Merry Christmas & Happy New Year 2009

The autumn season of 2008, a peak tourist season in Nepal is almost over and has given way to lean winter. During this season Himalayan Glacier organized treks and tours in Nepal, Tibet, Bhutan and India. There was a huge turnout of clients for this season as we received comparatively more number of trekkers than the last year.

The herald of the New Year 2009 will surely bring good omen for business. We would like to wish all of our valued customers and clients a very happy New Year. We are very happy to inform you that the online booking and registration for 2009 is already underway. Grab this opportunity quickly; contact us for life changing experience into the Himalayas.

Himalayan Glacier will be offering new destinations, packages and treks in the Himalayas from 2009. The stable government and peace finally restored in Nepal, tourists are now free to travel in Nepal. We have several new offerings for the coming spring season, which includes introductory tariffs for itineraries in Nepal, Tibet and Bhutan and also usual attractions of Everest, Lhasa and Thimpu.

Goddess Sita Fest in the offing

The ancient city of Mithila is all set to observe the marriage of Ram and Sita at Janakpur. Regarded as the birthplace of Sita, one of the mythical Hindu Goddesses, the entire city of Janakpur including the Janakpur Temple is now being decorated.

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Elephant Polo held in Nepal

The 16th International Elephant Polo was recently held in Meghauli, Chitwan in central Nepal. This year Nepali team Chitwan National Park finished with 10-7 scores against the British Gurkhas in the final round thereby winning the title.

Another match between Nepali Tiger Tops and British Pukka Chukka was a disappointing one for the home crowd as Pukka Chukka tallied 6-5 scores in their favour. The second match was played between British teams India Tigress and Air Tusker, with the former finishing with 3 goals against 2. Likewise

The Polo was participated by 8 teams: three British, one American, one Sctottish and three Nepali. The Polo is organized every year at the scenic and natural town of Chitwan. The objective behind the event is not only to attract tourists in the region but also to aid and support in the conservation effort in and around Chitwan National Park, Nepal’s first national park. Started first in Nepal back in 1982, the Elephant Polo is now famous in Sri Lanka, India and Thailand.

Black Buck Conservation Area

Khairapur in Bardia, situated south-west part of Nepal is being declared Buck Conservation Area. Khairapur spread in 488 hectares is the only place in Nepal where Black Buck is found in abundance. A recent estimate put the total number of wild buck around 211. This is a dramatic increase over the years since its first census in 1975 showed only 177 wild Buck.

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Tourist Arrival increases by 6.6 %

In spite of the global economic recession Nepal has observed a healthy growth in tourist arrival during the month of November. This year a total of 36, 851 tourists came to Nepal via air. As compared to the same period last year, this is a 6.6 per cent increment. With this the total arrival till the 11 months of 2008 has reached 344,599 tourists.

The number of Europeans coming to Nepal increased this month. 13,939 Europeans visited Nepal during the month which is 6 % rise over last year. There were a total of 467 British tourists, recording a growth of 10 %. Similarly tourists from France, Denmark, The Netherlands and Norway have also increased. The number of American tourists in November reached 1606 which accounts for 6.8 increment over last year.

Tourists from South Asia including Bangaldesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka have also recorded impressive growth.

Tourism rebounds in Nepal

With the beginning of tourist season in Nepal, the number of tourist arrival has observed dramatic increase in the past months. Mid-September to Mid December is considered the peak season for tourists in Nepal when thousands of tourists visit the Himalayan regions for trekking, mountaineering and other recreational activities.

The October season alone has recorded 50,567 tourists which is perhaps the highest number of tourists ever visiting Nepal in a single month. The number of European and American tourists this year has seen positive growth with increment averaging about 5 to 10 %. Similarly tourists from the Pacific including Japan, Australia and New Zealand has also recorded and encouraging growth.

Tourist hubs like Thamel, Pokhara, Nagarkot and Chitwan are fully occupied by tourists. There has been scarcity of hotel accommodation in these places due to greater influx of tourists. Hotel and lodge owners in areas like Everest and Annapurna has seen the greatest number of tourists ever since 2000. Read more

International Mountain Film Festival

The Kathmandu International Mountain Film Festival (KIMFF) is scheduled to begin in Kathmandu on 11 December, the preparation for which is already underway. The festival will be held for five days and will screen the best and latest movies and documentaries related to the mountain communities. The movies that will be showcased in this year’s KIMFF will include issues of mountain culture, lifestyles, globalization, conflict, wildlife and ecosystem.

This year over 200 request proposals were submitted for the festival from 36 different countries. Among them 64 movies have been selected representing 18 different countries. Out of 64, 33 are categorized as non-competitive, 20 competitive while 11 will Nepalese panorama movies. The KIMFF will be selecting and awarding the best movies. The judges panel consist of Nepali Director Yadav Kharel, Indian Urgyen Choppel and Australian mountaineer and writer Brigit Muir. The award for the first, second and third positions include purses of US $ 1500, US $1000 and US $500 respectively. Read more

Cartoonist Ronan Luri to exhibit on Everest

With a unique goal of sketching cartoons on top of Everest, famous American cartoonist Ronan Luri is coming to Nepal. Promoter of United Painting, Luri wants to use Everest as a platform to publicize about his experiment and has termed the expedition ‘United Painting on top of Everest’. Read more

14th Asian Mountain Bike Championship in Nepal

The 14th Asian Mountain Bike Championship took place in Nepal from November 8 till 10 2008 in the capital city of Kathmandu. 30 men and 11 women cyclists from 13 nations took part in the championship. The event was divided into Cross Country race and Down hill competition held on 8 and 9 respectively. A total of five Nepalese cyclists participated in the competition.

The first place in the Cross Country race was won by Chineses Li Sui Jiang who completed the race in 1 hr. 54 min. 51 seconds. Jiang was closely followed by Japanese Yamamoto who had the best timing of 1 hr. 55 min. 46 secs. The Chinese defending champion Jian Hua Ji came in the 10th place. In the ladies category, world champion Chen Yu An clinched the title with 1 hr. 34 min. 24 secs. Read more

International Tourism Summit to be held in Nepal

Nepal has been chosen as the next venue for the International Tourism Summit of the United Federation of Travel Agents (UFTA). The Summit is scheduled to take place in November 2009. Nepal beat Bulgaria and Belgium for this coveted opportunity.

The decision has been taken considering the popularity of Nepal as a unique and one of the best tourist destinations in the world. Hundreds of travel agencies of 79 different countries are member of UFTA, which operates as the umbrella organization of international travel agents.

The summit will be participated by over 200 international travel agents and will be held in coordination with Nepal Association of Tour and Travel Agents (NATTA). Nepal is all prepared to host the summit with elaborate programs and festivals.

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