By A Staff Reporter
Kathmandu, Mar. 22: Cyclist Mangal Kumar Lama has set out on a solo cycling trip from Kanchenjunga in the east to Hilsa in the west to promote adventure tourism in the country.
The Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) organised an official farewell programme for Lama on Sunday at its office at Pradarshanimarg. There, NTB officials wished him the best for his 1,700-kilometre trip which has been officially promoted by the Board and organised by GHT on Wheels, the banner that covers solo mountain biking expeditions on the upper route of the Nepali Himalayas called the Great Himalayan Trail (GHT).

Speaking at the programme, Ajay Shahi, Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supplies of Lumbini Province, said that Nepal held immense potential for adventure tourism and believed that Lama’s trip would help promote it to the masses.

Similarly, Chandra Prasad Rijal, vice chairman of NTB, called adventure tourism the “pride and identity” of Nepal and expressed the Board’s readiness to support its development.
Lama, who is a professional mountain biker, said that he was embarking on this trip for the country and called on the Board and other government agencies to support such endeavours.
Lama will begin his trip from Kanchenjunga, Province 1, on April 1 and is expected to complete it in around 60 days.