MYAGDI: Preparations are underway to mark the 76th Annapurna Ascent Day next week in Narchyang, located at the base of Mt. Annapurna.
Annapurna Rural Municipality-4 Narchyang in Myagdi, which hosts the base camp and climbing route of the 8,091-metre Annapurna peak spanning Myagdi, Kaski, Manang and Mustang districts, is preparing to celebrate the day with various programmes.
Ward Chair Lok Bahadur Pun said the celebrations will include a Base Camp–Narchyang race, a Humkhola–Base Camp trekking programme, and cultural events.
A men’s and women’s open running competition will be held over a 36-kilometre route from the base camp to Narchyang, with a prize of Rs 100,000 for the winner and Rs 60,000 for the runner-up.
The Ascent Day celebration will conclude with a cultural programme after participants complete the trek and race from Narchyang to the base camp via Humkhola, starting on Jestha 17 and concluding on Jestha 20.
Annapurna is regarded as the first 8,000-metre peak to be climbed by humans. On June 3, 1950, French climbers Maurice Herzog and Louis Lachenal successfully reached its summit, three years before Mount Everest was first climbed. Annapurna Ascent Day is observed to mark this historic achievement and to honour the beginning of Nepal’s mountaineering and tourism history.
Annapurna Rural Municipality Chair Bharat Kumar Pun said the municipality has allocated Rs 1 million in the current fiscal year for the celebrations. He added that in previous years, the event was observed in Kathmandu, Pokhara and Kaski, but has now been held in its actual geographic location since last year.
Annapurna Base Camp, located at an altitude of 4,190 metres, has recently developed into an attractive destination for domestic tourists. Improved trekking routes, infrastructure, and hospitality services have made it a popular short-distance trekking destination, said tourism activist Tej Gurung of the Maurice Herzog Trekking Trail initiative.
A 20-kilometre road connects Narchyang to Humkhola, while a 22-kilometre trekking route leads from Humkhola to the base camp. Guide Lakpa Angwu Sherpa of Sherpa Alpine Trekking said Annapurna Base Camp can now be reached in two days, making it an emerging “hidden” destination for trekkers.
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