Nepal via Defender - Nomads, Warriors, and the Kingdom of Lo

[Clean Drink Adventures]

Nomads, Warriors, and the Kingdom of Lo

It's hard for many overlanders to believe, but massive swathes of the Himalayas have yet to be explored. For the past several years I have spent half of my time split between the US and Nepal and regularly travel some of the most remote roads and trails in the Himalayas. And since I'm here in Nepal on day 117 of a national lockdown, I have ample time to post of some of my adventures.

Last winter we set out to find and document a handful of the lesser-known cultures in the Himalayas. For a country no larger than Arkansas, it's one of the most culturally diverse regions of the world with more than 100 ethnic gropus, tribes, castes, and religious factions. There are even more distinctly unique languages. Our goal for this particular trip was to find and document Nepal's last forest nomads, the elusive Raute tribe. We then went in search of the last remaining Magar war dancers, and then to the Annapurna Range to drive the famous trade route between what was once Hindu Nepal/India, and what is now Tibet.


(Above)These are effectively Himalayan taxis. All of these are Indian-made Mahindra Boleros with diesel engines, locking diffs, and while they're not perfect, they're pretty great. (Below) We primarily use Defender 110 trucks, but from time to time we drive Mahindra Scorpios.



Most of our trips start in Kathmandu, the 2,000 year old capital of the Himalayas. It's an amazing city with stunning temples, palaces, and cultural cites. Most of the significant attractions are former royal palaces, some dating back 500 years. There are also Buddhist shrines, monasteries, and amazing neighborhoods in the old city to explore.

(Above) Swayambunath Temple is a Buddhist stupa overlooking Kathmandu. It was built a thousand years ago. (Below) Kathmandu has hundreds of Hindu Sadhus or babas. They're always colorful and entertaining to talk to.


Kathmandu to Surkhet
On this trip we left Kathmandu and made the two-day drive to the western edge of the country. For that stretch of road, one of the busiest in Nepal, we traveled just outside Chitwan and Bardiya National Parks. There it's easy to see wild Bengal tigers, elephants, rhinos, crocs, and a myriad of other exotics like fresh water porpoise in the Karnali River. In this part of Nepal, only miles from the Indian border, the people and cultures are starkly different. Here the Braman Hindus and Tharu native tribes are the common people.

(Above) Apples originated in the Himalayas and are commonly sold throughout Nepal. (Below) In the jungles near India, you have to keep your wits about you. Tigers still roam wild. As do king cobras and all manner of snakes.


Surkhet to Karnali Province and a Secret Location
As we left the Indian border area, we started following a series of dirt roads leading into the Sivalik Hills, or Himalayan Foothills. It's worth noting, most of these "hills" can have up to 7,000 feet of relief with their "hilltops" pushing above 10,000 feet. These really are hills in the Himalayan sense. Our route took us along the Karnali River, which remains one of the most famous in Nepal. The last wild river, it starts at Mount Kailash in Tibet, making it one of the most sacred rivers in the world. It then empties into the mighty Ganges in India.




End part 1

 

[Clean Drink Adventures]

In Search of Nepal's Last Nomads - The Raute

Before venturing into the foothills and low jungles, we contacted a number of friends we have in the area. Our goal was to locate the Raute tribes people. These elusive nomads live in the wildlands of western Nepal and move with the seasons. In monsoon season they climb to higher and cooler temps. In winter they drop down to warmer climates.

The Raute - Very little is known of these people. The first studies were only initiated in the 1960s, in large part because the Raute have never welcomed even Nepali outsiders into their villages. Outsiders, certainly white foriegners, are often chased away with sticks and rocks. It is believed their culture is 900 years old. Their language us unique to them with a root structure based in a Tibetan dialect from more than 1,000 miles away.

Historically the Raute lived by foraging and only eating the rare Langur Monkey which they believe has spiritual ties to their dead ancestors. Once counted in the thousands, with a peak population in the 1700s of 10,000, when the BBC found the Raute just 20 years ago they counted fewer than 250.

After four days of exhaustive searching and driving backroads barely suitable for a Defender, we got word of their whereabouts. As we trundled into a riverbed we found them. The first thing we noticed was the number. Expecting to find 250 people, we found fewer than 75.

These are fascinating people and we were the first white faces the chief had seen since the BBC crew filmed them 20 years earlier. It was, without question, one of the most amazing four days of my life.

I was later informed we were the first and only two North Americans to visit the Raute in the forest. And sadly, we will be the last.

(Below) This is Kantijur, the last "princess" of the Raute people. Although it is a fiercely patriarchal society, women hold a lot of power as they are believed to be most connected to the forest spirits and demons they live with in peaceful coexistance. These boys gave her a wide step as she went by.

(Below) This is Bandipata. These kids are absolutely as wild as the jungles they live in. Most have already had their fill of fermented rice beer by noon, so they're pretty wound up. Anything we didn't have secured in the truck or on our person, Bandipata snatched it and hid it in the forest.


(Below) This is the chief's brother, Tandgundi. We had a lengthy two-hour meeting to determine if we would be allowed to visit their village or get chased out with sticks and rocks, which is what the tribe as a collective originally preferred. He turned out to be a nice man and clearly deeply concerned for the struggles of his people.


(Below) Never drink what the shaman offers. At least not in a Raute tribe where toxic plants are regular staples on the menu. This man carries a heavy burden in the community as the direct conduit to the jungle demons.




And the Sad News
These images were not shot all that long ago. In the months since we have learned that the Raute tribe, or the last 75 of them, have since disbanded. Only three families remain together, but they have ceased their nomadic ways and many of their traditional customs. The rest have moved to government camps, and local organizations who offered to care for them, at the expense of preserving their culture.

These - are the last known images of the 900 year old Raute tribe in Nepal.



End part 2

 

[Clean Drink Adventures]

The Last Magar War Dancers

It was almost uncanny how and where we found the Raute. As it turns out, they were living only a day's drive from our next destination, a village we keep secret in the Karnali Province. There are a handful of places in the Himalayas which remain untouched by the outside world. Sure, there are phones, and a few people have TVs with a couple fuzzy satellite channels, but the physical link to the outside world is thin.

After a rugged drive we arrived in our guest village. I found it through interesting means. While working as a journalist in Kathmandu, I met a BBC reporter. He happened to mention he was from Karnali. I asked if he had heard of the Magar War Dancers. As it turns out, this rare group of men are lead by his uncle. And so, we went to his uncle's. Easier said than done in Nepal considering it took 7 days of off road driving to get there.




The Magar War Dancers
During the time of the Himalayan Kingdoms, as many as 500 small vassal states controlled all of the Himalayas from Pakistan to Bhutan. The Magar, a caste of people that is quite prominent today, was once the fierce protector of the mid-hill kingdoms. When the Kingdom of Nepal was created in 1768 by uniting smaller states, these warriors were considered as much an asset as a threat. In many places, they were not allowed to practice their war making, but they could dance.

For the next 300 years, the Magar warriors maintained their organizational hierarchy through dance troops. The dances helped them retain battle postures and combat movements while assuring their communities the war-makers were sill at the ready.

I have done extensive research on the Magar War Dancers and have never found an account of a western traveler having seen their dances. While in their village, with an audience of 2,000 people who came to see...us...we got to watch these rituals for hours on end.

I give to you, the last Magar War Dancers. Never before photographed by western travelers.


(Above) My business partner is Magar, one of the 100+ groups of people in Nepal. What I find absolutely amazing is that the larger shield in this image is 250 years old and made of rhino skin. The swords are real relics of Magar warring past.

(Below) I have been to this village six or seven times. Every time, my little friend Ramesh would follow me like a shadow. I am sad to say, Ramesh died a few months after I shot this image, one more tiny casualty of waterborne disease and severe diarrhea. We've provided water solutions to more than 10,000 people, including Ramesh and his family, but even then we lose a few, some we love dearly. Forever a little warrior - God speed, Ramesh.


And then.....it was time to drive more!



In the 1920s Nepal again endured a period of fractured rule with small regencies and mini-kingdoms dotted through the hills. This palace was commissioned for the queen of one such mini-kingdom. It sits on the banks of the Kali Gandaki (Black Deep) River and at one time, that was the primary means in and out. It has been abandoned for decades. The road in tested our Defender if that gives you any idea how hard it can be to get there.

End Part 3

 

[old_man]

Got to add this to my bucket list.

 

[Clean Drink Adventures]

Into the Mustang and the Kingdom of Lo

Many people think of the Himalayas as a continuous wall of massive peaks extending from Pakistan to Bhutan, and it is to a degree. But it is primarily made of small clusters of enormous peaks. In between there are a few mountain passes that permit a crossing of the Great Himalayan Range. One of the most famous is the pass through the Mustang Valley.

If you read cheesy tourist brochures, the Mustang is named for its horses. While there are horses, it was once known as the Tibetan kingdom of Lo Manthang. Manthang....Mustang.

For thousands of years traders from the great empires of Tibet and India used the Mustang Valley as the common trade route. Following along the Kali Gandaki River, the route was little more than a series of trails and pathways until about 15 years ago when a road was cut. Today it is an iconic route for motorbike riders and overlanders, although very, very few overlanders make the journey. We're always among a very few each season to make the trip in our own vehicles.



You could say this is the "good section" of the route. Much of it is far, far rougher.

This peak in the background is Nilgiri, 24,000 feet.


This shot was taken from the bedroom window of a small lodge we use in the Mustang. (Above) Those are - Himals. As in 22,000 feet.


(Above) This is certainly not a "secret" place, but very few people go here because the road in is hidden, very rough, and traverses 13,000 feet. This is an ancient Buddhist monastery at the village of Jhong.

(Above) Jarkhot, pictured in Red, is a famous monastery at an altitude of 12,000 feet not too far from Tibet. This is actually known as a place of pilgramage for Hindus as much as Buddhists.

We absolutely love being in the Mustang in the fall months when the apples are ripe and the leaves changing. It's truly stunning.

(Below) This is Dhaulagiri Peak, the 7th tallest mountain in the world at over 26,000 feet. It's a regular view on our trips into the Mustang.


End Part 4

 

[Clean Drink Adventures]

Logistics and extras

If you want to overland in Nepal, keep in mind, no one does it. Not to say everyone should, but the logistics tend to keep people traveling Nepal on foot. It's not the kind of place you can rent a truck and go. It's not even the kind of place you can book a tour--sorta.

Many roads, districts, and regions of Nepal are not open to outsiders. Even the Mustang Valley was only first explored by westerners in the mid 1950s and was closed to all outsiders until 1993. Today, to drive into the Mustang requires special permitting and only authorized drivers can get behind the wheel.

If you would like to overland in Nepal, please let me know. My organization operates legit expeditions into the most unexplored regions of Nepal. These are - not tours. Again, these are full-blown expeditions as run by two dudes with a combine 40 years of expedition travel all over the world.

As a bonus, we use our travels to deliver long-term solutions for the production of safe drinking water. We install these systems in remote schools and communities. That too, is not a frivolous feel-good endeavor, it is a legit program with proven results and modeled by other organizations.

If you want to live these images, you can. Just wait until spring 2021.






These little grey boxes are saving thousands of lives. These are the MSR SE200 Community Chlorine Makers we distribute to schools and villages in remote portions of Nepal. Each device, if properly implemented with a comprehensive water storage and treatment plan, can provide safe water for up to 300-500 students a day for up to 5 years. Our travel teams help us deliver these awesome tools, to great people. (Again, that dork on the right, is me. My partner Vishu on the left)

 

[Yaniv]

Stunning photos and story,
this is almost like different earth.

Would love to visit there someday and learn about new cultures and traditions.

 

[Clean Drink Adventures]

Stunning photos and story,
this is almost like different earth.

Would love to visit there someday and learn about new cultures and traditions.

I have spent 16 of the last 36 months here in Nepal spanning 8 trips and 14 individual expeditions. It is culturally unlike any place on earth. You can drive through one valley to the next and people not only dress and speak differently, they'll have different genetic appearances. It's unbelievable how cool Nepal is.

I hope you can add it to your bucket list. The overlanding, if you have the right connections, is unsurpassed. It's so easy to roll into villages that have never seen a foreign face. And they're so welcoming, every interaction is priceless.

 

[Clean Drink Adventures]

Here's a vid if anyone needs moving pixels to spice things up.

 

[ALHATIMY]

Amazing work. I will add this to my bucket list. Thanks for sharing

 

[bennybasics]

amazing thread, perfect 110, and flawless photographs...thank you for bringing us into this journey - definitely on my list now!