1

That is ridiculous, especially because Langtang is such an easy trek to do on your own. I did it solo in 2009 and it was easy as pie.

2

Rather than that aspect of safety, it's because a trekker was murderedand another went missing some time ago. Both were solo female trekers.

scoodly

3

i think common sense has to prevail over rules. trekking in Nepal is easier and people are very helpful. they welcome you and help you along your journey. so while safety is a primary concern such incidents are very rare. and yes while it is okay for trekkers to trek without guides or porters it is never okay to do alone. i mean the trekking region is far way from civilisation, there can be wild animals and a few bad people waiting for opportunity. and it is not okay for women to trek alone. but yes it is wrong for TAAN to suggest compulsary guide or porter. this will really hamper tourist experience of trekking in Nepal.

4

Hopefully this us just more wishful thinking by those with vested interests in the trekking industry of Nepal and AGAIN demonstrates how poor their grasp is on reality.

Can anyone answer one simple question ?? – That is how would a trekker employing a porter improve their safely – Any regular trekker in Nepal knows that when you employ a porter that you give them your pack in the morning and then tell them where you will be staying that night and then the porter meets you there, the probability is that you won’t see him again all day – Or is TAAN proposing that porters now walk with their clients – If that is the case then how is Yet Another change in regulations going to be policed ???
It strikes me that miss-information follows information-information, TAAN pre-empties proposed changes in regulations and then posts what they hope will happen rather that what has happened and posters in the Nepali trekking industry only add to the confusion.
None of this will help tourism or trekking in Nepal
Oh Hum
Rob

5

Re post 1 above: it is not so much about getting lost or injured etc, but about people disappearing or being attacked. In Langtang in the past 2 or so years:

Aubrey Sacco has been missing since about April 2010, despite some very large searches.

2 female trekkers have been attacked in separate incidents.

Debbie Maveau's body was found decapitated in about May 2012 - she was trekking to Gosainkunda.

Also a Japanese trekker somehow managed to get lost for about 14 days above Gosainkunda in 2011 - she survived on leaves and was found by chance by villagers.

About 12 people have gone missing in the Everest region in the last 10 years or so - most were young male trekkers, for no obvious reasons, like bad weather, avalanches etc. Neither were most intending to do unusually dangerous things, as I understand it. Two of those have gone missing this year.

All the above were trekking solo. So far as I am aware, no one trekking with others has "disappeared".

I have visited Nepal 5 times, done a lot of trekking, some of it at high altitude in mid winter, some of it solo, and I have never had a scratch, but my experience, and that of many others, does not alter the facts, such as above, about the fates of some solo trekkers. If a few people are being assaulted, it is a very difficult risk to assess, and impossible to really deal with unless someone is a combination of Bruce Lee and James Bond. My view is that people should be aware of the "risks", and then make their own decision, but I do recognise that there is clearly a serious issue in Langtang at the present time - anyone who can cut someone's head off is clearly very sick.

TAAN are blatantly trying to exploit the situation to promote their members' commercial interests, under the guise of safety. This looks to be their latest attempt - no doubt this will continue.

6

Hi

This article is from August 26th and a government spokesman has stated they are considering the decision which is different from "planning". TAAN misled (again) by planted that word and the Himalayan Times accepted it at face value (more lazy journalism).

scoodly

7

Of course, this article is NOT an official decision.
It is JUST A REFERENCE as everyone knows.

No one knows what the government's final decision will be made!
It could be A (All area), B (Only Lantang area) or C (None area)!!
We'll see!!!

8

Your unqualified reference is OUT OF DATE and MISLEADING.

There are a NUMBER of threads on this subject with better information, READ THEM!!!

9

Your unqualified reference is OUT OF DATE and MISLEADING.
There are a NUMBER of threads on this subject with better information, READ THEM!!!

---

Scoodly!

You can't said that 'Your unqualified reference is OUT OF DATE and MISLEADING'.

1. OUT OF DATE?
The article's original date was August 27th, and I posted here August 30th. Isn't it 'OUT OF DATE'?

2. MISLEADING?
I just copied/pasted the original article from the news website to here. Isn't it 'MISLEADING'?

3. Your unqualified reference?
Are you a judge or a referee on this LP Nepal forum? Please tell us why it is an UNQUALIFIED.

Thanks

10

nepal12345
First of all, as a poster from the Nepal, your point of view might well differ from that of a trekker visiting your country – However, SHOUTING these differences really doesn’t help you in putting your point of view across.
As scoodly has said, there have been several threads lately on the proposed changes to the trekking rules and until the Nepali authorities finally decide whether or not these rules are going to come into being, all you are doing by posting articles like this is to scare off your own potential customers – If you read some of the precious posts you will see that already trekkers are making alternative plans rather than returning to Nepal.
Hence, IMHO, you would be far better off using whatever influence you have to deter the Nepali authorities from enforcing what most of us regular visitors to Nepal think is a Very Bad Idea
Best Regards
Rob

11

I can say those things:

Out of date because there are other reports with better research and journalism that have been published after that article. The time difference between publication and your post is therefore rendered irrelevant.

Misleading because a government spokesman has stated there are no such plans and never have been.

If you post an article without any qualifying reference or comment you are accepting the contents as true and promoting it to others.

So, the article is out of date, misleading and you did not qualify it in anyway.

The only good thing about your post is editing out the personal attack on me, albeit a rather pathetic one. I won't interact with you directly anymore but will post on your threads if necessary.

scoodly