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Kali Gandaki – The River That Carved The Himalayas

Kali Gandaki - the Gandaki river has naturally carved Earth's deepest valley in the Himalayas.

When the first of the Homosapien's wandered upon the Earth, the Himalayas bore only a passing resemblance to the mighty fortress that we are aware of today. It may not be because humankind is so old, but the Himalayas, from an evolutionary perspective or geologically saying, are still in their infancy. However, ancient than the Himalayas is the Kali Gandaki River that courses between towering peaks in the Himalayan realm of Nepal.

60 million years ago the Kali Gandaki emptied through the Tibetan tablelands and then wound through uneven hills. Since then, and significantly in the last 5 million years, the terrain has been forced up to form the most elevated and mightiest of peak ranges, the effect of a collision between two layers of the Earth's crust.

From the root to the head

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While the cliffs ascended upwards, the Kali Gandaki retained its ancient path. The river's surge that cut the terrain maintained pace with the uplift of the cliff, and its gorge grew ever more in-depth as mighty mountain walls rose. And what fortresses they are.

The river passes between Dhaulagiri Himal and Annapurna Himal, both lofty at an altitude of 25,000t (7666m), the river reaches the deepest valley on earth. Its course way, 14,000ft (4320m) below the cliff's summit towers above on both sides; raven in colour with dirt after the downpours, as dark as Kali, the Hindu ravager-goddess who anointed the river.

Profoundly ragged courses run high above the river's rapids, changing the pace sometimes with a dizzily swinging suspension bridge. This route between Tibet and India was the connecting bridge between the holy men and wayfarers, traders and soldiers, and locals. Most notably, it was the route that helped traders move Tibetan salt for Nepalese grain on horse and mule caravans.

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On its route through the great Himalayan massif, the valley's atmosphere varies dramatically. The north end is more of a cold desert, sustaining its flora. Just a day trek to the south. However, on the other side, it brings you to a superb contrast of semitropical forest, with oranges and bananas, while in between terraced pastures of barley and villages of stone houses.

As it connects a prominent and age-old highway, many diverse peoples have taken permanent shelter in the ravine. Predominant among them is the 'Thakali,' where stone houses have encircled courtyards to dodge the winter breezes. The locals usually spend their time between salt trading and farming, but lately, the hillside has become prevalent with Western highlanders.

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