Work in Progress: Mustang Trails #visitnepal2020
The old caravan village of Kagbeni in Mustang is to become the starting point for the most spectacular mountain bike route in the world: With the mountain bike over the Himalayas! ©Trail Angels
The Mustang Trails are the flagship project for tourism in Nepal as part of the major #visitnepal2020 campaign. A network of mountain bike trails is to be created in the so-called Kali Gandaki Corridor. The unique thing about this network: It leads from the dry Tibetan highlands of Mustang through the deepest gorge on earth, the Kali Gandaki Gorge, wedged between the ice-armoured eight-thousanders Dhaulagiri and Annapurna, down to the subtropical jungle of Nepal.
Signing ceremony at the Ministry of Tourism in Kathmandu. The lighthouse project “Mustang Trails” can officially start! Also present: Our mountain bike expert Christian Miklautsch (3rd from right) and Fair Trails Ambassador Raj Gyawali (4th from left) ®Ministry of Tourism Nepal
Hard Work Exploring: Not all trails explored prove suitable for mountain biking. ® C. Miklautsch/Trail Angels
In our partner network, we have Christian Miklautsch, an internationally recognized mountain bike expert who spontaneously agreed to take on this very special project. This order was arranged by Raj Gyawali from Social Tours. Raj is one of our partners in the Fair Trails® project and took the opportunity to accompany Chris and the Nepalese team. A “Tour de Force” with daily performances (on foot and by bike) of 25k and 2,500 meters of altitude per day.
New opportunity: Informing mayors and lodge owners about the project. Many lodges are suffering from the decline in trekking tourism since the road was built through the Kali Gandaki Gorge. Mountain bike tourism is therefore a new, great opportunity for the region ® C. Miklautsch/Trail Angels
The tasks for Chris, Raj and the team are strenuous and varied: exploration on foot (up to 25km and 2,500 meters in altitude per day); riding the trails by bike and testing their suitability; detailed recording of the route sections; Documentation of the necessary structural measures; intensive information and communication with the mayors and lodge owners along the routes.
Grandios: Mountain biking in the natural paradise of the Kali Gandaki Gorge. ® C. Miklautsch/Trail Angels
Conclusion so far halfway through the recce tour: there is still a lot of work to be done before the Mustang Trails can be realised. But Chris and Raj are convinced: What can be created here is probably the most spectacular mountain bike trail on earth.
Sequel follows…
Autor
Günter Mussnig
The graduate geographer is one of the founders and managing directors of the Trail Angels, which are responsible for the web platform Bookyourtrail.com. As a trekking & As an outdoor freak, he is one of the fathers of the Alpe-Adria-Trail and has been exploring the Nepalese Himalayas for more than 25 years.
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