaun. However, it would be a better idea to spend the night at Dhorpatan, which is also the way to Dolpa.
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After a short downhill trek from Maasgaun, we had lunch at Nisi Dhor (2,675 meters). With rice, we had some fish sukuti from the Uttar Ganga River. From there, we headed to Taksero in Rukum.
Although there are plenty of rhododendrons and pine trees along the way, drinking water is hard to come by. However, we did see leopard footprints. We kept on the lookout for them through our binoculars, but we only saw areas where deforestation had taken its toll.
It took us eight hours to reach Taksero, which has some 300 households. With telephone service available in the area, we called our homes. A majority in Taksero belongs to the Magar community and some of their important cultural traditions include Bhumi Puja, Bala Puja and Rake Parva.
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The closer we got to the previous conflict-affected regions, the more difficult the journey became. The sixth day was a tough trek. We became easily tired walking up steep bare hills. Our group stopped at the Lukum Pass. Those who finished the climb switched on the GPS (Global Positioning System) to check the altitude. It showed 3,100 meters. It had taken us four hours to ascend 400 meters.
We now had to go down a steep and difficult route to Lukumgau. We held onto the roots of trees as we headed down. It took us four hours to reach the village with around a hundred houses. Built adjacent to each other, all against the hill, the houses look like parapets of a stadium from afar. We bade goodbye to the Magar family that prepared our food and started on to Rujikhola.
Within two hours, we were at Rujikhola (2,225m). The Maoists had planned their attack on Beni at this place of difficult terrains.
We were to reach Thabang in Rolpa on this day. We were very excited. Rhododendron forests, green moors, fields of marijuana and plums were aplenty on our way. One of our friends picked some wild spinach for the evening’s meal.
Thabang lies at the confluence of two rivers. The launching base of the Maoists’ People’s Movement, we found many ways of developing Thabang as a tourist village. It can be an attractive destination for those interested in the Maoist commune, Kham Magar culture and the history of the People’s Movement.
We were charmed by the residents’ friendliness. They showed us around the village with its stone-paved ring road. The ruins from the period of the Maoist insurgency remain visible. The youth have built a volleyball court on the ruins of burnt homes.
With promises to meet again, we bade farewell to the friendly people of Thabang the next morning, with garlands around our necks. I also got some local snack from the landlady.
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We reached Jaljala in Rolpa after a steep upward hike of five hours. Enveloped by forests with hillocks scattered till far off, you can see the Dhaulagiri, Sisne and Annapurna Himals from here at 3,160 meters, including the entire valley of Dang. Here you can find animals such as Red Panda, Ghoral and Mountain Leopard, along with different herbs.
We walked around Jaljala in the evening. One of our group members caught a glimpse of the rare Red Panda. We also spotted a Thar (a large goat-like animal) through binoculars.
A village fair takes place in Jaljala on the full moon day of Jestha. A festival had also been organized in the past to promote tourism in the region. At Thabang, the residents have formed a committee to advance tourism. The day before, we had made promises to help them in our own possible ways.
Jaljala carries natural, religious as well as political significance. With wide open spaces that can accommodate a large number of people, the place had become a key location to train Maoist guerillas during their People’s Movement. Jaljala was the place where their weaponry training first took place.
Since there are no human settlements in the area, we spent the night in a makeshift booth made during a fair. We had brought food from Thabang.
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It was a five-hour walk to Jelbang (1,655 meters) where we had our brunch. We had freshly picked simi (green beans) from the Maoist commune’s kitchen garden. Jelbang was adversely affected during the People’s Movement. Many were killed in crossfire in state-Maoist encounters.
We rested a bit and headed on to the trek’s last point of overnight stay. Jelbang has an iron mine. We collected pieces of iron from the foot of a rocky hill – a memento of Jelbang.
The next day, we made a downhill walk of four hours to Sulichaur. A motorable road linking Sulichaur to Jelbang was being built. We bathed at Sulichaur and took the night bus back to Kathmandu on the 12th day of our journey.
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The Ropla District Development Committee is working on developing the Guerilla Trek. We studied the route under the aegis of the National Nature Conversation Fund in June 2010. The Trek can be marketed after some infrastructural development.
Tourism in Nepal can do better with more diversity in addition to those popular routes and traditional destinations such as Annapurna, Sagarmatha and Langtang. This particular route we took, for instance, can become a potential alternative trek for Nepal Tourism Year 2011. As it is, there is a target of attracting 40% of the envisaged one million tourists to newer destinations. Promoting domestic tourism is also one of the focuses of the new Tourism Policy. While it may not yet be ready to cater to foreigners, the Guerilla Trek can prove to be a worthy experience for domestic tourists.
The writer is an officer at Nepal Tourism Board.
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