In spring 2018 I went on a 2-week field recording trip to Nepal to record high altitude mountain winds, forests, cities, villages and other characteristic soundscapes.
Field Recording in Nepal
We began our trip in Patan, the second largest city in Nepal after Kathmandu. Embedded below is an early morning rooftop recording of the city waking up.
At night we heard a surprising chorus of hundreds of stray and domestic dogs echoing throughout the city. Listen to it below.
Forests
We proceeded to explore the forest regions Hisharu and Kimrung. These dense rhododendron and bamboo forests are home to a huge variety of wildlife, including various bird species, apes and yaks.
The sound recording below was made at the perimeter of an open meadow in the forest at midday.
Throughout the forest, I recorded many different rivers, streams, and waterfalls from different perspectives.
Himalaya Mountains
As we hiked to higher altitudes, the soundscape became increasingly silent; there were few animals and insects around and man-made sounds were rare.
At around 4000m altitude in our camp at Kophra mountain, the sound of icy winds blowing across the mountaintop was the only audible sound for hours.
Surrounded by absolute silence, I managed to record the isolated sound of hail hitting the wooden structure of an abandoned shelter.
Our experienced guide Dil Gurung knew the region very well and was a great help on the trip.
