Foreign trekkers in the Manaslu area, home to the eighth-highest mountain in the world, have doubled in the first three months of this year compared to the same period last year, reaching near pre-Covid period levels.

According to the Manaslu Conservation Area Project, around 1,150 foreign trekkers visited the area located in the northern part of the Gorkha district, bordering Tibet.

The arrivals stood at 520 in the same period last year. In 2019, there were 6,070 trekkers in the Manaslu region.

The Covid-19 pandemic had affected the tourism sector in the area.

“Arrivals have improved,” said Santosh Sherchan, chief of the project. The tourism revival has elated local hoteliers.

“There has been an increase in the number of domestic visitors as well,” Sherchan said.

While many renowned trekking trails across the country have been affected by the expansion of motorable roadways, the Manaslu area, which has yet to be touched by roadways, has gained more attraction recently.

The project has been improving the trekking trails and carrying out training programmes for hotel entrepreneurs besides distributing brochures for the promotion of the area.

Sherchan hopes the tourist flow will only go up in the coming days.

“These days, 60 to 100 trekkers enter the area,” said Ganesh Karki, chairman of the Manaslu tourism management committee. “The trekking season lasts until May-end. It would provide great relief for hotel entrepreneurs if the trend continues.”

Most of the hotels in the area are fully booked.

The tourists entering the Manaslu area visit Chum and Nubri, the sacred valleys in northern Gorkha. Trekkers normally visit the Larke Pass through Nubri.

Manaslu Conservation Area houses rare species of animals and birds. It also offers a panoramic view of mountain ranges, gumba and has a pleasant environment.

“As it has not rained, the trails are safe and secure,” said Karki. “However, we need to search for alternative trails at some places which are normally affected by landslides during the monsoon.”

Around 6,100 tourists visited the Manalsu area last year, six times the number in 2021.

In 2020, the arrival plummeted to around 375.

The area had been prohibited for visitors until the government opened it in 1992. The Tsum Valley in the Manalsu region was opened to visitors in 2008.