Himalayan Field Exercise Program for Japanese and Nepalese Students
and Outline of the 13th Geotour in March 2025
(Recommended by: Geological Society of Nepal, International Association forGondwana Research, Japan Society of Engineering Geology, Nepal LandslideSociety, The Association for the Geological Collaboration in Japan)

Forward
In central Western Nepal to the north of Pokhara, there are two 8000-meter peaksof Annapurna and Daulagiri. In walking along the world-deepest Kaligandaki
valley flowing between the two peaks, beautiful mountains and valleys, distinct
geology, geomorphology, climate and vegetations change dramatically. TheKaligandaki valley is the world-best course of field exercise to learn Himalayan
natural environment, geologic structures and natural hazards.
Regarding the geology that forms the foundation of nature, we can observe allgeological zones and their boundary mega faults that constitute the Himalayan
Orogen: they include from the south to the north, the Gangetic Plain (Terai),Himalayan Frontal Thrust, Sub Himalayan Zone, Great Boundary Thrust, Lesser
Himalayan Zone, Main Central Thrust, Higher Himalayan Zone, South Tibetan
Detachment, and Tethys Himalayan Zone. The tour covers the course from north tosouth, Muktinath to Lumbini by 7 days including one day tour surrounding
Pokhara. One field team will accommodate 10 - 20 participants and is associated by
2 - 4 academic guides (senior and active university teachers) of Japan and Nepal tolead the team and teach participants. The time of the tour is early to middle March
every year. The first tours was conducted in March 2012 and the 13th tour
(SHET-13) is planned to be done in March 2025. The outline of the program isgiven below.
Outline of the SHET-13
Time, period, itinerary and course: The program will be conducted in March every
year and all the tours since 2012 were successfully carried out by now. For theSHET-13 in 2025, the total duration in Nepal is about 15 days including 10 days of1

fieldexcursion

along

thetraverse

Kathmandu-Pokhara-Muktinath-Pokhara-Tansen-Lumbini-Kathmandu, four daysin Kathmandu having pre-excursion seminar, two times of friendship dinnerparties, summary seminar, and two times of Kathmandu city excursion mostly toobserve world heritages, environmental problems and earthquake measures of thecity (Fig. 1, Table 1). Throughout the meetings and city excursions interaction
among Japanese and Nepalese students will well be done.
Participants: Students from any country including Japan learning geosciences
including geology, natural hazards and natural environment. Young engineers
newly employed by companies with related fields are also welcome. Teachers ofstudent, and supervisors of the young engineers will also be accommodated.
Citizens who are interested to see the Himalayan geology and scenery are alsowelcome.
Participants of the SHET-13 are strictly requested to join the travel insurance.

Fig. 1., Geologic outline of the tour area including tour routeand dates of stay as a model itinerary2Table 1. Provisional Itinerary and contents of exercise of the 13th SHET

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Education system in the geotour: Academic guides including 2 - 4 active and/orretired university teachers from Japan and Nepal whose specialty lies in theHimalayan geosciences will associate with the geotour and give guidance, lecturesand exercise to participants. After the field tour, participants are requested tosubmit reports on not only field excursion but also all matters in the tour. An
excursion guidebook that carries introduction to the Himalayan geology andnatural hazards, topographic maps with observation locations, explanations on
observation points with photos and/or figures is distributed to participants. In casethe tour is recognized as to form a part of the formal curriculum of theuniversity/company to which participants belong, teachers will send the evaluationof reports of the participants to the university/company.
Number of participants for the geotour to be conducted: The geotour is conducted incase the number of participants attains 3 people. In case the application ofparticipation comes over 20, the earlier-to-be-accepted principle will be adopted, i.e.,
those who registered earlier will be preferred. There is a possibility that more than
one geotour will be conducted according to the number of applicants forparticipation.
Necessary fee for the participation to the geotour: Participating fee for Japanese
students will be about 100,000 JPY (ca 700 USD, with the rate of 1USD=145 JPY),
other individuals: about 150,000 JPY or less, and those who are officiallydispatched are about 200,000 JPY or less. For students of other countries who join
the tour in Kathmandu, the participating fee will be around 100,000 Nepaleserupees. Organizer is strictly prohibited to gain any economical interests from thetour, i.e., it should be zero, and any amount of exceeding income (such as financial
support from organizations and/or individuals) related to the geotour should berefunded to participating students. Actually the participation fee for a Japanese
students was 168,8774PY in average of 11 tours since 2012 including overseas airflight.
The participating fee includes: All necessary expenditures related to travel in
Nepal includig lodgings, meals and all necessary fees for the field excursion (localtransportation, lodgings, meals, necessary snacks and drinks in the field,
employment of porters and guides, preparation for the geotour including thepreparation of the tour, formation of excursion guidebook, and participating4

expenses for the academic guides (Japanese and Nepalese teachers). Fees foroverseas travel are not included for participants joining in Kathmandu.
Expenses that are not included in the participation fee: Rescue, medical treatmentor hospitalization, for personal accident and/or sickness, snacks and drinks of
personal favorite throughout the tour, gifts, medicines specific for individuals fordaily use. Passport and VISA for Nepal are to be obtained by participants.
Expense of the travel insurance also belongs the participant.
Measures for the accident: The SHET-13 team takes sincere and maximum care
for accident. Leaders and subleaders are responsible to avoid accident. However,in case of any accident and damage of health, life, and belongings of a member
could only be covered by the insurance that is contracted by each member. TheSHET-13 and its leaders, supporters, and any related people and organizations
cannot bear to cover the damage and necessary expenses.
Organizers of the geotour: Gondwana Institute for Geology and Environment(Hashimoto, Japan)* takes the all organizations in collaboration with theDepartment of Geology, Tri-Chandra Campus, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu,Nepal*.
Accounting of the geotour: Accounting of the geotour is in the responsibility ofaccompanying Japanese teacher(s). He/she has to report the accounting of thegeotour within a month after the geotour to the organizer. The account report isincluded in the formal report of the SHET-13, distributed to all participants and isdisclosed to the public through internet.
Report of the geotour: All participants are requested to submit a tour report ofsome pages to the tour leader. A formal report of the geotour is made by academic
guides who joined the geotour and submitted to the organizers.

The mainorganizer (GIGE) has to prepare a formal report of the program including theaccount report of the program, and has to distribute it to all participants andrelated organizations within 2 months after the last day of the tour.
Collaborators of the program: A Nepalese trekking agency (Kathmandu orPokhara) to help organization of the geotour in Nepal will be identified in time.
5Supporters of the program: Academic societies, related organizations, groups,companies, and eminent individuals of academic, governmental and businessworlds will extend their nominal support to the SHET-13. Donations byorganizations and companies of related fields of activity as well as by individuals
who hope to encourage participating students will be searched for to reduce
participating fee of students. Presently 2 Academic societies of Japan, 2 societies in
Nepal and 1 international society have provided nominal support to the program.
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Conveners for the Student Himalayan Exercise Project, Tetsuya Sakai (Chairman),
Masaru Yoshida (Co-chairman), Bishal Nath Upreti, Kazunori Arita,
www.gondwanainst.org/geotours/Studentfieldex_index.htm
C/o Gondwana Institute for Geology and Environment, Hashimoto, Japanwww.gondwanainst.org/ Tel & Fax: 0736-36-7789
E-mail: gondwana@oregano.ocn.ne.jp
Postal Address: 147-2 Hashiramoto, Hashimoto 648-0091 JapanORGANIZING BODIES:* Gondwana Institute for Geology and Environment (Hashimoto): The main officeof the Gondwana Institute for Geology and Environment (GIGE), which is aninternational NGO/NPO and is situated in Hashimoto, south of Osaka, SW Japan.
The GIGE is a group of loosely connected world’s geoscientists belonging tocountries located mostly in Gondwanaland crustal fragments. About 50 scientists
are registered as the Fellow of GIGE. There are 6 GIGE chapters in the world
covering 5 countries including Japan, Nepal, India, Kuwait, Tanzania, and D. R.
Congo. Work of the main office is generally conducted by some to ten volunteer
scientists of GIGE fellows. Gloss budget of GIGE main office in 2023 was about
eight million JPY, and major work of the main office in 2023 included the eleventhStudent Himalayan Exercise Tour in Nepal jointly with the Department ofGeology, Tri-Chandra campus, geological research of the Nepal Himalaya jointlywith scientists of Nepal chapter, and editing of geotour guidebooks of the6HimalayawithmembersoftheNepalchapter,etc.

(Website:http://www.gondwanainst.org/)*Department of Geology, Trichandra Campus, Tribhuvan University: This is thelargest and most advanced geological education and research body in Nepal andincludes 16 teachers and about 100 undergraduate students. Since theinauguration of the department in 1960s, staffs of the department have madeefforts in research and educating students in the Himalayan Orogen. The
Department staffs have been conducting advanced research in the Himalaya ongeology and natural hazards in collaboration with scientists worldwide including
Japan. The Department has an intimate relationship with Japan since long, suchas that over half of the staff with D.Sc degree received education and degree inJapan, and over a half of the staff has an experience of or even now conducting
collaborative research with Japanese researchers.
(Website: http://www.geology.edu.np/)

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