It’s been 2 years since the first of several earthquakes and tremors terrorized the Himalayan nation of Nepal. It was April 25th, 2015 at 11:56am local time when a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck the country. It was followed by several hundred aftershocks and another 7.3 tremor on May 12 that in total killed nearly 9,000 people and injured over 22,000 leaving many homeless. To this day thousands are still not living in a permanent home.
Having visited the country on several occasions over the years when I first heard the news of the devastation I thought I should plan a trip to see first-hand how severely damaged the country was and it’s tourism infrastructure. I knew that the media reports of a ruined tourism industry would have a huge impact on the nation and it’s people that desperately rely on tourists to earn a living. I also wanted to encourage other people to visit the country either through volunteering to help with the recovery or once the situation had stabilized, make their own travel plans to Nepal, as this is one of the most effective ways to help the country rebuild.