At an altitude of 1500-7300m Humla is one of Nepal’s highest and most inaccessible districts. It is located in the far Northwest of Nepal and has a population of around 45,000 living in small villages on the slopes of the lower Himalayas.
Last month I flew with a small team to shoot a project in Simikot, the district headquarters which has a dirt airstrip that lands only a few flights per week in good weather. I was not prepared for how remote this region really is, the closest road to Humla is nine days walk and Tibet is six days walk away. These isolated mountain communities rely on subsistence farming and minimal trade with Tibet and India.
Here, isolation poverty and a harsh mountainous landscape deprive people of all but the basics of life. For many of Its population of Tibetan speaking Buddhists and Nepali speaking Hindus existence is day to day survival.
Much of the area we were shooting in is high Himalaya; the main passes can be closed for up to four months of the year by winter snow. We ended up being snowed in twice and flights were unable to land for a good four days later than scheduled.
Humla is an area of incredible beauty. Its sheer remoteness and inaccessibility have inspired legends. It is believed by some to be the home of the mythical Shangri-La that same remoteness and inaccessibility means That many of its traditions still remain strongly intact. While shooting in this area we were lucky enough to witness two festivals in two remote villages a days walk from Simikot.