Annapurna-Dhaulagiri trek map unveiled

By Thakur Prasad Acharya,Myagdi, Mar. 16: To promote tourism, a new map of the Annapurna-Dhaulagiri Community Trek, which includes the route to the Annapurna I Base Camp and several villages in the Myagdi and Parbat districts, has been unveiled.

During a special event on Saturday, Constituent Assembly member Gobinda Paudel, former Member of Parliament Bhupendra Bahadur Thapa, CPN-UML Myagdi District Committee Chair Bal Krishna Subedi, Annapurna Rural Municipality Chair Bharat Kumar Pun, Nepali Congress Annapurna Rural Municipality Committee Chair Krishna Prasad Baruwal, ACAP Dhampus Office Chief Bhim Upadhyaya and Myagdi Chamber of Commerce and Industry Chair Subin Shrestha unveiled the map jointly.

Tourism entrepreneur Chitra Tilija stated that the map was created to support the district's tourism development by collecting donations that amounted to Rs. 600,000.

“We prepared the map intending to contribute to tourism development in the district through donations. Local hotel entrepreneurs and Myagdi residents living abroad also supported this initiative,” Tilija said.

Tej Gurung, an advocate of the trekking route, said that the map details the Maurice Herzog Trail leading to the Annapurna I Base Camp, located in Annapurna Rural Municipality-4, Myagdi. Since the previous map was incomplete, this new map has been designed to include all necessary information, which is expected to aid tourism development in the region.

Seventy-five years ago, French mountaineer Maurice Herzog reached the Annapurna I Base Camp during his successful summit of the mountain. The new map is expected to assist tourists in navigating this historic trail, according to Constituent Assembly member Gobinda Paudel.

He stressed that the map will play a vital role in promoting major trekking routes in the district and contributing to the district's tourism development. Paudel also urged local governments to support trail development, infrastructure building and promotional efforts.

Former MP Thapa and Myagdi Chamber of Commerce and Industry Chair Shrestha stressed the need to prioritize tourism infrastructure development to boost the tourism sector. They expressed that promoting Annapurna I and the Maurice Herzog Trail would attract climbers, contributing to economic growth.

Annapurna Rural Municipality Chair Bharat Kumar Pun said that the local government is actively working to promote tourism, publicise the Maurice Herzog Trail and develop necessary infrastructure. He mentioned that around Rs. 12.5 million has been invested in building tourist infrastructure along the trail.