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East of Khumbu: Over Salpa La to the Arun Valley - Author's Notes Duration: 8 days Lukla to Tumlingtar When to go: Year round, but avoid the warmer monsoon period from June to September. Start: Lukla or Puiyan Finish: Tumlingtar or Hille The route as described starts on the main Everest tourist 'highway' in Solu and diverts into lesser-known parts heading generally southeast through the eastern district of Sankhuwasabha, crossing three ranges and two major rivers to reach the Arun valley. It is an interesting traverse through a variety of cultures and ecosystems. The route follows the same ground, albeit in reverse as H.W (Bill) Tilman on his initial approach to the Khumbu country in the autumn of 1950. If you've already done the big three: Khumbu, Annapurna and Langtang/Helambu, then this might be your next challenge. Allowing an extra weeks walking, the route would make an ideal add-on following a trek in Khumbu, and a 'backdoor' alternative with difference to the common Jiri 'walk-out'. Some of the trails can be very steep and are more taxing than anything on the main Solu-Khumbu trails despite the generally lower altitudes. There are some precarious bridge crossings but nothing really dangerous, given that there is infact a well-formed porter route along much of the way. Even for the novice trekker the route should not be out of the question given a little commonsense. You can start or finish trekking at the airstrip at either Tumlingtar, or further south at the road-head near Hille. There is enough of interest along the way not to rush this trek, however be aware that there may be a day or two waiting for the plane if flying out from Tumlingtar. I have seen commercial trekking itineraries allowing 15 days from Hille to Lukla - this is probably excessive, however would allow more time for rewarding side trips to some very rarely touristed areas. For excursions off the main trail you might consider taking a local guide for the day. The route can be strenuous at times crossing three sizable passes up to 3350m. You might at times crane your neck to see the path ahead as it climbs into the clouds above. For the most part these climbs look worse than they are, but this is certainly a step up in difficulty than the Jiri-Lukla route. Despite the altitude ranging from Lukla(2800m), Salpa La(3349m) to Tumlingtar(487m) it is debatable which is the more difficult direction of travel, given that both have their fair share of dizzying climbs and knee crushing descents, however climbing from the Arun towards the Khumbu would surely be the slower option. Personally I wouldn't agree, but some sources actually claim this route to be easier than the Jiri-Lukla route. Trekking in places like these can be as much psychologically as physically demanding, however neither direction should be regarded as overly difficult if taken at a sensible pace. At times it can be a very remote and wonderful landscape, however other than at one or two viewpoints there are not great mountain views in my experience - but there is enough of that in Khumbu to satisfy most. It can be difficult to find a detailed and accurate map for this trek - get the best you can while in Kathmandu. Whilst not essential, a little knowledge of Nepali will go a long way on this route. Most locals will have only a little knowledge of English if any, so being able to communicate will help you get by and enrich your trekking experience. Culturally, the trek is very interesting - moving from Sherpa through Rai, then down to Chhetri/Brahmin country. Despite the chain of basic lodges, impromptu lodgings can be commonplace in keeping with traditional hospitality throughout Eastern Nepal. Only one village (probably Brahmin) insisted that I should continue on my way, and would provide me no food or lodging - otherwise you will usually find helpful and generous people when you need them. The route can now be tea-housed with some degree of comfort. Lodge standards are about the same as the most basic found in main tourist routes, some a little better, some a little worse. Most lodges will have separate lockable guest rooms and an outhouse toilet. For the most part these are of a basic standard and well spaced to coincide with logical night stops, but in reality it is sometimes possible to find lodging in local houses or other surprising places. I saw one or two new lodges under construction that should now be up and running. Always have some emergency rations and snacks packed. Lodge cuisine is usually limited to Dal Bhat, Ra Ra noodles, biscuits and perhaps boiled eggs and chapattis. It is interesting to note the different local variations of Dal Bhat served up using readily available ingredients. Beware of remnant stones lurking in your rice - the closest dentist is in Kathmandu. Local produce such as bananas or mandarin oranges (suntala) are often available at trailside stalls. You might organise at breakfast time to take a packed lunch of boiled eggs, chappati and biscuits to be sure of eating during the day. As always in the hills treat all water unless you are sure it has been boiled. Please don't take plastic water bottles into the hills - they tend to stay there. Basic lodges/teahouse as noted May 2001:
You may wish to pack a tent, or bivvy bag to take advantage of some beautiful and secluded camping spots. Please don't collect firewood - take gas or kerosene for your stove. Select sensible toileting spots well away from water sources, and pack out or burn all of your rubbish leaving camping spots as you found them. Despite the current lack of authority in the area please read and follow the Makalu-Barun National Park rules and follow KEEP's guidelines for The Model Trekker - get a copy by visiting the KEEP offices in Kathmandu. If you time it right you might coincide your trek with the weekly market(haat bazaar) in villages along the way, however you may also prefer to avoid this time when trails see a little more local traffic. This phenomenon occurs throughout East Nepal and is often the highlight of the week with locals sometimes walking for a day or longer to buy, sell and socialise. Scheduled market days along and near the route are as follows:
Much of this area was certainly Maoist country in 2001, however in reality I saw nothing but a couple of posters. No one ever collected the NR1000 Makalu National Park entry fee and I noticed that most official signs had been vandalised. There was certainly no sign of a gun or donation collectors back then, although at the time of writing I would now go expecting to pay for the privilege of trekking in these parts. If you are requested to make a donation to the Maoist Party of Nepal, I suggest you negotiate a little, and perhaps ask for party identification and a receipt before paying up - chancing are that there is a fair bit of free-lancing going on in the name of Mao. However, it might be wise to establish a group strategy before this stage - to pay or not? If so how much and on what conditions? By 2001 the army had not yet been deployed against the insurgents. In January 2004 I had intended to repeat this walk after a Khumbu trek but never quite did as the situation had seemed to have changed: a multitude of army personnel, sandbags and razor wire all over Lukla, and news of shootouts to the south. It is difficult to judge the current Maoist situation, but there have been numerous skirmishes between rebel and government forces in the immediate area in the last couple of years, including a pitched battle at Bhojpur (south of Salpa La) in March 2004. Having said this I doubt there is any more immediate danger in this region than in most others in the kingdom, including the capital. Encounters with Maoist elements have for the most part been reported as congenial. Beware however that due to the political situation and the lack of government authority you are vulnerable, especially trekking solo in these more remote areas. There have been numerous instances of robbery and foul play in the area south of Puiyan and around Khari Khola. For trekking or medical emergencies there may still be a working radio in Bung, otherwise the nearest reliable aid is at either Tumlingtar, Lukla or perhaps Phaphlu. The route remains off the main tourist map for the time being so don't expect a great social scene. With the lack of general development along the way the villages and their inhabitants maintain a certain innocence to the western eye. In early May 2001 I saw on average one other trekker per day. While most of the apple-pie crowd remains quite unaware of the existence of this easily accessible trek, the lodges are there and are eagerly awaiting guests. At a guess the route probably sees between 400 and 800 trekkers per year, although with the general decline in tourism these figures would be optimistic for recent years. If you've ever wondered what the popular routes were like twenty years ago then you might get a taste here. There is certainly potential for trek-tourism in this area to mature once other areas become further crowded, commercialised and over-developed. This is however an area still in a relative infancy of tourist activity so please remember whatever to do follows wherever you go - Let's try not to repeat mistakes made elsewhere. Ask yourself: what will this route be like in ten or twenty years? The day-by-day itinerary described is a generally fairly conservative. Feel free to walk through to the next stop, but make sure that you allow plenty of time to reach your destination well before dark. In these times it would be unwise to continue trekking or wander too far after dark. Although it may be possible to walk all day and reach Tumlingtar in four very tough days, if you're in a hurry, the joys of this route will be wasted on you. Due to the nature of the terrain, the distance between any two points is usually irrelevant for most Nepal trekking - trekking should instead be measured in walking time. Nepali's use the measure of kos, however just what this actually equates to seems to vary. Rough walking times are given within the daily descriptions. Selected Itineraries: 6/10 day
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9/13 day
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The route from Tumlingtar to Hille is only loosely described in these pages - allow for another three days of mostly easy walking. As I accept these words of guidance are a little sketchy and lacking detail at times, I will attempt to update and consolidate the information having re-trekked this route in early 2006. Please feel free to offer updates and corrections. Comments, corrections or queries should be made using the comment system on each page. Happy trails Richard Beatson
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© Richard Beatson 2004 |