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Top 10 Most Popular Himalayan Trekking Routes

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Top 10 Most Popular Himalayan Trekking Routes

One of the greatest adventures you can possibly have in a lifetime is trekking in the Himalayas. Walk at the feet of these majestic giants with snow covered peaks, pass by mystical temples, walk on ancient trails, and experience the culture and the daily life of the hill tribes and breath in the most amazing nature and scenery that you have ever seen. For many people it remains just a dream, sadly. When talking about the highest mountains of the world they picture snow covered paths, climbing gear and extreme physical strength and stamina they must bear with. Well, this is not the case. Or at least not for every route. Make sure to pick a suitable itinerary, have a knowledgeable guide and do not expect luxury accommodation. Apart from that? Take with you the love of nature, sense of humor and a pair of comfortable walking boots.

1.    The Everest Base Camp, Nepal

Lukla-Airport

Photograph taken by Andrew McDougall

The EBC trek in the Khumbu region is one of the most popular routes in the Himalayas. It starts with a mountain flight to Lukla and gives you the opportunity to explore the mountains and valleys around the highest peak on Earth, rest in Nepalese tea houses in the evenings and to learn about the traditions and cultures of the famous Sherpas.

2.   Annapurna Circuit, Nepal

Annapurna- circuit-trekking

Photograph taken by Dragan Tapshanov

The Annapurna Circuit is the second most popular trekking route in Nepal. It passes through various terrains starting from jungle to high alpine, ending in dry deserted region and gives a chance to have a closer look into Tibetan Buddhist culture and with an extension you can enter into the restricted Upper Mustang Region, which goes all the way to Tibet. The highest elevation and also the toughest part of the trek is climbing to Thorung La Pass (5416m).

3.  Markha Valley, Ladakh, India

Markha Valley, Ladakh, India

Found journeys2remember.blogspot.com

It is one of the greatest treks in North India, Ladakh. A truly beautiful and very diverse route, passing through charming valleys, picturesque villages, colorful canyons, and high alpine grasslands. The highest pass on the trail is Kongmaru La (5200m).

4.  Mount Kailash, Tibet, China

Mount-Kailash

Photograph taken by Raphael Bick

Mt. Kailash described as the spiritual center of the universe in ancient texts, is a sacred mountain to four religions and the greatest mountain pilgrimage on Earth. Many Buddhist and Hindu pilgrims walk the very strenuous sacred circuit around the mountain to cleanse themselves of sins of a lifetime. Given that Tibet is not available for solo travelers this trek is only accessible with tour guide lead groups.

5.  Annapurna Base Camp with Poon Hill, Nepal

Annapurna Base Camp with Poon Hill, Nepal

Photograph taken by Nathan C. Potter

This route combines many different landscapes and brings you close to the base of 7000 and 8000 meter high peaks in a short period of time. The entire trek can be completed in 7 to 11 days depending on the itinerary. The Annapurna Base Camp trek famous for it’s variety of people, rich culture, beautiful landscapes and panorama view.

6.  The K2 Base Camp Trek, Karakoram Range, Pakistan

The K2 Base Camp Trek, Pakistan

Photograph taken by Javier Camacho Gimeno

The K2 Base Camp Trek is an extremely strenuous, long and challenging walk through an isolated and craggy land. K2 is considered to have one of the world’s most magnificent scenery that can not be compared to anywhere else in the mighty mountains. Unfortunately trekking in Pakistan can be difficult or even impossible due to the unstable political situation.

7.  Ganden to Samye, Tibet

Ganden to Samye, Tibet

Photograph taken by Carlo Marrazza

With its mysteries and legends, Tibet has long been a desired destination among trekkers. This route East of Lhasa, is one of the most beautiful trekking routes of central Tibet linking two of the most prominent monasteries together and providing access to Tibet’s first monastery of the 8th Century.

8.  Valley of Flowers Trek, Uttarakhand, India

Valley of Flowers Trek, Uttarakhand, India

Photograph by Leonid Tit

There are many legends associated with the enchanted and magical Valley of Flowers National Park. Due to its outstanding natural beauty locals believe it is the playground of fairies and that they descend in the valley in the absence of humans. The best time to visit the valley is from the beginning of July when the plants begin to bloom. In September, the plants prepare for over eight-months of hibernation. By the end of September, the valley is again covered with snow.

9.  Druk Path Trek, Bhutan

Druk Path Trek, Bhutan

Found on Pinterest.com

Bhutan is one if the most isolated countries on this planet, also called “Land of The Thunder Dragon“. It requires previous planning and organization but it worth’s all the effort, time and money.
This trek takes normally six days to complete and it is the most popular in the country as it passes through a gorgeous natural landscape of pine forests, high ridges and pristine lakes offering the opportunity to visit some ancient villages and monasteries.

10.  Chadar Trek on the Frozen River of Zanskar, India

Chadar Trek on the Frozen River of Zanskar, India

Found on Pinterest.com

This is the ultimate experience for adventure lovers. Walking on top of the frozen river of Zanskar creates the most exciting and unique experience, a very special and an extraordinary trek on shiny ice.
For the local people for centuries it has been the only possible way of accessing snow-bound villages in winter. Nowadays this is a popular route among thrill seekers for the breath-taking views of ice-peaks and hanging icicles.

Source: Top Inspired

Sagarmatha National Park’s entry fee Increased

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The Sagarmatha National Park entry fee has been increased by 13%  effective from Monday, 16th March 2015. According to the office of Sagarmatha National Park at Jorosalle, the increment was done based on the Financial law of Nepal 2071. Although the new rate was  restructured  from 1st March,  the new  increment  has been implemented  only from 15th March in the Khumbu area.

Everest-KalaPatthar

With the increment, the entry fee for visitors from SAARC countries  will be  Rs.1615 whereas the visitors from the third country need to pay  Rs. 3390 and for Helicopter landing , it will charge Rs. 2260 . However,  the entry fee for porter will remain the same. According to the office, the entry fee for porters was increased last year only.

Nepal to improve and speed up Mount Everest rescues, have more doctors at base camp

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everest_base_camp

Nepalese officials say they’re adding more medical staff at Mount Everest’s base camp and will speed up rescue efforts during the current climbing season.

The moves come after 16 local guides were killed by an avalanche last year in the deadliest disaster ever on the world’s highest peak.

Devi Bahadur Koirala of the Himalayan Rescue Association Nepal said Tuesday that four doctors would be stationed in the base camp’s emergency room tent, which will be equipped to handle almost any medical need.

Koirala said plans have been made to enable sick or injured climbers to be airlifted from the mountain by rescue helicopters within 90 minutes.

Nepal’s popular spring climbing season, when hundreds of foreigners and their local guides attempt to scale Everest, runs from March 1 to May 31.

Source: Foxnews

Google launches virtual tour of Everest

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Google launches virtual tour of Everest

Google launched a virtual tour of Nepal’s Everest region today, allowing armchair tourists a rare glimpse of life in one of the toughest and most inaccessible places on earth.

The Street View project takes viewers into the heart of the Sagarmatha national park, home to the world’s highest mountain, where icy blue rivers run below snow-capped peaks, monks play traditional music and yak-herders navigate precipitous stone-strewn trails.

everest virtual tour

Armed with two single-lens tripod cameras and a 15-lens custom-built “Trekker” unit designed for backpacks, teams travelled on foot to capture more than 45,000 panoramic images of the remote villages inhabited by the ethnic Sherpa community in the eastern Himalayas. Google worked on the project with Kathmandu-based start-up Story Cycle and Nepali mountaineer Apa Sherpa, who scaled Mount Everest a record 21 times before he retired from climbing and set up an educational charity.

“Everyone in the world knows Mount Everest but very few people know how hard life is in these villages,” said Apa Sherpa, who was forced to drop out of school at 12 and work as a porter after his father died. “Thanks to Google Street View, everyone can see these villages and understand that people here need help. Hopefully we can then raise funds to build more schools and hospitals for them.”

Nepal’s Sherpa community, who have long laboured as guides and porters on mountaineering expeditions, hope the project will promote the region and raise funds to improve access to education, offering future generations a way out of the high-risk climbing industry. Visitors to the Google Street View website can scroll through a slideshow of 360-degree views created by digitally stitching together thousands of 75-megapixel photographs, or click on the online map to see images of individual sites.

“Googlers, Story Cycle employees and Apa Sherpa spent about 11 days on the move last March, using the tripod cameras and fisheye lenses to shoot inside monasteries, schools, clinics,” said Raleigh Seamster, programme manager for Google Earth Outreach.

Google held a digital mapping session in the Himalayan town of Namche, where around 50 locals chipped in with suggestions of places to add to the online map. Lodge-owner Tenzing Sherpa was among those who attended the session and said he hoped the initiative would attract more tourists. “These online maps are a good source of information for visitors and if more tourists come here, it will create more opportunities, better opportunities than working on the mountain,” he told AFP.

Mount_Everest

Apa Sherpa, now 55, first climbed the 8,848-metre high peak as a porter, and described the feat as “a dream that had never been mine”. “My dream is that one day, young kids in Nepal won’t have to risk working on the mountain as porters or guides, they will be able to get an education and build better lives for themselves,” Sherpa told AFP. Sixteen Nepali guides, including 14 members of the Sherpa community, died last April in an avalanche, marking the deadliest accident to hit the world’s highest peak.
“Sherpas die on the mountain every year — no one pays attention. This time it was the biggest disaster on Everest, so it hit the headlines, but we have lost many people over the years,” Sherpa said.

Since its launch in 2007, Google Street View has captured some of the world’s most far-flung and scenic destinations, including the Amazon forest, Antarctica and Canada’s Arctic tundra.

Nepal for Tourists

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  • ANNAPURNA BASE CAMP TREK - 15 DAYS
    ANNAPURNA BASE CAMP TREK - 15 DAYS
    This trek is the one of best views of annapurna range, nilgiri , Dhaulagiri , Tukuche peak , Dhampus peak , Hiunchuli ,Machhapuchhre , Gangapurna, Lamjung Himal other many more greatest views of mountains you never seen before.
  • KATHMANDU-POKHARA-CHITWAN TOUR (BY FLY/LAND)- 07 NIGHTS 08 DAYS
    KATHMANDU-POKHARA-CHITWAN TOUR (BY FLY/LAND)- 07 NIGHTS 08 DAYS
    Nepal, the land of splendid nature and rich culture is waiting for you exploration through its different facets.
  • DAMODAR KUND TOUR BY HELICOPTER - 05 NIGHTS 06 DAYS
    DAMODAR KUND TOUR BY HELICOPTER - 05 NIGHTS 06 DAYS
    Many Hindus from round the globe are dreaming to take a holy bath at least once in their life time in the sacred Damodar-Kund
  • 08 DAYS 07 NIGHTS NEPAL TRIP: KATHMANDU 3N, CHITWAN 2N, POKHARA 2N
    08 DAYS 07 NIGHTS NEPAL TRIP: KATHMANDU 3N, CHITWAN 2N, POKHARA 2N
    Nepal, the land of splendid nature and rich culture is waiting for you exploration through its different facets.
  • EVEREST BASE CAMP TREK - 17 DAYS
    EVEREST BASE CAMP TREK - 17 DAYS
    Sagamartha (Everest) Base Camp trek takes us into one of the most spectacular regions of Nepal where the Sherpa culture thrives amongst the highest peaks in the world.
  • KAILASH MANSAROVAR YATRA BY OVERLAND - 14 DAYS
    KAILASH MANSAROVAR YATRA BY OVERLAND - 14 DAYS
    Mt. Kailash (6714m) is the most sacred mountain in Asia.
  • KAILASH YATRA BY HELICOPTER VIA NEPALGUNJ/SIMIKOT/HILSA/TAKLAKOT - 11 DAYS
    KAILASH YATRA BY HELICOPTER VIA NEPALGUNJ/SIMIKOT/HILSA/TAKLAKOT - 11 DAYS
    Mt. Kailash, the sacred mountain and the abode of the Hindu god Shiva is one of the world's greatest pilgrimage destinations especially for Hindus, Buddhist, Jains and others.
  • MUKTINATH TOUR BY LAND/FLIGHT
    MUKTINATH TOUR BY LAND/FLIGHT
    Muktinath is one of the most ancient Hindu temples of God Vishnu.

Nepal, a tiny country located north of India, has long been popular with tourists looking to trek in the Himalayan peaks. Popular locations in Nepal, including the city of Kathmandu, the Khumbu Valley, and Pokhara, have a well-developed tourist infrastructure, and tourists will find it easy to locate transportation, accommodations, tours and food. Whether you are traveling on or off the beaten path, you will find the Nepali people to be warm and more than willing to welcome you into their culture and country.

Trekking

One of the most common reasons tourists’ visit Nepal is to trek among the most famous mountains in the world. The Himalaya Mountains run the length of the country, offering unparalleled hiking and climbing opportunities. The two most popular treks in Nepal are the Everest Base Camp trek and the Annapurna trek. The Everest trek, which takes you to the base camp on the Khumbu Glacier, usually starts with a short flight from Kathmandu to Lukla. Annapurna treks begin in Pokhara. You can trek with a tour group or on your own; guides and porters can be arranged in Kathmandu and Pokhara. Budget travelers will save an enormous amount of money by trekking on their own. Lonely Planet’s “Trekking the Nepal Himalaya” is an excellent guide, and trails are well marked.

Transportation

Travelers in Nepal generally get around the country by bus or flight. Buses serve almost every location in the country, and generally come in a variety of classes. The tourist class buses are the most comfortable, and often include an on-board restroom. Second-class buses are less modern, but are perfectly adequate for medium-distance journeys, such as the one from Pokhara to Kathmandu. To book a bus, simply visit one of the tour offices that populate most cities or inquire at your hotel; most will be able to arrange tickets for you. For travelers with less time, Nepal has several domestic airlines: Buddha Air, Cosmic Air and Yeti Airlines.

Visas

Citizens of most western countries can obtain a single-entry tourist visa on arrival. You will be required to pay $30 (as of May 2010) and to provide a passport photo for the visa. If you are flying into Kathmandu, a photographer will take the photo for a small fee. Be sure to have cash on hand for the visa and photo; there is a currency exchange before visa processing, but no ATM. Visas are generally given for a 60-day stay and can be extended by visiting the Immigration Department in Kathmandu or Pokhara for a $50 30-day extension.

Airport Taxes

Nepal has exit taxes for all flights, whether you are flying domestically or internationally. For travelers leaving Kathmandu on an international flight, the tax is “Rs. 900 (about $13 in May 2010) if going to SAARC countries (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Pakistan and Sri Lanka) and Rs. 1,100 (about $16) to all other international destinations,” according to the Visit Nepal website. Taxes on domestic flights are Rs.165 ($2.36).

Culture

The Nepali population and culture have been influenced largely by India to the south and Tibet to the north. According to Nepal.com, there are 35 different ethnic groups who are mostly Hindu or Buddhist. The website advises that visitors handle items and eat with their right hand, as the Nepalese “use their left hand to wash themselves after being to the toilet.” When traveling in Nepal, dress modestly to show respect, and refrain from public displays of affection. Regardless of the region in which you travel, says Lonely Planet, “many visitors, drawn to Nepal by the promise of adventure, leave equally enchanted by the friendliness and openness of the Nepali people.”

Source: USA Today

TAAN promotes Nepal in Melbourne, Los Angeles, Denmark

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TAAN promotes Nepal in Melbourne, Los Angeles, Denmark

Three separate delegations of Trekking Agencies’ Association of Nepal (TAAN) promoted Nepal’s tourism products and services in Melbourne (Australia), Los Angeles (USA) and Herning (Denmark).

TAAN coordinated participation of Nepali trekking companies in these expos. TAAN Secretary Pasang Sherpa led Nepal’s delegation in Adventure Travel Show held in Los Angeles, USA on Febraury 21 and 22. TAAN member companies participated in the expo.

Trekking-expo

“Our stalls received around 700 visitors – most of them were buyers. Our participation was successful,” Sherpa said.

Similarly, Executive Member Vidya Hirachan led Nepali delegation in Adventure Travel Expo held on February 21 and 22. TAAN member agencies “Our participation was highly successful. There were lots of quality visitors,” Hirachan said. “Most of the visitors were interested toward trekking. Few sought information about expeditions.”

The expo, which saw participation of 120 countries, saw around 25,000 visitors, according to Hirachan.

TAAN delegations distributed promotional brochures, DVDs and maps to the visitors.

Similarly, TAAN member agency Sherpa & Swiss Adventure participated in Danish Travel Show held in Herning of Denmark from Febraury 20-22. The participation was coordinated by TAAN.