Myagdi. Over 12,000 domestic tourists have visited the base camp of Mt Annapurna I at Narchyang of Annapurna Rural Municipality-4 in Myagdi district during the past two months. From September to the third week of October, there was a huge influx of domestic tourists in this area.

During the period, around 200 to five hundred tourists visit Annapurna First Base Camp on a daily basis, said Tej Gurung, a tourism entrepreneur who has been running a hotel business at Humkhola along the ‘Maurice Herzog’ trekking route. According to him, the number of tourists visiting Annapurna Base Camp so far on the occasion of Dashain, Tihar and Chhath festivals is a holiday.

Since last year, hotels have been established at Humkhola, Phutphute waterfall, Sandhikharka, Gufaphant, Bhusketmela and Panchakunda lake for the convenience of tourists.

This trekking route is preferred by domestic tourists as it has access to road network from Narchyang to Humkhola and trekking route can be completed in two days as some trekking route has been constructed from there to the base camp.

Tourism entrepreneurs are excited after the arrival of tourists in this area within a short period of its operation. Youths from different parts of the country are coming to this area to enjoy the enchanting Panchakunda lake located at Annapurna Base Camp, the footfall along the footpath and the scenic views of Mistrikhola.

Bharat Kumar Pun, chairperson of Annapurna First Base Camp, said that the promotion of natural beauty, infrastructure development and basic food and accommodation facilities have contributed to the increase in the number of tourists.

According to him, the ‘Annapurna Diamond Jubilee Festival’ organized at the Annapurna base camp at the initiative of the rural municipality last year on the occasion of 75 years of mountaineering has made publicity of the area widespread.

“The number of tourists has exceeded the capacity of the hotels located at the base camp area and we have planned to make it more systematic,” he said, adding, “We are coordinating with ACAP to operate one more hotel between Bhusket Mela and Panchkunda Lake. The Annapurna rural municipality has also initiated necessary initiatives to provide access to communications and electricity in the base camp area of the trekking route.

Chair Pun said the rural municipality is preparing to mobilize a team of sanitation campaigners at the base camp as the trekking route and the base camp area have been polluted with the rise in garbage in the trekking route and the base camp area.

The rural municipality, which has made arrangements to celebrate Annapurna Everest Day continuously, has said that it will mobilize the budget of Rs 20 lakh allocated in the current fiscal year for upgrading the infrastructure including trekking route leading to the base camp.