Thoughts on Manang

This was two years ago on the way to Manang in Nepal. My friends have just returned from another ride to the same place and they tell me these 4×4 tracks have now become proper concrete roads. Good for the locals. Not so good for adrenaline junkies like us. 😬

Once upon a time this was a narrow walking trail, part of the world famous Annapurna trekking circuit. The government decided to widen the trail to a 4×4 track so that ambulance and cargo jeeps could make their way to the interior villages. The fallout was that the number of trekkers reduced since the walking trail was destroyed and the locals lost their tourism livelihood. But now with the 4×4 track being converted into a proper concrete road, it’s left to be see what happens next here. Will Manang become another Rohtang with convoys of tourist jeeps stuck in traffic jams miles long?