A day trip to Base Camp? Everest to get new tourist centre, hotel and helipad

If you build it, they will come – or so the saying goes. But sometimes the burning question when it comes to tourists isn’t necessarily whether they will come – it’s whether they should even be there in the first place.

Next year, the Chinese authorities will begin construction on a hotel, museum and helipad – an ‘international mountaineering centre’ – in Gangkar, near the Tibetan Base Camp of Mount Everest. The aim of this 100 million yuan (£11.5 million) project is clear: to create a tourism attraction high on the slopes of the world’s highest mountain, 5,380 metres above sea level.

Trekking through the village of Tingri, near the southern frontier of Tibet CREDIT: GETTY

“There will also be a mountaineering museum; rental and repair centres for cars, motorbikes and bicycles; and restaurants and accommodation,” Nyima Tsering, the deputy director of the local sports bureau, told China Daily. “Guaranteeing such services would be a major lift for the region's mountaineering and outdoor sports industry.”

 

1 reasons to visit Kenya right now

You can sleep under the stars

Loisaba Lodge is set in a 61,000 acre reserve, and guests can experience the wilderness by night in private huts open to the skies a 20-minute drive from the main building. Beds, which can be wheeled out into the open or taken inside if the weather turns, overlook either a watering hole or a river where there is every chance of catching sight or sound of passing game.

best African safari camps under the stars

Your road trip planner

My earliest memory of a road trip is of being packed into a Maruti van with my cousins singing along to popular Bollywood numbers, whilst eating chips and drinking Rasna. It was a fun time; our group was large and loud; the roads were bumpy; and the stopovers were many. We even did a few road trips in those mid-sized tempos and Swaraj Mazda buses sometimes. As an adult, the meaning of road trips changed a little. Family turned into friends, the music changed from Bollywood dance beats to slower tunes by the likes of Coldplay and Jack Johnson. But one thing never changed. The joy of riding on endless roads. The changing scenery as we cross state lines, the often hilarious sign boards, and the camaraderie of good company.

One of my most memorable road trips was the Mumbai-Delhi-Mumbai route. I had never imagined getting to Delhi via road, it turned out amazing. We had stopped over at Udaipur, Pushkar, Ajmer and Vadodara on the way; exploring the cities. We even saw a donkey run nervously across the highway road. The trip was an unexpected surprise. The other road trip that I will never forget is one I did from Srinagar to Leh and onwards to Manali. The dramatic changes in scenery that went from arid desert to snow-covered mountains, the kind people we met, the ramshackle tea stalls with piping hot Maggi-it was truly a journey to remember.

But many people I know have yet to embark on a journey that leads to the open road. Some have reservations because they don’t know where to begin their planning or how to effectively plan their trip. That’s where Go Road Trip comes in. I found this useful tool that helps people plan in detail and customise a road trip of their choice. From selecting the route to figuring out what kind of attractions you want to see on the way (be it heritage, beaches, wildlife or more), the timings of your chosen attractions so that you don’t end up there when it's closed, good restaurants on the way, how many kilometres are to be covered and many more minor details. There are around 75,000 road trip itineraries generated by over 27,000 users To choose from. Once you’ve customised your trip, you can download it and hope in your car!

HELLO GUYS I AM BACK TO MY BLOG :)