KATHMANDU, May 17: A trekking route to Mount Api Base Camp in Darchula, located in Sudurpaschim Province has now been opened for tourists.

Mt Api (7,132 m) is the highest peak in Sudurpaschim province. According to the Api Himal Rural Municipality, the trekking route has been constructed with the support of United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Nepal and in cooperation with the Department of Tourism under the Sustainable Tourism for Livelihood Recovery Project (STLRP).

To reach Mt Api Base Camp, travelers can go by road or by air from Kathmandu to Dhangadi. Then, they can drive from Attariya to Makarigad in Api Himal Rural Municipality. From Makarigad, it is a two-day hike to the base camp.

As an alternative, the travelers can also hike to the base camp from Makarigad via Khandeshwari in Api Himal Rural Municipality, passing through Thala village. This route takes two days as well as offers scenic views of cultural and religious sites like Naupatasiti, Simir and Dhauli Cave.

The rural municipality claims  that this trekking route is the most organized and comfortable among the hills and mountains of Sudurpaschim. With the development of this route, the rural municipality believes that the tourism activities in the Sudurpaschim province will be improved and it will also help to promote other potential tourist areas within the province.

While locals say that there is a need to develop proper infrastructures such as hotels and other service-related facilities, the rural municipality has focused on providing tourism-related training and programs with the aim to quality services to the visitors. For this, it has provided homestay training for women and trekking guide training to youth, in collaboration with Nepal Tourism Board.

The rural municipality believes that with the opening of the trekking route will work as a valuable component to provide employment opportunities to the locals, uplifting their livelihood as well as developing the province as a whole.