Following the guerrilla track

New trekking routes announced by the Nepalese government last month will offer new opportunities for visitors to see places outside the normal tourism areas. Called Guerilla trails, the routes will take people into areas of Nepal that had previously been no-go areas as they were where Maoists had fought a ten year struggle against the government.
Previously an unsafe area, the agreement to set up the trekking routes was part of the agreement with the ex-Maoists to encourage tourism to the area so safety should not be a problem at all.
There is always an appeal in being one of the first to enter a place where visitors had not been before – or at least for a long while – and that should mean that more visitors will come. Visitor numbers from the UK are already up by 3.5% over last year and we are the largest source of visitors from Europe already. Unsurprisingly, India is from where about a third of all visitors come from and then China but a long way behind.
So what will visitors see when they go this area?
The villages have been cocooned from the outside world so they should be that rare feature that visitors look for and rarely ever find – unspoilt! But that also means that they will not be as prepared as other areas to receive guests. Guest houses will be few for those who want to stay over. But that’s the appeal of trekking – finding the places where few visit so they expect little in the way on amenities. No McDonalds, no Starbucks and not many other visitors.
Yet.
Prepare for that to change!