Trekker’s attraction of the ancient mountain trails of the Andes and the Himalayas
Inca trail and other Camino Andino, or ancient trails of the Andes mountains, as well as those of the Himalayas, continue to attract trekkers. What is the lure of these trails?
Throughout the 19th and 20th century scholars and explorers have been attracted by the seclusion of ethnic cultures populating remote inaccessible valleys and hidden outposts of the world. Their differing ways of life, architecture and beliefs have enticed explorers including solitary one-man expeditions that hoped would allow the individuals to penetrate the complexities of tribal life.
While some did succeed to visit areas that to this day remain closed to outsiders, many were unable to get through on account a variety of reasons, whether money, physical hardship or political conditions. Two unique regions in the Nepal Himalayas are now open to trekkers, Dolpo and Mustang.
Provided you are willing to buy expensive trekking permits you can now pursue the physical challenges of high mountain passes and be fascinated by the culture of peoples that have learnt to survived the harsh environment.
Trekking to Dolpo is not an easy venture as it takes you into the isolated region of the rain-shadow Himalayas, the fairy-tale region of snow leopard, separated from the rest of the world by some of Himalayas’ highest passes. Trekking to Mustang offers a look into a high altitude desert of once an independent kingdom with close ties to Tibet, the fabled former Kingdom of Lo.
If you still harbor adventure spirit, make it a point to visit one of these remote regions as soon as possible, as development promises to change even these once remote part s of the world soon.
This entry was posted on Sunday, January 24th, 2010 at 4:49 am and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.