Walking the Great Himalayan Trail

Annapurna South, 7219 metres high, in the ACA. Two thirds of trekkers in Nepal head here Photograph: Ed Douglas Photograph: guardian.co.uk A farmer ploughing rice paddies in the Annapurna region. The trek takes in eco-systems from sub-tropical jungle to fragile high-altitude environments Photograph: Ed Douglas Photograph: guardian.co.uk Religious chortens in the western Nepali district of Mugu. Last summer only a dozen or so trekkers visited this area Photograph: Ed Douglas Photograph: guardian.co.uk Everest, known to Tibetans as Chomolungma and with the official Nepali name of Sagarmatha. The Sagarmatha National Park is the second-most popular trekking region in Nepal. The GHT passes close to the mountain’s southern base camp Photograph: Ed Douglas Photograph: guardian.co.uk The village of Ghandruk in the Annapurna Conservation Area. Construction of a new road along part of the Annapurna Circuit has worried some locals that tourism will be damaged Photograph: Ed Douglas Photograph: guardian.co.uk A mist-shrouded peak above Kyanjin Gompa in the Langtang National Park. Langtang is the third most popular trekking destination, and an excellent introduction to Himalayan walking Photograph: Ed Douglas Photograph: guardian.co.uk The Great Himalayan Trail crosses one of its most difficult passes to reach the Langtang National Park, Tilman’s Pass (5,301m), named after the British mountain explorer HW Tilman, the first Westerner to explore the region in 1949 Photograph: Ed Douglas Photograph: guardian.co.uk Prayer, or ‘mani’ stones in the Langtang National Park. The region is home to the Buddhist Tamang people. The Sanskrit mantra, reads ‘Om Mani Padme Hum’ and is carved in Tibetan script – Hail to the Jewel Lotus Photograph: Ed Douglas Photograph: guardian.co.uk The Great Himalayan Trail, where it drops down from Dolpo, the region of Nepal made famous by Peter Matthiessen in the Snow Leopard, into Mugu Photograph: Ed Douglas Photograph: guardian.co.uk Mugu is the poorest district in Nepal, and is also home to a large number of unclimbed mountains, including all the peaks in this photograph Photograph: Ed Douglas Photograph: guardian.co.uk An old ethnic Tibetan trader in Mugu, western Nepal. One of the few remaining ancient trans-Himalayan trade routes passes through Mugu, with large caravans of yaks bringing goods over the border, still three days’ walk north of this point. Most people head south in winter, when snow blocks the pass Photograph: Ed Douglas Photograph: guardian.co.uk A woman cutting crops in Jugal Himal, eastern Nepal. The GHT passes Jugal Himal’s sacred lake, the Bhairab Kund Photograph: Ed Douglas Photograph: guardian.co.uk