Ganesh Himal Trekking area lies on the central eastern region of Nepal. This region offers spectacular views, untouched natural, splendour, wild and friendly inhabitants.
The Ganesh Himal is named after the elephant-headed God of Good Fortune. The Ganesh Himal can clearly be seen from Kathmandu Valley. The Ganesh Range Peaks (Ganesh I, Ganesh II, Ganesh III, Ganesh IV) stand out like crystal, that is the "Great Himalayan Chain" forming the skyline. This great Himalayan massif is contained between the valley of the Budhi Gandaki in the west and Bhote Koshi in the east, which becomes Trishuli Khola in the lower section.
After we eat breakfast at the restaurant near by our office, we take a bus ride out of the Valley and up through the hills. The first glimpse of Ganesh Himal greets us, when we go crossing over the hills. After 5 hours bus ride we arrive at the trek starting point Betrawati. We are going to spend the first night of our outdoor adventure right nearby the Trishuli River at Betrawati in the small town. Our Guide gives a short lesson of trekking on the first night. He explains: why you are trekking in this region and what else you are going to explore in this region. He also explains about the altitude sickness and all the beautiful spots from where you can see an excellent view of mountains.
During the rest of our 14 days trip, we observe the different ways of life, culture and come in contact with the rural people in the small village, passing through the dense forestations and meadows. We cross through high Shing La Pass and Pangsang La Pass which offers an excellent view of the massif Ganesh Himal, Langtang, and Annapurna. On the last day of the trip we take a bus ride back to Kathmandu or Pokhara or Chitwan from Dhading Bensi where w
e spend the final night of our trip.
The name 'Chitwan' has several possible meanings, but the most literal translation of the two NEPALI words that make it up: chit or chita (heart) and wan or ban (jungle). Chitwan is thus 'the heart of the jungle'.
At the beginning of the nineteenth century, cultivation in the valley was deliberately prohibited by the government of Nepal in order to maintain a barrier of disease-ridden forests as a defense against the invasion of diseases from the south. Then for the century between 1846 and 1950, when the Rana prime ministers were de facto rulers of Nepal, Chitwan was declared a private hunting reserve, maintained exclusively for the privileged classes. Penalties for poaching were severe - capital punishment for killing rhino - and the wildlife in the area thus received a measure of protection.
From time to time great hunts for rhino were held during the cool, mosquito-free winter months from December to February. The Ranas invited royalty from Europe and the Princely States of India, as well as other foreign dignitaries, to take part in these grand maneuvers, which were organized on a magnificent scale, often with several hundred leopards.
At the time of its establishment the park covered 210 square miles. After an extension in 1980, it now covers 620 square miles, and another enlargement, now proposed, and contains a wide variety of habitats, from the grassland and riverine forests of the valleys to the sal forest on the hills and the chir pine that grows along the ridges.
