Korala visitors down after snowfall

By Hari Krishna Sharma  

Muktinath (Mustang), Nov 1 : The Korala border crossing, which used to receive more than 1,000 tourists daily until a week ago, has seen a sharp decline in activity due to heavy snowfall.

Tourists who had reached Lomanthang have returned before reaching Nepal-China border pillar number 24 because of snow on the road section connecting the Korala checkpoint via Chhoser in Lomanthang Rural Municipality of Upper Mustang.

Tourism entrepreneurs said that the possibility of reaching Korala in small vehicles is low, and tourists have returned safely from Lomanthang after being unable to reach the border due to the snowfall.

There has been heavy snowfall in the Korala border area, located at an altitude of 4,650 metres above sea level.

Pema Tshering Gurung, a local businessman, said that commercial stalls at the border have been selling goods only to truck drivers transporting goods through customs and to a few locals, as the number of tourists has sharply declined.

Gurung, who operates a business at the border from Chhoser, said, “This year, the snowfall came early, and as tourists have stopped coming, there is no business at the locals’ stalls. Business might resume by the end of this month if the weather improves.”

There are about 25 local commercial stalls at the Korala border. From August to October, locals earned substantial income by selling goods and services to tourists visiting the area.

Local traders who had purchased goods from the Chinese market in preparation for trading until mid-November may have to move down to the valley with unsold goods to escape the winter, said Tshering Utin Gurung, a ward member and tourism entrepreneur of Lomanthang-1, Chhoser.

Residents of Lomanthang and Loghekar Damodarkunda Rural Municipalities of Upper Mustang usually leave the district from Mangsir to Falgun to avoid the harsh winter.

It is very difficult to travel by vehicle during winter along the 110-kilometre road section from the district headquarters in Jomsom to Korala.

Since the formal opening of the Korala checkpoint on November 13, 2023, residents of five local levels in Mustang have been importing goods for household and commercial use from China. 

Locals of Mustang can enter the Chinese market simply by showing their identity cards.

This year, locals have earned between Rs. 30,000 and Rs. 100,000 from business activities at the Korala checkpoint.