Most of us have heard a lot about Pokhara. In fact many of
us have already been there, at least once in our lifetime. But few of us might
have got wind of a place called ‘Lumle’ which is one of the key trails to
Annapurna Base Camp (ABC), the truly classic trek in Nepal. With the sobriquet
of ‘Cherrapunji of Nepal’, Lumle receives the heaviest of rainfall as compared
to other places of Nepal.
Lumle village is 32 Km west from Pokhara and lies on Pokhara-Baglung Highway. About an hour of drive
from Pokhara, the headquarters of Kaski district, will lead you there. Nearby
this village is located the Regional Agricultural Research Station which is an
agricultural research hub and is visited by many national as well as international
scientists, researchers, students and farmers every year. The laboratories here
are well-equipped with the sophisticated and state of the art machines that will
give you a glimpse of research laboratories in the developed nations.
Besides these, Lumle
is rich in beautiful landscapes and varieties of flora and fauna. The most
striking feature that captivated our minds when we had been there is the view
of the lightning that could be seen among the surrounding hills during the
night and not to forget- the lovely downpour. The rain shower made us unpack
our backpack in search of a jacket even in the warmest of the months.
So, if
you are planning to go there, do not forget to take a warm jacket or a shawl
(no matter whether it is summer or
winter!!)