Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Ancient Bhutan trail set to open for first time in 60 years
The Kingdom of Bhutan is a landlocked country in the Eastern Himalayas sandwiched between the Tibetan part of China and India. In the Bhutanese Himalayas, there are peaks higher than 7,000 meters above sea level. Bhutan has one of the largest water reserves for hydropower in the world because of the glaciers. However, global warming has been melting glaciers and raising concerns. Naturally, Bhutan became the first country in the world to achieve carbon neutrality and plans to reach zero net greenhouse gas emissions and to produce zero waste by 2030.
Bhutan used to have a Buddhist pilgrimage route that had been used by messengers, monks, armies, traders for thousands of years until the 1960s when the kingdom started building roads. Thanks to the initiative by the king of Bhutan, this ancient trail has been reconstructed as the Trans Bhutan Trail and is now ready to welcome hikers from this coming spring. Ambitious hikers can walk as long as 400 kilometers across the country in about a month. But it’ll take not only time but money because of the $250 daily fee for accommodation, meals, and guide service that is set to avoid over-tourism. Most hikers will probably take a few-day excursion instead. However, the biggest hurdle might still be the coronavirus pandemic.
Enjoy reading the article and seeing the photos of about-to-open the Trans Bhutan Trail.
https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/trans-bhutan-trail-reopening-intl-hnk/index.html
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