01 Jun Laprak devastated after April 25th

Route Katmandhu Laprak
Laprak & Barpak Epicenter: if you will notice any news, the first big earthquake was reported to have had Barpak as the epicentre. Laprak is just behind the hill from Barpak.

Laprak is a village in the Laprak VDC in Gorkha district. Interestingly all 9 wards of the VDC are close together. The village is situated 2100m above sea level. Laprak is about a 6 hour walk from Barpak, ascending and descending 900m before walking 800m downhill to arrive at Laprak. Laprak is also accessible from Tatopani in the East and Gumda in the South

Laprak before earthqueake,

Laprak after the eartquake

The most distinctive characteristic of Laprak is the wooden roofed houses, which are of the same architecture and design all over the VDC. The view of the village from nearby hills is beautiful. The village has a very rich traditional Gurung culture where more than 90% of the population is Gurung.

    This Gurung village, along with Barpak was at the epicentre of the earthquake on the 25th April, that devastated Nepal. There were 611 dwellings in the village all of which have been destroyed and the villagers have now migrated to safer grounds and dispersed to five new locations plus some who have remained in the village itself (mostly elderly who refuse to move). Whilst Laprak is at an altitude of 2100m, the highest migration settlement is at 2700m at Mamchi

The government is taking the initiative to clear the seasonal road and it is hoped that it should be open soon. However, we are really worried as the monsoon is fast approaching and the seasonal track will once again be closed due to the rain and massive landslides.