Prince Harry’s itinerary for Nepal includes meetings, tours, treks

KATHMANDU: British Queen Elizabeth II’s second grandson Prince Harry will visit Nepal for five days from March 19. Earlier, he was scheduled to visit Nepal for four days from March 20.

According to a statement issued by Kathmandu-based British Embassy on Wednesday, Prince Harry will stay in Nepal for five days during his first visit to the Himalayan nation. Upon his arrival on March 19, he will attend a reception hosted by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Kamal Thapa. He will call on President Bidya Devi Bhandari on March 20, the statement read.He will also meet those affected by two devastating earthquake which struck Nepal in April and May 2015 to learn about efforts being made to restore buildings of historic significance and to assist disaster preparedness.

On March 21, Prince Harry will travel to Bardiya National Park and Banke National Park. He will experience rafting on the Khauraha River and view tiger camera traps in the jungle, the same day. He will also visit Dalla, a local community which is benefitting from the economic potential of tourism by offering homestays to visitors, the statement further read.

Later that day Prince Harry will travel north to the Pokhara area, where he will take part in a trek in the foothills of the Himalayas, read the statement. The British Royal who had worked with Gurkha soldiers in Afghanistan will also visit the British Gurkha Camp in Pokhara, where he will commend the bravery and service to the Crown of an exceptional group of soldiers.

The trek will end in a remote hamlet in the hills where Prince Harry will enjoy a cultural show organized by local people before, watching the sun set over the Himalayas. He will spend the rest of the evening at a Gurkha home stay, where he will stay overnight, the statement read.

On March 22, Prince Harry will watch the sunrise over the Himalayas before departing the hamlet and trekking to a local secondary school.

The visit will conclude in Kathmandu on March 23. In the morning Prince Harry will open the Nepal Girl Summit together with President Bhandari who, in addition to being the country’s first female President, has campaigned on the issue of women’s rights.

(Source: The Himalayan Times, March 09, 2016)