Nepal’s Trekking Industry Is Now Running a Relief Operation

The tour operators who make their living in Nepal have turned into a relief network. After a flash flood tore down the Bhote Koshi gorge on the Nepal-Tibet border in late August, sweeping away the Rasuwagadhi border post, bridges, hydropower plants and long stretches of the only road linking Kathmandu to Tibet overland, several international operators have opened fundraising appeals for the recovery. The valley is a heavily used pilgrimage and trekking corridor because of its proximity to Mount Kailash, and operators including the US-based Himalayan Glacier had groups in the area when the water came through.

The human toll has kept climbing. Nepali authorities have confirmed well over 900 deaths, with more than 4,200 people still listed as missing on the Nepali side, among them foreign trekkers, pilgrims and hundreds of hydropower workers. Nearly 1.6 million people have been affected. By the government’s own accounting it is the deadliest disaster to hit Nepal since the 2015 earthquake.

Intrepid Travel has launched an appeal through its non-profit arm, the Intrepid Foundation, directing donations to the Australian Red Cross, which is supporting the emergency response. Intrepid runs more than two dozen itineraries in Nepal with a local team of roughly 460 people, and has raised more than $171,000 so far while matching donations up to $72,000. Its Nepal general manager, Yalamber Rai, described communities grieving losses while facing months of difficulty ahead.

Others have followed. Sherpa Hospitality Group, which operates mountain lodges in Nepal, has opened a GoFundMe with the Kathmandu-based Pasang Lhamu Foundation, with proceeds going to the Prime Minister’s Disaster Relief Fund. Exodus Adventure Travels is raising money through its foundation for its disaster response partner React and other humanitarian partners on the ground, and is matching donations up to $10,000. Travelers with autumn trekking bookings should contact their operator directly, as road access in the affected corridor remains severed.

Sources: Travel Weekly, Nepal News