Tibet–Nepal salt trade route

[1] Two of the most important goods traded were salt from the lakes of Tibet (e.g. Namtso), and rice from the Middle Hills of Nepal.

[2][3] For centuries, the barter of grain and other agricultural products from Nepal with salt and wool from Tibet formed the basis of a trade that has traditionally been in the hands of various, mostly Tibetan-speaking communities.

[4] Nomadic groups like the Khyampa, with no land of their own, traded both salt and rice, using sheep, goats and yaks in their travels as a means of survival.

The nomad traders adapted by buying Indian salt and spending the winter in camps in the lowlands of Nepal.

Arriving in Purang, Tibet in August, they traded the rice for Tibetan salt, and started on the return journey southwards the following month.

[2] For hikers, the Manaslu Circuit follows the salt-trading route along the Budhi Gandaki River and is part of the Great Himalaya Trail.