Birat Anupam

Sir Edmund Hillary and Tanzing Norgay Sherpa scaled Mt. Everest on 29 May 2053 and State 1, commonly known as east Nepal, got glorious spotlight on the map of global adventure tourism activities.
Since then, some more adventure activities are commercially run in east Nepal. Adventure tourism activities like mountaineering, rafting, paragliding, trekking, mountain-biking, jungle safari, mountain flight, camping, skive diving, jet-boating, canoeing, caving, among others, are commercially in existence in east Nepal. New adventure activities like zip-flyer projects are also coming up in this State.
Still, there are numerous unexplored excellent adventure activities in east Nepal. Bordered by populous
Indian States of Bihar and West Bengal, east Nepal also shares borders with another tiny Indian tourism state of Sikkim and the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) of Tibet.
Besides its geographical connectivity with two giant economies of Asia-- China and India, east Nepal is also so close to two other South Asian nations-- Bhutan and Bangladesh. Both of these countries are within a one-hour-ride from the easternmost border point of Kakarbhitta.
Surrounded by bigger markets and populated by young dynamic adventure-seeking youths, east Nepal can sustain almost all adventure tourism activities commercially. Still, there is dearth of demanding adventure tourism activities just because of lack of knowledge and investment. There are many commercially feasible avenues of tourism investment in east Nepal, especially during Visit Nepal 2020 and the much talked 'tourism decade' thereafter.
Here are seven potentially profiting adventure tourism investment areas in State 1.

Ski resort
Skiing is a very famous snow adventure in the world. Ski and snowboarding lovers from across the world are interested to play ski in Nepal as it is home to the tallest peaks in the planet namely Mt. Everest, Mt. Kanchenjunga, Mt. Lhotse, Mt. Makalu, Mt. Cho-Oyu, among others. Owing to lack of ski infrastructures for skiing, State 1 is unable to tap its great unexplored ski potentiality. A ski resort can be a perfect idea for this to happen. A multi-purpose ski resort can be profitable because there are a growing number of ski players in Nepal. The government-owned Nepal Mountain Academy has produced dozens of level-1 ski players. Likewise, many Nepalis have developed ski skills abroad.
They can be local technical resource persons for a ski resort.
Such a type of resort is feasible both in the upper hills and the Himalayan areas. For example, Tyamke of Bhojpur, Tinjure, Milke, Jaljale (TMJ) of Sankhuwasabha, Terhathum and Taplejung and Timbung Pokhari of Panchthar can be perfect venues for ski resorts in the upper hills. Likewise, ski resort can also be feasible in snowing areas of Himalayas. According to Tshiring Jangbu Sherpa, a ski teacher at Nepal Mountain Academy, Rs. 250 million is enough to establish a ski resort with standard infrastructures suitable for westerners. If constructed, it would be the first ski resort in Nepal.

Bungee jump
There are thousands of bungee lovers in east Nepal. However, there is not a single bungee jumping facility in the entire State 1. At least a 250-metre tall bungee jumping facility can be a great tourism product as it would be the tallest one in the country.
The Bhotekoshi bungee jump is 160-metre tall, the tallest bungee so far, and soon-to-be operational Kushma bungee jump of Parbat is 224-metre tall.
According to tourism professionals associated with bungee jump, an estimated Rs. 30-100 million is required to construct a bungee jump project in Nepal.

Scuba diving
Scuba diving is an aquatic adventure, especially practiced in ocean and sea areas. Interestingly, it is also possible in deep rivers, ponds and lakes. According to dtmag.com, a magazine for dive training, 9-18 metre depth is enough for basic scuba certification and the standard limit for recreational divers is 39 metres. East Nepal is home to many beautiful water bodies having depth of around 18 to 39 metres. Such venues can be some sections of the Arun River and the Saptakoshi River, Gokyo Lake and ponds like Timbung and Sabhapokhari.
Likewise, other Himalayan and hilly rivers and ponds having 18-39 metres of depth are also appropriate for scuba diving. This form of adventure tourism activity can be run commercially with the help of available experienced retired scuba divers of Armed Police Force (APF). Gears worth Rs. 500,000 are adequate to start scuba diving.

Hot air ballooning
Currently only available in Pokhara, hot air ballooning also has a strong scope in east Nepal. As Nepal does not have its own human resources to operate hot air balloon flights, investors first need to produce local trained and professional manpower. According to a staff at the Pokhara hot air balloon service provider, investment of around Rs. 50 million is enough to fly a single hot air balloon.

Ultralight flight
Avia Club first started ultralight in Pokhara more than a decade ago. Previously only foreign pilots would pilot ultralight flights. These days, local pilots are enough to run ultralight flights. Places like Dharan, Bhedetar, Basantapur, Ilam, Panchthar can run this adventure activity in east Nepal. According to ultralight operator in Pokhara, an ultralight costs around Rs. 70 million.

Mountain coaster
Alpine coaster or mountain coaster is a very famous adventure tourism activity in mountainous regions of Switzerland. In this activity, people enjoy by sliding down the metal track on the sloppy hills and mountains seating in a cart. So far, Nepal doesn't have such projects. East Nepal is decorated with numerous beautiful hills and mountains. Stunning sloppy hills close to cities and international borders can be perfect places for mountain coaster.

Rock climbing
Rock climbing has been a preferred adventure activity in Nepal. However, east Nepal does not have any such sanctuaries for rock climbing. Investors can invest in innovative rock climbing facilities. Rock climbing is a must for mountaineering as well. Therefore, it has good commercial scope in virgin area of east Nepal. Rock climbing in natural rocks and in artificial walls can be a good adventure tourism project. A resort, hotel or even a cafe located at rocky areas can lead such a project.

(Anupam is a freelance writer based in Itahari)