Safety on the Jiri - Kalapatar trek

[Nick]

Hi

A really good site to check out all the latest re political issues in Nepal is the British foreign and commonwealth office site.These words in your search will find it.
As far as i am aware apart from one possibly two groups in 2000 near Junbesi before Lukla there has been no direct overt contact since.Nothing happened on either occassion by the way.
You probably know at present there is dialogue between the New government and the mao.At no stage over the past six years have the Mao indicated they wish to harm tourists,although I think some nepali folk have tried to jump on the bandwagon as robbery although still extremely low compared to most other places in the world is on the increase.
So no need to be scared but like anywhere be careful with your possesions.


Happy Trekking.

Nick.www.himalayastudy.co.uk

[Daniel]

Luke, Katie,
The Jiri to Kalapatar, in fact all the Everest area, is as safe as it ever was. The maoist issue did not have a noticeable effect there. In fact tourists were not generally threatened in any other of the popular trekking areas, even at the hight of the maoist insurgency. Keeping a close eye on the Neplai media, as Nick says, at present the goverment and the maoists are engaged in direct dialogue, hence the chances of any mishap are even more remote than usual. I will be in Nepal with a group of 8 people, and expect things in the trekking areas to be the same as last year, or the year before.
If you take the usual care you need to take when you go travelling anywere in the world (icluding western countries) you should be OK. It is certainly more dangerous for turists in the likes of Rome, New York or London
Nepal is an amazing place.