Magnetic variation in Nepal

All the guide books tell you to take a map and compass, but what is the MV for the himalayas?

My guess is that all of the paths are marked anyway, but if I am to take my trusty compass I want to know which way to twizzle my bezel and by how much!

Thanks

Bushy

I cannot imagine a situation where the variation would be required. A compass will help orientate you and map but as you will be naturally tied to trails and penned in by natural features - following ridges etc. Thus GMA should not be an issue.

If you are setting off soon be aware the monsoon is running a bit late this year and it is still very wet over here. As well as waterproofing things the leeches are still going very strong so plan accordingly!

Magnetic declination in Nepal's Himalayas is effectively zero - it ranges between a few minutes east and west of zero as you travel along the Himalayas.  Trails are so easy to follow but its when you go off trail and get lost that the compass and map are essential.

It is important to get the correct compass weighting. There are 5 to choose from - North, the two tropics, equator and South. I encountered a bunch of marines in Antarctica with the same compasses that they had been using on Woodbury Common - they wondered wht the needle was burying itself.... I am sure they were good at the 'fighting thing' though

WRT grid magnetic angle, there are a few resources on line that will calculate it for you - google is your friend.

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“Never put off until tomorrow what you can do the day after tomorrow.”

 See the map on this link

 As Drew Parsons says, the magnetic declination in the Himalayas is effectively zero.