Qatari princess in Myagdi for expedition to Annapurna

Qatar's princess Asma Al-Thani arrived in Myagdi in course of her expedition to the Annapurna I. The 8,091 metres tall peak is the world's tenth highest mountain and it lies at the Annapurna rural municipality-1 in the district.

Her expedition is managed by the Elite Trekking Company.

Al-Thani's team landed at Dana of Annapurna-3 via a helicopter of the Simrik Air and the expedition is led by Nirmal Purja (Nims) who holds a world record for successfully climbing 14 peaks above 8,000 meters in the world.

"Two members in our team will be arriving from Pokhara via a land route. The Qatari princess and I will be staying in Dana, which is my birthplace, for two days," Purja said and added that the expedition logistics have been already transported to the Annapurna base camp and the team aides are preparing for the expedition.

The squad hopes to complete the mission by this month (March). Al-Thani is an experienced climber and she has already successfully scaled the Mt Everest, the highest peak in the world, Dhaulagiri, Kanchenjunga, Lhotse, Ama Dablam, Manaslu, and Mt K2 in Pakistan. Upon arrival here, the team was accorded a warm welcome by the people's representatives in Dana and the Dana folks.

A civic felicitation was organised for them, according to Annapurna-3 ward chair Ramesh Purja. As the local representative said they were happy to welcome the princess from Qatar and Nirmal Purja who has really a significant contribution to introduce Dana and Myagdi to the world and promote Nepal's identity internationally. "Nirmal is one of the world's courageous personalities."

Dana-based tourism entrepreneur Indra Singh Sherchan said the visit by the Qatari princess would obviously help promote the local tourism and in the dissemination of the Annapurna base camp.

French national Maurice Herzog, who with Louis Lachenal reached the top of the Annapurna 1 on June 3, 1950, and it is the first 8,000 meter-peak ever successfully climbed.