Watch Nepal Live
Vishad Raj Onta
It is all dark with stars twinkling in the night sky. A waning crescent moon rises slowly from behind the silhouette of Ama Dablam. Soon, the outline of the Nuptse-Lhotse ridge and summit pyramid of Mt Everest are etched against a lightening eastern sky, as clouds float lazily by. Then, the sun rises with a blinding flash from behind Lhotse Shar.
No, you do not have to be at the Hotel Everest View in Syangboche to see this scenery unfold, you can watch it all on a laptop from the comfort of the living room sofa, or on a mobile device.
The YouTube Channel Webcam Nepal Live has installed cameras in 21 locations around Nepal which stream live video round the clock. Not only is this a unique moving homescreen, but it also provides useful information on weather conditions along trekking routes.
The brain behind the channel is Mani Gurung. He says his only purpose is to showcase the stunning beauty of his homeland for people around the world who cannot be here in person. He has not monetised the YouTube channel, which has 39 videos, 32,000 subscribers, and more than 3.3 million total views.
“I try to find like-minded people and approach them with the idea of putting up a camera that will stream 24/7,” explains Gurung who lives in the UK and sets up the cameras during frequent visits to Nepal, and also gets all necessary permits from the local government, and the installation site.
The service also uploads spectacular timelapse of sunrise videos like the one from its webcam at the EV-K2-CNR Pyramid International Observatory at 5,050m in Lobuje below Mt Everest that are not live. The footage is of sunlight creeping up Mt Taboche and Mt Cholatse on the morning of 9 June 2024 (pictured below).
The tops of the mountains catch the first rays of the sun, turning into a bright gold. The shadow line moves down the mountain, slowly illuminating it all amidst a backdrop of a brilliant blue sky, peaks glowing gold in the morning sun with jagged shadows all over. The foreground glacier looks rugged, barren, and cold.
Webcam Nepal Live currently has 21 live streams, including:
- Hotel Everest View, Syangboche
- Live pond cam, London featuring a lonely goldfish
At the time of writing, it is 1AM in Kathmandu, so the Lobuje stream is dark. But playing back the livestream to 6PM the day before, a colourful sunset appears with salmon coloured clouds. While most of the streams are of nature, the Kagbeni webcam shows the market area with a few lights on.
“As long as there is power and they are connected to the internet, the webcams are good to stream,” explains Gurung, who is an expert in IP (Internet Protocol) CCTV and security solutions. He is a sales engineer at Axis Communications in London, which makes video surveillance, intercom, access control and audio systems supported by intelligent analytical software.
Gurung’s job involves finding the product that best fits the customer’s need, and for these livestreams from Nepal he has chosen particularly rugged models that can operate in temperatures as low as -40°C and up to 65°C.
Some of the cameras are capable of high optical zoom, making it possible to see climbers with head torches moving slowly up the southeast ridge of Mt Everest. The video of climbers near the summit of Ama Dablam conveys the sheer scale of the peak with high winds blowing spindrift off the ridge.
Of all the livestreams on his channel, Gurung says the Lukla airport one is the most popular: “There are always viewers on that stream, especially if the weather is bad.” He has also put up a video of a massive forest fire on the opposite slope from the airport in 2022.
Some separately uploaded clips also feature animals, like yaks outside Hotel Everest Inn, monkeys near Sundhara, and even a flying squirrel in Harrow, UK.
The first videos and streams on the channel show the Dharara in ruins after the 2015 earthquake, as well as documenting a year of the rebuilding process in timelapse (pictured below). Gurung plans to expand his project along the Annapurna Circuit and in Western Nepal.
“Webcams, and the intelligent software they come with, could be used to monitor and trigger early warning systems in the case of glacial lake outburst floods, and show wildfires,” Gurung says.
They could also be used to monitor real time weather and help pilots flying to remote airfields or on Mt Everest sightseeing flights so they can make go-no-go decisions before takeoff.
After this WhatsApp interview with Mani Gurung in London, Nepali Times hung up. Two seconds later, he called back to ask: “What’s the view like from your office?”