High-level government officials, including Honorable Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation (MoCTCA), Badri Prasad Pandey, today bade farewell to the NMA training teams heading towards Lhayul and Api Base Camp in Darchula.
Honorable Minister Pandey, along with the Secretary of the MoCTCA, Mr. Hari Prasad Mainali; Director General of the Department of Tourism (DoT), Dr. Narayan Prasad Regmi; and Director General of the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal, Mr. Pradeep Adhikari, bade farewell to the NMA training-cum-expedition team during an official function organized at the NMA Secretariat in Nagpokhari, Naxal.
Mr. Thakur Raj Pandey, Senior Vice President of the NMA; Mr. Ful Gyalje Sherpa, President elect of the NMA; Mr. Mohan Lamsal, General Secretary; Mr. Rajendra Bahadur Lama, General Secretary elect of the NMA; and Mr. Dhan Bahadur Gurung, Secretary, also joined the dignitaries on the dais.
The NMA training team departed from Kathmandu today for the Lhayul-Api Base Camp to conduct the field training segment of the Summer Skill Course of the Professional Mountain Guide (PMG) Training. The team, comprising 14 students and 6 instructors, will spend over two weeks learning advanced guiding techniques at Lhayul Peak (6,397m). Simultaneously, NMA instructors will conduct a Mountain Navigation and Camping Management Training from 12th to 18th September 2025 at the same location. Only individuals from the Api Himal region who have completed Trekking Guide Training will be eligible to participate in this training.
Upon completion of these training, a team comprising 6 instructors and 7 students from the Summer Skill Course will attempt an expedition to Api Himal (7,132m) – a pristine peak in Nepal’s far-western region that has not recorded more expedition.
Honorable Minister Pandey stated that this training-cum-expedition program in the far-western region will mark a historic milestone. “It is widely believed that mountaineering is solely associated with the Sherpa community. However, in recent times, participation from other communities has also been increasing. This training-cum-expedition, being held for the first time in the far-western region, will further contribute to this growth,” the Minister added. “As someone who hails from the far-west, I warmly welcome you all and wish you great success in both the training and the expedition.”
The Sustainable Tourism Project, a joint initiative of the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), has financially supported this training and expedition program.
