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Hundreds of trekkers stranded in Himalaya due to bad weather
More than 2000 travelers remain stranded in the Himalaya after bad weather moved into the region earlier this week. High winds and thick cloud cover have conspired to cut off all flights back to Kathmandu, leaving the high altitude trekkers with an unexpected extended stay in the mountains.Most of the travelers were returning from treks in the Khumbu Region of Nepal, which includes hikes up to Everest Base Camp, located at 17,600 feet. Those treks generally begin and end in Lukla, a small and remote village in the Himalaya, which sits at an altitude of roughly 9100 feet, and offers the only true airport in the region. That airport is little more than a runway that runs up the side of the mountain, and is widely considered to be amongst the most dangerous in the world. The already tricky approach to the village becomes impossible when you add bad weather to the equation.
Fortunately, help began arriving yesterday when the Nepali army sent helicopters to Lukla to start evacuating some of the stranded travelers back to Kathmandu. Their helicopters perform much better in the poor weather conditions and offer plenty of lift to get the trekkers and their gear out of the Himalaya safely. With so many travelers waiting for a ride however, it'll take a few days before everyone is back in the capital.
Having visited Lukla this past spring, I can't even imagine where all of these trekkers are staying at the moment. While it is one of the larger villages in the Khumbu Valley, that isn't saying a whole lot. There are a number of good teahouses to stay in there, but the rooms fill up quickly, and generally it is a very transient place, with adventure travelers coming and going on a regular basis. With 2000 trekkers in the village, it must be one very busy and crowded place.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
peter gomez Nov 21st 2010 2:05AM
yes.. and i was one of them who stuck into such bad weather.. it not only happened in Nepal, it also happened in northern part of India. i was in Himachal Pradesh and was preparing for our trek. suddenly the bad weather started and me with my team got stuck there. it was a terrible experience. somehow we managed a car got down in plain land. i can never forget that experience.
St Lucia hotel
Susa Lützner Nov 21st 2010 6:30AM
Six days stuck in the Mountains because of bad weather, flown away by military helicopter to a very small airport after paying a shit lot of money, waiting half a day on the landing field then fighting for seats and flown to Kathmandu by another military flight. And of course delayed International flight from Kathmandu, staying the night in London and loosing our luggage again. Yeap been there! It was a sad, but memorable ending on a great trek ;0)
Armand Dirks Jan 23rd 2011 7:11AM
It happens every year again... Bad weather or technical problems keep travelers waiting in Lukla or Kathmandu for one or more days. It's a very wise idea to take that into account if you're heading to Everest region. Some say, you need to save 4 spare days to cope with delays. It's not a bad idea at all. Another idea is to have your flight tickets booked way before, so you will get an early flight (6.30u am). Or... plan to walk back from Lukla to Jir in three to five days, that's a great way, too. Anyway, Lukla is not a very good place to wait for a week, especially if you have an international flight waiting for you. Psychologically speaking, it's veeery interesting!
Armand http://www.mountainconsult.com