Key Takeaways:

• Budhinanda Municipality has adopted an 11-point tourism plan for Badimalika
• A free jeep service will operate between Kolti and Phulchadhaune for one year
• Authorities plan to promote the shorter Porkhe-Banepatan-Badimalika trekking route
• Banepatan will be developed as a tourism base camp and gateway to Badimalika.
• The strategy combines tourism development with environmental conservation and local employment generation

BAJURA, NOVEMBER 15 Budhinanda Municipality has unveiled an 11-point plan to promote tourism in the Badimalika region, including the development of a shorter trekking route and the operation of a free jeep service for visitors and pilgrims. The municipality issued the Bane Declaration-2083 following an executive meeting held at Banepatan, a high-altitude settlement in Budhinanda Municipality-9. The declaration outlines a long-term strategy to develop the area as an important gateway to Badimalika, one of western Nepal's major religious and tourism destinations. A key feature of the plan is the promotion of the Porkhe-Banepatan-Badimalika route, which local authorities describe as shorter and more accessible than other commonly used trails. According to Mayor Janak Kumar Bohara, the journey from Banepatan to Badimalika takes around four hours, compared with the two to three days required on some alternative routes. The municipality has also committed to operating a free tourist-friendly jeep service for one year between Kolti and Phulchadhaune to improve access for pilgrims and visitors. Other measures include establishing Banepatan as an organised base camp, upgrading trekking infrastructure, conducting a feasibility study for road expansion towards Diuda Patan and linking local communities to tourism activities through homestays, local cuisine, livestock-based enterprises and transport services using horses and mules. The declaration also proposes organising a national-level yoga camp and tourism conference, strengthening promotion of the region in domestic and international markets and integrating Badimalika into the broader Rara-Khaptad-Badimalika tourism circuit. Environmental conservation forms another major component of the strategy. The municipality has pledged to protect biodiversity, water resources and alpine ecosystems while promoting responsible tourism and controlling plastic waste in the high-altitude region. Officials said the commitments would be translated into a formal action plan backed by budget allocations and coordination with provincial and federal governments. The declaration was issued under the slogan: 'Connect Badimalika through Porkhe, make Bane the foundation of tourism.'