Mundum Trail Visit Year 2025 to be observed to attract at least 100,000 tourists

Preparations are underway in full swing to observe Mundum Trail Visit Year 2025 with the objective of attracting at least 100,000 tourists.

At a press meet organized at the Nepal Tourism Board in Kathmandu today, Ramesh Kumar Rai, President of the Maiyung Temke Salpa Silichung Tourism Promotion Centre, shared that they aim to lure at least 100,000 domestic as well as foreign tourists while promoting the newly explored trail.

The trail, which lies in the Bhojpur district and its adjacent districts, is off the beaten path. Visitors can soak up the view of the wide ranges of Himalayan peaks such as Mt. Everest and Mt. Kanchenjunga, among others.

The organizers of the Mundum Trail Visit Year 2025 are considering increasing facilities such as accommodation, drinking water, toilets, and resting places along the trail for the visitors, it was informed.

President Rai shared that they are paying attention to the managerial aspects of the Mundum Trail Visit Year, such as setting up the Information and Rescue Centre and adding facilities.

If the trail can attract tourists, the locals could benefit economically, opined Rai, adding that fairs and festivals such as Sakela Ubhauli Udhauli, Rudraksha, Suntala, Gothaste, and Rudrakshya, among others, will be organized during the Visit Year.

Touristic places in the Bhojpur, Khotang, Solukhumbu, and Sankhuwasabha districts, which have a dominance of Kirati communities, fall under the Mundum Trail. Visitors can soak up the lush green landscape of the mid-hill region as they walk up the steep climbs and strenuous paths the trail offers.

Speaking at the press meet, former Minister for Culture, Tourism, and Civil Aviation Sudan Kirati emphasized the branding of the Trail, stating that it is unique. “It’s imperative to brand the Mundum Trail and attract tourists in all seasons,” the former Minister said, urging the organizers of the Mundum Trail Visit Year to move ahead with the plan while taking into account the conservation of native cultures and nature.

Trekking Agencies Association of Nepal (TAAN) President Nilhari Bastola asserted that the Trail could not be promoted until the local government assumes its ownership.

Expressing his concerns that many trails had disappeared due to indifference on the part of the local level, he said that they were making efforts to preserve those trails.

On the occasion, five personalities were declared Mundum Trail Tourism Ambassadors. They are singer Rajesh Payal Rai, actor Dayahang Rai, ultra-runner Mira Rai, cyclist Pushkar Shah, and mountain guide and mountaineer Pemba Wachung Sherpa.

According to experts, Mundum is a verbal scripture of the Kirati people that depicts their rituals, lifestyles, and traditions. Since ancient times, high hills such as Temke, Mehrung, Maiyung, and Salpa Pokhari have been pilgrimage pathways used by Mundumi (Kirati Guru) to reach the sacred Silichung hill.