Langtang, Gosainkund & Helambu: A Trekker’s Guide
Langtang, Gosainkund & Helambu: A Trekker’s Guide
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£9.99
Insight Guide: Nepal edited by Hans Höfer (APA Publications). Expert contributions, both textual and photographic, give this regularly-updated book an air of authority.Others, with similar emphasis on photographic appeal, include The Insider’s Guide to Nepal by Brian Tetley (Moorland Publishing Co 1991) and Nepal (Nelles Guides published by Nelles Verlag/Robertson McCarta 1990).
Nepal: The Rough Guide by David Reed (Rough Guides/Penguin Books 1993) and Nepal - A Travel Survival Kit by Tony Wheeler and Richard Everist (Lonely Planet 1993) both offer lots of practical no-nonsense information on getting around Nepal, and include some trekking information.
Not a tourist guide as such, the following large-format book is packed with an assortment of information and photographs gleaned from the author’s wide-ranging travels. Nepal: The Kingdom of the Himalayas by Toni Hagen (Kümmerly and Frey 1980) is the definitive work on the people and geography of the country, and is highly recommended. Hagen was the first man to be given the freedom to explore the whole of Nepal and as such his knowledge, gleaned over a period of eight years, must be considered unique.
In a different vein, Vignettes of Nepal by Harka Gurung (Sajha Prakashan, Kathmandu 1980) covers much of the country on foot, including a brief visit to Langtang, Gosainkund and Helambu. The author, a native of Lamjung, has held a number of government posts, and the book is an account of his travels made mostly in the course of his work. Interesting insights by a Nepali with a love of his country.
2: Trekking
Trekking in Nepal by Stephen Bezruchka (Cordee/The Mountaineers - 6th edition 1991) is the classic trekker’s guide. Packed with information, it is a gem of a book. Sensitively written and regularly revised, the author’s commitment to the country and his concern for the people is a shining example to all who follow in his footsteps. Anyone planning to visit Nepal should study this book before leaving home.
Trekking in the Nepal Himalaya by Stan Armington (Lonely Planet - 6th edition 1994). Another weighty guide to a number of trekking regions, including those areas covered by the present book. The author has spent many years leading trekking parties in the Himalaya, and lives in Kathmandu. The latest edition contains plenty of up-to-the-minute information and an excellent chapter devoted to health and safety contributed by Dr David Shlim of the CIWEC clinic, Kathmandu.
Trekking in Nepal, West Tibet and Bhutan by Hugh Swift (Sierra Club/Hodder & Stoughton 1989) provides an interesting overview of trekking possibilities in these three countries. It seeks to cover too much territory to give precise detail, but makes enjoyable reading nonetheless. A much more personal book than the previous two, it is enlivened with anecdotes that really make you want to pull on your boots and go.
Trekking in Nepal by Toru Nakano (Springfield Books 1990) has a strong photographic content, and some of the illustrations are particularly striking. It will remind you to take a camera and plenty of film.
Adventure Treks: Nepal by Bill O’Connor (Crowood Press/Cicerone Press 1990). Not a route guidebook as such, it consists of a series of personal narratives describing a variety of treks, and manages to convey some of the magic - as well as some of the frustrations - of trekking in Nepal.
The Trekking Peaks of Nepal by Bill O’Connor (Crowood Press 1989/1991). This companion volume to Adventure Treks is, perhaps, of more practical value - even if you have no ambition to climb. Brief details of major trekking routes, and some obscure ones, are given, as well as the main purpose of the book, which is to outline possibilities for climbing on all 18 nominated trekking peaks. Plenty of black and white illustrations.
Adventure Nepal by Diana Penny Sherpani (Bufo Ventures 1991) is a planning guide for independent trekkers. No detailed route descriptions, but plenty of good sound advice throughout. Married to a Sherpa, the author runs her own trekking company which also organises the bi-ennial Everest Marathon.
Lost in the Himalayas by James Scott and Joanne Robertson (Lothian Books 1993) tells the remarkable true story of Scott’s ordeal when he became lost between Ghopte and Phedi during the winter of 1991/92, and was rescued after 43 days, almost dead through starvation. A salutary lesson for all.
3: Mountains & Mountaineering
Nepal Himalaya by H.W.Tilman (Cambridge University Press 1952; now included in the collection The Seven Mountain Travel Books published by Diadem/The Mountaineers 1983) is in a league of its own. Tilman was the first Western mountaineer to gain permission to visit Nepal, and the account of his journey to Langtang in 1949 cannot be recommended too highly to anyone planning a trek there. Read it before you go, and again when you return home. It’s a gem.
Collins Guide to Mountains and Mountaineering by John Cleare (Collins1979) contains a chapter giving a brief overview of the mountaineering history and potential of the Langtang and Jugal Himals.
4: Anthropology & Natural History
Birds of Nepal by Fleming, Fleming and Bangdel (Avalok 1984). A comprehensive field guide, richly illustrated.
A Birdwatcher’s Guide to Nepal by Carol Inskipp (Prion 1988)
Butterflies of Nepal by Colin Smith (Tecpress 1989)
Wildlife of Nepal by T.B.Shrestha (Tribhuvan University)
Concise Flowers of the Himalaya by Oleg Polunin and Adam Stainton (Oxford University Press 1987). Polunin was with Tilman in Langtang in 1949.
Himalayan Flowers and Trees by Dorothy Mierow and Tirtha Shrestha (Sahayogi Prakashan, Kathmandu 1978). A useful pocket-sized guide.
People of Nepal by Dor Bahadur Bista (Ratna Pustak Bhandar - 5th edition 1987). Background information on a number of ethnic groups of Nepal.
The Festivals of Nepal by Mary M.Anderson (George Allen & Unwin 1971). Limited to the Kathmandu Valley, but of interest.
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