Rebuilding a Village in Earthquake-Damaged Nepal

The Trip

This trip is not the usual Himalayan sightseeing adventure. It’s a special opportunity to help Nepali villagers whose homes and possessions were destroyed in the devastating earthquakes of April and May 2015 to rebuild and reconstruct their homes. The twin earthquakes constituted a tragedy of almost unimaginable scale for Nepal; thousands of lives were lost, and hundreds of thousands of buildings were damaged or destroyed. The people of the world responded in many ways to help Nepal rebuild, sending volunteers, money, food, medicine, and materials to aid in the effort. This trip, our fifth service project visit to Nepal, is only one small part of that larger and still ongoing effort, but it provides a way for you to help in the most direct way possible, by being there and working alongside the Nepali people to turn compassion into action, and by demonstrating that although healing the world is a big job, one person can make a difference.

The village at the focus of this project is Badel, a small, off-the-grid rural settlement in the Khotang district of the Himalayan Middle Hills, about 42 air miles south of Mount Everest. Badel village is home to about 1,500 people, including many of the guides and porters who have supported our Sierra Club Himalayan treks over the past 35 years. We’ll head east from Kathmandu in Land Cruisers for a day-and-a-half -- spending the first night in a lodge at Halesi. We’ll travel onward in our vehicles the next morning to a small village from where we’ll stop for lunch. After lunch, we’ll walk a few hours by trail and primitive roadway to reach our destination of Badel. On each of our previous service trips to Badel we’ve helped build two houses, and this time we’ll once again work under professional supervision alongside local residents to rebuild and reconstruct one or two homes. We will hope to visit, at least briefly, some of our previous project sites. After our work in the village, we’ll bid farewell to Badel and the villagers we’ve come to know. We’ll trek for a full  day, leaving Badel on a different trail, arriving by late afternoon at a pleasant riverside campsite near Tapkhola village. The next morning our vehicles, which will have arrived from Kathmandu, will bring us back to our lodge in Halesi after a scenic 3-hour ride. After lunch, we’ll explore the sacred caves where Padmasambhava, revered as sage who brought Buddhism to Tibet, meditated while on his journey. For the two nights before and the three nights after our time on the road and in the village, we’ll stay in a Kathmandu hotel convenient to shops, sights, and restaurants. All meals and accommodations on the entire trip are included in the trip price.

Nepal is a country of peaceful and hospitable people, colorful bazaars, decorated temples, and great natural beauty. Having endured political instability in recent decades, we’ll learn how Nepal has transformed itself from a monarchy into a federal parliamentary republic. The Kathmandu Valley is a microcosm of the country. Its three major cities -- Kathmandu, Patan, and Bhaktapur -- are a melting pot of many tribal, ethnic, and religious groups.

This trip involves hiking, living, and working at moderate altitudes – between 5,000 and 7,000 feet – for an extended period of time and should therefore be considered moderately strenuous. This trip is appropriate for strong, healthy individuals with good hiking skills who are open to traveling in a developing country, and who have enthusiasm and stamina for helping with the rebuilding project.

The Project

The service project will involve a range of construction activities, all conducted under professional supervision. No specific previous construction experience is required, although to enjoy this trip it’s fair to say that you should be comfortable working with your hands and learning new skills. Using simple hand tools, you’ll help local villagers transform rocks, wood, sand, re-bar, concrete, gravel and mud into habitable and safe dwellings. The homes destroyed or badly damaged in the 2015 earthquakes were constructed of unreinforced stacked stone. Our project will use new building practices designed to resist earthquake damage, and our work will be directed by a trained expert to ensure the reconstruction is consistent with government-approved design guidelines. 

Although this project has been scheduled for February 2025, which is almost ten years after the April and May 2015 earthquakes, there will still be plenty of work for our group to do. The scale of the devastation was so great, and the damage so widespread, that the reconstruction process will extend for at least several more years, especially in these relatively remote villages beyond the end of the paved road and reachable only by trail, 4WD high-clearance vehicle or helicopter.

Please note that this itinerary involves extended travel in mountainous terrain and is subject to change prior to or during the trip to accommodate weather conditions, participant ability and health concerns, safety concerns, or other circumstances that may arise.

Day 1: You will be met at the Kathmandu airport (4,400 feet) and taken to our comfortable, well-located hotel in the Thamel district. The trip officially begins in the afternoon with lunch at the pilgrimage site of Boudhanath, the center of Kathmandu’s Tibetan refugee community. Accompanied by a professional cultural guide, we’ll join with Tibetans and Nepalis in circumambulating one of the largest stupas in the world and, if time permits, visit a nearby monastery. Dinner will be at a neighborhood restaurant near our hotel.

Day 2: In the morning we’ll take a guided sightseeing tour in the Kathmandu Valley, visiting the sacred Hindu temple sites of Pashupatinath and Budhanilkantha. After lunch we’ll return to our hotel, where we’ll have the afternoon to relax, pack our duffel bags, and prepare for our departure the next day. Dinner will be at a neighborhood restaurant near our hotel.

Day 3: In the early morning, we load into our SUVs (four participants per vehicle) heading eastward on the BP Koirala Highway. This is the main road to Tibet, built by the Japanese in 2015. At Dhulikhel, we leave the Tibet highway and descend slowly to the Roshi river. The drive continues for awhile along the river and then slowly ascends to Halesi (4,500 feet). Although the total mileage for the day is around 140 miles, all on completely paved roads, it will take about six to seven hours. In Halesi, we’ll meet the rest of our crew, including the cook and kitchen staff who will prepare all of our meals till we return to Kathmandu. Dinner and overnight will be at a lodge in Halesi.

Day 4: Halesi is a popular pilgrimage site for both Buddhists and Hindus. We’ll stop here again to tour the sacred caves on our return trip, but for now we’ll head on towards Badel Village. We’ll only cover approximately 60 miles in our vehicles today, stopping at a small village along the way beyond which it’s easier (and less bumpy!) to walk than to ride. After a lunch break, a few hours of hiking will bring us to Badel village (5,600 feet).

On arriving in Badel our guides will set up our tent camp, which will be our home base for the next week. 

Day 5: : This day is planned as a ‘relaxation and orientation day,' to explore the village, visit our planned worksites, meet the people whose homes we will be rebuilding, and begin to feel at home in our new surroundings.

Days 6-8: We’ll work on the rebuilding projects -- carrying rocks, making gravel, digging foundations, mixing mud, pouring cement, setting re-bar and fitting framing -- basically doing whatever needs to be done -- all under kind and patient professional supervision. Everyone will work at his/her own pace and within his/her comfort limits. We’ll work together as a team, with an emphasis on having fun while accomplishing useful work. Early on one of our work days, we’ll take some time off to visit the school and meet with the teaching staff. The school serves about 200 children from pre-school age through 10th grade.

Day 9: On this planned day off from our labors, we'll have several options. Last year some folks rested in camp, while others hiked uphill for several hours to a secluded Buddhist monastery at a small Sherpa village where the lama invited us to his home for tea,  

Days 10-13: It’s back to work for the next four days. It will be a joy to see progress as the house (or houses) grow and take shape. We’ll begin to realize that our work is really having an impact. 

Day 14: This morning we bid farewell to the villagers we’ve come to know and alongside whom we’ve worked for these past days. We'll begin our return trek through the fields and forests, heading generally downhill toward the Rawa Khola river and our campsite at Tapkhola (3,250 feet). Our hike will take approximately six hours. Dinner will be at our campsite.

Day 15: This morning we’ll board our vehicles for the scenic 3-hour ride back to Halesi. After lunch at our lodge, we’ll have the afternoon to tour this important pilgrimage site, sacred to both Hindus and Buddhists. The main shrine is in a cave reached by climbing down several flights of stairs (100 feet or so). We’ll visit the other principal cave by entering from below, walking up a gentle incline to arrive at an auspicious and curiously open area where monks are often found chanting and meditating. Dinner at our Halesi lodge.

Day 16: This morning after goodbyes to our cook and kitchen staff, we’ll board our vehices for the ride back to Kathmandu. After a scenic 6 or 7 hours we’ll arrive back at our hotel in the big city. After being on the road all day we’ll enjoy relaxing at a celebratory dinner at our hotel.

Day 17: Today we’ll visit some of the highlights of the Kathmandu valley with our knowledgeable sightseeing guide. We will tour the UNESCO World Heritage city of Patan with its exquisite Durbar Square and extraordinary museum. Dinner at a neighborhood restaurant in Kathmandu.

Day 18: Today begins with a 1-hour drive to the hilltop site of Changu Narayan, the oldest Hindu temple in the Kathmandu area. Then it’s back down the hill to nearby peaceful and almost medieval Bhaktapur, where our walking tour will feature a workshop that produces handmade paper, a pottery district where we’ll see artisans at work, and the tallest pagoda in the Kathmandu valley, (which happens to be where pagoda architecture was developed).  Returning to our hotel, here will be time to relax or stroll the neighborhood before our farewell dinner at one of the better restaurants in the neighborhood.

Day 19: The trip officially ends after breakfast, as we depart the hotel for Kathmandu airport and our return flights home, leaving Nepal with memories of a lifetime. Transportation to the airport is provided.

Getting There

You will make your own flight arrangements to and from Kathmandu, Nepal; the trip leader will provide contact information for a recommended travel agent. Please do not make non-refundable travel arrangements until notified to do so by the trip leader.

You will need a valid passport to participate on this trip. It must be valid for at least six months beyond the last day of the trip. You will also require a Nepal visa. Information on obtaining this visa will be provided after you have been approved for this trip. If you are planning on continuing your travels or spending layover time before or after the trip in countries other than Nepal, you may need additional visas.

The leader will also provide information on recommended immunizations.

Accommodations and Food

Hotels on this trip are basic, not luxurious -- but they are clean and comfortable. Rooms in our Kathmandu hotel have private baths with solar-heated hot (most of the time) water. On our trek we will camp in roomy two- or three-person expedition-style tents, which will be set up at each camp by the staff. You will be expected to share your tent and your hotel or lodge room with one other person.

All meals on this trip are provided. In Kathmandu, breakfast will be at the hotel, while lunches and most dinners will be in restaurants. At the lodge in Halesi, in Badel village, and at our Tapkhola campsite our kitchen staff -- well trained in American preferences and standards of hygiene -- will likely amaze you with a variety of tasty and nutritious mealtime offerings. Vegetarians are gladly accommodated. If you have any special dietary requirements or restrictions, be sure to discuss these with the leader well in advance.

Boiled hot water will always be available at mealtimes for for making coffee or tea, and for filling your personal water bottles. In addition, we will provide each group member with a supply of Micropur purification tablets for use on the trail or whenever boiled water is not available. Hot water is a precious commodity in Nepal; a small quantity for washing will be supplied at our campsite in the village, but you should not expect copious amounts. Fuel for heating water is heavy, and we’ll do what we can to lessen the burden that our presence places on the scarce resources.

Trip Difficulty

You should expect to find both the building project and the trekking portion of this trip to be physically demanding. Although this is not a high-altitude trek, there is very little level terrain anywhere in Nepal, and so you should be comfortable hiking up and down for up to seven hours a day on rough trails. Any experienced hiker in good physical condition should be able to successfully complete and enjoy this trip. 

You’ll need to commit to a regular physical conditioning program well in advance -- to increase not only your cardiovascular endurance, but also to develop sufficient muscle and joint strength and endurance for the daily up and down hiking, as well as for the service project. Trying to get in shape a month or two before will just not work for this type of trip.

Although February is still winter, because of Nepal’s moderate latitude and because Badel village is at modest elevation, it is likely we will find the temperatures ideal for trekking and working -- not too hot and not too cold. It’s the dry season as well, and significant rain is not expected.

Just as important as being in good shape is having a spirit of adventure. You should take pleasure in experiencing a very different culture in a remote setting and be comfortable traveling with a group. You must be flexible and adapt easily to unpredictable weather and primitive conditions. In addition, medical forms need to be completed by all trip members, in conjunction with an up-to-date physical exam. Leader approval is required.

Equipment and Clothing

The trip leader will supply a specific and detailed equipment list that is unique to this outing. Any questions about the suitability of equipment should be addressed to the trip leader.

Although you can travel to Kathmandu with whatever wheelie bag or other luggage you find most convenient for international air travel, your personal gear will need to be packed in a duffel bag (in addition to your daypack) for the trip to the village. Our Kathmandu hotel provides a safe storage area for any city clothing or other items you wish to leave behind till our return from Badel. Our duffels, along with our tents and our food and kitchen supplies will be carried by our vehicles. Since we won’t be using porters to bring our duffels to and from the village, there is no strict weight limit for your filled duffel bag. Nevertheless, if your filled duffel weighs more than about 25 pounds, there’s probably some stuff you’ve packed that you won’t actually need in the village. Remember that the coldest part of winter is already past, and the modest elevation and lattitude both make for warmer temperatures than most folks expect.

References

• Lonely Planet, Nepal. An excellent overview of history, religion, and culture, with good sections on Kathmandu, Patan, and Bhaktapur.
• Coburn, Broughton, Nepali Aama.
• Khadka, Rajendra, Traveler’s Tales, Nepal.
• Iyer, Pico, Video Nights in Kathmandu.
• Greenwald, Jeff, Shopping for Buddhas.

Conservation

Nepal suffers from the same ecological problems common to most of the developing world: a growing population, deforestation, erosion, pollution, lack of clean drinking water, and the melting of glaciers.

On this trip we will see and learn firsthand how villagers in rural Nepal live in harmony with their natural environment despite pressures for development and modernization. We will be living this reality every day of the trek and service project, and will have opportunities to discuss these issues. The contrast of rural Nepal with our observations of life in the urban setting of Kathmandu will also be an interesting topic for conversation.

We will observe firsthand the positive and negative influence of Western culture on a traditional society. We’ll confront troubling dilemmas arising from our presence; we provide an important source of income, but we have an impact on the local resources and lifestyle. This may lead us to question our own practices, particularly our inequitable consumption of the world’s resources. Perhaps these experiences will make us better world citizens and actively involve us in searching for a more balanced and sustainable way of life for all of us on this planet. The Nepali people have much to learn from our successes and mistakes; we have much to learn from their spirit and positive attitude. If we’re wise enough to open our hearts and minds we’ll come away with a new awareness of the world and the way we live in it.

Since its founding in 1892, The Sierra Club has worked to preserve and restore the natural environment we all share on this planet. Thousands of grassroots-level volunteers spearhead our efforts to conserve and sustain resources, both in our own backyards and on a global scale. Through direct experience in the outdoors, Sierra Club outings enable participants to better understand, advocate, and participate in the environmental conservation goals of the Club.

Evacuation and Travel Insurance

The Sierra Club provides evacuation insurance to all participants on international trips. Since this coverage does not include any trip cancellation or interruption insurance, we suggest you purchase another policy separately to provide coverage for your trip and other travel costs. This policy also does not cover pre-trip and post-trip travel. Please note the evacuation insurance provided does not cover claims resulting from any pre-existing condition that occurs within 60 days of the trip departure. If you have specific questions about this exclusion, please review the insurance brochure. For information on purchasing a separate policy, please see our travel insurance page.