Guides' Syndicate!

Jamacho Monastery atop the Nagarjuna Hills is one of the main destination in the Kathmandu Valley for hiking and outing. Hiking enthusiasts climb the hill in the Nagarjuna Shivapuri National Park every month while many others take time to go there with family and friends. Many tourists are also attracted to the Hindu and Buddhist religious destination due to the vegetation, birds and animals in the forest as well as temple and monastery on the hill top. 

Recently, visitors to the park and Jamacho are forced to pay additional Rs. 800 to Rs. 1500 to hire a nature guide. A new bizarre rule states that all the visitors that enter the park must take a nature guide with them who will brief them about the natural attractions in the forest. Even those who have travelled to Jamacho Monastery for more than a dozen times have to take a guide with them. 

The Nature Guide Association had influenced the top political and bureaucratic leadership and implemented such rule to exploit the visitors and tourists. Such nonsense rules must be scrapped immediately to facilitate the visitors. If any foreign or Nepali tourists wanted to have a guide with them, they should be provided with one. But, such guides must be well trained and have proficiency on flora and fauna in Nepal as well as Nagarjuna Shivapuri National Park.