One definitive strand of welcome news is resumption of the Kailash-Manasarovar Yatra, via the Lipulekh Pass on the Uttarakhand-Nepal-Tibet trijunction and the Natu La leading out from Sikkim to the Chumbi Valley in Tibet, both arranged by the Ministry of External Affairs.
A Delhi-based UN Tourism and environment specialist
Notwithstanding the swift blacktop road network spreading out to our farthest mountain regions, the Lipulekh route encompasses some trekking on both sides, while the Sikkim access is primarily for senior fleshpots. Make no mistake though; both routes require compatible physical condition and acclimatization at altitude, backed by responsive evacuation logistics.
The limitless arena for sustainable mountain experiences in India as well as cross-border, has the pointer to our recent push for rural, border and battlefield tourism. The BITB Conclave this April emphasised What’s Trending: “The world of travel and tourism is evolving at an electrifying pace – shaped by changing consumer behaviour, tech innovations, sustainability demands, and experiential preferences.” Nowhere is this manifest as firmly as in the Great Indian Outdoor.
But first, a quick look through geog-histo lens. And the focus? Mount Trisul naturally…
Widely understood, ‘India’ derives from Sindhu (Indus) of which the Farsi Hind was an echo that resonated as India amidst the peripatetic Greeks and Romans. In this cosmological vastness the Himalaya is a life support source of precipitation, water, nourishment and protection as well as the mythological home of Parvati, daughter of Parvat and throne of her consort Shiv, the surreal Mount Kailash, rising loftily above the waters of Manasarovar, revered amongst the holiest tirthas.
The sun rises in the east. So might we begin our foray eastward on the Sikkim route to Manas. Heartland routes enable lasting visitor-local interface, especially via rural craft, one example being Sikkim’s Lachen village…
The impact is evident…
Staying with Sikkim…
Nevertheless, despite Ranipul in Gangtok becoming a medical Drug and Pharma production base, it’s early days yet for champagne producers to reconnoitre Sikkimese slopes (and altitude!), to combat climate change that is known to impact 85% of the world’s vineyards… requiring earlier harvests, quite apart from planting grapes at higher, cooler altitudes. Reliable indicators predict 2027 to be the year in which a very young champagne would be imbibed… Italy, France et al.
For the present, a clutch of known cross-border routes could form the wish basket
Some who shaped our understanding of these farflung routes…
Doubtless, these suggestions are just a very few of the continuum of exhilarating outings in the Great Indian Outdoor and beyond.
Regardless of your chosen activity or destination… The right time to get started is NOW…
