Travels in Nepal #22 Himalayan Tahr

Himalayan Thar

On our acclimatisation day in Namche Bazar I thought we would be having a rest day.

Wrong.

We probably did more walking that day than any other day on our trek. The only difference was that it was mostly at about the same altitude. Before breakfast we walked up a very steep ridge to view Mt Everest at dawn. I wrote about that here.

After breakfast we headed up the ridge again and then around the ridge and along a very beautiful track which happens to be the route to Tibet. Mind you, the Tibetan border was still seven days’ walk away.

Along this track we passed through rhododendron forests which unfortunately were not in flower being the middle of winter. We were also fortunate to see a small flock of Himalayan Tahr, a close relative of the wild goat. They actually look like a very large goat. They are native to the Himalayan regions of Nepal, India and Tibet. Feral populations exist in New Zealand where they are a popular target for hunters. For more information click here.
Related articles:

• Everest at Sunrise

• Wikipedia article on the Himalayan Tahr

• Travels in Nepal – archive of my travels in Nepal.

Himalayan Tahr