One of ‘12 best places you have never heard of’ is in Nepal

Sunday, 11 December 2011 15:38

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LONDON: Have you heard of Namje village of Nepal? If you do not hail from this tiny eastern village at the foothills of Mount Makalu—the fifth highest peak in the world, surely you haven’t.

But do not be taken aback, you are amongst those millions of people across the globe who have never heard of this beautiful village that has been recently enlisted as one of the 12 best places on earth by CNN Television.

“Namje’s isolation has been its saving grace,” the Cable News Network (CNN) stated in its comment.

The Namje is approved in the list based on the recommendation by Stephanie Odegard, founder and president of Odegard Incorporation.

She came upon it while she was searching for local women to harvest fibre for her rug company. "After my trip to Namje," she says, "I felt like I'd never been farther away from home."

"The native Magar people live very close to nature, and there's an incredible amount of spiritual activity," Odegard says.

One can climb to the top of Thumki Hill and visit the sacred burial ground where the villagers, who still practice animism, worship their ancestors.

Talking to media recently, former chief executive officer of the Nepal Tourism Board and tourism expert Prachanda Man Shrestha said that such positive news will promote Nepal in the international arena.

As Nepal was one of the attractive destinations of the world, it deserved front rank in international media and forums, he said adding that the main problems in the way to promoting the sector were internal.

According to the CNN report, there are no roads to Namje. The only way to get to the village is along a series of footpaths with views of Mount Makalu. Not that getting to those footpaths is easy; you'll have to take a flight from capital Kathmandu to the eastern town of Biratnagar, which is itself an hour's drive from the trailhead.

Other best places on earth you have never heard of:

Lord Howe Island (Australia)

Saint-Sauvant (France)

Keahiakawelo, Lanai (Hawai)

Sucre (Bolivia)

Tusheti (Georgia)

Eastern Antioquia (Colombia)

Verduno (Italy)

Doe Bay (Washington)

Wuppertal (South Africa)

Buffalo (Wyoming)