Himal Press 
POKHARA: The Gandaki Province Government has said that it has completed preparations for the visit of United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to the Annapurna Base Camp. Guterres is scheduled to visit the Annapurna Base Camp on Monday to assess the impact of climate change on the Nepal Himalayas.
The Provincial Security Committee, led by Chief Minister Surendra Raj Pandey, convened on Monday to review the security preparations for the visit. Pandey also conducted an inspection of the old airport in Pokhara, which will serve as the take-off point for Guterres’ heli flight to the base camp.
Local tourism entrepreneurs in Pokhara are enthusiastic about the UN Secretary-General’s visit to the Annapurna Base Camp. Dharma Raj Panthi, the president of the Gandaki Chapter of the Trekking Agencies’ Association of Nepal, expressed his pride in welcoming such a distinguished guest to the Annapurna Base Camp. “We are hopeful that the visit will elevate the global significance of this renowned location,” he added.
The trail to the Annapurna Base Camp is among Nepal’s most popular mountain treks. Starting from the picturesque Gurung village of Ghandruk, the journey takes hikers through Chomrong, Dobhan, Deurali, and Machhapuchhre Base Camp before reaching the Annapurna Base Camp at an elevation of 4,130 meters. The base camp provides breathtaking vistas of prominent mountains like Annapurna I (8,091 meters), Annapurna South (7,219 meters), Machhapuchhre (6,997 meters), and several other peaks.
Annapurna I was first climbed by French climbers Maurice Herzog and Louis Lachenal in 1950 from the north face. The trail to the southern base camp of the world’s tenth-highest mountain was first used by renowned climber Eric Shipton and his team in 1966.
