A year on from the quake, the dust in Kathmandu and the surrounding countryside has well and truly settled. Anyone who has been to Nepal and met the incredible people who make up this country will not be surprised at their stoic, even cheerful attitude and the sheer industry with which they have applied themselves to the task of rebuilding and restoring their lives and livelihoods.
“It's been a difficult 12 months. The extensive media coverage has dented business for the Nepal tourist industry, but 2016 is the year to visit before its gets busy again. We'll be running a full programme across the country from Kangchenjunga in the East to Dolpo in the West and of course the traditional routes of Everest and Annapurna.” - Fiona Marshall, Head of Product, KE Adventure Travel
Saturday 25th April 2015
It was a dark day for all of us at KE. We were first alerted by Satish, one of our main contacts in Nepal, calling KE Director Tim Greening at 7:30am. News stories followed this reporting that there had been a devastating earthquake close to Kathmandu; at that stage we had no idea of the scale of things. Desperate for more news, we immediately tried to contact our agents and friends in Kathmandu. The phone lines were down, and communications were difficult, but we managed to establish that our staff were safe, as were all of our clients. It was apparent that there was significant damage to buildings and infrastructure and there would be immense disruption. With groups due to fly to Nepal that very day, we scrambled to make phone calls to those who were about to board planes, in one case we only managed to reach two of our clients as they were about to leave the departure lounge to board their flight!
The main trekking area of Everest was back to normal within a few months and the Annapurnas hardly suffered at all. Even the worst affected areas of the more popular treks, Langtang and Rolwaling are now ready to welcome visitors this autumn.
In March 2016, Prince Harry travelled to Nepal for an official 5 day Royal visit and then stayed on for another 6 days, working with a local community to rebuild a school damaged by the earthquake. While in Nepal Prince Harry trekked into the foothills of the Himalaya. His tweets during the tour give us an insight into what the experience meant to him:
“You have to come and walk in the foothills of the Himalayas - watching the sunrise there is something I'll never forget”.
At the end of his visit the Prince said: “Living in such dramatic scenery clearly has an effect on the Nepalese - such calm, friendly people and so much love to give. Note to self - visit again!”
